Parksville/Qualicum Beach, Tuesday bird walk, February 27, 2018:

Parksville/Qualicum Beach, Tuesday bird walk, February 27, 2018:

The Tuesday bird walk went to the Little Qualicum River Estuary in north Qualicum Beach.  The morning was cloudy with a strong wind off the Strait of Georgia. One Black-bellied Plover and five Black Oystercatchers were seen along the shore at the Brant Viewing Platform off Highway 19A. Long-tailed Ducks,  Red-necked Grebes, Horned Grebes, Common Loons and Pacific Loons were seen further off shore. Six Orca’s ( Killer Whales) were seen far off shore and entertained us for a long time. A mixed flock of Surf Scoters, White-winged Scoters and Black Scoters were spotted just past the gravel bar at the estuary.  Large numbers of Northern Pintail, Greater Scaup were seen just off shore.  A Herring Gull and a Western Gull were perched in with a huge mixed flock of Gulls.

Black Oystercatcher: Ralph Hocken Photo. 

Twenty-one birders including visiting birders from Seattle, Calgary and Red Deer saw and heard the following forty-five species:

Canada Geese

Brant

Mallard

American Widgeon

Northern Pintail

Greater Scaup

Long-tailed Duck

Surf Scoter

White-winged Scoter

Black Scoter

Bufflehead

Common Goldeneye

Common Merganser

Red-breasted Merganser

Red-necked Grebe

Horned Grebe

Common Loon

Pacific Loon

Brandt’s Cormorant

Great Blue Heron

Black-bellied Plover

Black Oystercatcher

Killdeer

Mew Gull

California Gull

Iceland(Thayer's) Gull

Herring Gull

Western Gull

Glaucous-winged Gull

Common Murre

Ancient Murrelet

Bald Eagle

Northwestern Crow

Common Raven

American Robin

Anna’s Hummingbird

Rufous Hummingbird

Brewer’s Blackbird

Red-winged Blackbird

Chestnut-backed Chickadee

Spotted Towhee

Song Sparrow

Golden-crowned Sparrow

Dark-eyed Junco

House Sparrow

Surf, White-winged and Black Scoters: Ralph Hocken Photo: 

Please Note

Check this site (www.thebirdstore.blogspot.com)early Tuesday and Sunday on stormy mornings to see if the walks have been cancelled!

The Tuesday Bird Walk on March 06, 2018 will be going to the Plummer Road side of the Englishman River. Meet at the Parksville Community Park (near the Lions Club playground parking lot) in Parksville at 9:00 am, or at the corner of Plummer Road and Shorewood Drive on the ocean side of Highway 19A at about 9:10 am.

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