The Backyard's weekly bird walks will be on pause after Sunday, June 28th until fall, with exact dates TBD.

Sunday, 16 August 2009

Nanamo bird alert, August 16, 2009





Solitary 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 August 16, 2009:
The Sunday Bird Walk went to the Nanaimo River Estuary in south Nanaimo.The morning was windy but sunny and warm. Highlights included seeing three Lesser Yellowlegs, a Least Sandpiper and a Western Sandpiper feeding in the mud along the shoreline of the river. A female Northern Harrier was hunting over the estuary.
Eleven birders heard and saw the following twenty species of birds:
Mute Swan, Canada Goose, Common Mergangers, Great Blue Heron, Turkey Vulture, Bald Eagle, Cooper's Hawk, Northern Harrier, Glaucous-winged Gull, Barn Swallow, Violet-green Swallow, Least Sandpiper, Western Sandpiper, Lesser Yellowlegs, Common Raven, European Starling, Brown-headed Cowbird, Chipping Sparrow, House Finch and American Goldfinch.

Saturday August 15:
A female Northern Harrier was spotted flying over Somenos Marsh in Duncan.

Three Common Nighthawks were seen over highway 19 and Northwest Bay Road in Nanoose Bay.

Two Eurasian Collared Doves was heard and seen along Rushton Avenue in Parksville.

Common Nighthawks were seen over the Government Weigh Scale at Parksville.

Thursday August 13:
A large flock of Red Crossbills were seen on a tree along Cave Road at Horne Lake.

Tuesday August 11:
One Semipalmated Plover was seen at the Admiral Tryon pools at Columbia Beach.

Two Long-billed Dowitchers were seen at French Creek.

A Solitary Sandpiper was seen at Copley Park in Upper Lantzville.

Three Western Sandpipers were seen at the Englishman River Estuary, Plummer Road side.

Sunday August 09:
Two Heermann's Gulls were seen along the tide line at Columbia Beach.

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 23 will be going to Neck Point in Nanaimo.
Meet at the Bird store at 9:00 a.m. or at the parking area at Neck Point off Hammond Bay Road at about 9:15 a.m.
*******************************************************
Good birding
Neil Robins
Nanaimo
British Columbia

Thursday, 13 August 2009

THE BACKYARD'S FALL SEED SALE


BEGINS ON SATURDAY, AUGUST 15, 2009

NOW IS THE 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! The seed will come from our store stock that is always fresh.

Sunday, 9 August 2009

SUSAN CRAYSTON

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.

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

Monday, 3 August 2009

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