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 here by 8am the day of the walk. Our first bird walks of the year are going out on Sunday February 4th and Tuesday February 6th. Locations will be posted to our next Bird Report.

Tuesday 25 June 2019

Parksville Tuesday Bird Walk June 25, 2019


Tuesday Bird Walk

Parksville/Qualicum Beach





On June 25 the Tuesday bird walk went to the Englishman River Estuary, Shelly road, in Parksville. The morning was sunny and winds were light. Highlight of the walk was a Great Horned Owl roosting in a tree near the trail entrance off of Mills street. There was plenty of other birds to see at that location including, House Finch, Purple Finch, American Goldfinch, Pine Siskin’s, Yellow Warbler, and Bushtits.





Great Horned Owl, photo by Hans Laue



Fifteen birders including birders from Texas saw and heard the following forty five (45) species:



Canada Goose

Mallard

Common Merganser

Great Blue Heron

Turkey Vulture

Bald Eagle

Great Horned Owl

Killdeer

Anna’s Hummingbird

Rufous Hummingbird

Northern Flicker

Downy Woodpecker

Red-breasted Sapsucker

Pacific-sloped Flycatcher

Willow Flycatcher

Common Raven

Northwestern Crow

Violet-green Swallow

Tree Swallow

Warbling Vireo

Chestnut-backed Chickadee

Red-breasted Nuthatch

Brown Creeper

Bushtit

Bewick’s Wren

Pacific Wren

American Robin

Swainson’s Thrush

European Starling

Orange-crowned Warbler

Yellow Warbler

Western Tanager

Brewer’s Blackbird

Browned-headed Cowbird

Spotted Towhee

Chipping Sparrow

Song Sparrow

White-crowned Sparrow

Savannah Sparrow

Dark-eyed Junco

Red Crossbill

House Finch

Purple Finch

American Goldfinch

Pine Siskin







The Sunday Bird Walk: next Sunday walk will be on July 28.




The Tuesday Bird Walk on July 2, 2019 will be going to Lot 10 in Qualicum Beach. Meet at the Parksville Community Park (near the Lions Club playground parking area) in Parksville at 9:00 am or at the end of Kinkade road, left off hwy19a when traveling up island, at 9:20 a.m. 



Please Note:
Check this site (
www.thebirdstore.blogspot.com) early Tuesday and Sunday on stormy mornings to see if the walks have been cancelled!  




Good birding
Colin Bartlett





The Backyard Wildbird and Nature Store
6314 Metral Drive V9T-2L8
Phone: 250-390-3669

Email: thebackyard@shaw.ca
Blog:
www.thebirdstore.blogspot.com

Sunday 23 June 2019

Nanaimo Weekly Bird Report June23, 2019


The Backyard Wildbird and Nature Store



Nanaimo Bird Report

June 23, 2019


“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.
*********************************************************




Sunday June 23:

The Sunday Bird Walk went to Hemer Park in Cedar. Weather was sunny with a bit of cloud and the winds were calm. The walk provides you with a diverse habitat with some open field, woods, marsh and the lake. The group got a great look at a Hutton’s Vireo and a Wilson’s Warbler that came to investigate the group.


Wilson’s Warbler, photo by John Morrison



Eight birders saw and heard the following forty two (42) species:



Mallard

Wood Duck

Hooded Merganser

Bald Eagle

Turkey Vulture

California Quail

Band-tailed Pigeon

Eurasian Collared Dove

Anna’s Hummingbird

Rufous Hummingbird

Pileated Woodpecker

Northern Flicker

Pacific-sloped Flycatcher

Willow Flycatcher

Common Raven

Northwestern Crow

Violet-green Swallow

Tree Swallow

Hutton’s Vireo

Chestnut-backed Chickadee

Red-breasted Nuthatch

Marsh Wren

Bewick's Wren

Pacific Wren

Brown Creeper

Golden-crowned Kinglet

American Robin

Swainson’s Thrush

Townsend’s Warbler

Orange-crowned Warbler

Wilson ’s warbler

Common Yellowthroat

Red-winged Blackbird

Brown-headed Cowbird

Western Tanager

Black-headed Grosbeak

Spotted Towhee

White-crowned Sparrow

Chipping Sparrow

Song Sparrow

Dark-eyed Junco

Purple Finch



Tuesday June 18:

On June 18 the Tuesday bird walk went to Springwood Park in Parksville. The morning was sunny and winds light. Highlight of the walk was watching three American Kestrels in the field of Coldwater road. Also was able to observe a Willow Flycatcher and Chipping Sparrow in the same area. There were plenty of songs and calls happening on the walk through the woods with Swainson’s Thrush, Warbling Vireos and Orange-crowned Warblers.


American kestrel, photo by Ralph Hocken



Eight birders saw and heard the following Twenty eight (28) species:



Turkey Vulture

Bald Eagle

American Kestrel

Anna’s Hummingbird

Rufous Hummingbird

Northern Flicker

Pacific-sloped Flycatcher

Willow Flycatcher

Common Raven

Northwestern Crow

Chestnut-backed Chickadee

Red-breasted Nuthatch

Brown Creeper

Bushtit

Bewick’s Wren

Warbling Vireo

Cassin’s Vireo

American Robin

Swainson’s Thrush

Orange-crowned Warbler

Yellow Warbler

MacGillivray’s Warbler

Spotted Towhee

Chipping Sparrow

Song Sparrow

White-crowned Sparrow

American Goldfinch

Pine Siskin





Backyard Feeder Notes:

Not too much different happening at the backyard feeders. Juvenile birds about the yard and able to fend for themselves although when an adult shows up they beg to be fed. Watch your nest boxes as the birds will soon begin their second broods. A Bewick’s Wren has been hanging out singing near the nest box the chickadees used so it will be interesting to see who ends up nesting in it.

Water is always important and during the summer you may attract a few new visitors to your water source such as Cedar Waxwings, Western Tanager and warblers.







The Tuesday Bird Walk on June 25, 2019 will be going to the Englishman River Estuary, Shelly road side. Meet at the Parksville Community Park (near the Lions Club playground parking area) in Parksville at 9:00 am or at the end of Shelly road at 9:15 a.m. 

 

The Sunday Bird Walk:   there will be no Sunday Bird Walks until July 28, 2019. Please check back for the location.



 Please Note:
Check this site (
www.thebirdstore.blogspot.com) early Tuesday and Sunday on stormy mornings to see if the walks have been cancelled! 




Good birding!

Colin Bartlett

Thursday 20 June 2019

TUESDAY BIRD WALK - Springwood Park


Tuesday Bird Walk

Parksville/Qualicum Beach





On June 18 the Tuesday bird walk went to Springwood Park in Parksville. The morning was sunny and winds light. Highlight of the walk was watching three American Kestrels in the field of Coldwater road. Also was able to observe a Willow Flycatcher and Chipping Sparrow in the same area. There were plenty of songs and calls happening on the walk through the woods with Swainson’s Thrush, Warbling Vireos and Orange-crowned Warblers.





American Kestrel, photo by Ralph Hocken



Eight birders saw and heard the following Twenty eight (28) species:



Turkey Vulture

Bald Eagle

American Kestrel

Anna’s Hummingbird

Rufous Hummingbird

Northern Flicker

Pacific-sloped Flycatcher

Willow Flycatcher

Common Raven

Northwestern Crow

Chestnut-backed Chickadee

Red-breasted Nuthatch

Brown Creeper

Bushtit

Bewick’s Wren

Warbling Vireo

Cassin’s Vireo

American Robin

Swainson’s Thrush

Orange-crowned Warbler

Yellow Warbler

MacGillivray’s Warbler

Spotted Towhee

Chipping Sparrow

Song Sparrow

White-crowned Sparrow

American Goldfinch

Pine Siskin

 





The Sunday Bird Walk on June 23, 2019 will be going to Hemer Park in Cedar. Meet at the Backyard Wildbird and Nature Store (6314 Metral Drive in Nanaimo) at 9:00 am or at the parking at the end of Hemer road at 9:20 am.




The Tuesday Bird Walk on June 25, 2019 will be going to the Englishman River Estuary. Meet at the Parksville Community Park (near the Lions Club playground parking area) in Parksville at 9:00 am or at the end of Shelley road at 9:15 a.m. 



Please Note:
Check this site (
www.thebirdstore.blogspot.com) early Tuesday and Sunday on stormy mornings to see if the walks have been cancelled!  




Good birding
Colin Bartlett





The Backyard Wildbird and Nature Store
6314 Metral Drive V9T-2L8
Phone: 250-390-3669

Email: thebackyard@shaw.ca
Blog:
www.thebirdstore.blogspot.com

Monday 17 June 2019

Nanaimo Weekly Bird Report June 17, 2019


The Backyard Wildbird and Nature Store



Nanaimo Bird Report

June 17, 2019


“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.
*********************************************************




Sunday June 16:

The Sunday Bird Walk went to Buttertubs Marsh in Nanaimo. Weather was sunny breaks and the winds were calm. Our first sighting was a Pied-billed Grebe sitting on a nest in the middle of the marsh, along with Wood Ducks, Mallards and a couple of Western Painted Turtles sunning on a log. A highlight on the seeing the Yellow-warbler nest and how hidden the adult was sitting on the nest.



Yellow Warbler, photo by John Morrison



Thirteen birders include a guest from Mexico saw and heard the following thirty seven Species:



Pied-billed Grebe

Mallard

Wood Duck

Bald Eagle

Turkey Vulture

Band-tailed Pigeon

Eurasian Collared Dove

Anna’s Hummingbird

Rufous Hummingbird

Northern Flicker

Pacific-sloped Flycatcher

Common Raven

Northwestern Crow

Purple Martin

Violet-green Swallow

Tree Swallow

Northern Rough-winged Swallow

Chestnut-backed Chickadee

Bushtit

Marsh Wren

Brown Creeper

Bewick's Wren

American Robin

Swainson’s Thrush

Orange-crowned Warbler

Yellow Warbler

Common Yellowthroat

Brewer’s Blackbird

Red-winged Blackbird

Brown-headed Cowbird

Western Tanager

Black-headed Grosbeak

Spotted Towhee

Song Sparrow

House Finch

Pine Siskin

House Sparrow



Tuesday June 11:

The Tuesday bird walk went to the Englishman River Estuary on the Plummer road side. The weather was sunny and winds were calm. The birds were cooperating with some good looks at American Goldfinch, Anna’s Hummingbird, and Cedar Waxwing. One exciting moment was watching a Bald Eagle attack a flock of Common Merganser ducklings and seeing the power as the eagle hovered above like a hummingbird.




Killdeer, photo by Ralph Hocken


Fourteen birders saw and heard the following forty one (41) species:



Canada Goose

Common Merganser

Great Blue Heron

Spotted Sandpiper

Killdeer

Turkey Vulture

Bald Eagle

Glaucous-winged Gull

Band-tailed Pigeon

Eurasian-collared Dove

Anna’s Hummingbird

Rufous Hummingbird

Northern Flicker

Red-breasted Sapsucker

Pacific-sloped Flycatcher

Willow Flycatcher

Common Raven

Northwestern Crow

Violet-green Swallow

Chestnut-backed Chickadee

Red-breasted Nuthatch

Bushtit

Bewick’s Wren

American Robin

Swainson’s Thrush

Cedar Waxwing

European Starling

Orange-crowned Warbler

Yellow Warbler

Brewer’s Blackbird

Brown-headed Cowbird

Black-headed Grosbeak

Spotted Towhee

Chipping Sparrow

Song Sparrow

White-crowned Sparrow

Dark-eyed Junco

House Finch

Purple Finch

American Goldfinch

Pine Siskin





Friday June 14:

A pair of Evening Grosbeak’s was seen at a backyard feeder near Cathers Lake and Westwood road.



Saturday June 15:

Common Nighthawks were heard flying over Living Forest Campground.



Sunday June 16:

Olive sided Flycatcher was seen at Rathtrevor beach on a small snag to the left of the children's climbing/slide nearest the beach.





Backyard Feeder Notes:

The juvenile birds have been the entertainment lately. Young chickadees are about and along with all the Pine Siskins and goldfinch the feeders are busy. Mother Downy Woodpecker brought her young along and showed him the suet feeder which was interesting to watch how cautious he was learning this new thing. We are receiving reports of more hummingbirds visiting the feeders again which is a sign the young Rufous are fledging, but I have noticed when it is hot and dry once the hummingbirds have finished their nesting they head to the alpine areas quickly. We will watch and see if that happens this year.

Cedar Waxwings have returned as well as Common Nighthawks, which I heard my first ones this past Saturday evening over the Living Forest Campground.

With summer here remember to provide a water source and change your hummingbird feeders every two or three day and give the feeders a cleaning at the same time.




Downy Woodpecker – female, photo by Ralph Hocken



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 June 18, 2019 will be going to the Springwood Park at the end of Despard avenue.  Meet at the Parksville Community Park (near the Lions Club playground parking area) in Parksville at 9:00 am, or at the dead end of Despard Avenue about 9:10 a.m. 





The Sunday Bird Walk on June 23, 2019 will be going to Hemer park in Cedar. Meet at the Backyard Wildbird and Nature Store (6314 Metral Drive in Nanaimo) at 9:00 am or at the parking lot at the end of Hemer road about 9:20 am.





Good birding!

Colin Bartlett