The Tuesday bird walk went to the Shelly Road side of
the Englishman River in Parksville. The morning was sunny with a strong wind off
the Strait of Georgia but it was very calm in the forest and meadows. As we
started the walk we spotted a Hermit Thrush feeding along the trail just in front
of us. The birding got better as the morning went on. A Townsend’s Warbler was singing and feeding high up in a
big leaf maple tree. He was soon joined by a
Yellow-rumped Warbler, a Ruby-crowned Kinglet
and an Orange-crowned Warbler. An American Kestrel
was perched on a snag and we watched as he flew and hunted over the meadow.
We were entertained as he hovered and flew over the meadow looking
for prey. We spotted a Savannah Sparrow
perched on a bush close to the shoreline. A
Snow Goose and two
Greater
White-fronted Geese were feeding in the meadow near the R.V. Park. A Townsend’s Solitaire perched on a short bush along the
trail giving us great looks. We watched a
Red-breasted Sapsucker making a nest hole in a tall snag
. He would peck for a while and then go into it to see if it was big enough. We
left before he accomplished that! A
Northern Flicker was drilling into a tree for
a nest on another snag further on in the forest. Spring is
here!!
Townsend’s
Solitaire: Ralph Hocken Photo.
Thirteen lucky birders saw and heard the following
sixty-one species (a record for this time of
the year!):
Canada Goose
Snow Goose
Brant
Greater White-fronted Geese
Mallard
Bufflehead
American Wigeon
Northern Pintail
Surf Scoter
Common Merganser
Great Blue Heron
Turkey Vulture
Bald Eagle
American Kestrel
Dunlin
Killdeer
Black Turnstone
Greater Yellowlegs
Mew Gull
California Gull
Thayer’s Gull
Glaucous-winged Gull
Belted Kingfisher
Band-tailed Pigeon
Eurasian-collared Dove
California Quail
Ring-necked Pheasant
Rufous Hummingbird
Anna’s Hummingbird
Hairy Woodpecker
Northern Flicker
Pileated Woodpecker
Red-breasted Sapsucker
Northwestern
Crow
Common Raven
Violet-green Swallow
Chestnut-backed Chickadee
Red-breasted Nuthatch
Bushtit
Ruby-crowned Kinglet
Golden-crowned Kinglet
Bewick’s Wren
Pacific Wren
American Robin
Hermit Thrush
Varied Thrush
Varied Thrush
European Starling
Townsend’s
Solitaire
Yellow-rumped Warbler
Townsend’s Warbler
Orange-crowned Warbler
Red-winged Blackbird
Spotted Towhee
Savannah Sparrow
Song Sparrow
White-crowned Sparrow
Golden-crowned Sparrow
Dark-eyed Junco
Purple Finch
American Goldfinch
Pine Siskin
Savannah Sparrow: Ralph Hocken
Photo.
The Tuesday bird
walk on April 21 will be going to Moorecroft Regional Park
in Nanoose Bay.
Good
birding
Neil
Robins
Parksville
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