Nanaimo bird alert

Pigeon Guillemot: Ralph Hocken Photo.


The Backyard Wildbird & Nature Store
Nanaimo Bird Alert

To report your sightings
phone the Store at 250-390-3669
e-mail us at thebackyard@shaw.ca
call the Bird Alert at 250-390-3029

Also check the birdstore blog for the latest bird alerts and updates:
www.thebirdstore.blogspot.com

Post your sightings on these site:
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/bcbirdingvanisland/messages

Birds of British Columbia:
http://www.geog.ubc.ca/biodiversity/efauna/SpeciesChecklists.html

International Birdwatching Guides
http://www.guidedbirdwatching.com

Birdwatching contacts and information
find a local birder to go birdwatching with.
http://www.birdingpal.org/

Please remember, when reporting a sighting, to leave your name and phone
number, along with the date, name and location of your sighting.

Sunday, August 17:
The Sunday Bird Walk went to Columbia Beach, at French Creek. Highlights included the sighting of eight Heermann's Gulls, California Gulls, Bonaparte's Gulls, a Ring-billed Gull and eleven Black Oystercatchers.
Sixteen birders found the following thirty-four species of birds:
Canada Goose, Double-crested Cormorant, Great Blue Heron, Mallard, Harlequin Duck, White-winged Scoter, Turkey Vulture, Bald Eagle, California Quail, Black-bellied Plover, Black Oystercatcher, Killdeer, Western Sandpiper, Least Sandpiper, Greater Yellowlegs, Pigeon Guillemot, Heermann's Gull, Bonaparte's Gull, Ring-billed Gull, California Gull, Glaucous-winged Gull, Rock Pigeon, Northern Flicker, European Starling , Northwestern Crow, Common Raven, Purple Martin, Chestnut-backed Chickadee, Bewick's Wren, Spotted Towhee, White-crowned Sparrow, Song Sparrow, House Finch, American Goldfinch.

Saturday August 16:

*****Rare Bird Alert--Manx Shearwater*****

A Manx Shearwater was spotted offshore at Botanical Beach, near Port Renfrew on the west coast of Vancouver Island. The Shearwater came from inside the Juan de Fuca Strait and stayed close to shore before heading back out and up the Coastline.

Manx Shearwaters are usually found on the east coast of Canada, but is a rare but regular visitor to the west coast of British Columbia.

Two Black Throated Gray Warblers, a Western Tanager, a Black Headed Grosbeak, Warbling Vireos, and a Yellow Warbler were seen at Springwood Park in Parksville.

Friday August 15:
A Barred Owl and Steller's Jays were seen in a yard along Benson View Road above the Jingle Pot area of Nanaimo.

Steller's Jays are visiting feeders along Cloke Road in Ladysmith.

Thursday August 14:

Two female Harlequin Ducks were seen at Clark Bay on Gabriola Island.

Two Purple Martins were spotted at Buckley Bay near the Ferry Terminal.

Wednesday August 13:
Three Heermanns' Gulls and a Ring-billed Gull were seen in with the California and Glaucous-winged Gulls at Columbia Beach.

A small flock of Purple Martins were singing and dancing in the sky above the 100 block of Meridian Way in Parksville.

Tuesday August 12:
Five Least Sandpipers, eight Western Sandpipers, one Lesser Yellowlegs and four Greater Yellowlegs were seen at French Creek.

Two Black Oystercatchers, several California Gulls and many Glaucous-winged Gulls were seen on a gravel bar at Columbia Beach.

Monday August 11:
Sixteen Common Nighthawks were seen flying southwest over Sooke at sunset.

Four Wilson's Warblers were spotted frolicking about on lily pads on a pond along Lancewood Avenue in Lantzville.

Sunday August 10:

Two adult and two Collared-Doves were seen in a yard in Sooke.

Six Spotted Sandpipers, two Belted Kingfishers, a Great Blue Heron were seen at Sunset Beach in Neck Point Park in Nanaimo.

Three Great Horned Owls were seen at Neck Point Park in Nanaimo.

For further information on these sightings or for help in identifying a
bird please call The Backyard Wildbird and Nature Store
@ (250) 390-3669
Toll Free @ 1-888-249-4145
e-mail: thebackyard@shaw.ca
***********************************
The Nanoose Naturalists
Monthly Meeting
Thursday September 11, 2008 @ 7:00 pm
Nanoose Library,
Nanoose Bay
**********************************
Everyone is welcome to join us for a 2-3 hour bird walk on the Sunday and Wednesday mornings. We leave from the Store at 9 A.M. Sunday Mornings and go to a different location in and around Nanaimo and from the Parksville Visitor Centre in Parksville at 9 A.M. Wednesdays and go to different areas in and around the Oceanside area.
*****************************************

The Wednesday morning Birdwalk in Parksville will resume in the fall.

******************************************
The Sunday Bird Walk on August 24, 2008 will be going to the Nanaimo River Estuary in south Nanaimo. .
Meet at the Bird Store at 9:00 A.M. or at the parking area at the end of Raines Road at about 9:30 A.M.

***************************************
Good birding
Neil Robins
Nanaimo
British Columbia

FALL SEED SALE

THE BACKYARD
WILDBIRD & NATURE STORE'S

FALL SEED SALE

STARTS AUGUST 16TH

UNTIL

SEPTEMBER 21ST

IT IS TIME TO STOCK UP ON BIRD SEED

FOR THAT BUSY WINTER BIRD FEEDING!

SAVE 15 % ON MINIMUM $100.00 PURCHASE

ON JUGS, 20LB and 40LB BAGS OF BIRD SEED.

Free Seed Storage Program
Fresh Seed at 15 % OFF
We take Phone Orders

Our seed sale only happens twice a year so come in and save on your birdseed!

Purchase the birdseed you will use in the next few months at the sale price.
Don’t worry about storage---just come by and pick up the seed you purchased as you need it, without the hassle of storing it!

Greater Yellowlegs: Ralph Hocken Photo.

The Backyard Wildbird & Nature Store
Nanaimo Bird Alert

To report your sightings
phone the Store at 250-390-3669
e-mail us at thebackyard@shaw.ca
call the Bird Alert at 250-390-3029

Also check the birdstore blog for the latest bird alerts and updates:
www.thebirdstore.blogspot.com

Post your sightings on these site:
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/bcbirdingvanisland/messages

Birds of British Columbia:
http://www.geog.ubc.ca/biodiversity/efauna/SpeciesChecklists.html

International Birdwatching Guides
http://www.guidedbirdwatching.com

Birdwatching contacts and information.
find a local birder to go birdwatching with.
http://www.birdingpal.org/

Please remember, when reporting a sighting, to leave your name and phone
number, along with the date, name and location of your sighting.

Sunday, August 10:
The Sunday Bird Walk went to the Englishman River Estuary, Plummer Road side in Parksville, the highlights included a flock of Black Swifts and Vaux's Swifts circling above us hawking insects. Two Sharp-shinned Hawks flew above us, gliding in big circles. Two Merlins put in a brief appearance and disappeared behind some fir trees. A mixed flock of Least Sandpipers, Western Sandpipers and one Sanderling kept us comparing the different species on the mud flats. A mixed flock of migrating Swallows flew over us heading south down the Strait of Georgia.

Twenty-one birders found the following forty-one species of birds:
Canada Goose, Mallard, Scoter-SP, Common Merganser, Double-crested Cormorant, Great Blue Heron, Marbled Murrelet, Bald Eagle, Sharp-shinned Hawk, Merlin, Turkey Vulture, Killdeer, Sanderling, Least Sandpiper, Western Sandpiper, Spotted Sandpiper, Lesser Yellowlegs, Black Oystercatcher, California Gull, Glaucous-winged Gull, Bonaparte's Gull, Pigeon Guillemot, Belted Kingfisher, Black Swift, Vaux's Swift, Violet-green Swallow, Tree Swallow, Rough-winged Swallow, Barn Swallow, Cliff Swallow,Northern Flicker, Northwestern Crow, Red-breasted Nuthatch, American Robin, Swainson's Thrush, European Starling, Spotted Towhee, White-crowned Sparrow, Red Crossbill, House Finch and American Goldfinch.

Saturday August 09:

"Rare bird alert-ROSE-BREASTED GROSBEAK"

A Rose-breasted Grosbeak was seen sitting on a wire in Port Renfrew. The Rose-Breasted Grosbeak is usually found east of the Rockies.

A Peregrine Falcon was spotted in Port Renfrew

Twelve Sooty Shearwaters, a Tufted Puffin, Cassin's Auklet, several Red-necked Phalaropes and two Caspian Terns were seen offshore at Port Renfrew.

One Wandering Tattler, one Surfbird and several Black Turnstones were seen at Botanical Beach.

An Immature Brown Pelican was seen offshore at Jordon River on the west coast of Vancouver Island.

Three Heermann's Gulls were seen about one half a mile off Blandon Point, offshore from Lantzville.

An Anna's Hummingbird is visiting feeders along Boundary Crescent in Nanaimo.

Thursday August 07:

Several Common Nighthawks were seen over the Englishman River Estuary, Plummer Road side in Parksville.

Tuesday August 05:
Several Nighthawks have been seen flying above Departure Bay in Nanaimo.

A Great Horned Owl was seen at Neck Point Park in Nanaimo. The Owl was seen on the right of the path that leads to Sunset Beach.

Monday August 04:
"Rare Bird Alert--Black and White Warbler"
A Black and White Warbler was seen at the Beaver Pond in Morrell Wildlife Sanctuary in Nanaimo. The Warbler was moving down a tree trunk, like a Red-breasted Nuthatch. The Warbler was striped on its back, the face/head stripes were narrow. The Black and White Warbler is usually found east of the Rockies.

An Olive-sided Flycatcher was seen perched on the top of one of the tall dead trees in the Beaver Pond at Morrell Wildlife Sanctuary in Nanaimo.

A Barred Owl was seen at Colliery Dam in Nanaimo.

A Great Horned Owl was seen near Bonnel Creek in Nanoose Bay.

Sunday August 03:

Two Green Herons were seen roosting near the gazebo at Tomatoes Restaurant in Courtney.

A Humpbacked Whale was photographed near Schooner Cove in Nanoose Bay during the Sunday bird walk.

A Solitary Sandpiper was spotted along the Sooke River in Sooke.

Red-necked Phalaropes were seen offshore at Jordan River.

Along the Jordan River bank were large numbers of Western Sandpipers and Least Sandpipers.

Western Sandpipers and Least Sandpipers and a juvenile Whimbrel were seen on the beach at Jordan River.

Western, Least and Semipalmated Sandpipers were seen at French Beach.

Sanderlings, Black Turnstones, Semipalmated Sandpipers, Western Sandpipers, Least Sandpipers, Semipalmated Plovers and Long-billed Dowitchers were seen at Whiffin Spit.

For further information on these sightings or for help in identifying a
bird please call The Backyard Wildbird and Nature Store
@ (250) 390-3669
Toll Free @ 1-888-249-4145
e-mail: thebackyard@shaw.ca
***********************************
The Nanoose Naturalists
Monthly Meeting
Thursday September 11, 2008 @ 7:00 pm
Nanoose Library,
Nanoose Bay
**********************************
Everyone is welcome to join us for a 2-3 hour bird walk on the Sunday and Wednesday mornings. We leave from the Store at 9 A.M. Sunday Mornings and go to a different location in and around Nanaimo and from the Parksville Visitor Centre in Parksville at 9 A.M. Wednesdays and go to different areas in and around the Oceanside area.
*****************************************
The Sunday Bird Walk on August 17, 2008 will be going to Columbia Beach.
Meet at the Bird Store at 9:00 A.M. or at the parking area on Admiral Tryon Boulevard off Columbia Drive about

9: 40 A.M. ( turn off highway 19a just north of the French Creek Bridge onto Columbia Beach Drive, go to the "T" intersection turn right onto Admiral Tryon Boulevard, go about 100 yards turn left and park in the empty lot)
***************************************
Good birding
Neil Robins
Nanaimo
British Columbia

Red-breasted Sapsucker: Ralph Hocken Photo

The Backyard Wildbird & Nature Store
Nanaimo Bird Alert

To report your sightings
phone the Store at 250-390-3669
e-mail us at thebackyard@shaw.ca
call the Bird Alert at 250-390-3029

Also check the birdstore blog for the latest bird alerts and updates:
www.thebirdstore.blogspot.com

Post your sightings on these site:
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/bcbirdingvanisland/messages

Birds of British Columbia:
http://www.geog.ubc.ca/biodiversity/efauna/SpeciesChecklists.html

International Birdwatching Guides
http://www.guidedbirdwatching.com

Please remember, when reporting a sighting, to leave your name and phone
number, along with the date, name and location of your sighting.

Sunday, August 03:
The Sunday Bird Walk went to Neck Point Park in Nanaimo. Among the highlights were four sightings of Great Horned Owls perched in tall trees. We saw one Great Horned Owl when we started out on the walk and near the end of the walk we found three on another trail. At Sunset Beach where there is usually just one, we found four Spotted Sandpipers.

We saw a line of ten Brandt's Cormorants in single file, just above the water heading into the strong westerly wind. On the water, further out towards Schooner Cove, we saw Whale spouts several times.

Eleven birders found the following twenty-eight species of birds: Double-crested Cormorant, Pelagic Cormorant, Brandt's Cormorant, Turkey Vulture,BaldEagleGreatHorned Owl, SpottedSandpiper, California Gull, Glaucous-winged Gull, Caspian Tern, Rufous Hummingbird, Northern Flicker, Downy Woodpecker, Pacific-slope Flycatcher, Northwestern Crow, Common Raven, Chestnut-backed Chickadee, Red-breasted Nuthatch, Brown Creeper, Bewick's Wren, Winter Wren, American Robin, European Starling, Orange-crowned Warbler, Western Tanager, Spotted Towhee, Song Sparrow, American Goldfinch.

Eighty Bonaparte's Gulls, six Mew Gulls and Least and Western Sandpipers were seen at Pebble Beach near Columbia Beach at French Creek.

Saturday, August 02:
"Rare Bird Alert--Little Stint"

An adult Little Stint was seen in with 200 to 300 peeps including-- Western Sandpipers, Least Sandpipers, Semipalmated Sandpipers, three Greater Yellowlegs, twelve Long-billed and Short-billed Dowitchers, at the San Juan River Estuary near Port Renfrew on the west coast of Vancouver Island. The Little Stint is a Eurasian species which winters in Africa and Asia and is a vagrant, casual visitor on the west coast of British Columbia.

Eighteen California Quail were counted in a yard in the 2100 block of Wren Place in Nanaimo.

A Lesser Yellowlegs was seen at French Creek.

Friday, August 01:
A Black Swift was seen flying low over the sand traps and along the fairway, at Morningstar Golf Course off Lee Street and close to Morningstar Drive next to the pond. Cliff Swallows, Barn Swallows, a few Violet-green Swallows and a couple of Rough-winged Swallows were seen hawking insects over the pond.
On the water were one Canada Geese, Mallards, Wood Ducks and one Northern Shoveller. On the far side of the pond along the shore a juvenile Spotted Sandpiper was bobbing continually as it walked along the shore.

Two orange-crowned Warblers, six Cedar Waxwings and a young Western Tanager was seen in the bushes along the pond.

A Spotted Sandpiper was seen off Johnstone Road at French Creek along the ocean. Along the tide line were Black-bellied Plovers, eight Western and Least Sandpipers,, a Bonaparte's Gull and Glaucous-winged Gulls.

Four Anna's Hummingbirds and three Northern Flickers were visiting feeders along Lancashire Avenue in Nanaimo.

Several Black Swifts were seen near Hammond Bay Road and Rutherford Road in Nanaimo.

Eight Common Nighthawks, eighteen Violet-green Swallows, twenty-four Brewer's Blackbirds and thirteen American Robins were seen at Sooke.

Wednesday July 30:

A Steller's Jay was seen in the 3200 block of Uplands Drive in Nanaimo.

A Red Breasted Sapsucker was seen at the corner of Cavan Street and Victoria Crescent in downtown Nanaimo.

Tuesday July 29:

A Rufous Hummingbird was observed chasing a Merlin at Fairwinds in Nanoose Bay.

Five Steller's jays and a male Anna's Hummingbird were seen in a yard along Dawkins Lane in Nanaimo.

Friday July 25:
A Screech owl was seen on Friday night along Rockhampton Road in Fairwinds, Nanoose Bay.

For further information on these sightings or for help in identifying a
bird please call The Backyard Wildbird and Nature Store
@ (250) 390-3669
Toll Free @ 1-888-249-4145
e-mail: thebackyard@shaw.ca
***********************************
The Nanoose Naturalists
Monthly Meeting
Thursday September 11, 2008 @ 7:00 pm
Nanoose Library,
Nanoose Bay
**********************************
Arrowsmith Naturalists
Annual Picnic--July 28, 2008.
Monthly Meeting,
Monday September 22, 2008@ 7:30 pm.
Springwood School
Parksville
**************************************
Everyone is welcome to join us for a 2-3 hour bird walk on the Sunday and Wednesday mornings. We leave from the Store at 9 A.M. Sunday Mornings and go to a different location in and around Nanaimo and from the Parksville Visitor Centre in Parksville at 9 A.M. Wednesdays and go to different areas in and around the Oceanside area.
-----------------------------------------------
The Backyard Wildbird & Nature Store's weekly bird walk in the Parksville/Qualicum Beach area on Wednesday mornings will not be held during the summer months. We will resume the Wednesday bird walks in
the fall.
*****************************************
The Sunday Bird Walk on August 10, 2008 will be going to the Englishman River Estuary, Plummer Road side.
Meet at the Bird Store at 9:00 A.M. or at the corner of Shorewood Drive and Plummer Road at about 9:30 A.M..
****************************************

Good birding
Neil Robins
Nanaimo
British Columbia

BC DAY HOLIDAY HOURS

THE BACKYARD WILDBIRD & NATURE STORE

will be
OPEN REGULAR HOURS SATURDAY AUGUST 2ND
OPEN REGULAR HOURS SUNDAY AUGUST 3RD
CLOSED MONDAY AUGUST 4TH

OPEN REGULAR HOURS TUESDAY AUGUST 5TH

HAVE A GREAT WEEKEND!