Moorecroft Regional Park

I unfortunately enough had to start my day with a Physics class. I was however, lucky enough that I only had the one class which would take me to 1130 at which point I had decided I would head to Nanoose.

I managed to start the day with another tick for the list just before class while walking through Tamagawa Garden.

46) Pacific Wren

Dark-eyed Junco

Anna's Hummingbird

Spotted Towhee

After class I headed out to Nanoose to the wonderful Moorecroft Park on Stewart Rd. There I Managed to meet up with Guy Monty who was having a delightful time with a group of beautiful shorebirds. Here is my list for 1220-1500hrs in the park.

Chestnut-backed Chickadee

Golden-crowned Kinglet

Barrow's Goldeneye

Bufflehead

Mallard

46) Black Oystercatcher

Bald Eagle

Glaucous-winged Gull

47) Dunlin-2

48) Surfbird-137

49) Pacific Loon

50) Double-crested Cormorant

51) Pelagic Cormorant

52) Harlequin Duck

53) Black Turnstone

54) Pigeon Guillemot

Red-breasted Merganser

55) Marbled Murrelet

56) Common Murre

57) Ancient Murrelet

Mew Gull

58) Rhinoceros Auklet

Song Sparrow

Common Goldeneye

59) Pileated Woodpecker-3

60) Red-breasted Sapsucker-1

Northern Flicker

61) Hutton's Vireo-1

62) Brandt's Cormorant

63) California Gull

64) Common Loon

After birding at the park I decided I would head over to Fairwinds on the way home. Sure enough the Mute Swan was there and behind it on the field was a large group of ducks!

65) American Wigeon-approx. 150

Pine Siskin

Glaucous-winged Gull

66) Eurasian Wigeon-2

As i was driving by the Nanoose Estuary I managed to spot the evasive Canada Goose, number 67 for the year...

Nanaimo River Estuary

Hi all

Sunday morning the 8th of January started out with a trip to the Nanaimo River Estuary with the Sunday Birding Group at around 0930. The day was very quiet but I added a few birds to the list including a gorgeous Rough-legged Hawk!

31) Trumpeter Swan

Mallard

32) Green-winged Teal

33) Greater Scaup

Bufflehead

34) Barrow's Goldeneye

35) Common Goldeneye

Common Merganser

Bald Eagle

36) Northern Harrier

37) Rough-legged Hawk

38) Northern Shrike

Glaucous-winged Gull

39) Mew Gull

40) Belted Kingfisher

Northern Flicker

Northwestern Crow

41) Common Raven

Chestnut-backed Chickadee

American Robin

Spotted Towhee

Song Sparrow

Dark-eyed Junco

42) Fox Sparrow

43) Golden-crowned Sparrow

44) Great-blue Heron

45) Purple Finch

Bike n' Bird

Hi all

I am typing this message up after the fact...

On January 5th I decided to head out on my bike to do some birding. I traveled from home along the E and N trail to Divers Lake, down Jinglepot Road, along Labieaux to Divers Lake Park, and then back along Labieaux to home.

In my hour and a half long ride I managed to pull up the following species including additions to the big year...

17) Mallard

18) Bufflehead

19) Hooded Merganser

20) Common Merganser

21) Red-breasted Merganser

22) Bald eagle

23) American Coot

24) Glaucous-winged Gull

25) Rock Pigeon

Anna's Hummingbird

Northern Flicker

Northwestern Crow

Chestnut-backed Chickadee

Bushtit

26) Golden-crowned Kinglet

27) Red-breasted Nuthatch

American Robin

Spotted Towhee

28) Fox Sparrow

Song Sparrow

Dark-eyed Junco

29) Red-winged Blackbird

House Finch

30) Brewer's Blackbird

New Years Day

Birding for me started New Years Day with a little bit of watching my feeder birds. A nice quiet and relaxing day to start off the new year.

In all my future posts a number before the bird will mean that it was the first for my big year.

1) House Sparrow

2) Pine Siskin

3) House Finch

4) Dark-eyed Junco

5) Song Sparrow

6) Spotted Towhee

7) European Starling

8) American Robin

9) Varied Thrush

10) Eurasian-collared Dove

11)Bewick's Wren

12) Bushtit

13) Chestnut-backed Chickadee

14) Northwestern Crow

15) Northern Flicker

16) Anna's Hummingbird

New Years, New Goals

Hi everyone

Welcome to the year 2012. It has been 8 and a half years since I began my birding career. For those of you who do not know me I am Nanaimo born and raised. I am a second year Bachelor of Science Degree Major in Biology at Vancouver Island University, with major interests in bird life and behavior and terrestrial ecology as well as conservation in our ever changing world.

This year I compiled our local Nanaimo Christmas Bird Count. I am still in the process of crunching numbers but it looks as though we will sit at 120 species, our typical number. Interesting trends include a very apparent lack of Red-breasted Nuthatch but a substantial number of Virginia Rail!

As I am sure many of you know 2011 brought us "The Big Year", a comical adventure of three birders and their passion for observing nature. The movie couldn't help but get me interested so today, a little late, but better than never, I finally made the decision that I would do a Birding Big Year in the Nanaimo Checklist Area.

The "Checklist of Birds of Greater Nanaimo", 2005, was prepared by local birders and naturalists Steve Baillie and Guy Monty on behalf of the Nanaimo Field Naturalists. The checklist area coverss from Nanoose Bay south to Ladysmith harbour. Also ncluded are the Islands of Gabriola, Protection, Newcastle and Mudge as well as the inland regions of "south Nanaimo" along the Nanaimo River hinterlands.

The checklist states 200 species of birds ranging from the common back yard birds to the ultra rare visitors of many moons ago. My goal for 2012 would be to see at least 175 species but I would be pleased to find more.

People are encouraged to report rare birds to the Backyard Wildbird and Nature Store at 6314 Metral Drive, Nanaimo, B.C., V9T 2L8 250-390-3669 Toll-free: 1-888-249-4145, http://thebirdstore.blogspot.com/, to the British Columbia Rare Bird Alert at http://bcbirdalert.blogspot.com/, or to myself. Reporting the birds you see really helps me and other birders in our area.

I will update this blog with my reports whenever I bird. People are welcome to contact me at any time at my email ryancathers@yahoo.com

I look forward to documenting what could be this checklist's first Big Year.

Ryan Cathers,

Nanaimo, BC

ryancathers.zenfolio.com