The Backyard Wildbird & Nature Store
Nanaimo Bird Alert

To report your sightings
phone the Store at 250-390-3669
e-mail us at thebackyard at 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 these 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, December 07, 2008:
The Sunday Bird Walk went to the Plummer Road side of the Englishman River
Estuary in Parksville.
The highlights of the morning included seeing a Fox Sparrow and a
Golden-crowned Kinglets as well as a Ruby-crowned Kinglet at the start of
the walk. We saw a total of twenty Bald Eagles either perched or flying
during the morning. Two Eurasian Wigeon were sifting through the mudflats
and there were Brant Geese, Pacific Loons, Common Loon, Horned Grebes,
Red-necked Grebes and a large flock of Red-breasted Mergangers out on the
Strait of Georgia.
Nineteen birders found the following fifty-one species of birds on a rainy
to start but sunny end to the morning.
Canada Goose, Brandt's Goose, Mallard, Green-winged Teal, Common Loon,
Pacific Loon, Double-crested Cormorant, Pelagic Cormorant, Brant Cormorant,
Horned Grebe, Red-necked Grebe, Surf Scoter, White-winged Scoter, American
Wigeon, Eurasian Wigeon, Bufflehead, Northern Pintail, Harlequin Duck,
Barrow's Goldeneye, Common Goldeneye, Red-breasted Merganser, Common
Merganser, Bald Eagle, Black Oystercatcher, Dunlin, Mew Gull, Thayer's Gull,
California Gull, Glaucous-winged Gull, Downy Woodpecker, Anna's Hummingbird,
Belted Kingfisher, Northern Flicker, Northwestern Crow, Common Raven,
Chestnut-backed Chickadee, Golden-crowned Kinglet, Ruby-crowned Kinglet,
Bewick's Wren, Marsh Wren, American Robin, Spotted Towhee, Golden-crowned
Sparrow, White-crowned Sparrow, Fox Sparrow, Song Sparrow, Dark-eyed
Junco,Purple Finch, Pine Siskin, House Finch and Red-winged Blackbird.

Saturday December 06:
An Eurasian Wigeon was spotted on the tenth fairway at the Nanaimo Golf
Course in Nanaimo.

Friday December 05:
About two Hundred Common Redpolls flew in and were feeding in the trees near
Judges Row in Qualicum Beach.

A large flock of Common Redpolls landed in a fir tree in the area near the
Eagles nest at Despard Avenue and Meridian Way in Parksville.

Wednesday December 03:
Two minima race Cackling Geese with a small flock of other Cackling Geese
and a Peregrine Falcon was seen at Somenos Marsh in Duncan.

Tuesday December 02:
The Tuesday Bird Walk went to the Rathtrevor Provincial Park. Eighteen
birders saw and heard thirty-five species of birds on a sunny December
morning.
Highlights of the morning that caught our attention included a large flock
of Bushtits and Dark-eyed Juncos bobbing from bush to bush just after we
started the walk. A large flock of Golden-crowned Sparrows was feeding on
the ground. We spotted a Red-throated Loon through our spotting scopes
riding the choppy seas off shore. During the morning there were several
lines of Surf Scoters, White-winged Scoters, Black Scoters and Pacific Loons
flying low over the water. Four Black Oystercatchers, a Herring Gull and
five Glaucous-winged Gulls were resting at the point on a gravel bar. Near
the end of the walk we watched as two Fox Sparrows and two Spotted Towhees
fed in the low bushes near the old farm house and we listened to a Downy
Woodpecker call.
Eighteen birders found the following thirty-five species of birds.
Trumpeter Swan, Mallard, Harlequin Duck, Surf Scoter, White-winged Scoter,
Black Scoter, Bufflehead, Red-breasted Merganser, Red-throated Loon, Pacific
Loon, Common Loon, Horned Grebe, Bald Eagle, Cooper's Hawk, Black
Oystercatcher, Mew Gull, California Gull, Herring Gull, Thayer's Gull,
Glaucous-winged Gull, Downy Woodpecker, Hairy Woodpecker, Northern Flicker,
Northwestern Crow, Common Raven, Chestnut-backed Chickadee, Bushtit, Winter
Wren, Golden-crowned Kinglet, American Robin, Spotted Towhee, Fox Sparrow,
Golden-crowned Sparrow, Dark-eyed Junco and Pine Siskin

Monday December 01:
A Townsend's Warbler is visiting suet feeders alone Madonna Drive in Nanoose
Bay.

A huge flock of Pine Siskins were spotted over Meredith Road and Thunderbird
Drive in Nanaimo.

Friday November 28:
Steller's Jays, Downy Woodpeckers, European Starling, Northern Flicker,
Chestnut-backed Chickadees, Dark-eyed Juncos, House Finches, House Sparrows,
one female Anna's Hummingbird and Canada Geese were seen from a yard along
Pine Street in Nanaimo.

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 Nanoose Naturalists
Thursday December 11, 2008 at 7:00 pm
Nanoose Library,
Nanoose Bay
**********************************
Arrowsmith Naturalists
Monday January 26, 2009 at 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 Tuesday Bird Walk on Tuesday December 09 will be going to Columbia
Beach.
Meet at the Parksville Community Park at the parking area in front of the
playground area at 9:00 a.m. or at the parking area off Admiral Tyron
Boulevard( turn at Columbia Drive off Highway19a go to the tee intersection
and turn right onto Admiral Tyron Boulevard go about 100 meters and turn
into the parking area.) at about 9:20A.M.
***************************************
The Sunday Bird Walk on December 14, 2008 will be going to the Nanoose
Estuary
Meet at the Bird Store at 9:00 A.M. or the parking area at the beach behind
the Church Camp off Arlington Road ( off highway 19a at Arlington Road) at
about 9:15 A.M.

***************************************
Good birding
Neil Robins
Nanaimo