Subject: [Tweeters] Nanaimo bird alert
Date: Apr 19 15:43:46 2009
From: The Backyard - thebackyard at shaw.ca


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 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 April 19, 2009:
The Sunday bird walk went to Legacy Marsh in Upper Lantzville. The morning
was cloudy and very windy. Sixteen birders found thirty-seven species of
birds. Among the highlights were a Black-throated Grey Warbler, singing and
gleaning insects high up in the trees. A Wilson's Snipe put in a quick
appearance before disappearing in the underbrush. Orange-crowned Warblers,
Yellow-rumped Warblers and many Ruby-crowned Kinglets were with us all
morning.
Sixteen birders found the following thirty-seven species of birds:
Canada Goose, Mallard, Ringed-neck Duck, Bufflehead, California Quail,
Wilson's Snipe, Great Blue Heron, Turkey Vulture, Bald Eagle, Band-tailed
Pigeon, Rufous Hummingbird, Downy Woodpecker, Northern Flicker, Pileated
Woodpecker, Northwestern Crow, Common Raven, Bewick's Wren, Winter Wren,
Marsh Wren, Ruby-crowned Kinglet, Golden-crowned Kinglet, American Robin,
European Starling, Cassin's Vireo, Orange-crowned Warbler, Common
Yellowthroat, Black-throated Grey Warbler, Yellow-rumped Warbler, Spotted
Towhee, Fox Sparrow, Song Sparrow, Golden-crowned Sparrow, White-crowned
Sparrow, Dark-eyed Junco, Red-winged Blackbird, Purple Finch, Pine Siskin.

Six California Quail were seen in the 2500 block of Glenayr Drive in
Nanaimo.

A pair of Northern Shovelers, a Lincoln's Sparrow and a Common Yellow-throat
were seen off Viking Way at French Creek.

Friday April 17:
A Common Yellowthroat was seen and head at the pond by the Forestry Museum
in Duncan.

Thursday April 16:
120 Sandhill Cranes were seen flying north over Mt. Washington.

A Townsend's Solitaire was seen eating berries on the groundcover in a yard
in the 4000 block of Rock City Road in Nanaimo.

Ten Anna's Hummingbirds and Rufous Hummingbirds are visiting feeders at the
same time along St Catherine's Avenue on Garbolia Island.

Wednesday April 15:
A Sooty Grouse was hooting and showing his breast patch at Mt. Washington
and 130 Sandhill Cranes were seen high over the Jutland Ski Trail.

Tuesday April 14:
A Golden Eagle was seen above the Morrell Wildlife Sanctuary in Nanaimo.

Two Sooty Grouse were seen along the Westwood Ridge Trail in Nanaimo.

The Tuesday bird walk went to the Top Bridge Trail in Parksville. Eighteen
birders saw and heard twenty-eight species of birds. The morning was sunny
but very windy. Among the highlights was a Mourning Dove that flew past fast
at the start of the walk. We saw and heard Purple Finch and Orange-crowned
Warblers all morning. Two male American Goldfinch in breeding plumage stood
out in the brown bushes. Several male Rufous Hummingbirds were perched high
in trees showing their iridescent throat.
Eighteen birders saw and heard the following twenty-eight species of birds:
Mallard, California Quail, Turkey Vulture, Bald Eagle, Mourning Dove, Rufous
Hummingbird, Northern Flicker, Pileated Woodpecker, Northwestern Crow,
Violet-green Swallow, Chestnut-backed Chickadee, Red-breasted Nuthatch,
Bewick's Wren, Winter Wren, Golden-crowned Kinglet, Ruby-crowned Kinglet,
American Robin, European Starling, Orange-crowned Warbler, Yellow-rumped
Warbler, Spotted Towhee, Chipping Sparrow, Song Sparrow, White-crowned
Sparrow, Dark-eyed Junco, Purple Finch and Pine Siskin.

Monday April 13:
A Mourning Dove was seen above Ermineskin Avenue in Parksville.

Sunday April 12:
A Cooper's Hawk and three Rufous Hummingbirds were visiting feeders in a
yard in Upper Lantzville.

Thursday April 09:
A male Snow Bunting was seen on the shore below the Helliwell Park bluffs on
Hornby Island.

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 May 14, 2009 at 7:00 pm
Nanoose Library,
Nanoose Bay
**********************************
Arrowsmith Naturalists
Monday April 27, 2009 at 7:30 pm.
Speaker will be Dr. McAdie a wildlife veterinarian.
Topic: Vancouver Island Marmot project update.
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 April 21, 2009 will be going to the Shelly Road
side of
the Englishman River Estuary in Parksville.
Meet at the Parksville Beach Community Park near the parking area at the
Lion's
Playground at 9:00 A.M. or at the parking area at the end of Shelly Road
(oceanside of Shelly Road off highway 19a) in Parksville at about 9:15 A.M.
*******************************************************
The Sunday Bird Walk on April 19, will be going to Bowen Park in Nanaimo.
Meet at the Bird Store at 9:00 A.M. or at the main parking area off Bowen
Road at about 9:15 A.M.
*******************************************************
Good birding
Neil Robins