Parksville/Qualicum Beach Tuesday bird walk, April 25, 2017

The Tuesday bird walk went to the Little Qualicum River Fish Hatchery. The morning was cloudy but the winds were calm. A large flock of Western Grebes, Pacific Loons, Common Loons, Marbled Murrelets and Pigeon Guillemots were seen off shore from the Brant viewing platform before we left Qualicum Beach for the hatchery.  We saw an American Dipper next to the road at the Fish Hatchery feeding along the banks of the river. The Dipper flew under the road to it’s nest and then flew along the stream picking up little tiny fish and heading back to the nest several times.  The first of the season Yellow Warbler, Wilson’s Warbler, Pacific-slope Flycatcher and  Willow Flycatcher were heard and then seen just off the road. 

                                                  Pacific-slope Flycatcher: Ralph Hocken Photo.

Fifteen birders saw and heard the following sixty-one species:

Brant

Canada Geese

Mallard

Harlequin Duck

Common Merganser

Red-breasted Merganser

Horned Grebe

Red-necked Grebe

Western Grebe

Surf Scoter

White-winged Scoter

Pacific Loon

Common Loon

Marbled Murrelet

Pigeon Guillemot

Bald Eagle

Cooper’s Hawk

Turkey Vulture

Black Oystercatcher

American Dipper

Bonaparte's Gull

Western Gull

California Gull

Mew Gull

Thayer’s Gull

Glaucous-winged Gull

Great Blue Heron

Belted Kingfisher

Red-breasted Sapsucker

Northern Flicker

Downy Woodpecker

Rock Pigeon

Band-tailed Pigeon

Northwestern Crow

Common Raven

Violet-green Swallow

Tree Swallow

Chestnut-backed Chickadee

Bushtit

Brown Creeper

Pacific Wren

American Robin

Rufous Hummingbird

Yellow Warbler

Yellow-rumped Warbler

Black-throated Gray Warbler

Orange-crowned Warbler

Wilson’s Warbler

Townsend’s Warbler

Warbling Vireo

Pacific-slope Flycatcher
Willow Flycatcher
Spotted Towhee

Savannah Sparrow

Chipping Sparrow

Song Sparrow

White-crowned Sparrow

Red Crossbill

Dark-eyed Junco

Purple Finch

Pine-Siskin

American Dipper: Ralph Hocken Photo: 

The Tuesday bird walk on May 01, 2017 will be going to Lot Ten in north Qualicum Beach. meet at the Parksville Community Park at the parking lot near the Lions Club Kids playground at 9:00 a.m. or on the forest side of Kinkade Road in north Qualicum Beach at about 9:15 a.m. 

Good birding

Neil Robins 

THE BACKYARD WILDBIRD & NATURE STORE

314 Metral Drive

 Nanaimo B.C.

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Phone: 250-390-3669

Fax: 250-390-1633

Email: thebackyard@shaw.ca

Blog: www.thebirdstore.blogspot.com