Parksville/Qualicum beach Tuesday bird walk, December 02, 2014

 The Tuesday bird walk went to Rathtrevor Provincial Park in Parksville. The morning was cloudy and cool with calm winds. The highlights included seeing an estimated two thousand  Dunlin with large numbers of Black-bellied Plovers and Black Turnstones feeding in tide pools and at the tideline. A flock of fourteen Brant flew in near the shore. A  Pigeon Guillemot, Bufflehead, Common Goldeneye and Barrow’s Goldeneye were seen further offshore. A Brown Creeper with a flock of Golden-crowned Kinglets and Ruby-crowned Kinglets caught our attention at the edge of the forest as they moved about quickly feeding in the bushes just off the trail. 

 

   Dunlin: Ralph Hocken Photo.  

                     

                                                                     Black Turnstones: Ralph Hocken Photo.  

Fourteen birders saw and heard the following thirty-six species:

Brant

 American Wigeon

 Mallard

 Harlequin Duck

Greater Scaup

Northern Pintail

 Surf Scoter

 Bufflehead

 Common Goldeneye

Barrow’s Goldeneye

 Common Merganser

 Red-breasted Merganser

 Pacific Loon

 Common Loon

 Long-tailed Duck

 Red-necked Grebe

 Horned Grebe

 Double-crested Cormorant

 Bald Eagle

  Black-bellied Plover

 Black Turnstone

 Dunlin

 Thayer’s Gull

 California Gull

 Glaucous-winged Gull

 Pigeon Guillemot

 Northern Flicker

 Northwestern Crow

 Common Raven

Chestnut-backed Chickadee

 Brown Creeper

 Golden-crowned Kinglet

Ruby-crowned Kinglet

 Pacific Wren

 Spotted Towhee

 Song Sparrow

 

                               Brant: Ralph Hocken Photo.

 

The Tuesday bird walk on December 09, 2014 will be going to Deep Bay.

 

P.S. A Northern Shrike just landed in our backyard..Neil 

Good birding

Neil Robins

Parksville