Nanaimo bird report, December 10, 2017

Nanaimo bird report, December 10, 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.

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Sunday bird walk, December 10, 2017  

The Sunday bird walk went to Buttertubs Marsh in Nanaimo. The morning was mostly sunny with calm winds. One Trumpeter Swan flew high over head. We saw one Canada Goose on the marsh. Two Pied-billed Grebe, and three Hooded Mergansers were also on the marsh. We spotted three Downy Woodpeckers feeding on the tall trees. A Golden-crowned Sparrow, a Fox Sparrow, several Pine Siskins and American Goldfinch were seen just off the trail. A Merlin was perched at the top of a very tall tree, preening itself.

                                                Pied-billed Grebe: Ralph Hocken Photo.

Seventeen birders saw and heard the following thirty-nine species:

Trumpeter Swan

Canada Geese

Mallard

American Wigeon

Bufflehead

Pied-billed Grebe

Hooded Merganser
Ringed-necked Duck

Great Blue Heron

Glaucous-winged Gull

Belted Kingfisher

Bald Eagle

Merlin

Northern Flicker

Downy Woodpecker

Eurasian Collared-Dove

American Robin

Varied Thrush

European Starling

Steller's Jay

Common Raven

Northwestern Crow

Anna’s Hummingbird

Brown Creeper

Marsh Wren

Ruby-crowned Kinglet

Bushtit

Chestnut-backed Chickadee

Spotted Towhee

Song Sparrow

Golden-crowned Sparrow

Fox Sparrow

Pine Siskin

Purple Finch

Dark-eyed Junco

Red-winged Blackbird

House Finch

American Goldfinch

House Sparrow   

                                                                                              Fox Sparrow: Ralph Hocken Photo:

Tuesday, December 05:

Tuesday bird walks December 05, 2017:

Finally it wasn’t raining and the Tuesday bird walk went to Columbia Beach in French Creek! Third try lucky!  The morning was cloudy with calm winds. A Merlin was spotted perched high up in a tall snag. Several flocks of Surf Scoters, White-winged Scoters, Common Loons and Long-tailed Ducks were seen just off shore. Many flocks of Common Mergansers, Red-breasted Mergansers and Pacific Loons were seen further offshore. Eight Brant Geese were seen heading down the Strait of Georgia.  Flocks of Ancient Murrelets and Common Murre were seen heading up the Strait all morning.  We spotted a Fox Sparrow, a Song Sparrow, four Varied Thrush and four White-crowned Sparrows just off the trail.  Looking towards the horizon from French Creek, we were entertained by two Hump-backed Whales for fifteen minutes as they spouted and came in and out of the ocean. 

                                                                               

                                                          Merlin: Ralph Hocken Photo.

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

Trumpeter Swan

Canada Geese

Brant

Harlequin Duck

American Wigeon

Mallard

Surf Scoter 

 White-winged Scoter

Long-tailed Duck
Bufflehead 

 Common Goldeneye

 Common Merganser 

 Red-breasted Merganser

Pacific Loon

Common Loon

 Horned Grebe

 Red-necked Grebe

 Double-crested Cormorant

 Pelagic Cormorant

Pigeon Guillemot

Ancient Murrelet

Common Murre

 Bald Eagle

Merlin

Greater Yellowlegs

Lesser Yellowlegs

Black-bellied Plover

 Black Oystercatcher

Dunlin

 Black Turnstone

 Mew Gull

 California Gull

Ring-billed Gull

Iceland Gull

 Glaucous-winged Gull 

 Eurasian-collared Dove 

 Northern Flicker

                                                             Northwestern Crow

Steller’s Jay

Anna’s Hummingbird

 Chestnut-backed Chickadee 

 American Robin

Spotted Towhee

Fox Sparrow

 Song Sparrow

White-crowned Sparrow
House Finch

Dark-eyed Junco

Over sixty Common Redpolls were seen in the Alders near the parking lot at Neck Point Park in Nanaimo.

A flock of thirty Evening Grosbeaks were seen at the end of Lowery’s Road near the Little Qualicum Cheese works in Qualicum Beach.

Thursday, December 07:

An American Kestrel was spotted along Cameron Road near the Nanaimo Airport in south Nanaimo. 

Please Note

Check this site early Tuesday and Sunday mornings on stormy mornings to see if the walks have been cancelled!

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The Tuesday Bird walk on December 12, 2017, will be going to the Shelly Road side of the Englishman River 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.

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The Sunday walk on December 17, 2017 will be going to Rathtrevor Provincial Park in Parksville, depending on the weather. Meet at the bird store at 9:00 a.m. or at main parking at Rathtrevor Park off highway 19a, at about 9:30 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:http://thebirdstore.blogspot.ca