Parksville/Qualicum beach Tuesday bird walk, May 06, 2014

The Tuesday bird walk went to the Brant viewing platform in Qualicum Beach and the Little Qualicum River Hatchery north of Qualicum Beach. The morning was sunny and warm. Many Western Grebe’s, Pacific Loons, Marbled Murrelet and Common Murre were seen off shore from the viewing platform. We had excellent views of a Hammond’s Flycatcher as it rested and preened itself on a Cedar Tree just off the trail. Vaux’s Swifts and Black Swifts entertained us as they chased insects up high above us. We spotted a Willow Flycatcher feeding in a bush near the river. We heard and saw Black-throated Grey Warblers and heard Pacific-slope Flycatchers throughout the morning.

Willow Flycatcher: Ralph Hocken Photo. 

Fourteen birders, including visiting birders from Ottawa and California saw and heard the following sixty-four species:

Mallard

American Widgeon

Harlequin Duck

Black Scoter

Surf Scoter

White-winged Scoter

Bufflehead

Red-breasted Merganser

Pacific Loon

Common Loon

Horned Grebe

Red-necked Grebe

Western Grebe

Spotted Sandpiper

Double-crested Cormorant

Great Blue Heron

Turkey Vulture

Bald Eagle

Red-tailed Hawk

Bonaparte's Gull

Mew Gull

Western Gull

California Gull

Glaucous-winged Gull

Marbled Murrelet

Common Murre

Belted Kingfisher

Red-breasted Sapsucker

Northern Flicker

Downy Woodpecker
Steller's Jay 

Northwestern Crow

Common Raven

Violet-green Swallow

Rough-winged Swallow

Vaux’s Swift

Black Swift

Chestnut-backed Chickadee

Pacific Wren

Golden-crowned Kinglet

Ruby-crowned Kinglet

American Robin

Rufous Hummingbird

Varied Thrush

European Starling

Western Tanager

Yellow-rumped Warbler

Black-throated Grey Warbler

Orange-crowned Warbler

Wilson’s Warbler

Common Yellowthroat

Warbling Vireo

Pacific-slope Flycatcher

Hammond’s Flycatcher

Willow Flycatcher

Spotted Towhee

Chipping Sparrow

Song Sparrow

White-crowned Sparrow

House Finch

Red Crossbill

Purple Finch

American Goldfinch 

               

Pacific Loons: Ralph Hocken Photo. 

The Tuesday bird walk on May 13 will be going to the Plummer Road side of the Englishman River Estuary in Parksville 

Good birding

Neil Robins

Parksville