"MERRY CHRISTMAS"
from
The Management and Staff at The Backyard Wildbird and Nature Store
Colin, Donna, Sarah, Marilynne and Neil!

The Nanaimo Bird Alert
provided by
The Backyard Wildbird and Nature Store
To report your sightings phone
The Bird Alert at: 390-3029 or
The Store at: 390-3669
e-mail: thebackyard at shaw.ca

Please remember when reporting a sighting to leave your name, phone
number along with the date and location of your sighting.

Tuesday December 21:
A SNOW GOOSE was spotted at Quenell Lake in Cedar.

Monday December 20:
A COMMON LOON, eight BLACK SCOTERS, 700 DUNLIN, 45 BLACK-BELLIED PLOVERS, three BLACK OYSTERCATCHERS, MEW GULLS, BUFFLEHEAD, LESSER SCAUP and HARLIQUIN DUCKS were seen at Columbia Beach at French Creek.
An ANNA'S HUMMINGBIRD spotted at Malcolm Island off Point McNeill.

Sunday December 19:
Preliminary Results Parksville /Qualicum Beach CHRISTMAS BIRD COUNT.
Feeder Count checklists are still coming in.

Highlights include:

- 106 species in total

- Over 27,000 individual species

-Starry skies, pre-dawn, with wicked winds and heavy 4am rains but a colorful sunrise (reason enough to get up very early) with sunny clear skies later on for most of the day.

- Very windy on the water with choppy seas.

- 46 in the field in 9 teams

- Birders from afar: two visitors from Australia, two birders from Port Alberni and two birders from Duncan

-There were about 50 people at the Pot Luck supper after the count.



Species and numbers seen include:



-53 Western Grebe

-2 Pied billed Grebe

-160 Trumpeters

-10 Cackling Geese among 1545 Canada Geese (Were these minima? Some were definitely but Canada Goose Complex is tricky.)

-1 Greater White-fronted Goose

-6 Wood Ducks

-11 Eurasian Wigeon among 2236 American Wigeon

-23 Shovelers

-4 Gadwall

-63 Ring-necked Ducks

-870 Greater Scaup

-17 Lesser Scaup

-886 Bufflehead

-4 American Coot

-15 Sanderling

-2 Glaucous Gull

-2 Bonaparte Gull

-286 Bald Eagles

-Ruffed Grouse

-6 GH & 3 Barred Owls

-Northern Shrike eating its impaled prey

- Slate-colored Junco

- Hermit Thrush

-13 Redpolls

-12 Evening Grosbeak



Count Week birds so far:

Red-throated Loon

American Black Duck

Kestrel

Peregrine

5 Long-billed Dowitchers

Snipe

American Pipit

Savannah Sparrow

Lincoln's Sparrow

Meadowlark

American Goldfinch

Red Crossbill



Saturday December 18:

A pair of EVENING GROSBEAKS were seen in the Cinnabar Valley.



Thursday December 16:
ANNA'S HUMMINGBIRDS are coming to feeders in the 600 block of 6th street on Nanaimo.
A PILEATED WOODPECKER was seen in the 5100 block of Laguna Way in Nanaimo.
Five CEDAR WAXWINGS were seen at Buttertubs Marsh in Nanaimo.
ANNA'S HUMMINGBIRDS are coming to feeders in the 2100 block of Michigan Way at Cathers Lake in Nanaimo.
A SILVER PHEASANT was seen in the 5600 block of Hiquebran Road in Nanaimo.
Over twenty EVENING GROSBEAKS were seen at feeders in the 1600 block of Venlaw Road in Nanaimo.

Wednesday December 15:
Preliminary Results of the Nanoose Christmas Bird Count
106 Species

Saturday December 11:
A SANDHILL CRANE was seen in a field north of the Petro-Canada Gas Station at Duncan.

For further information on these sightings or for help in identifying a
bird please call:

The Backyard Wildbird and Nature Store
at (250) 390-3669
Toll Free at 1-888-249-4145
e-mail: thebackyard at shaw.ca

The Sunday Bird Walks will resume again in February.

Christmas Bird Count Dates:
The Nanaimo CBC is December 26. Contact person: Guy Monty 248-8881
Please be in touch with the contact person if you wish to participate.
Everyone who is interested is welcome.

Good Birding!
Neil Robins
Nanaimo
British Columbia