Tuesday bird walk, September 06, 2016

The first Tuesday bird walk of the season went to the Shelly Road side of the Englishman River Estuary in Parksville. The morning was mostly cloudy with calm winds. We spotted a family of Brown Creepers moving up the trunk of a tall Big Leaf Maple Tree at the start of the walk. The seabirds are beginning to arrive for the winter----Surf Scoters, Common Loons, Horned Grebes, Red-necked Grebes, Pelagic Cormorants Common Murre and a Marbled Murrelet were all seen on the Strait of Georgia.  A Barn Swallow, a Purple Martin, a Vaux’s Swift and a  Black Swift were seen overhead.  A Yellow Warbler, several Orange-crowned Warblers, a Wilson’s Warbler, a Common Yellowthroat, a Warbling Vireo, a Willow Flycatcher and a  Lincoln's Sparrow was seen near the end of a great walk.

 

 

 

 

Yellow Warbler, Ralph Hocken Photo.

Eleven birders saw and heard the following fifty-one species:

Canada Geese

Mallard

Northern Pintail

Surf Scoter

Common Loon

 Horned Grebe

 Red-necked Grebe

 Pelagic Cormorant

Common Murre

Marbled Murrelet

 Turkey Vulture

 Bald Eagle

 Sharp-shinned Hawk

 Great Blue Heron

 Mew Gull

Thayer’s Gull

 California Gull

 Glaucous-winged Gull

Killdeer

Band-tailed Pigeon

Belted Kingfisher

Northern Flicker

Pileated Woodpecker

  Northwestern Crow

 Common Raven

 Barn Swallow

Purple Martin

 Vaux’s Swift

 Black Swift

 Chestnut-backed Chickadee

Red-breasted Nuthatch

Brown Creeper

Bushtit

Bewick's Wren

 Ruby-crowned Kinglet

 American Robin

Anna’s Hummingbird

Yellow Warbler

Orange-crowned Warbler

 Wilson’s Warbler

 Common Yellowthroat

 Warbling Vireo

 Willow Flycatcher

 Spotted Towhee

 Lincoln's Sparrow

 Song Sparrow

 White-crowned Sparrow

 House Finch

 Purple Finch

American Goldfinch

Pine Siskin 

The Tuesday bird walk on September 13, 2016 will be going to the Little Qualicum River Estuary in Qualicum Beach. Meet at the Parksville Community Park at the parking lot near the Lions Club playground at 9:00 a.m. in Parksville, or at the Brant Viewing Platform in north Qualicum Beach at about 9:20 a.m. 

Good birding

 Neil Robins

Parksville 

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