The Backyard Wildbird and Nature Store Nanaimo Bird Report December 10, 2024

 

The Backyard Wildbird and Nature Store

 

Nanaimo Bird Report

December 10, 2024
“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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Mountain Bluebird - female (R. Hocken

Sunday December 8, 2024:

The Sunday Bird Walk went to the Nanaimo River Estuary at the end of Raines Road. Weather was perfect, sunny, 2C, no wind and the tide was high. A few highlights from the walk were Mountain Bluebirds, two were seen. Trumpeter Swans, Eurasian Wigeon and Northern Shrike that was being harassed by an Anna’s Hummingbird.

15 birders saw and heard the following 33 species:

Trumpeter Swan

Mallard

American Wigeon

Eurasian Wigeon

Green-winged Teal

Northern Pintail

Bufflehead

Common Goldeneye

Barrow’s Goldeneye

Hooded Merganser

Great Blue Heron

Bald Eagle

Short-billed Gull

Glaucous-winged Gull

Anna’s Hummingbird

Belted Kingfisher

Northern Flicker

Northern Shrike

American Crow

Common Raven

Steller’s Jay

Ruby-crowned Kinglet

Mountain Bluebird

American Robin

European Starling

Spotted Towhee

Song Sparrow

Fox Sparrow

White-crowned Sparrow

Dark-eyed Junco

Red-winged Blackbird

Purple Finch

American Goldfinch

A flock of Red Crossbills were heard flying overhead at the corner of Yellow Point Road and Paulson Road, Yellow Point.

Birding Notes:

Christmas Tree for the birds

Decorating a tree for your backyard birds is fun for you and beneficial for them. Any kind of tree can work, from those living around your house to a fake Christmas tree or even just a broken branch. Decorate your chosen tree with seed bells, suet, pinecones filled with peanut butter, and seed trays with your favourite bird seeds. Choose a variety of seed bells like black oil sunflower, peanut halves, and mixed seed bells to attract a wide variety of backyard birds.

 Hang your bells near a branch for birds like sparrows to perch on, as unlike chickadees they don’t enjoy hanging off the seed bell itself. Suet is always a popular choice for birds and it can be especially good in cold weather. If you want to get creative with your suet, take a block and heat it until it’s soft, then flatten it out to about a half inch thick and cool. Once cooled off, use cookie cutters in your preferred shape and hang the shapes in a sack or off of string in your tree. Place some of your suet up against the tree trunk to make it easier for woodpeckers.

 Another fun option is mixing bird seed and natural peanut butter together and smearing it into a pinecone. They look cool and have a high nutritional value for your birds! The bird seed helps the birds more easily digest the peanut butter. Add a sack of peanut halves or other nuts into your tree to give your birds even more variety.

Chickadees and Nuthatches are some of the birds you can spot hanging off the sack and pulling the nuts out to be crushed and eaten. You can also use a flat tray for your nuts or other bird seeds.

 For birds that don’t enjoy bird seed, cut apples into quarters and put near a branch that Robins can perch on. Other fruits and dried nuts can be placed the same way to attract Robins, thrushes, woodpeckers, and juncos.

 You can also make a birdy garland with peanuts in the shell and a piece of string or ribbon. Steller’s Jays and squirrels are very entertaining to watch as they grab the peanuts from the garland.

 Finish off your bird Christmas tree with a dried sunflower head topper that your backyard birds will love.

 Merry Christmas.

 If you have any birds to report or need help identifying, just email or call the store, birding@thebackyard.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 Sunday and Tuesday Bird Walk.

The Sunday and Tuesday bird walks will be taking a break over the holidays and will resume in the new year.

Happy Holidays from all of us at The Backyard Wildbird & Nature Store.

 The Backyard Wildbird and Nature Store

Nanaimo Bird Report

December 5, 2024
“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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Gadwall (R. Hocken) 

Tuesday December 3, 2024:

The Tuesday Bird Walk went to the Plummer Road side of the Englishman River Estuary in Parksville. Weather was sunny with some cloud, no wind, 4C and the tide was high and going out. Highlights from the walk were a Common Redpoll seen near the viewing stand and out on the strait were Marbled Murrelets, Common Goldeneye and a few orcas moving past, close to shore.

16 birders heard and saw the following 44 species:

Canada Goose

American Wigeon

Mallard

Gadwall

Northern Pintail

Green-winged Teal

Harlequin Duck

Barrow’s Goldeneye

Common Goldeneye

Bufflehead

Red-breasted Merganser

Common Loon

Pacific Loon

Horned Grebe

Double-crested Cormorant

Great Blue Heron

Cooper’s Hawk

Bald Eagle

Black Oystercatcher

Bonaparte’s Gull

Short-billed Gull

California Gull

Glaucous-winged Gull

Marbled Murrelet

Anna’s Hummingbird

Belted Kingfisher

Downy Woodpecker

Pileated Woodpecker

Northern Flicker

Common Raven

Chestnut-backed Chickadee

Bewick’s Wren

Pacific Wren

Brown Creeper

Golden-crowned Kinglet

Ruby-crowned Kinglet

American Robin

Varied Thrush

Spotted Towhee

Song Sparrow

Fox Sparrow

Dark-eyed Junco

Common Redpoll

Purple Finch

Pine Siskin

Common Redpoll (R. Hocken)

Sunday December 1, 2024:

The Sunday Bird Walk went to Buttertubs Marsh in Nanaimo. Weather was overcast, 2C, and no wind. A few highlights from the walk was watching a flock of Cedar Waxwings, a Cooper’s Hawk perched in a snag and a couple of Golden-crowned Kinglets that were low and close for us to see.

18 birders saw and heard the following 44 species:

Canada Goose

Mallard

American Wigeon

Wood Duck

Bufflehead

Pied-billed Grebe

Ring-necked Duck

Great Blue Heron

Northern Harrier

Sharp-shinned Hawk

Cooper’s Hawk

Red-tailed Hawk

Bald Eagle

Merlin

Virginia Rail

American Coot

Glaucous-winged Gull

Eurasian Collared Dove

Anna’s Hummingbird

Downy Woodpecker

Northern Flicker

American Crow

Common Raven

Chestnut-backed Chickadee

Red-breasted Nuthatch

Bushtit

Brown Creeper

Golden-crowned Kinglet

Ruby-crowned Kinglet

Bewick’s Wren

Pacific Wren

American Robin

Varied Thrush

Cedar Waxwing

European Starling

Spotted Towhee

Song Sparrow

Fox Sparrow

Golden-crowned Sparrow

Dark-eyed Junco

Red-winged Blackbird

House Finch

Pine Siskin

House Sparrow

Saturday November 30, 2024:

A small flock of Mourning Doves were visiting a backyard on McGillvary Ave on Gabriola Island.

Birding Notes:

If you have any birds to report or need help identifying, just email or call the store, birding@thebackyard.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 Sunday Bird Walk, December 8, 2024.

The Sunday Bird Walk will be going to Nanaimo River Estuary in south Nanaimo.

Meet at The Backyard Wildbird & Nature Store at 9:00 am or at the end of Raines Road (off of Cedar Road by the bridge) at 9:15 am. Weather cooperating.

The Tuesday Bird Walk.

The Tuesday bird walks will be taking a break and will resume in the new year.

Good birding! Colin Bartlett