Nanaimo, Vancouver Island, Bird alert, August 09, 2009

Cedar Waxwings: Ralph Hocken Photo.

The Backyard Wildbird & Nature Store
Nanaimo Bird Alert

SUSAN CRAYSTON
It is with great sadness that we want to let you know that Susan Crayston suddenly passed away on July 28, 2009. We will all remember her with fondness for her friendship and her willingness to share. We will miss you, Susan.

To report your sightings
phone the Store at 250-390-3669f
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 this 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 09, 2009:
The Sunday Bird Walk went to Beck Creek in south Nanaimo.
The morning was cloudy and very comfortable. Highlights of the morning included seeing Black-bellied Plovers on the estuary, twelve Band-tailed Pigeons perched on a snag across the creek and a Brown Creeper was feeding on a cedar tree not ten feet from us.
Twelve birders heard and saw the following forty species of birds.
Mallard, Great Blue Heron, Turkey Vulture, Bald Eagle, Osprey, Black-bellied Plovers, Glaucous-winged Gull, California Gull,Band-tailed Pigeon, Belted Kingfisher, Northern Flicker, Northwestern Crow, Common Raven, Purple Martin, Chestnut-backed Chickadee, Bewick's Wren, Red-breasted Nuthatch, Brown Creeper, Cedar Waxwing, American Robin, Spotted Towhee, Song Sparrow, House Finch and Red Crossbill.

Saturday August 08:
A Great Horned Owl, a Bald Eagle and a Merlin were calling in the forest off Despard Avenue in Parksville.

A Great Horned Owl was seen at Neck Point.

Wednesday August 05:
A Eurasian Collared Dove was heard and seen along Pintail Avenue in Qualicum Beach.

Tuesday August 04:
Five Semipalmated Plovers were seen at the Englishman River Estuary, Plummer Road side on the mud flats.

Three Caspian Terns were seen at Columbia Beach.

Monday August 03:
A Least Sandpiper and a Spotted Sandpiper were seen at French Creek.

Saturday August 01:
A Virginia Rail was heard in the 5900 block of Waterton Drive 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
Thursday September 10, 2009 @ 7:00 pm
Nanoose Library,
Nanoose Bay
**********************************
Arrowsmith Naturalists
Monday September 28, 2009 @ 7:30 pm.
Springwood School
Parksville
******************************************************************
Everyone is welcome to join us for a 2-3 hour bird walk on the Sunday and
Tuesday 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 Beach
Community Park at 9 A.M. on Tuesdays 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 Tuesday mornings will not be held during the
summer months. We will resume the Tuesday bird walks on September 01, 2009.
*******************************************************
The Sunday Bird Walk on August 16 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

Nanaimo, Vancouver Island, Bird alert, August 02/09

Least Sandpiper: 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 this site:
htt

p://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 to 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 02, 2009:
The Sunday Bird Walk went to the Plummer Road side of the Englishman River in Parksville. The morning was sunny with a bit of wind to make it quite comfortable.
the shorebirds are making their way back and the highlights included seeing Sanderling, Killdeer, Least Sandpiper, Western Sandpiper, Semipalmated Sandpiper, Spotted Sandpiper and a Long-billed Dowitcher probing the mud flats for their food. We watched a Willow Flycatcher hawking insects. We saw three Common Loons, Surf Scoters, a White-winged Scoter, a Greater Scaup, and a Black-bellied Plover fly low over the Strait of Georgia.
Sixteen birders heard and saw the following forty species of birds.
Canada Goose, Common Loon, Surf Scoter, White-winged Scoter, Greater Scaup, Common Merganser, Great Blue Heron, Bald Eagle, Turkey Vulture, Killdeer, Sanderling, Least Sandpiper, Western Sandpiper, Semipalmated Sandpiper, Spotted Sandpiper, Black-bellied Plover, Long-billed Dowitcher, California Gull, Glaucous-winged Gull, Mew Gull, Belted Kingfisher, Rufous Hummingbird,Rock Pigeon, Northern Flicker, Northwestern Crow, Common Raven, Chestnut-backed Chickadee, Bushtit, Bewick's Wren, Willow Flycatcher, Cedar Waxwing, American Robin, Swainson's Thrush, European Starling, Spotted Towhee, White-crowned Sparrow, Red Crossbill, House Finch, Purple Finch and American Goldfinch.

Tuesday July 28:
A Merlin perched for a long period of time on a fence in the Joanna Terrace area near Diver Lake in Nanaimo.

Monday July 27:
A Wandering Tattler was seen at the mouth of French Creek. It left after a few minutes heading east towards Parksville.

Six Common Nighthawks were seen flying over Meridian Way in Parksville.

Sunday July 26:
Twenty-three Common Nighthawks were seen overhead hawking insects as they flew in a west direction over Stanford Avenue in Parksville.

Twenty-five Bonaparte's Gulls in breeding plumage, six Mew Gulls, twenty Black Turnstones and twenty Surf Scoters were seen at the gravel bar at Pebble Beach on Columbia Beach.

A Merlin was spotted chasing Dragonflies at McGregor Marsh in north Nanaimo.

Saturday July 25:
Fourteen Common Nighthawks flew over a house in the 2800 block of Kilpatrick Road, off Jinglepot Road 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
Thursday September 10, 2009 @ 7:00 pm
Nanoose Library,
Nanoose Bay
**********************************
Arrowsmith Naturalists
Monday September 28, 2009 @ 7:30 pm.
Springwood School
Parksville
******************************************************************
Everyone is welcome to join us for a 2-3 hour bird walk on the Sunday and
Tuesday 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 Beach
Community Park at 9 A.M. on Tuesdays 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 Tuesday mornings will not be held during the summer months. We will resume the Tuesday bird walks on September 01, 2009.
*******************************************************
The Sunday Bird Walk on August 09 will be going to Beck Creek in south Nanaimo.
Meet at the Bird store at 9:00 a.m. or at the parking area near the entrance to the Living Forest Campground on Maki Road (across from Southgate Mall) at about 9:20 a.m.

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

"RARE BIRD ALERT-WANDERING TATTLER"

Wandering Tattler at French Creek, July 27: Jack Lasure





Hi birders,

A Wandering Tattlers was seen at the mouth of French Creek this morning July 27. It left after a few minutes heading east towards Parksville.

Good birding!
Neil Robins
Parksville
British Columbia

Nanaimo, Vancouver Island, Bird alert, July 19, 2009

A newborn Spotted Sandpiper: 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 this 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 July 19, 2009:
The Sunday Bird Walk went to Neck Point Park in Nanaimo. The morning was sunny and warm.
The highlights included seeing a House Wren perching before taking insects into a nesting cavity in a tall snag. This is the first time that the group could remember seeing a House Wren in this area. We heard what sounded like a small flock of White-winged Crossbills flying over the point. The sound was a very mechanical trill--definitely different from the musical sounds of the more common Red Crossbills. We saw three Pigeon Guillemots playing on the water just past the large rocks and two Spotted Sandpipers bobbing just off the tide line at Sunset Beach.
Twenty-two birders, including birders from Manchester England, Ontario, Washington State, Texas and Vancouver Island saw and heard the following thirty-one species of birds:
Double-crested Cormorant, Pelagic Cormorant, Surf Scoters, Turkey Vulture, Bald Eagle, Spotted Sandpiper, California Quail, California Gull, Glaucous-winged Gull, Pigeon Guillemot, Marbled Murrelet, Rufous Hummingbird, Northern Flicker, Pacific-slope Flycatcher, Northwestern Crow, Chestnut-backed Chickadee, Red-breasted Nuthatch, Brown Creeper, Bewick's Wren, House Wren, Swainson's Thrush, American Robin, European Starling, Brown-headed Cowbird, Spotted Towhee, Song Sparrow, House Finch, Purple Finch, Red Crossbills, White-winged Crossbills and American Goldfinch.

Saturday, July 18:
A Black Swift was spotted high over Meridian Way in Parksville.

Friday July 17:
A Yellow Warbler was seen in the 3000 block of Hammond Bay Road in Nanaimo.

Wednesday July 15:
Two Arctic Terns were heard and seen flying above Cox Bay near Tofino.

Tuesday July 14:
A Bonaparte's Gull was seen on the French Creek Estuary.

Sunday July 12:
A pair of fledgling Barred Owls were seen and heard along a strip of parkland between Lintlaw Road and Beaver Creek Terrace in the Diver Lake area of 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
Thursday September 10, 2009 @ 7:00 pm
Nanoose Library,
Nanoose Bay
**********************************
Arrowsmith Naturalists
Monday September 28, 2009 @ 7:30 pm.
Springwood School
Parksville
******************************************************************
Everyone is welcome to join us for a 2-3 hour bird walk on the Sunday and
Tuesday 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 Beach
Community Park at 9 A.M. on Tuesdays 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 Tuesday mornings will not be held during the summer months. We will resume the Tuesday bird walks on September 01, 2009.
*******************************************************
The Sunday Bird Walk on July 26 will be going to Hemer Park in Cedar.
Meet at the Bird store at 9:00 a.m. or at the parking area off Hemer Road at Hemer Park at about 9:30 a.m.
*******************************************************

Good birding!
Neil Robins
Nanaimo
Bitish Columbia

Nanaimo, Vancouver Island, Bird Alert, July 12, 2009

Swainson's Thrush: 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 this site:
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/bcbirdingvanisland/messages

Birds of British Columbia:
htp://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 July 12, 2009:
The Sunday Bird Walk went to Legacy Marsh in Upper Lantzville. The morning was sunny and warm.
The highlights included seeing Willow Flycatchers, Western Tanagers and Cedar Waxwings all perched close to the trail and singing. There was a Swainson's Thrush perched on a tree and singing his heart out, not far from the road. Barn Swallow, Northern Rough-winged Swallows and Violet-green Swallows flew overhead hawking insects. An Osprey flew by with a Turkey Vulture soaring below him.
Twenty birders saw and heard the following thirty-seven species of birds:
Great Blue Heron, Turkey Vulture, Bald Eagle, Merlin, Osprey, Band-tailed Pigeon, Rufous Hummingbird, Belted Kingfisher, Red-breasted Sapsucker, Northern Flicker, Common Raven, Steller's Jay, Violet-green Swallow, Northern Rough-winged Swallow, Barn Swallow, Chestnut-backed Chickadee, Marsh Wren, Winter Wren, Red-breasted Nuthatch, Black-headed Grosbeak, Swainson's Thrush, American Robin, Cedar Waxwing, Red-eyed Vireo, Orange-crowned Warbler, Yellow Warbler, Common Yellowthroat, Pacific-sloped Flycatcher, Willow Flycatcher, Western Tanager, Spotted Towhee, Song Sparrow, White-crowned Sparrow, Red-winged Blackbird, Purple Finch, Dark-eyed Junco and Red Crossbill.


Saturday, July 11:
Twenty to thirty Common Nighthawks were seen flying over the beach at Qualicum Beach.

Friday July 10:
A Three-toed Woodpecker was observed for fifteen minutes moving through trees at an elevation of 2000 to 2500 feet off the Westwood Lake trail to the summit of Mount Benson.

Twelve Least Sandpipers, one Western Sandpiper and two Greater Yellowlegs were seen at French Creek.

Ten Mourning Doves were seen along the South Forks Road and Nanaimo Lakes Road in south Nanaimo.

Thursday July 09:
Ten Black-bellied Plovers were seen on the Gravel Bar near the Pebble Beach Townhouses in Columbia Beach.

Two Caspian terns were spotted at the Beach at Parksville Bay in Parksville.


Wednesday July 08:
Two Barred Owls were calling and five Black Swifts were seen flying over Colliery Dam Park in Nanaimo.

Young Violet-green Swallows were seen leaving their nest box in the 800 block of Harwood Mines Road in Nanaimo.

Monday July 06:
A male Yellow-headed Blackbird was seen at the Nanoose Bay Estuary.

Friday July 03:
A pair of Three-toed Woodpeckers were seen at Mount Washington on the way to Battleship Lake.

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
Thursday September 10, 2009 @ 7:00 pm
Nanoose Library,
Nanoose Bay
**********************************
Arrowsmith Naturalists
Monday September 28, 2009 @ 7:30 pm.
Springwood School
Parksville
***********************************************************************
PURPLE MARTIN
OPEN HOUSE
SUNDAY, JULY 19th
With: BC Purple Martin Stewardship & Recovery Program
At: Ladysmith Maritime Society Marina from 1-4 pm

Banding sessions at 3 pm and 4 pm
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Everyone is welcome to join us for a 2-3 hour bird walk on the Sunday and
Tuesday 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 Beach
Community Park at 9 A.M. on Tuesdays 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 Tuesday mornings will not be held during the summer months. We will resume the Tuesday bird walks on September 01, 2009.
*******************************************************
The Sunday Bird Walk on July 19 will be going to Neck Point Park in Nanaimo.
Meet at the Bird store at 9:00 a.m. or at the parking area off Hammond Bay Road at Neck Point Park at about 9:20 a.m.
*******************************************************