Nanaimo bird report, October 29, 2017

Nanaimo bird report, October 29, 2017

BIRD REPORT
“EXPLORE NATURE”---GO BIRDING:
To report your sightings phone the Store at 250-390-3669Or 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.

                            ************************************************************ 

Sunday, October 29, 2017:  

This Sunday’s Bird Walk went to Nanoose Bay.  The morning was sunny with calm winds. Ten Bufflehead, one Barrow’s Goldeneye, twelve Common Mergansers, one Hooded Merganser and several Red-breasted Mergansers were seen close to shore.  A Red-tailed Hawk was spotted perched on a tall snag.   A Hairy Woodpecker was seen feeding in a tree near the trail.  Ruby-crowned Kinglets were feeding just off the trail.

Barrow’s Goldeneye: Ralph Hocken Photo:

Twenty-six birders saw and heard the following forty-five species:

Canada Geese
Mallard

Bufflehead
Northern Pintail
American Widgeon

Green-winged Teal
Surf Scoter
Barrow’s Goldeneye

Common Merganser

Hooded Merganser

Red-breasted Merganser

Common Loon
Pacific Loon

Horned Grebe
Red-necked Grebe
Pelagic Cormorant

Double-crested Cormorant
Bald Eagle
Red-tailed Hawk

Mew Gull
California Gull
Iceland Gull

Glaucous-winged Gull
Killdeer

Belted Kingfisher

Great Blue Heron

Northwestern Crow
Common Raven

Northern Flicker

Steller's Jay
Downy Woodpecker

Hairy Woodpecker

Red-breasted Sapsucker

Ruby-crowned Kinglet

Brown Creeper

Bushtit
Chestnut-backed Chickadee
Varied Thrush
European Starling
Spotted Towhee
Fox Sparrow

Song Sparrow
Golden-crowned Sparrow
White-crowned Sparrow

Dark-eyed Junco

Red-tailed Hawk: Ralph Hocken Photo:

Saturday, October 28:

A Northern Shrike and six Western Meadowlarks were seen at the Nanaimo River Estuary in south Nanaimo.

Friday October 27:  

A Great Horned Owl and a Barred Owl were seen sitting on tree close to each other at Buttertubs Marsh in Nanaimo.  

Wednesday, October 25:  

A White-winged Crossbill was seen at the Englishman River Estuary on the Shelly Road side in Parksville:

Parksville/Qualicum Beach Tuesday bird Walk, October 24:

The Tuesday bird walk went to the Englishman River Estuary on the Shelly Road side in Parksville.. The morning was clear and sunny with calm winds, making for a very pleasant bird walk.  We had great views of a Great Horned Owl watching us as he perched next to the trunk of a tall tree just off the trail.  Golden-crowned Kinglets and Ruby-crowned Kinglets were seen feeding on the trees along the trail.  We were entertained royally by the five Woodpecker species on the island during morning.  A Pileated Woodpecker was perched at the top of a tall tree, six Northern Flickers were seen throughout the morning, a Red-breasted Sapsucker flew in to give us a quick view, a Downy Woodpecker was seen feeding on the trunk of a tree and two Hairy Woodpeckers, one we had close-up looks at as he was pecking at a log on the ground just off the trail and the other was feeding on a deciduous tree trunk.  Four Eurasian Widgeons were in with a very large flock of American Widgeons

Eurasian Wigeon: Ralph Hocken Photo:

Thirteen birders saw and heard the following fifty-four species:

Canada Goose

Eurasian Wigeon 

American Wigeon 

Mallard 

Northern Pintail 

Harlequin Duck

Greater Scaup

Green-wing Teal 

Gadwall

White-winged Scoter

Common Merganser 

Red-breasted Merganser

 Pacific Loon 

Common Loon

Horned Grebe 

Red-necked Grebe

Double-crested Cormorant 

Great Blue Heron 

Bald Eagle 

Great Horned Owl

Killdeer

Mew Gull

California Gull 

Iceland Gull

Glaucous-winged Gull 

Anna's Hummingbird 

Belted Kingfisher 

Pileated Woodpecker

Northern Flicker 

Red-breasted Sapsucker

Downy Woodpecker

Hairy Woodpecker

Steller's Jay 

Northwestern Crow 

Common Raven

California Quail 

Chestnut-backed Chickadee 

Red-breasted Nuthatch 

Pacific Wren 

Golden-crowned Kinglet

Ruby-crowned Kinglet 

Bushtit

Brown Creeper

American Robin

European Starling 

Spotted Towhee 

Fox Sparrow  

Song Sparrow

White-crowned Sparrow 

Golden-crowned Sparrow
Dark-eyed Junco 

Red-winged Blackbird 

Brewer's Blackbird 

House Finch

Great Horned Owl: Hans Laue Photo:

Everyone is welcome to join us for a 2-3 hour bird walk on Sunday & Tuesday. We leave from the Store at 9 a.m. on Sunday Mornings and go to a different location in and around Nanaimo.  We leave from the Parksville Community Park at 9:00 a.m. on Tuesday mornings and go to a different location in the Oceanside area.

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The Tuesday Bird walk on October 31, 2017 will be going to the Lot Ten in Qualicum Beach. Meet at the Parksville Community Park (at the parking lot in front of the Lions Club Playground) at 9:00 a.m. or at Brandt viewing platform (off highway 19a in north Qualicum Beach) at about 9:20 a.m.

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The Sunday walk on November 05, 2017 will be going to the Shelly Road side of the Englishman River Estuary in Parksville. Meet at the bird store at 9:00 a.m. or at the end of Shelly Road on the ocean side of highway 19a in Parksville at about 9:25 a.m.

**********************************************************************   

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: http://thebirdstore.blogspot.ca/

Parksville/Qualicum Beach Tuesday bird walk, October 24, 2017

The Tuesday bird walk went to the Englishman River Estuary on the Shelly Road side in Parksville.. The morning was clear and sunny with calm winds, making for a very pleasant bird walk.  We had great views of a Great Horned Owl watching us as he perched next to the trunk of a tall tree just off the trail.  Golden-crowned Kinglets and Ruby-crowned Kinglets were seen feeding on the trees along the trail.  We were entertained royally by the five Woodpecker species on the island during morning.  A Pileated Woodpecker was perched at the top of a tall tree, six Northern Flickers were seen throughout the morning, a Red-breasted Sapsucker flew in to give us a quick view, a Downy Woodpecker was seen feeding on the trunk of a tree and two Hairy Woodpeckers, one we had closeup looks at as he was pecking at a log on the ground just off the trail and the other was feeding on a deciduous tree trunk.  Four Eurasian Wigeons were in with a very large flock of American Wigeons.

Eurasian Wigeon: Ralph Hocken Photo:

Thirteen birders saw and heard the following fifty-four species:

Canada Goose

Eurasian Wigeon 

American Wigeon 

Mallard 

Northern Pintail 

Harlequin Duck

Greater Scaup

Green-wing Teal 

Gadwall

White-winged Scoter

Common Merganser 

Red-breasted Merganser

 Pacific Loon 

Common Loon

Horned Grebe 

Red-necked Grebe

Double-crested Cormorant 

Great Blue Heron 

Bald Eagle 

Great Horned Owl

Killdeer

Mew Gull

California Gull 

Iceland Gull

Glaucous-winged Gull 

Anna's Hummingbird 

Belted Kingfisher 

Pileated Woodpecker

Northern Flicker 

Red-breasted Sapsucker

Downy Woodpecker

Hairy Woodpecker

Steller's Jay 

Northwestern Crow 

Common Raven

California Quail 

Chestnut-backed Chickadee 

Red-breasted Nuthatch 

Pacific Wren 

Golden-crowned Kinglet

Ruby-crowned Kinglet 

Bushtit

Brown Creeper

American Robin

European Starling 

Spotted Towhee 

Fox Sparrow  

Song Sparrow

White-crowned Sparrow 

Golden-crowned Sparrow 

Dark-eyed Junco 

Red-winged Blackbird 

Brewer's Blackbird 

House Finch

Great Horned Owl: Hans Laue Photo:

The Tuesday Bird walk on October 31, 2017, will be going to the Lot Ten in Qualicum Beach. Meet at the Parksville Community Park (at the parking lot in front of the Lions Club Playground) at 9:00 a.m. or at Brandt viewing platform(off highway 19a in north Qualicum Beach) at about 9:20 a.m.

Good birding 

Neil Robins

THE BACKYARD WILDBIRD & NATURE STORE

314 Metral Drive

Nanaimo B.C.
V9T-2L8

Phone: 250-390-3669

Fax: 250-390-1633

Email: thebackyard@shaw.ca

Blog: www.thebirdstore.blogspot.com

Nanaimo bird report, October 22, 2017

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.

************************************************************ 

Sunday, October 22, 2017:  

This Sunday’s Bird Walk went to Nanaimo River Estuary in south Nanaimo.

The morning started with light showers but cleared up for the rest of the morning.  We spotted a Northern Shrike in a bush near the parking lot and saw several more during the morning.  Common Ravens were very plentiful flying high overhead during the walk.  Several Western Meadowlarks were perched in short bushes giving us great views.  We had several sightings of a Northern Harrier.

Northern Shrike: Ralph Hocken Photo.

Twelve birders saw and heard the following thirty-seven species:

Canada Geese

Mallard,

American Widgeon

Great Blue Heron

Green-winged Teal

Common Merganser

Common Loon

Double-crested Cormorant

Bald Eagle

Northern Harrier

Northern Shrike

Belted Kingfisher

Killdeer

Wilson’s Snipe

Mew Gull

Bonaparte’s Gull

California Gull

 Glaucous-winged Gull

 European Starling

Northern Flicker

Downy Woodpecker

Steller’s Jay

Western Meadowlark

Northwestern Crow

Common Raven

American Robin

Bushtit

Bewick’s Wren

Chestnut-backed Chickadee

Spotted Towhee

 Song Sparrow

Golden-crowned Sparrow

White-crowned Sparrow

Dark-eyed Junco 

 House Finch
American Goldfinch

Purple Finch

Northern Harrier: Ralph Hocken Photo.

Saturday, October 21:  

A Short-eared Owl was seen at the Nanaimo River Estuary in south Nanaimo.

An unconfirmed sighting of a White-breasted Nuthatch was reported along Alice Place near Stephenson Point.

Parksville/Qualicum Beach Tuesday bird walk, October 17, 2017

The Tuesday bird walk went to the Little Qualicum River Estuary in Qualicum Beach. The morning was cloudy and with rain for the first half of the walk but it turned clear and sunny later on---making for a pleasant bird walk.  We spotted an American Kestrel high up in a tall conifer tree.  A Brandt’s Cormorant and a Long-tailed Duck were seen just off shore heading up the Strait of Georgia. Twenty-five Bald Eagles were seen during the walk, many right along the shore line.  A Ring-billed Gull, two Herring Gulls and a Glaucous Gull were seen during the morning.  A large flock of Red-breasted Mergansers flew low over the water heading down the Strait. 

                                                    Bald Eagle: Ralph Hocken Photo.

Eleven birders saw and heard the following forty-two species:

Canada Goose

 American Wigeon

 Mallard

Northern Pintail

Green-wing Teal

 Harlequin Duck

 Surf Scoter

 White-winged Scoter

 Black Scoter

Long-tailed Duck

 Red-breasted Merganser

 Common Merganser

 Pacific Loon

 Common Loon

 Horned Grebe

 Red-necked Grebe

  Brandt’s Cormorant

Great Blue Heron

Bald Eagle

American Kestrel

Merlin

Black Oystercatcher

Bonaparte's Gull

 Mew Gull

 California Gull

Ring-billed Gull

Herring Gull

Iceland Gull

 Glaucous Gull

Glaucous-winged Gull

Belted Kingfisher

 Eurasian-collared Dove

European Starling

Northern Flicker

 Northwestern Crow

Common Raven

American Robin

Chestnut-backed Chickadee

Red-winged Blackbird

Spotted Towhee

White-crowned Sparrow

Golden-crowned Sparrow

Savannah Sparrow

Song Sparrow

 Dark-eyed Junco 

 House Sparrow

Glaucous Gull: Ralph Hocken Photo:

A Wilson’s Snipe was seen in a backyard along Parton Drive in Nanaimo.

Monday, October 16:

A Rufous Hummingbird was seen in the 4900 block of Homestead Way in Ladysmith.

A Palm Warbler saw spotted at the Nanaimo River Estuary in south Nanaimo.

Everyone is welcome to join us for a 2-3 hour bird walk on Sunday & Tuesday. We leave from the Store at 9 a.m. on Sunday Mornings and go to a different location in and around Nanaimo.  We leave from the Parksville Community Park at 9:00 a.m. on Tuesday mornings and go to a different location in the Oceanside area.

*******************************************************************

The Tuesday Bird walk on October 24, 2017, will be going to the Shelly Road side of the Englishman River Estuary in Parksville. Meet at the Parksville Community Park (at the parking lot in front of the Lions Club Playground) at 9:00 a.m. or at the end of Shelly Road on the ocean side of highway 19a in Parksville at about 9:10 a.m.

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The Sunday bird walk on October 29, 2017 will be going to Nanoose Bay. Meet at the Birdstore at 9:00 a.m. or at beach near the Church Camp off highway 19 and Arlington Road at about 9:15 a.m.     

***********************************************************************
    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: http://thebirdstore.blogspot.ca/

Emailed Bird Reports

At the store we have been busy trying to get our emails back up and running to be able to send out our weekly bird reports. It looks as though we may have fixed the problem we were having, and we have been slowly sending out the Nanaimo Bird Report for October 15 through our thebackyard@shaw.ca email.

If you previously received our emails but have not had a Nanaimo Bird Report for October 15 email in your inbox by Sunday October 22, please email us at the store and let us know. If you would like to start receiving our emails, please email us and we will add you to our email list.

We are hoping that by the end of October we will have everything working for our emails so we can keep everyone informed about our seed sales and all the wonderful weekly bird reports.

If you have any questions, please email the store (thebackyard@shaw.ca) or call us (2503903669).

Thank you,

Nicole.

PALM WARBLER & RUFOUS HUMMINGBIRD

PALM WARBLER was seen at the Nanaimo River Estuary on Oct 16/2017. It was seen in the hedge along the field near the tall posts with the nesting boxes.

RUFOUS HUMMINGBIRD was reported visiting a backyard hummingbird feeder Oct 16 along Homestead way in Ladysmith BC.

Parksville/Qualicum beach Tuesday bird walk, October 17, 2017

The Tuesday bird walk went to the Little Qualicum River Estuary in Qualicum Beach. The morning was cloudy and with rain for the first half of the walk but it turned clear and sunny later on---making for a pleasant bird walk.  We spotted an American Kestrel high up in a tall conifer tree.  A Brandt’s Cormorant and a Long-tailed Duck was seen just off shore heading up the Strait of Georgia. Twenty-five Bald Eagles were seen during the walk, many right along the shore line.  A Ring-billed Gull, two Herring Gulls and a Glaucous Gull were seen during the morning.  A large flock of Red-breasted Mergansers  flew low over the water heading down the Strait. 

Bald Eagle: Ralph Hocken Photo.

Eleven birders saw and heard the following forty-two species:

Canada Goose

 American Wigeon

 Mallard

Northern Pintail

Green-wing Teal

 Harlequin Duck

 Surf Scoter

 White-winged Scoter

 Black Scoter

Long-tailed Duck

 Red-breasted Merganser

 Common Merganser

 Pacific Loon

 Common Loon

 Horned Grebe

 Red-necked Grebe

  Brandt’s Cormorant

Great Blue Heron

Bald Eagle

American Kestrel

Merlin

Black Oystercatcher

Bonaparte's Gull

 Mew Gull

 California Gull

Ring-billed Gull

Herring Gull

Iceland Gull

 Glaucous Gull

Glaucous-winged Gull

Belted Kingfisher

 Eurasian-collared Dove

European Starling

Northern Flicker

 Northwestern Crow

Common Raven

American Robin

Chestnut-backed Chickadee

Red-winged Blackbird

Spotted Towhee

White-crowned Sparrow

Golden-crowned Sparrow

Savannah Sparrow

Song Sparrow

 Dark-eyed Junco 

 House Sparrow

Glaucous Gull: Ralph Hocken Photo:

The Tuesday Bird walk on October 24, 2017, will be going to the Shelly Road side of the Englishman River Estuary in Parksville. Meet at the Parksville Community Park (at the parking lot in front of the Lions Club Playground) at 9:00 a.m. or at the end of Shelly Road on the oceanside of highway 19a in Parksville at about 9:10 a.m.

Good birding 

Neil Robins

THE BACKYARD WILDBIRD &  NATURE STORE

314 Metral Drive

Nanaimo B.C.
V9T-2L8

Phone: 250-390-3669

Fax: 250-390-1633

Email: thebackyard@shaw.ca

Blog: www.thebirdstore.blogspot.com