The Backyard's Weekly Bird Walk locations are found in the Backyard Bird Report at the very end of the most recent report. Any cancellations will be posted by 8am the day of the walk.

Tuesday 20 January 2015

Parksville/Qualicum beach Tuesday bird walk, January 20, 2015

The Tuesday bird walk went to the Plummer Road side of the Englishman River Estuary in Parksville. The morning was cloudy with calm winds and calm water on the Strait of Georgia. The highlights of the morning included seeing three Gadwall near the mud flats.
American Wigeon, Mallards, Northern Pintails and Green-winged Teal were also feeding on the mud flats. Thousands of Mew Gulls,
Thayer's Gulls and Glaucous-winged Gulls were resting behind the mudflats and lifted in a huge cloud as a Bald Eagle flew over. The gulls landed close by giving us all lots of time to study the different gulls at close range.  A large flock of over sixty Brant Geese flew close to shore heading down the strait .
 
          
                  Mew Gull: Ralph Hocken Photo.   
 
 
          Brant in flight: Ralph Hocken Photo.
 
Seventeen birders, including visiting birders from Hinton Alberta and Chicago saw and heard the following forty-five species:
Canada Geese
Brant
American Wigeon
Mallard
Northern Pintail
Green-winged Teal
Gadwall
Surf Scoter
White-winged Scoter
Bufflehead
Common Goldeneye
Red-breasted Merganser
Common Merganser
Pacific Loon
Common Loon
Horned Grebe
Red-necked Grebe
Double-crested Cormorant
Pelagic Cormorant
Belted Kingfisher
Great Blue Heron
Bald Eagle
Sharp-shinned Hawk
Mew Gull
Thayer's Gull
Glaucous-winged Gull
Common Murre
Black Oystercatcher
Northern Flicker
Pileated Woodpecker
Steller’s Jay
Northwestern Crow
Common Raven
Anna’s Hummingbird
Chestnut-backed Chickadee
Bewick's Wren
Pacific Wren
Ruby-crowned Kinglet
American Robin
Varied Thrush
Spotted Towhee
Fox Sparrow
Song Sparrow
Dark-eyed Junco
House Finch
                                                                     
Northern Pintail: Ralph Hocken Photo. 
 
The Tuesday bird walk on January 27 will be going to the Shelly Road side of the Englishman River Estuary in Parksville.
 
Good birding
Neil Robins
Parksville

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