Parksville/Qualicum Beach Tuesday bird walk, December 18, 2018

Parksville/Qualicum Beach Tuesday bird walk, Columbia Beach, December 18, 2018.  

The rains & winds let up and the Tuesday bird walk finally got to go to Columbia Beach in French Creek. The morning was sunny and with calm winds off the Strait of Georgia. We did have a few light showers near the end of the walk.  A Brandt’s Cormorant, four Rhinoceros Auklets, several Ancient Murrelets, a large flock of Western Grebe and  many Common Murre were seen on the Strait.  Eight Black-bellied Plovers, four Black Oystercatchers, many Dunlin and several  Black Turnstones were seen on the gravel bar.  A Cooper’s Hawk and a Sharp-shinned Hawk were seen near French Creek. A Bewick’s Wren, Ruby-crowned Kinglet and seven Golden-crowned Kinglets, several American Robins, three Varied Thrush and a Cedar Waxwing were seen in the bushes near the Creek.

Rhinoceros Auklet

Fifteen birders including a young visiting birder from California saw and heard the following sixty-two species:

Canada Geese

Brant

Harlequin Duck

American Wigeon

Mallard

Surf Scoter 

 White-winged Scoter

Black Scoter

Long-tailed Duck
Bufflehead 

 Common Goldeneye

Barrow’s Goldeneye 

Common Merganser 

 Red-breasted Merganser

Pacific Loon
Common Loon

 Horned Grebe

 Red-necked Grebe

 Western Grebe

Double-crested Cormorant

 Pelagic Cormorant

Brandt’s Cormorant

Rhinoceros Auklet

Ancient Murrelet

Common Murre

 Bald Eagle

Coopers Hawk

Sharp-shinned Hawk

Black-bellied Plover

 Black Oystercatcher

Dunlin

 Black Turnstone

 Mew Gull

 California Gull

Ring-billed Gull

Iceland Gull

Herring Gull

 Glaucous-winged Gull 

 Rock Pigeon 

Great Blue Heron
 European Starling

Northern Flicker

 Common Raven

Northwestern Crow

Anna’s Hummingbird

 Chestnut-backed Chickadee 

Bewick’s Wren

Ruby-crowned Kinglet

Golden-crowned Kinglet

 American Robin

Varied Thrush

                                                                   Cedar Waxwing

Spotted Towhee

Fox Sparrow

 Song Sparrow

Golden-crowned Sparrow

White-crowned Sparrow
Purple Finch

House Finch

Dark-eyed Junco

Pine Siskin

House Sparrow

Golden-crowned Kinglet: 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 Sunday Bird Walk on December 23, 2018 will be going to Neck Point Park in Nanaimo. Meet at the Backyard Wildbird and Nature Store, 6314 Metral Drive in Nanaimo at 9:00 a.m. or at the parking lot at Neck Point off Hammond Bay Road at about 9:15 am.

The Tuesday Bird Walk on January 08, 2019 will be going to Rathtrevor Beach Provincial Park in Parksville. Meet at the Parksville Community Park (near the Lions Club playground parking lot) in Parksville at 9:00 am, or at Rathtrevor Park main parking lot at about 9:10 am. 

Good birding

                                                                       Neil Robins

Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year from all of us at 

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