[Neil Robins]

NANAIMO BIRD REPORT -----” GO BIRDING--EXPLORE NATURE”

Please remember, when reporting a sighting, to leave your name and phone number along with the date, the species and location of your sighting.
To report your sightings phone the Store at 250-390-3669 or e-mail us at thebackyard@shaw.ca

Sunday August 12, 2012:
The Sunday bird walk went to Beck Creek in south Nanaimo. The morning was sunny and warm. We had great close views of the Greater Yellowlegs as it fed along the creek shoreline. Large numbers of Purple Martins were flying and singing throughout the morning.
Fourteen birders saw and heard the following thirty-three species:
Canada Goose, Mallard, Common Merganser, Great Blue Heron, Turkey Vulture, Bald Eagle, Red-tailed Hawk, Merlin, Glaucous-winged Gull, Mew Gull, California Gull, Band-tailed Pigeon, Eurasian-collared Dove, Belted Kingfisher, Greater Yellowlegs, Northern Flicker, Northwestern Crow, Common Raven, Purple Martin, Violet-green Swallow, Brown Creeper, Chestnut-backed Chickadee, Red-breasted Nuthatch, Brown Creeper, Bewick's Wren, Bushtit, American Robin, Cedar Waxwing, Western Tanager, Spotted Towhee, Song Sparrow House Finch and Dark-eyed Junco.

Saturday August 11:
Eight to ten Common Nighthawks were seen in a feeding frenzy over Chase River in south Nanaimo.

Monday, August 06:
A flock of Common Nighthawks were seen circling over Temple Street in Parksville.

A flock of Common Nighthawks were seen hawking insects above Country Club Drive and Neyland Drive in Nanaimo.

American Goldfinch and Pine Siskin were visiting feeders and a Fox Sparrow was seen on the ground in a yard along Neyland Drive in Nanaimo.

Wednesday, August 08:
An Evening Grosbeak was seen in the 5200 block of Colbourne Drive in north Nanaimo.

One female and two fledglings Pileated Woodpeckers were seen along the Cougar Trail Road in Nanaimo.

A female Hairy Woodpecker, along with a female and a fledging Pileated Woodpecker and a very harried pair of Song Sparrows working hard to cram enough bugs into a fledgling Brown-headed Cowbird to keep it satisfied for a while were seen at the Pacific Biological Station along Hammond Bay Road in Nanaimo.
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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.
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Tuesday bird walks have stopped for the summer season. We will resume the Tuesday bird walks on September 04, 2012. Have a great summer.
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The Sunday Bird Walk on Sunday August 19, 2012 will be going to the Shelly Road side of the Englishman River Estuary in Parksville.. We will meet at the bird store at 9:00 a.m. or the parking area at the end of Shelly Road on the ocean side of highway 19a in Parksville at about 9:20 A.M.
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Good birding
Neil Robins

THE BACKYARD WILDBIRD & NATURE STORE
6314 Metral Drive
Nanaimo B.C.
V9T-2L8
Phone: 250-390-3669
Fax: 250-390-1633
Email: thebackyard@shaw.ca
Blog: www.thebirdstore.blogspot.com
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"Nature by the Salish Sea"
"Nature By The Salish Sea" is the title of BC Nature's Fall General Meeting which will be held at the Quality Resort Bayside from Sept 27th -30th. The meeting, organized by Arrowsmith and Nanoose Naturalists, includes field trips, presentations, a banquet and a barbecue. For more information go to www.arrowsmithnats.org or phone 250-468-7475

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WANTED
Have you seen these birds? Western Bluebirds (Sialia mexicana) have been released in Maple Bay as part of a species recovery program.
These rare native songbirds may be foraging and nesting in your area!
We need your help to find them so that we can record their nesting locations and habitat use, and monitor and care for them.
General Identification Tips
Smaller than a robin, about 5.5 inches, with a thin bill. Found in open habitat, pastureland, Garry Oak meadows; perched on fence lines or low branches.
Some of the birds are wearing coloured leg bands—please note the colours if you can! To learn more about the Bring Back the Bluebirds Project, see www.goert.ca/bluebird.
Please help us watch for Western Bluebirds and contact us immediately if you think you see them: bluebird@goert.ca; 250-383-3427.