Parksville/Qualicum Beach Tuesday bird walk, November 06, 2018

Parksville/Qualicum Beach Tuesday bird walk, November 06, 2018

The Tuesday bird walk went to the Little Qualicum River Estuary. 

The morning was cloudy with calm winds on the Strait of Georgia. Twenty-nine  Snow Geese were seen in the fields at the Parksville Community Park before the walk started. We were entertained by five Humpback Whales as they were feeding and diving in the strait for about thirty minutes. It was a great viewing for us all. About one hundred yards down the Strait of Georgia from the Whales we saw about ten White-sided Dolphins also feeding and diving, both sightings a highlight of the morning! For most of the morning we saw Bonaparte's Gulls streaming in single file heading up the Strait. Several Bufflehead and Common Goldeneye were on the Strait. Four Long -billed Dowitchers were seen feeding on the Estuary. A Cooper’s Hawk flew over head, going into the forest. Many Bald Eagles were perched along the shoreline and high up in the tall trees. A large flock of Pine Siskins flew into a tall tree.

Long -billed Dowitcher: Ralph Hocken Photo:

Seventeen birders saw and heard the following fifty-one Species:

Canada Geese

                                                                      Snow Geese

 American Wigeon

Northern Pintail

 Mallard

 Green-winged Teal

  Harlequin Duck

 Surf Scoter

 White-winged Scoter

 Black Scoter

 Long-tailed Duck

 Bufflehead

Common Goldeneye

 Common Merganser

 Red-breasted Merganser

Pacific Loon

 Common Loon

Horned Grebe

Red-necked Grebe

Western Grebe

Brandt’s Cormorant

Pelagic Cormorant

Double-crested Cormorant

Marbled Murrelet

Common Murre

Great Blue Heron

Bald Eagle

Cooper’s Hawk

Merlin

Long -billed Dowitcher

Black-bellied Plover

 Killdeer

 Black Oystercatcher

 Black Turnstone

Dunlin

Bonaparte's Gull

 Mew Gull

California Gull

Iceland(Thayer's Gull)

Glaucous-winged Gull

 Belted Kingfisher

Northern Flicker

Common Raven

Northwestern Crow

Anna’s Hummingbird

Spotted Towhee

Red-winged Blackbird

Song Sparrow

Dark-eyed Junco 

House Finch 

Pine Siskin

Common Goldeneye:  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!

 “There will be no Sunday bird walk on November 11, 2018”
The Tuesday Bird Walk on November 13, 2018 will be going to Rathtrevor Beach Park. Meet at the Parksville Community Park (near the Lions Club playground parking lot) in Parksville at 9:00 am, or at the parking lot at the main parking lot at Rathtrevor at about 9:10 am.

The Tuesday Bird Walk on November 18, 2018 will be going to Buttertubs Park in Nanaimo. Meet at the Backyard Wildbird and Nature Store, 6314 Metral Drive in Nanaimo at 9:00 am or at Buttertubs Marsh at the Bowen Road side of Buttertubs at about 9:15 am.

Good birding

Neil Robins

THE BACKYARD WILDBIRD & NATURE STORE

6314 Metral Drive

Nanaimo, B.C. 

V9T-2L8

Phone: 250-390-3669
Email: thebackyard@shaw.ca

www.thebirdstore.blogspot.com