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 December 13, 2009:
The Sunday bird walk went to the Nanoose Bay.
The morning was cloudy with snow flurries but the winds were calm.
The highlights included seeing a Greater White-fronted Goose in with a flock
of Canada Geese and an Eurasian Wigeon in with a flock of American Wigeons.
We spotted a Red-tailed Hawk perched high in a snag. There was a very large
raft of Northern Pintail in the estuary. Five Trumpeter Swans put on a
display as they left the estuary heading up island.
Five birders saw and hear the following thirty-three species of birds:
Canada Goose, Greater White-fronted Goose, Trumpeter Swan, American Wigeon,
Eurasian Wigeon, Green-winged Teal, Surf Scoter, Bufflehead, Common
Goldeneye, Common Merganser, Mallard, Northern Pintail, Red-breasted
Merganser, Killdeer, Pacific Loon, Common Loon, Horned Grebe, Double-crested
Cormorant, Pelagic Cormorant, Great Blue Heron, Bald Eagle, Red-tailed Hawk,
Mew Gull, Thayer's Gull, Glaucous-winged Gull, Belted Kingfisher,
Northwestern Crow, Common Raven, European Starling, Spotted Towhee, Song
Sparrow, Golden-crowned Sparrow and Dark-eyed Junco.

Saturday December 12:
Five Trumpeter Swans were seen on the fields of the Ugly Dwarf Meadows in
Nanoose Bay.

Tuesday December 08:
The Tuesday Bird Walk went to Deep Bay. The morning was sunny with calm
winds but it was a little nippy at -7c. The sea was like glass, giving us
ideal conditions to observe the large rafts of seabirds that were out on the
water.
The highlights of the morning included seeing and hearing a large raft of
singing Black Scoters near the shoreline. One Dunlin and one Black-Bellied
Plover made an appearance not five feet from us along the shoreline. There
were a large number of White-winged Scoters and a smaller raft of Surf
Scoters not far from out on the water. Four Trumpeter Swans flew up island
near Denman Island. A Pigeon Guillemot, along with two Marbled Murrelets,
stayed off the point for the best part of the morning, giving us great long
looks. The Long-tailed Ducks entertained us all morning with their singing
as they swam close to shoreline at the Point.
Thirteen birders saw and hear the following thirty-eight species of birds:
Canada Goose, Mute Swan, Trumpeter Swan, American Wigeon, Green-winged Teal,
Greater Scaup, Harlequin Duck, Surf Scoter, White-winged Scoter, Black
Scoter, Long-tailed Duck, Bufflehead, Common Goldeneye, Red-breasted
Merganser, Pacific Loon, Common Loon, Horned Grebe, Red-necked Grebe,
Double-crested Cormorant, Pelagic Cormorant, Bald Eagle, Cooper's Hawk,
Black-bellied Plover, Black Turnstone, Dunlin, Glaucous-winged Gull, Pigeon
Guillemot, Marbled Murrelet, Rock Pigeon, Northwestern Crow, Bushtit,
American Robin, European Starling, Spotted Towhee, Song Sparrow,
Golden-crowned Sparrow, House Finch, House Sparrow

Monday December 07:
A Flock of White-throated Sparrows was seen near the Viewing Platform at the
Nanaimo River Estuary in south Nanaimo.

Four Greater White-fronted Geese were seen at Quennell Lake in Cedar.

One Brant Goose, a Short-eared Owl and Northern shrike were seen at the
Nanaimo River Estuary in south Nanaimo.

Sunday December 06:
Purple and House Finch, Spotted Towhees, Dark-eyed Juncos, White Crown
Sparrows, three Northern Flickers, twenty-four California Quail and a pair
of Downy Woodpeckers were seen in a backyard along Admiral Tyron Bld. in
Columbia Beach.

Christmas Bird Counts, 2009:
Volunteers are needed to help with the Bird Studies Canada annual Christmas
bird count in all areas. Count birds at your home feeders or join a small
team in the field.
All levels of experience are welcome.

Friday, December 18, 2009: Nanoose/Lantzville CBC
Contact Rhys Harrison--rhysharrison at shaw.ca or (250) 468-5466.

Sunday, December 20, 2009: Parksville / Qualicum Beach CBC:
Contact Sandra Gray--saninerr at shaw.ca

Sunday, December 27, 2009: Nanaimo CBC:
Contact Carlo Pavan--nanaimoite at gmail.com

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 January 14, 2009 at 7:00 pm
Nanoose Library,
Nanoose Bay
**********************************
Arrowsmith Naturalists
Monday January 25, 2010 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 December 15, 2009 will be going to the Little
Qualicum River Estuary in Qualicum Beach.
Meet at the Parksville Beach Community Park near the parking area at the
Lion's Playground at 9:00 A.M. or at the viewing platform at Highway 19A and
Garnet Road at about 9:20 A.M.
*****************************************************
The Sunday Bird Walk on December 20, 2009 will be going to the Neck Point
Park in Nanaimo.
Meet at the Birdstore at 9:00 A.M. or at the parking lot at Neck Point Park
off Hammond Bay Road at about 9:20 A.M..
*******************************************************
Good birding
Neil Robins

THE BACKYARD
Wildbird & Nature Store
6314 Metral Drive, Nanaimo, BC V9T 2L8
250.390.3669
250.390.1633 fax
thebackyard at shaw.ca
CHECK OUT OUR BLOG---> www.thebirdstore.blogspot.com