The Backyard Wildbird and Nature Store Weekly Bird Report, February 24, 2019

The Backyard Wildbird and Nature Store Weekly Bird Report Nanaimo Bird Report, February 24 2019 BIRD REPORT “EXPLORE NATURE ”---GO BIRDING: To report your sightings phone the  Store at 250-390-3669 or e-mail us at  thebackyard@shaw.ca.  Please remember, when reporting a  sighting to leave your name and  phone number along with the  date the species was seen and  location of your sighting. *********************************************************** Please Note Please check this site  (www.thebirdstore.blogspot.com)  early Tuesday and Sunday mornings  to see if the walks have been cancelled! *********************************************************

Sunday Bird Walk, Feb 24 2019: The Sunday bird walk went to Buttertubs Marsh in Nanaimo. The morning was mostly sunny with calm winds. Two female Downy Woodpeckers were seen just off the trail. They entertained us royally as they challenged each other quite often.  Three large flocks of Canada Geese  flew over head and landed on the marsh. Green-wing Teal, Ring-necked Ducks, Bufflehead, Hooded Mergansers and Common Mergansers were seen on the marsh all morning. Four Cedar Waxwings were feeding on berries on a tree near the trail.  Twelve birders saw and heard the following thirty-four species: Canada Geese Mallard Green-wing Teal Ring-necked Duck Bufflehead Hooded Merganser Common Merganser Great Blue Heron Bald Eagle Glaucous-winged Gull Rock Pigeon Northwestern Crow Common Raven Chestnut-backed Chickadee American Robin Cedar Waxwing Pileated Woodpecker Northern Flicker Downy Woodpecker Spotted Towhee Red-winged Blackbird Song Sparrow European Starling Brown Creeper Bewick’s Wren Marsh Wren Anna’s Hummingbird Purple Finch Pine Siskin Golden-crowned Kinglet Golden-crowned Sparrow Dark-eyed Junco Pine Siskin House Sparrow          Downy Woodpecker: Ralph Hocken Photo: Tuesday bird walk, February19, 2019: Parksville/Qualicum Beach Tuesday bird walk, went to Rathtrevor Beach Provincial Park in Parksville, February 19, 2019. It was great to be out birding again after the snowy weather. The morning was cloudy with calm winds. The highlight of the morning was the sighting of four Surfbirds in with a flock of at least two thousand Dunlin, a large number of Black Turnstones and Black-bellied Plovers along the shoreline—a birding paradise!  A large raft of Greater Scaup and Lesser Scaup were seen offshore in Craig Bay.  A Western Gull, a Common Murre and a Pigeon Guillemot were heading up the Strait of Georgia.  A Brown Creeper and two Golden-crowned Kinglets were seen at the base of a tall conifer tree near the trail.  A Purple Finch was heard singing and then seen perched on a short bush along the trail.                      Nineteen birders including visiting birders from Washington State, Alberta and Manitoba saw and heard the following forty-seven species Brant Canada Goose Greater White-fronted Goose  Mallard Northern Pintail American Wigeon Greater Scaup Lesser Scaup Surf Scoter White-winged Scoter Bufflehead Barrow’s Goldeneye Common Goldeneye Red-breasted Merganser Pacific Loon Common Loon Red-neck Grebe Horned Grebe Double-crested Cormorant Brandt’s  Cormorant Bald Eagle Surfbird Black-bellied Plover Black Turnstone Dunlin Black Oystercatcher Common Murre Pigeon Guillemot Mew Gull Iceland(Thayer's) Gull California Gull Western Gull Glaucous-winged Gull Northwestern Crow Common Raven Northern Flicker Pileated Woodpecker Anna’s Hummingbird Bewick’s Wren Brown Creeper Golden-crowned Kinglet Chestnut-backed Chickadee Red-breasted Nuthatch Spotted Towhee Song Sparrow Pine Siskin Purple Finch Dark-eyed Junco                                                             Surfbird: Ralph Hocken Photo: A flock of Canada Geese with a Greater White-fronted Goose were seen at the Parksville Community Beach before the walk. Please NoteCheck 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 26, 2019 will be going to the Shelly Road side of the Englishman River in Parksville. 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 19a at about 9:10 am. The Sunday Bird Walk on March 03, 2019 will be going to Neck Point Park in Nanaimo. Meet at the Backyard Wildbird and Nature Store (6314 Metral Drive in Nanaimo) at 9:00am or at the parking lot at Neck Point off Hammond Bay Road at about 9:15am. 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