California Quail: 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 05, 2009:
The Sunday Bird Walk went to the Beaver Ponds at Nanoose Bay. The morning was sunny, warm and the winds were calm. Among the highlights of the morning were great views of a Willow Flycatcher perching and singing on three occasions. We watched as a Merlin flew out from a perch several times to catch Dragonflies. We saw two Pacific-slope Flycatcher chicks moving about and calling in the tall trees. We heard a male Black-headed Grosbeak sing and then we spotted him feeding a youngster as they moved through the trees. Near the end of walk we heard a Barred Owl calling "who cooks for you--who cooks for you"
Twenty birders saw and heard the following thirty-five species of birds: Mallard, Hooded Merganser, Wood Duck, Turkey Vulture, Red-tailed Hawk, Merlin, Osprey, Barred Owl, Rufous Hummingbird, Northern Flicker, Pileated Woodpecker, Willow Flycatcher, Pacific-slope Flycatcher, Cassin's Vireo, Common Raven, Tree Swallow, Chestnut-backed Chickadee, Red-breasted Nuthatch, Cedar Waxwing, Swainson's Thrush, American Robin, Orange-crowned Warbler, Wilson's Warbler, Black-throated Gray Warbler, Winter Wren, Bewick's Wren, Bushtit, Spotted Towhee, Song Sparrow, Chipping Sparrow, Dark-eyed Junco, Black-headed Grosbeak, Purple Finch, Red Crossbill, American Goldfinch.
Friday July 04:
Seventy to eighty Common Nighthawks were seen above the 2500 block of Glenayr Drive in Nanaimo. The Nighthawks continued their aerial display while hawking insects for about thirty minutes. Another smaller flock came in about fifteen minutes later but moved on very quickly
Friday July 03:
The Backyard Wildbird and Nature Store has received several reports of Eurasian Collared-Doves from Ucluelet, Sooke, Nanaimo and Parksville lately.
Three Eurasian Collared-Doves, four Common Nighthawks, Violet-green Swallows, Northern Rough-winged Swallows, Barn Swallows, Tree Swallows, ten Purple Martins, a Spotted Sandpiper, a Townsend's Warbler, a Northern Flicker, White-crowned Sparrows and Chipping Sparrows were seen at the Rivers Edge subdivision behind the Weigh Scales in Parksville.
Eight Marbled Murrelets and a Pigeon Guillemot were seen on the Strait of Georgia, not far from the mud flats, at the Englishman River Estuary along Marine Drive in Parksville.
Thursday July 02:
One Juvenile Glaucous Gull was seen perched on the rocks at French Creek, not far from the Pub. On There was a flock of Glaucous-winged Gulls on the point at the mouth of French Creek and three Killdeer moved nosily over the creek.
Tuesday June 30:
The Tuesday Bird Walk went to the Plummer Road side of the Englishman River Estuary in Parksville. The morning was pleasant and the sun was shining. The highlights of the morning included watching Willow Flycatchers low down in the shrubs along the trail and hearing them and a Pacific-slope Flycatcher singing. We watched as Violet-green Swallows flew low over the mudflats--it was great to look down on them from the trail above. There were several Rufous Hummingbirds and House Finches at the feeders along Shorewood Drive.
Twenty birders saw and heard the following thirty-five species of birds
Canada Goose, Great Blue Heron, Turkey Vulture, Bald Eagle, Killdeer, Glaucous-winged Gull, Band-tailed Pigeon, Anna's Hummingbird, Rufous Hummingbird, Belted Kingfisher, Northern Flicker, Willow Flycatcher, Pacific-slope Flycatcher, Northwestern Crow, Common Raven, Tree Swallow,
Violet-green Swallow, Chestnut-backed Chickadee, Bushtit, Red-breasted Nuthatch, Bewick's Wren, Winter Wren, Swainson's Thrush, American Robin, European Starling, Spotted Towhee, Chipping Sparrow, Song Sparrow, White-crowned Sparrow, Red-winged Blackbird, Brown-headed Cowbird,
Purple Finch, House Finch, Pine Siskin and House Sparrow.
Twenty-two California Quail were seen in the 2500 block of Maxi Road in south Nanaimo and twenty-four California Quail were seen in the 6200 block of Metral Drive in north Nanaimo.
Sunday June 28:
A male and female California Quail and about 12 chicks were seen in the 4100 block of Gulfview Drive in Nanaimo.
Saturday June 27:
A Pine Grosbeak was spotted along White Blossom Way in south 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
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The Nanoose Naturalists
Thursday September 10, 2009 @ 7:00 pm
Nanoose Library,
Nanoose Bay
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Arrowsmith Naturalists
Monday September 28, 2009 @ 7:30 pm.
Springwood School
Parksville
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Everyone is welcome to join us for a 2-3 hour bird walk on the Sunday. We leave from the Store at 9 A.M. Sunday Mornings and go to a different location in and around Nanaimo.
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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.
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The Sunday Bird Walk on July 12 will be going to the Legacy Marsh in upper Lantzville.
Meet at the Bird store at 9:00 a.m. or at the parking area under the Hydro lines along Normarel Drive at about 9:20 a.m.
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Good birding
Neil Robins
Nanaimo
British Columbia
