The Backyard Wildbird and Nature Store

 

The Backyard Wildbird and Nature Store

Nanaimo Bird Report

March 2, 2023

“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.
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Surf Scoter (R. Hocken)

Tuesday February 28, 2023:

The Tuesday Bird Walk was to have gone to the Englishman River Estuary on the Shelly Road side, but unfortunately it was canceled due to weather.

Here is a bird walk that went to the Englishman River Estuary, Shelly Road on March 18 2018. 57 species were seen and heard.

Brant

Canada Geese

Trumpeter Swan

American Wigeon

Mallard

Northern Pintail

Green-winged Teal

Long-tailed Duck

Surf Scoter

Bufflehead

Common Goldeneye

Barrow's Goldeneye

Common Merganser

Common Loon

Horned Grebe

Double-crested Cormorant,

Great Blue Heron

Killdeer

Bald Eagle

Mew Gull

Iceland (Thayer's) Gull

California Gull

Glaucous-winged Gull

Eurasian-collared Dove

Belted Kingfisher

Sora

Downy Woodpecker

Northern Flicker

Northern Shrike

Hutton's Vireo

Northwestern Crow

Common Raven,

California Quail

Chestnut-backed Chickadee

Steller’s Jay

Red-breasted Nuthatch

Brown Creeper

Pacific Wren

Bewick's Wren

Golden-crowned Kinglet

Ruby-crowned Kinglet

American Robin

Varied Thrush

Western Meadowlark

Yellow-rumped Warbler

Anna’s Hummingbird

European Starling

Spotted Towhee,

White-crowned Sparrow

Golden-crowned Sparrow

Song Sparrow

Fox Sparrow

Dark-eyed Junco

Red-winged Blackbird

Purple Finch

House Finch  

Pine Siskin

A female Evening Grosbeak was seen at a backyard feeder in Lantzville near Aulds Road and the train tracks.

Evening Grosbeak - female (j. Purves)

Sunday February 26, 2023:

The Sunday Bird Walk was also canceled due to the weather, but a couple of birders did go walk around Buttertubs in the snow and sunshine. Highlight was a Hutton’s Vireo seen close in the trees near the viewing tower on the main dyke.

2 birders saw and heard the following 25 bird species:

Canada Goose

Mallard

Green-winged Teal

Ring-necked Duck

Bufflehead

Common Merganser

Great Blue Heron

American Coot

Glaucous-winged Gull

Anna's Hummingbird

Northern Flicker

Hutton's Vireo

American Crow

Common Raven

Chestnut-backed Chickadee

Ruby-crowned Kinglet

American Robin

Varied Thrush

Spotted Towhee

Song Sparrow

Dark-eyed Junco

Red-winged Blackbird

House Finch

American Goldfinch

House Sparrow 

Hutton’s Vireo (J. Morrison)

Backyard TidBits

The winter weather has the backyard feeders just a hopping. Suet has had lots of activity but unfortunately the starlings are not sharing. One option to help deter or slow down the starlings is with an upside-down suet feeder or rig your suet feeder, so it is horizontal and not vertical. This way the suet is only available underneath. Chickadees, nuthatches, woodpeckers, and Bushtits naturally feed upside down but is tougher for the starlings. It may not get rid of the starlings, but it will slow them down at least.

Anna’s Hummingbirds are busy at the feeders and still being seen taking nesting material. Rufous Hummingbirds are on there way back and if you want to track their where abouts check out Journey North https://maps.journeynorth.org/map/?map=hummingbird-rufous-first&year=2023

to see where they are.

With all the snow now melting remember to clean up any old seed of the ground before it spoils and becomes a problem for the birds.

If you have any birds to report or need help identifying, just email or call the store, thebackyard@shaw.ca or 250-390-3669, toll-free 1-888-808-BIRD (2473).

The Backyard Bird Walks

Our bird walks go out Sunday mornings in Nanaimo and Tuesday mornings in Parksville and Qualicum Beach area, are easy walks that go for two to three hours (back for lunch is the plan). Bring binoculars and a field guide. The walks are weather pending.

Please check our blog (www.thebirdstore.blogspot.com) for any cancelations.

The Tuesday Bird Walk, March 7, 2023

The Tuesday Bird Walk will be going to Columbia Beach.

Meet at the Parksville Tourist Information Center parking lot, located by Hwy 19A, Northwest Bay Road and Franklin’s Gull Road in Parksville, at 9:00 am or meet at the parking area on Admiral Tryon Blvd, off Columbia Drive and Hwy 19A, at 9:15.

Weather cooperating.

The Sunday Bird Walk, March 5, 2023

This week’s Sunday Bird Walk will be going to Neck Point Park, Nanaimo.

Meet at The Backyard Wildbird & Nature Store at 9:00am or at the parking lot at Neck Point at 9:15 am. Weather cooperating.

For cancelled bird walks due to weather, please check The Backyard blog at www.thebirdstore.blogspot.com on the day of the bird walk. A notice will be up before 8:00am if there is a cancelation.

Good birding! Colin Bartlett