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The Nanaimo Bird Alert
provided by
The Backyard Wildbird and Nature Store
To report your sightings phone
The Bird Alert at: 390-3029 or
The Store at: 390-3669
e-mail: thebackyard@shaw.ca

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

Sunday December 18, 2005:

Seventeen birders went to Buttertubs Marsh and found the following thirty-one species; AMERICAN WIGEON, MALLARDS, COOPERS HAWK, DOUBLE-CRESTED CORMORANT, MARSH WREN, WHITE-CROWNED SPARROWS, HOUSE FINCH, BEWICK'S WREN, SONG SPARROW, GOLDEN CROWNED SPARROW, THAYER'S GULL,EUROPEAN STARLINGS, CHESTNUT-BACKED CHICKADEES, FOX SPARROW, PILEATED WOODPECKER, BUSHTITS, BALD EAGLE, AMERICAN GOLDFINCH, MEW GULLS, ROCK PIGEONS, AMERICAN ROBIN, HOUSE SPAROW, SPOTED TOWHEE, COMMON RAVEN, GLAUCOUS-WINGED GULL, STELLER'S JAY, NORTHERN FLICKER, RED-WINGED BLACKBIRD, PURPLE FINCH. RUBY-CROWNED KINGLET, PURPLE FINCH and a DOWNY WOODPECKER.
This was the last Sunday Bird walk of 2005. We will resume the Sunday Bird Walks on Febuary 05, 2006.

Saturday December 17: An AMERICAN KESTREL spotted at the Somenos Marsh in Duncan.
An ANNA'S HUMMINGBIRD was seen at feeders along Dawkins Lane in Nanaimo.


Thursday December 15: An ANNA'S HUMMINGBIRD is coming to feeders for the first time in the 2500 block of Cameo Drive on Gabriola Island.

Wednesday December 07: ANNA'S HUMMINGBIRDS have been seen in the 6500 block of Parmigan Way in Nanaimo, in the 500 block of Crescent Road West in Qualicum Beach, one block north of Linley Valley in Nanaimo, in the 1300 block of Lanyon Drive in Parksville and also in the 4400 block of Wellsley Avenue near Long Lake in Nanaimo.

Tuesday December 06:
WINTER WRENS, DARK-EYED JUNCOS, CHESTNUT-BACKED CHICKADEES, STELLER'S JAYS, SPOTTED TOWHEES, HOUSE FINCHES and NORTHERN FLICKERS are coming to feeders in the 3400 block of Harris Crescent in Whiskey Creek.
Ten to twelve BUSHTITS are visiting suet feeders in the 700 block of Howard Avenue in Nanaimo.

For further information on these sightings or for help in identifying a
bird please call:

The Backyard Wildbird and Nature Store
@ (250) 390-3669
Toll Free @ 1-888-249-4145
e-mail: thebackyard@shaw.ca
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CHRISTMAS BIRD COUNT:
Nanaimo CBC
Wednesday, December 28
Backyard feeder counters
and bird counters needed!
Contact: Bill Merilees
Phone 758-1801.
Colin Bartlett
Phone 390-3669
E-mail: thebackyard@shaw.ca
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Preliminary results for the Nanoose/Lantzville
CHRISTMAS BIRD COUNT
Saturday December 17, 2005

TOTAL SPECIES --114
INDIVIDUALS --13,437

WEATHER:
Cold - low minus 4, high plus 7. Sunny and clear after early morning
fog. Zero precip. Very light wind. Inland water mostly iced over.


UNCOMMON BIRDS SEEN:
1-American Kestrel
2-American Coot
1-Spotted Sandpiper
2-Rock Sandpiper
3-Bonaparte's Gull
2- Western Screech Owl
1-Snowy Owl
6-Northern Saw-whet Owl
101-Cedar Waxwing
5-Pine Grosbeak
4-Evening Grosbeak

HIGH COUNT--BIRDS SEEN:
432-Pacific Loon
36-Common Murre
105Red-breasted Nuthatch
3268-American Robin
428-Varied Thrush

LOW COUNT--BIRDS SEEN:
2-Wood Duck
1-Red-throated Loon
1- Gull
1-Marsh Wren
2-Hermit Thrush
3-American Goldfinch
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Preliminary results for the
Parksville Qualicum Beach Christmas Bird Count,
Sunday, December 18, 2005

Mostly clear overnight, patchy morning
fog, partly sunny skies, with cloud slowly moving in over the day,
light winds off the water but still bitterly cold with very little
open water inland.
-Low of –4 C, high of +4 C.
-38 birders made up 8 teams in the field. Feedercount numbers still
to come.
-18 Brant
-12 Cackling Geese
-9 Wood Ducks way inland at Bell Lake (group seen here on 2 other
previous years)
-1024 Greater Scaup
-Scoters: 2014 Surf, 458 White-Winged, 314 Black
-290 Red-Breasted Merganser
-1 Red-throated Loon, 1 Yellow-billed Loon
-Grebes:1 Pied-billed, 87 Horned, 55 Red-neck,3 Eared,6 Western
-10 Brandt's Cormorant
-195 Bald Eagles (14 years low 155, high 645)
-1 Kestrel
-2 Peregrine
-296 BB Plover
-7 Sanderling
-1738 Dunlin
-Gulls: 2 Herring, 1 Western, an amazing 782 Thayers most off the PV
waterfront, low Gull numbers overall only ~ 2800
-13 Marbled, 6 Ancient Murrelet & possible ~ 100 more too far out
for positive ID
-only ~ 450 American Robins (they're all South of here in
Nanoose!)
-2 Anna's Hummers
-1 Hutton's Vireo
-19 Cedar Waxwing
-1 Brown Headed Cowbird
-a pitiful 2 Red Crossbills and 16 Pine Siskins
-58 American Goldfinches

Total Species: 112 (14 year low of 89, high of 116)
Total Individuals: about 26,000
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The Sunday Bird Walks will resume on Febuary 05, 2006!

Good Birding! MERRY CHRISTMAS
Neil Robins
Nanaimo
British Columbia
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"Bare-throated Tiger Heron"
Birdwatching in Costa Rica
from Feb 17 to March 4, 2006
$3,250, plus air, all inclusive.
Joe Crichton, 250-468-1728 joecrichton@shaw.ca
Birding tours in Costa Rica since 1994!
COSTA RICA BIRD PHOTOGRAPHS
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