Nanaimo bird report, July 24, 2016

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, July 24, 2016:

The Sunday bird walk went to Springwood Park in Parksville. The morning was sunny with calm winds.  A leucistic Common Raven flew overhead giving us great views. Willow Flycatchers and Pacific-slope Flycatchers were singing and entertaining us all morning. We saw a Black-throated Warbler high in the tall trees.  A Western Tanager spent  a long time preening itself on a branch just off the trail giving us great views.

 

Willow Flycatcher: Ralph Hocken Photo. 

Ten birders including visiting birders from Portugal and Oregon saw and heard the following thirty species: 

Turkey Vulture

Bald Eagle

Red-tailed hawk

Band-tailed Pigeon

Anna's Hummingbird

Downy Woodpecker

Pileated Woodpecker

Willow Flycatcher

Pacific-slope Flycatcher

Western Wood Pewee

Northwestern Crow

  Common Raven

Chestnut-backed Chickadee

Red-breasted Nuthatch

Brown Creeper

Bewick's Wren

Bushtit

Swainson's Thrush

American Robin

Orange-crowned Warbler

Black-throated Warbler

Western Tanager

Spotted Towhee

White-crowned Sparrow

Dark-eyed Junco

American Goldfinch

House Finch

Red Crossbill

Pine Siskin 

Friday, July 22:

A Female Black-throated Gray Warbler was seen sitting in an Ocean Spray bush in the 2800 block of Skrimshire Road in Shawnigan Lake. 

Thursday, July 21:

Nine Common Nighthawks over a backyard along Meridian Way in Parksville this evening at about 8 p.m. 

A family of four Pileated Woodpeckers- a male, female and two fledglings are visiting suet feeders in a backyard along Barrington Road in Nanaimo. 

Monday, July 18:

A male Western Tanager and a flock of Cedar Waxwings were seen in a backyard in Ladysmith. 

A Semipalmated Plover, over one hundred  Western Sandpipers and Least Sandpipers, a Semipalmated Sandpiper and twelve Killdeer were seen at the Plumber Road mud flats in Parksville on the Englishman River  Estuary. 

Common Loons, Pelagic Cormorants, Great Blue Herons, Canada Geese, two Surf Scoters, twenty Black-bellied Plovers, a Bonaparte Gull, twenty California Gulls, a Caspian Tern, three Pigeon Guillemot and twelve Black Oystercatchers were seen on the Strait of Georgia off the Plummer Road side of the Englishman in Parksville. 

Four Greater Yellowlegs and Purple Martin were seen at French Creek. 

Black Turnstones and Black-bellied Plovers were seen at Columbia Beach. 

Saturday, July 16: 

A large flock of Common Nighthawks were seen at 6:30 p.m. over the 2500 block of Glenayr Drive, near Departure Bay, Nanaimo. 

Friday July 15:

A flock of fourteen Common Nighthawks were seen over the 2500 block of Glenayr Drive, near Departure Bay, Nanaimo. 

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Everyone is welcome to join us for a 2-3 hour bird walk on the Sunday & Tuesday. We leave from the Store at 9 a.m. on Sunday Mornings and go to a different location in and around Nanaimo.  The Tuesday bird walk has ended for the summer. They will resume on September 06, 2016.

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The Sunday bird walk on July 31, 2016 will be going to Linley Valley in Nanaimo. Meet at the Birdstore at 9:00 a.m. or at the end of Burma Road off Lost Lake Road in north Nanaimo at about 9:20 a.m.

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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