Parksville/Qualicum Beach Tuesday bird walk, September 29, 2015

The Tuesday bird walk went to Columbia Beach. The morning was sunny and windy by the Strait of Georgia. We saw over two hundred Pacific Loons, one Greater Scaup, many Horned Grebes, many Red-necked Grebes and fifty Western Grebes on the Strait. A large flock of Black-bellied Plovers flew in and landed near the gravel bar. Killdeer and Black Oystercatchers were singing and feeding near the shore. Two Western Meadowlarks, the surprise bird of the morning, flew in and landed near the parking area giving us great views. A flock of singing Red Crossbills landed on the top of a tall conifer near the creek. We watched a Red-breasted Nuthatch feeding on a conifer cone near the trail. American Robins were plentiful all morning and we did spot a Varied Thrush near the marsh.

                                                           Black Oystercatcher: Ralph Hocken Photo.

 

Eighteen birders including two visiting birders from Victoria saw and heard the following fifty-four Species:

Canada Geese

Mallard

American Wigeon

Greater Scaup

Surf Scoter

White-winged Scoter

Black Scoter

Common Merganser

Red-breasted Merganser 

Common Loon

Pacific Loon 

Horned Grebe

Red-necked Grebe

Western Grebe

Double-crested Cormorant

Pelagic Cormorant

Common Murre

Pigeon Guillemot

Belted Kingfisher

Bald Eagle

Black-bellied Plover

Killdeer

Black Oystercatcher

Bonaparte's Gull

Mew Gull

California Gull

Thayer’s Gull

Glaucous-winged Gull

Eurasian collared-Dove

California Quail 

Northern Flicker

Northwestern Crow

Common Raven

Steller’s Jay

European Starling

Red-breasted Nuthatch

Chestnut-backed Chickadee

Anna’s Hummingbird 

American Robin

Varied Thrush

Cedar Waxwing

Yellow-rumped Warbler

Western Meadowlark 

Spotted Towhee

Song Sparrow

White-crowned Sparrow

Golden-crowned Sparrow

Savannah Sparrow

Dark-eyed Junco

Red-wing Blackbird

House Finch

Red Crossbill

American Goldfinch

House Sparrow

Red Crossbill: Ralph Hocken Photo.

 

The Tuesday bird walk on October 06, 2015 will be going to the Plummer Road side of the Englishman River in Parksville. meet at the Parksville Community Park at 9:00 am or the corner of Plummer Road and Shorewood Drive at about 9:10 am. 

Good birding

Neil Robins

Parksville