Parksville/Qualicum Beach Tuesday bird walk, July 15, 2014

Please note:

This was the last Tuesday bird walk for the summer season. The Tuesday bird walks will resume on Tuesday September 02, 2014.

 

The Tuesday bird walk went to the Little Qualicum River Estuary Fish Hatchery in Qualicum Beach. The morning was sunny and hot.

It was a morning of birding by ear for the most part—there were not many birds out in the heat. We heard Northern Flickers, Pacific-slope Flycatchers, Hammond’s Flycatcher, Willow Flycatcher, Violet-green Swallows, Pacific Wrens, Swainson’s Thrush, Spotted Towhee, House Finch, Red Crossbills, Purple Finch and American Goldfinch. We spotted a fledgling Brown-headed cowbird perched on branch and watched as a Warbling Vireo came along and fed the cowbird.  It was a rather sad sight watching the little Vireo struggling to feed the huge cowbird.

                                                       Chipping Sparrow: Ralph Hocken Photo. 

Six birders including a visiting birders from Ontario & Chemainus saw and heard the following thirty-two species:

Surf Scoter

Turkey Vulture

Bald Eagle

California Gull

Glaucous-winged Gull

Pigeon Guillemot

Belted Kingfisher

Northern Flicker

Downy Woodpecker

Northwestern Crow

Common Raven

Violet-green Swallow

Chestnut-backed Chickadee

Pacific Wren

Brown Creeper

American Robin

Swainson’s Thrush

Anna’s Hummingbird

European Starling

Yellow-rumped Warbler

Warbling Vireo

Pacific-slope Flycatcher

Hammond’s Flycatcher

Willow Flycatcher

Brown-headed Cowbird

Spotted Towhee

Chipping Sparrow

Song Sparrow

House Finch

Red Crossbill

Purple Finch

American Goldfinch

                                                       Turkey Vulture: Ralph Hocken Photo. 

This was the last Tuesday bird walk of the summer season. The Tuesday bird walks will resume on Tuesday September 02, 2014. 

Good birding

Neil Robins

Parksville