To report your sightings
please phone the Store at 390-3669
or e-mail us at thebackyard at shaw.ca
or call the Bird Alert at 390-3029

Check out the Audubon site for the Christmas Bird Count results.
http://www.audubon.org/bird/cbc/hr/

Post your sightings on these sites:
www.thebirdstore.blogspot.com
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/bcbirdingvanisland/messages


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

Sunday February 10:
The Sunday Bird Walk went to Neck Point Park in Nanaimo. Among the
highlights was the sighting of a Rhinoceros Auklet roosting on the water,
just past the Neck. He did at one point raise his head to give us great
looks at his yellow bill. Three flocks of Common Murres sped past just above
the water and several Red Crossbills perched on the high Fir Trees in the
park, in full plumage.
Twenty birders found the following forty-six species:
Pacific Loon, Common Loon, Horned Grebe, Red-necked Grebe, Brandts'
Cormorant, Double-crested Cormorant, Pelagic Cormorant, Canada Goose,
Mallard, Harlequin Duck, Surf Scoter, White-winged Scoter, Black Scoter,
Bufflehead, Barrow's Goldeneye, Common Goldeneye, Red-breasted Merganser,
Common Merganser, Bald Eagle, Black Oystercatcher, Thayer's Gull, Mew Gull,
Glaucous-winged Gull, Rhinoceros Auklet, Marbled Murrelet, Common Murre,
European Starling, Anna's Hummingbird, Northern flicker, Downy Woodpecker,
Northwestern Crow, Common Raven, American Robin, Chestnut-backed Chickadee,
Red-breasted Nuthatch, Winter Wren, Bewick's Wren, Golden-crowned Kinglet,
Spotted Towhee, Song Sparrow, Fox Sparrow, Red Crossbills, American
Goldfinch, House Finch, Dark-eyed Junco and Pine Siskins.

Saturday February 09:
Two Yellow-rumped Warblers were spotted at Somenos Marsh in Duncan.
Over fifty Trumpeter Swans were seen at the Ugly Dwarf Meadows in Nanoose
Bay.

Friday February 08:
Five Cedar Waxwings made a brief stop in a back yard in the 2500 block of
Glenayr Drive in Nanaimo.

Thursday February 07:
Looking over Northwest Bay from Madonna Point towards Mistaken Island a
flock of 200 to 300 Common Murres was seen. In with the Murres was a
possible Thick-billed Murre. They were observed again from Cotter Point at
Beachcomber looking towards the Ballenas Islands. A large flock of Pacific
Loons and Marbled Murrelets were swimming and diving near the Murres.
The following forty species made for a great morning of birding:
Canada Goose, American Wigeon, Mallard, Harlequin Duck, Surf Scoter,
White-winged Scoter, Black Scoter, Long-tailed Duck, Bufflehead, Common
Goldeneye, Barrow's Goldeneye, Common Merganser, Red-breasted Merganser,
Pacific Loon, Common Loon, Horned Grebe, Red-necked Grebe, Double-crested
Cormorant, Pelagic Cormorant, Bald Eagle, Mew Gull, Thayer's Gull,
Glaucous-winged Gull, Common Murre, Thick-billed Murre, Marbled Murrelet,
Downy Woodpecker, Northern Flicker, Northwestern Crow, Common Raven,
Chestnut-backed Chickadee, Red-breasted Nuthatch, American Robin, Varied
Thrush, European Starling, Song Sparrow, Dark-eyed Junco, House Finch, Red
Crossbill and Pine Siskin.

Wednesday February 06:
The Wednesday bird walk went to Columbia Beach. Among the highlights was the
sighting of several Long-tailed Ducks, large rafts of Surf Scoters,
White-winged Scoters,Black Scoters and a Brandt's Cormorant out from shore.
At the gravel bar at Pebble Beach were Black-bellied Plover, Black
Oystercatcher, Black Turnstone, Dunlin, Mew Gull, Ring-billed Gull, Herring
Gull, Thayer's Gull, Western Gull and Glaucous-winged Gull.
Five birders found the following forty-nine species:
Eurasian Wigeon, American Wigeon, Mallard, Harlequin Duck, Surf Scoter,
White-winged Scoter, Black Scoter, Long-tailed Duck, Bufflehead, Common
Goldeneye, Barrow's Goldeneye, Common Merganser, Red-breasted Merganser,
Pacific Loon, Common Loon, Horned Grebe, Brandt's Cormorant, Double-crested
Cormorant, Bald Eagle, Black-bellied Plover, Black Oystercatcher, Black
Turnstone, Dunlin, Mew Gull, Ring-billed Gull, Herring Gull, Thayer's Gull,
Western Gull, Glaucous-winged Gull, Rock Pigeon, Northern Flicker,
Northwestern Crow,
Common Raven, Chestnut-backed Chickadee, Bewick's Wren, Golden-crowned
Kinglet, Ruby-crowned Kinglet, American Robin, Varied Thrush, European
Starling, Spotted Towhee, Song Sparrow, White-crowned Sparrow,
Golden-crowned Sparrow, Dark-eyed Junco, Purple Finch, House Finch, Red
Crossbill and Pine Siskin.

Monday February 04:
A pair of Anna's Hummingbirds are coming to feeders in the 4600 block of
Lost Lake Road in Nanaimo.
An American Kestrel was seen on the hydo lines along Haslam Road north of
Cassidy Airport.

Sunday February 03:
A Townsend's Warbler was spotted visiting suet feeders and Pileated
Woodpeckers, Northern Flickers, Dark-eyed Juncos, Chestnut-sided Chickadees,
Varied Thrushes, Red-breasted Nuthatches and Spotted Towhees are visiting
feeders along Ventura Drive in Nanaimo.
A Common Merganser was seen diving off the crabbing pier on the waterfront
in Nanaimo.
A murder of twenty Northwestern Crows was spotted mobbing a Peregrine Falcon
over the Protection Island Ferry Dock in Nanaimo.
Dark-eyed Juncos, a large flock of Bushtits, House Finch, Spotted Towhees,
male and female Anna's Hummingbirds, Northern Flickers, Chestnut-backed
Chickadees and nine California Quail are visiting feeders in the 3300 block
of Barrington Road 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
Monthly Meeting
Thursday February 14, 2008 at 7:00 pm
Nanoose Library,
Nanoose Bay
**********************************
Arrowsmith Naturalists
Monthly Meeting,
Monday February 25, 2008 at 7:30 pm.
Springwood School
Parksville
**************************************
Everyone is welcome to join us for a 2-3 hour bird walk on the Sunday and
Wednesday 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
Visitor Centre in Parksville at 9 A.M. Wednesdays and go to different areas
in and around the Oceanside area.
-----------------------------------------------
The Wednesday Bird Walk on February 13, 2008 will be going to the Englishman
River Estuary Plummer Road side. We will meet at the Parksville Visitor
Centre at Highway 19A and Northwest Bay Road, near Craig Bay in Parksville,
at 9:00 A.M. or at the corner of Plummer Road and Shorewood Drive at about
9:10 A.M.
*****************************************
The Sunday Bird Walk on February 16, 2008 will be going to Englishman River
Estuary, Plummer Road side.
We will meet at the Bird Store at 9:00 a.m. or at the corner of Plummer Road
and Shorewood Drive at about 9:30 a.m.
**************************************
Good Birding!
Neil Robins
Nanaimo