The Backyard's Weekly Bird Walk locations are found in the Backyard Bird Report at the very end of the most recent report. Any cancellations will be posted by 8am the day of the walk.

Tuesday 4 December 2018

Parksville/Qualicum Beach Tuesday bird walk, December 04, 2018


Parksville/Qualicum Beach Tuesday bird walk, December 04, 2018

The Tuesday bird walk went to the Little Qualicum River Estuary.
The morning was clear with calm winds on the Strait of Georgia. This bird walk turned out to be a whale of a walk as we were entertained for most of the morning with the sight of the whales breaching and blowing. There where were at least five Humpback Whales. Many Green-wing Teal, Red-breasted Mergansers, Common Mergansers, Red-necked Grebes, Horned Grebes, Brandt’s Cormorants, Pelagic Cormorants, Double-crested Cormorants, Pacific and  Pacific Loons were on the Strait. Over two hundred Trumpeter Swans, six Snow Geese, a large flock of Canada Geese and one Cackling Geese were seen at the mouth of the Little Qualicum River. Three Lone-billed Dowitchers, a flock of Killdeer and many Black Turnstone were seen on the estuary. A large flock of Western Grebe were seen near the far horizon at the end of the walk.

Trumpeter Swans: Ralph Hocken Photo:

Twenty-one birders including a visiting birder from California saw and heard the following fifty-five species:
Trumpeter Swans
Canada Geese
Cackling Geese
Snow Geese
Mallard
Harlequin Duck
American Widgeon
Northern Pintail
Long-tail Duck
Surf Scoter
White-wing Scoter
Black Scoter
Bufflehead
Barrow’s Goldeneye
Common Goldeneye
Northern Pintail
Green-wing Teal
Red-breasted Merganser
Common Merganser
Hooded Merganser
Western Grebe
Red-necked Grebe
Horned Grebe
Brandt’s Cormorant
Pelagic Cormorant
Double-crested Cormorant
Pacific Loon
Common Loon
Great Blue Heron
Bonaparte’s Gull
Mew Gull
Iceland Gull
California Gull
Glaucous-winged Gull
Bald Eagle
Lone-billed Dowitcher
Killdeer
Black Turnstone
Northern Flicker
Downy Woodpecker
Northwestern Crow
Common Raven
California Quail
Eurasian-collared Dove
American Robin
Bushtit
Chestnut-backed Chickadee
Anna’s Hummingbird
Spotted Towhee
Song Sparrow
                                                       White-crowned Sparrow
Golden-crowned Sparrow
Dark-eyed Junco
House Finch
Purple Finch

The Tuesday Bird Walk on December 11, 2018 will be going to Columbia Beach in French Creek. Meet at the Parksville Community Park (near the Lions Club playground parking lot) in Parksville at 9:00 am, or at the parking area along Admiral Trylon Bld. off Columbia Drive at French Creek at about 9:15 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
Blog: ww.thebirdstore.blogspot.com

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