BIRD REPORT
“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 and location of your sighting.
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HAPPY NEW YEAR
From all of us at the
birdstore
Colin, Denise, Nichole, Carol, Ralph,
Marilynne
and Neil
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For Rare bird reports of Indigo Bunting, Red Wing (old world
thrush) and Summer Tanager
please check this site
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Tuesday, December 22.
The Tuesday bird walk went
to the Plummer Road side of the Englishman River in Parksville. The morning sun
was shining when we started the walk, but it got cloudy and cool near the end.
We spotted a young Northern Shrike whose “mask” was not complete, perched on the top
of a bush just across the river. Several flocks of Pine
Siskin and Red Crossbills flew in and landed at the top of the tall trees
during the morning giving us great views through the scopes. A Yellow-billed
Loon, a Rhinoceros Auklet and a Common Murre were seen on the Strait
of Georgia, along with two Long-tailed Ducks, a small flock of Surf Scoters and
one Black Scoter.
Northern Shrike: Ralph Hocken Photo.
Eight
birders saw and heard the following fifty-five species:
Canada
Geese
Brant
American Widgeon
Mallard
Greater
Scaup
Northern Pintail
Green-winged Teal
Harlequin Duck
Long-tailed
Duck
Surf Scoter
Black
Scoter
Bufflehead
Common Goldeneye
Common Merganser
Red-breasted Merganser
Pacific Loon
Common
Loon
Yellow-billed
Loon
Horned
Grebe
Double-crested Cormorant
Brandt’s Cormorant
Great
Blue Heron
Bald Eagle
Northern Shrike
Cooper’s
Hawk
California Quail
Black Turnstone
Dunlin
Mew Gull
California
Gull
Thayer’s Gull
Glaucous-winged Gull
Common Murre
Rhinoceros
Auklet
Downy Woodpecker
Northern Flicker
Steller’s
Jay
Northwestern Crow
Common
Raven
Chestnut-backed
Chickadee
Anna’s
Hummingbird
Golden-crowned Kinglet
American Robin
European Starling
Brewer’s
Blackbird
Red-wing
Blackbird
Spotted Towhee
Golden-crowned Sparrow
Song Sparrow
Dark-eyed Junco
Purple
Finch
Pine
Siskin
House
Finch
A Common Loon and a
Yellow-billed Loon: Ralph Hocken Photo.
A
Northern Shrike has been seen for the last four weeks on a field along Gomerich
Road in South Wellington in south Nanaimo.
Monday, December 14.
A Clarks Grebe and Western
Grebes were seen from the viewing platform at north Qualicum Beach.
A Red-throated Loon, hundreds of Pacific Loons, ninety-eight
Brant and a Yellow-billed Loon were seen on the Strait of Georgia from the
Plummer Road side of the Englishman River in Parksville.
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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. on 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.
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The Tuesday bird walk on December 29 will be going to the Mills Street north side of the
Englishman River in Parksville. Meet at the parking lot near the Lions Club
Kids Playground at Parksville Community Park at 9:00 a.m. Or at the end of
Mills Street north on the ocean side of highway 19A in Parksville.
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The Sunday bird walk on January 03, 2016 will be going to Neck
Point Park in Nanaimo. Meet at the Birdstore at 9:00 a.m. or at Neck Point
parking lot off Hammond Bay Road at about 9:15 a.m.
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