The Backyard's Weekly Bird Walk locations are found in the Backyard Bird Report at the very end of the most recent report. Any cancellations will be posted by 8am the day of the walk.

Tuesday 16 September 2014


NANAIMO 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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Sunday, September 14, 2014:

The Sunday bird walk went to the Shelley road side of the Englishman River Estuary in Parksville. The morning was sunny and warm and the tide was high. We spotted an American Dipper along the river’s edge at the beginning of the walk and heard a Hutton’s Vireo calling near the parking lot. A few birders also got a quick look at a Black Headed Grosbeak just before it flew. At the end of the walk in the parking lot there was a Black Swift and a Sharp-shinned Hawk over head.

Thirteen birders saw and heard the following forty three species: 

Common Loon
Great Blue Heron
Canada Goose
Mallard
Common Merganser
Northern Pintail
Bald Eagle
Sharp-shinned Hawk
Killdeer
Black Oystercatcher
California Gull
Glaucous-winged Gull
Mew Gull
Pigeon Guillemot
Band-tailed Pigeon
Black Swift
Anna’s Hummingbird
Belted Kingfisher
Northern Flicker
Downy Woodpecker
Red-breasted Sapsucker
Hutton’s Vireo
Steller’s Jay
Common Raven
Northwestern Crow
Chestnut-backed Chickadee
Red-breasted Nuthatch
American Dipper
Ruby-crowned Kinglet
American Robin
European Starling
American Pipit’s
 Cedar Waxwing
Black-headed Grosbeak
White-crowned Sparrow
Song Sparrow
Savannah’s Sparrow
Dark-eyed Junco
Spotted Towhee
Red-winged Blackbird
House Finch
Purple Finch
American Goldfinch. 
 

Saturday, September 13:

 Two American Pipits were seen at the top of Sugar Loaf Mountain in Nanaimo.

Friday, September 12:

Steller’s Jays have been reported in many areas around Nanaimo, Nanoose Bay, Parksville and Qualicum Beach area. It is the first time in the last three years we have seen this much activity with Steller Jays visiting backyards.

Tuesday, September 9:
The Tuesday bird walk went to the Little Qualicum River Estuary in Qualicum Beach.  The morning was sunny and warm with little breeze.  The ocean birds are starting to return as we had sightings of Scoters, Loons, Grebes, Cormorants and a variety of gulls.  We also had a sighting of a Stellar Jay and Dark-eyed Junco near the parking area.  Near the end of our walk we watched a Merlin fly into a conifer in an unsuccessful attempt to capture prey.  Then just as we were leaving we sighted a Greater Yellowlegs, Killdeer and 2 Western Sandpipers feeding on the estuary side of the parking lot.
22 birders, including visitors from Quadra Island and California, saw or heard the following 33 species:

Canada Goose
Turkey Vulture
Mallard
Surf Scoters
White-winged Scoters
Harlequin Duck
Common Mergansers
Common Loons
Pacific Loon
Red-necked Grebe
Black Oystercatcher
Double-crested Cormorant
Great Blue Heron
Killdeer
Black Turnstone
Greater Yellowlegs
Western Sandpiper
Belted Kingfisher
Bonaparte's Gull
California Gull
Glaucous-winged Gull
Merlin
Northwestern Crow
Common Raven
Song Sparrow
Golden-crowned Sparrow
Savannah Sparrow
Brewer's Blackbird
Chestnut-backed Chickadee
Eurasian Collared-Dove
Stellar Jay
Dark-eyed Junco
Anna's Hummingbird

 Monday, September 8:

Rufous Hummingbird was seen at a feeder up at Little Qualicum River Village.

6 Horned Larks along with 200 Surfbirds, American Pipit and 4 Turkey Vultures was seen on Entrance Island just off Gabriola Island.

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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 September 16, 2014 will be going to Rathtrevor Provincial Park in Parksville. Meet at Parksville Community Park at the parking lot near the Lions Club Playground at 9:00 a.m. or at the parking lot #1 at Rathtrevor Provincial Park at approximately 9:10 a.m.

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The Sunday bird walk on September 21, 2014 will be going to Piper’s Lagoon in Nanaimo. Meet at the Bird Store at 9:00 a.m. or at the parking lot of Piper’s lagoon on Hammond Bay road at about 9:10 a.m.

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Nanoose Naturalists Meeting, October 9, 2014 - 7:00 P.M.

Nanoose Library Hall in Nanoose Bay.

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British Columbia rare bird alert link--- http://www.bcbirdalert.blogspot.ca/

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WildResearch link---


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West coast environment link—http://coastaltarsands.ca/w1/videos/

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What's more important than the right to breathe fresh air, drink clean water and eat healthy food?"-- David Suzuki

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Good birding
Colin Bartlett

THE BACKYARD WILDBIRD & NATURE STORE
6314 Metral Drive
Nanaimo  B.C.
V9T-2L8
Phone: 250-390-3669
Fax: 250-390-1633

 

 

 

 

 

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