Nanaimo bird report, November 08, 2015

BIRD REPORT “EXPLORE NATURE---GO BIRDING”
To report your sightings phone the Store at 250-390-3669 or e-mail us at
thebackyard@shaw.ca
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, November 08, 2015 

The Sunday bird walk went to Buttertubs Marsh Nanaimo. The morning was sunny with clouds very comfortable morning of birding. Several Cackling Geese, Canada Geese. Gadwall, Pied-billed Grebes, American Coots, Wood Ducks and Hooded Mergansers were seen all morning on the marsh. A Ruby-crowned Kinglet was seen feeding just off the trail giving us great views. We spotted a Hermit Thrush tossing leaves near the trail. 

Hermit Thrush: Ralph Hocken Photo.

Seventeen birders saw and heard the following forty-one species:

Trumpeter Swan

Canada Geese

Cackling Geese

Mallard

American Wigeon

Gadwall

Pied-billed Grebe

Wood Duck

Hooded Merganser

Ringed-necked Duck

American Coot

Great Blue Heron

Belted Kingfisher

Glaucous-winged Gull

Sora

Bald Eagle

Northern Flicker

Downy Woodpecker

Eurasian Collared-Dove

California Quail

Cedar Waxwing

American Robin

Hermit Thrush

European Starling

Steller's Jay

Common Raven

Northwestern Crow

Anna’s Hummingbird

Marsh Wren

Bewick's Wren

Ruby-crowned Kinglet

Chestnut-backed Chickadee 

Spotted Towhee

Song Sparrow

Golden-crowned Sparrow

Fox Sparrow

Pine Siskin

Dark-eyed Junco

Red-winged Blackbirds

House Finch

House Sparrow    

Thursday, November 05:
A Northern Pygmy Owl was spotted at the third tee on Qualicum Beach Memorial Golf Course.

Tuesday, November 03:

The Tuesday bird walk went to Columbia Beach. The morning was mostly sunny with a strong breeze off the Strait of Georgia.  A Red-throated Loon and two Long-tailed Ducks were spotted bobbing in the waves off shore.  A Common Murre, a Marbled Murrelet and a Pigeon Guillemot were seen heading down the strait.  We saw a Sea Lion catch a salmon thus creating a feeding frenzy of gulls near by. Eight Western Grebes were spotted further off shore. A large number of Black-bellied Plovers, Black Turnstones, two Greater Yellowlegs, two Killdeer and one Dunlin were resting along the gravel bar. There were many flocks of Bonaparte’s Gulls were flying up the strait throughout the morning.  A number of Brandt’s Cormorants were perched along the breakwater at the French Creek Marina.

Brandt’s Cormorant: Ralph Hocken Photo. 

Fourteen birders saw and hear the following fifty species:

Canada Geese

Brandt Goose

Mallard

Harlequin Duck

American Widgeon

Surf Scoter

White-winged Scoter

Black Scoter

Long-tailed Duck

Bufflehead

Common Merganser

Red-breasted Merganser

Red-throated Loon

Pacific Loon

                                                      Common Loon

Horned Grebe

Red-necked Grebe

Western Grebe

Common Murre

Marbled Murrelet

Pigeon Guillemot

Brandt’s Cormorant

Double-crested Cormorant

Pelagic Cormorant

Belted Kingfisher

Great Blue Heron

Bald Eagle

Black-bellied Plover

Greater Yellowlegs

Dunlin

Black Turnstone

Killdeer

Bonaparte’s Gull

Mew Gull

Thayer's Gull

California Gull

Glaucous-winged Gull

Northern Flicker

Northwestern Crow

Common Raven

Eurasian Collared-dove

Anna’s Hummingbird

Chestnut-backed Chickadee

Bushtit

Spotted Towhee

Song Sparrow

White-crowned Sparrow

Golden-crowned Sparrow

Dark-eyed Junco

House Finch

         Dunlin: Ralph Hocken Photo.  

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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 November 10, 2015 will be going to Rathtrevor Provincial Park in Parksville.  Meet at the Parksville Community Park at the parking lot near the Lions club Playground at 9:00 a.m. or at the main parking lot at Rathtrevor at about 9:10 a.m.
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The Sunday bird walk on November 15, 2015 will be going to Nanoose Bay.

Meet at the Birdstore at 9:00 a.m. or at parking area near the beach behind the church camp (off highway 19 and Arlington Road )at about 9:15 am.
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British Columbia Rare Bird Alert link--- http://www.bcbirdalert.blogspot.ca/
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Rare Birds of Vancouver Island:
http://ibis.geog.ubc.ca/biodiversity/efauna/documents/RareBirdRecordsofVancouver%20IslandVersionXZAB.pdf
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Good birding
Neil Robins

THE BACKYARD WILDBIRD & NATURE STORE
6314 Metral Drive
Nanaimo  B.C.
V9T-2L8
Phone: 250-390-3669
Fax: 250-390-1633
Email:  thebackyard@shaw.ca
Blog:  www.thebirdstore.blogspot.co