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

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Nanaimo B.C.
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Phone: 250-390-3669

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Email: thebackyard@shaw.ca

Blog: www.thebirdstore.blogspot.com