The Backyard Wildbird and Nature Store

Parksville/Qualicum Beach, Tuesday bird walk, February 13, 2018:

The Tuesday bird walk went to Columbia Beach.  The morning was cloudy with a strong wind off the Strait of Georgia. There were large numbers of Brant Geese, Greater Scaup, Surf Scoters and White-winged Scoters, Long-tailed Ducks and Harlequin Ducks on the Strait during the morning.  A Eurasian Widgeon was seen in with a flock of American Widgeon on the French Creek estuary.  A pair of Ring-necked Ducks were spotted on the pond near French Creek.  A Pigeon Guillemot and several Common Murre were seen just offshore.  A House Finch was singing his heart out from a tree along the trail.  A flock of six Red Crossbills were spotted flying overhead.  We saw several Anna’s Hummingbirds perched on trees near the trail during the walk.

Eurasian Widgeon: Ralph Hocken Photo:

Sixteen birders saw and heard the following fifty-one species:

Brant

 Eurasian Widgeon

 American Widgeon

 Northern Pintail
Mallard

Ring-necked Duck

Greater Scaup

 Harlequin Duck

 Surf Scoter

 White-winged Scoter

Long-tailed Duck

 Bufflehead

Common Goldeneye

Barrow’s Goldeneye

 Common Merganser

 Red-breasted Merganser

 Pacific Loon

 Common Loon

 Horned Grebe

 Red-necked Grebe

Double-crested Cormorant

 Pelagic Cormorant

 Brandt’s Cormorant

Pigeon Guillemot

Common Murre

 Great Blue Heron

Bald Eagle

  Black-bellied Plover

 Killdeer

 Black Oystercatcher

Mew Gull

 California Gull

Iceland-Thayer's Gull

 Glaucous-winged Gull

 Northern Flicker

  Northwestern Crow

Common Raven

 European Starling

 Eurasian-collared Dove

 Anna’s Hummingbird

Chestnut-backed Chickadee

 American Robin

Spotted Towhee

 White-crowned Sparrow

 Golden-crowned Sparrow

Fox Sparrow

Song Sparrow

Dark-eyed Junco

Red Crossbill

House Finch 

House Sparrow

Pigeon Guillemot: 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 February 20, 2018 will be going to the Shelly 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 end of Shelly Road on the ocean side of Highway 19Aat 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