NANAIMO BIRD REPORT “EXPLORE NATURE---GO BIRDING"
Please remember, when reporting a sighting, to leave your name and
phone number along with the date, the species and location of your sighting.
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Sunday, September 28, 2014:
The Sunday
bird walk went to Rathtrevor Provincial Park in Parksville. The morning was
sunny and warm with fog over the water. Not a lot was happening on the water
with the fog but we were able to see a few gull species, a pair of cormorants
and Red-breasted Mergansers. A highlight of the walk was an Orange-crowned
Warbler moving about in the shrubs near the beach and the Merlin put on a show
for us while it was in hot pursuit of a Golden-crown Sparrow, which was able to
elude the Merlin.
Sixteen
birders including a two from the United Kingdom and one from Saskatchewan saw and
heard the following 34 species:
Double-crested Cormorant
Canada Goose
Great Blue Heron
Red-breasted Merganser
Cooper’s Hawk
Bald Eagle
Merlin
California Gull
Glaucous-winged Gull
Ring-billed Gull
Mew Gull
Anna’s Hummingbird
Downy Woodpecker
Northern Flicker
Steller’s Jay
Common Raven
Northwestern Crow
Chestnut-backed Chickadee
Red-breasted Nuthatch
Brown Creeper
Bushtit
Golden-crowned Kinglet
Ruby-crowned Kinglet
Bewick’s Wren
American Robin
Orange-crowned Warbler
White-crowned Sparrow
Golden-crowned Sparrow
Song Sparrow
Lincoln’s Sparrow
Savannah’s Sparrow
Dark-eyed Junco
Spotted Towhee
Purple Finch
Sunday,
September 26:
Northern Pygmy Owl was seen at the top of Little
Mountain in Parksville.
Mourning Dove was seen after today’s bird walk at
Rathtrevor Provincial Park. It was seen in the fenced off area near the
entrance to the beach from parking lot #1.
Friday,
September 26:
A Eurasian Wigeon and Green-winged Teal were seen in the
Englishman River Estuary on the Plummer road side.
Black-throated Gray Warbler was also seen a the Englishman
River Estuary but on the Shelley road side.
A large
flock of Greater White-fronted Geese were
seen over and making a quick stop at Buttertubs Marsh but not staying around.
Thursday,
September 25:
A Short-billed Dowitcher was seen at the
Englishman River Estuary.
Wednesday,
September 24:
74
Heermann’s Gulls
were seen at the mouth of Nile Creek at Qualicum Bay. On Friday September 26
about 140 Heermann’s Gulls were seen.
Swamp
Sparrow
was seen at Buttertubs Marsh near the viewing tower on the west side.
Also Veery was also seen at Buttertubs
Marsh, seen in the North West corner of the marsh feeding on Arbutus berries
with the American Robins.
Great
Horned Owl
was seen and heard near the tall viewing tower at Buttertubs Marsh on Wednesday
evening.
A Brant was seen off of Deep Bay.
Tuesday, September 23:
The Tuesday bird walk went to the
Plummer Road side of the Englishman River Estuary in Parksville. There
was light rain at the start, becoming heavier, with winds by the ocean, and
then ending again with lighter rain. We were lucky enough to sight 6
Greater Yellowlegs feeding in the flats, as well as 8 Long-billed Dowitchers.
There were also several sighting of Savannah Sparrows feeding along the
grassy shoreline. A great highlight of the morning was spotting 4
Heermann's Gulls at the shoreline a short distance from the other gulls.
We also caught good views of some Western Sandpiper near the end of the
walk.
10 wet but happy birders saw or
heard the following 35 species.
Canada Goose
American Wigeon
Mallard
Northern Pintail
Green-winged Teal
Surf Scoter
Common Loon
Horned Grebe
Red-necked Grebe
Great Blue Heron
Bald Eagle
Killdeer
Greater Yellowlegs
Long-billed Dowitcher
Western Sandpiper
Heermann's Gull
California Gull
Glaucous-winged Gull
Common Murre
Belted Kingfisher
Northern Flicker
Northwestern Crow
Steller’s Jay
Chestnut-backed Chickadee
Red-breasted Nuthatch
American Robin
Spotted Towhee
European Starling
Anna's Hummingbird
Song Sparrow
Savannah Sparrow
Purple finch
House Finch
American Goldfinch
Dark-eyed Junco
Tuesday,
September 23:
Great
Horned Owl was seen near the top of the spillway at Colliery Dam Park in
Nanaimo.
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Everyone is welcome to join us for a 2-3 hour bird walk on the
Sunday and Tuesday mornings. We leave from the Store at 9 a.m. on Sunday
Mornings and go to a different location in and around Nanaimo and from the
Parksville Beach Community Park at 9 a.m. on Tuesdays and go to different areas
in and around the Oceanside area.
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The Tuesday bird walk on September 30, 2014 will be going to Columbia Beach in
Parksville. Meet at Parksville Community Park at the parking lot near the Lions
Club Playground at 9:00 a.m. or at the
beach access of Columbia Beach off of Admiral Tyron Blvd, at about 9:10 a.m.
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The Sunday bird walk on October 5, 2014 will be going to Buttertubs Marsh in Nanaimo. Meet at
the Bird Store at 9:00 a.m. or at the parking lot at the end of Buttertubs
Drive of Bowen road at about 9:10 a.m.
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Nanoose Naturalists Meeting, October 9,
2014 - 7:00 P.M.
Nanoose Library Hall in Nanoose Bay.
The speaker will be
local naturalist, Bill Merilees who will talk about Middlenach Island. Bill
spent a summer on the island 50 years ago as a young naturalist when it was
first designated a protected park. Bill was back this past summer and has
written about all of the changes he observed there.
Everyone welcome for
this talk.
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WildResearch link---
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West coast environment link—http://coastaltarsands.ca/w1/videos/
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What's more important than the right to breathe fresh air, drink
clean water and eat healthy food?"-- David Suzuki
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