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 June 21, 2009:
The Sunday Bird Walk went to Linley Valley in Nanaimo.
The morning started out cloudy but turned sunny and warm. We had great
close looks at Western Tanagers. We saw a Black-throated Gray Warbler and
heard Orange-crowned Warblers,Townsend's Warblers, Common Yellow-throats and
a Wilson's Warbler through out the morning. We saw a Red-breasted Sapsucker
and a Northern Flicker perched on a snag. A flock of Violet-green Swallows
and one Northern Rough-winged Swallow flew low over Cottle Lake hawking
insects.
Twenty-two birders saw and heard the following forty-two species of birds.
Mallard, Turkey Vulture, Bald Eagle, Rufous Hummingbird, Band-tailed Pigeon,
Downy Woodpecker, Northern Flicker, Pileated Woodpecker, Red-breasted
Sapsucker, Pacific-slope Flycatcher, Willow Flycatcher, Hammond's
Flycatcher, Olive-sided Flycatcher, Cassin's Vireo, Common Raven,
Northwestern Crow, Violet-green Swallow, Northern Rough-winged Swallow,
Chestnut-backed Chickadee, Brown Creeper, Red-breasted Nuthatch, Bewick's
Wren, Winter Wren, Swainson's Thrush, American Robin, Cedar Waxwing,
Orange-crowned Warbler, Black-throated Gray Warbler, Townsend's Warbler,
Common Yellow-throat, Wilson's Warbler, Western Tanager, Spotted Towhee,
Black-headed Grosbeak, Brewer's Blackbird, Red-winged Blackbird,
Brown-headed Cowbird, Song Sparrow, Purple Finch, Red Crossbills, American
Goldfinch and Pine Siskin.

Saturday June 20:
A Merlin was spotted chasing a Bald Eagle above Corfield Avenue in
Parksville.

Two Northern Harrier's were seen near Kaye Road, behind the Weigh Scale, in
Parksville.

A Eurasian Collared Dove has been heard along Kasba Circle near Wembly Mall
in Parksville.

Tuesday June 16:
The Tuesday Bird Walk went to the Top Bridge Trail in Parksville. The
morning was pleasant with periods of sunshine and was filled with bird
songs. The highlights of the morning was seeing Willow Flycatchers perching
and hearing them singing. We spotted an American Dipper feeding near a big
rock in the
Englishman River. A family of Chipping Sparrows entertained us near the
trail. A Pileated Woodpecker was clinging to a tree, giving us a great
view. Pacific-slope Flycatchers, Warbling Vireos, Winter Wrens and
Swainson's Thrush sang thought the morning.
Eighteen birders saw and heard the following twenty-nine species of birds.
Turkey Vulture, Bald Eagle, Rufous Hummingbird, Northern Flicker, Pileated
Woodpecker, Willow Flycatcher, Pacific-slope Flycatcher, Warbling Vireo,
Northwestern Crow, Common Raven, Violet-green Swallow, Chestnut-backed
Chickadee, Bewick's Wren, Winter Wren, American Dipper, Swainson's Thrush,
American Robin, European Starling, Orange-crowned Warbler, Yellow Warbler,
Yellow-rumped Warbler, Black-throated Gray Warbler, Townsend's Warbler,
Spotted Towhee, Chipping Sparrow, Song Sparrow, White-crowned Sparrow,
Brewer's Blackbird and Purple Finch.

Monday June 15:
A pair of Blue-winged Teal and an adult male Purple Martin were seen at
Buttertubs Marsh in Nanaimo.

Sunday June 14:
A Great Horned Owl was seen close to the path just up from Sunset Beach at
Neck Point in Nanaimo.

Wednesday June 10:
"Rare bird alert-Eastern Kingbird"
An Eastern Kingbird was seen perched and flycatching on Mittlenatch Island.
This bird is usually found east of the Coastal Mountains.

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
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Arrowsmith Naturalists
Join guest speaker Tony Ransom, co-founder of the Nanoose Naturalists and a
retired Geologist from South Africa for a slideshow journey to the Galapagos
Islands.
Monday June 22, 2009 at 7:30 pm.
Springwood School
Parksville
********************************
The Nanoose Naturalists
Thursday September 10, 2009 at 7:00 pm
Nanoose Library,
Nanoose Bay
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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 June 23, 2009 will be going to 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 end of Shelly Road (on the
oceanside of highway 19a) Road at about 9:20 a.m.
*******************************************************
The Sunday Bird Walk on June 21 will be going to McGregor Marsh in Nanaimo.
Meet at the Bird store at 9:00 a.m. or at the top of Rutherford Road across
from the Quilted Duck at about 9:20 a.m.
*******************************************************
Good birding
Neil Robins
Nanaimo