Neck Point and Buttertubs this week

Hi there,
Sorry to have missed so much time between posts. I went out this week to both Neck Point Park and Buttertubs Marsh. Lots of interesting bird activities going on in both locations.

In Neck Point many of the warmer season birds have started to return. There are several types of warblers including the two species of Yellow Rumps both Audubon and Myrtle. There also seems to be a lot of Orange Crowned Warblers in the alder trees. In the new section of the park there is also quite a bit of activity from the American Gold Finches. The male birds are all in their mating colors now with bright yellow bodies and the tell tale black spot on their forehead. I ran accross a Robin's nest not more than five feet off of the ground with three chicks in it just ready to jump out. The mother Robin was busy of course delivering beak fulls of fresh earth worms. I also encountered an interesting little Fly Catcher (Pacific Slope Flycatcher I think?), near sunset beach.

The Woodpecker activity seems to have tapered off for now with just the odd call being heard from a stray Red Shafted Flicker here and there. I checked out the Pileated Woodpeckers nest but it has been silent and seems deserted with no signs of activity for several days now.



Buttertubs Marsh is also quite active with the return of many of the usual spring birds. I got my first pictures of this years Common Yellow Throated Warblers and got some fleeting glimpses of Yellow Warblers as they bounced around in the Hawthorne trees. I heard a shrill cry from the middle of the marsh and saw that an Osprey had landed on the tower. It kept dissapearing and reappearing as I traveled around the trail at the edge of the marsh. Leaving temporarily to hunt and then returning to rest on the tower.

First Barred Owl of the spring season

Today I managed to get an image of a Barred Owl in Linley Valley here in Nanaimo. I knew he was there right away when I entered the woods due to the smaller birds such as Robins and Humming Birds making a commotion. I had to ford that little stream in the alder grove to get to where all the action was. Smaller birds such as woodpeckers, robins, and tanagers find the owl quite a threat especially around nesting time and you can often find one from several hundred feet away when the mobbing starts. It can take a bit of practice but after a while you get to know the difference between these sounds and just territorial chirping and song.

Guess I should appologize for the poor photo. I didn't have time to re-compose the shot before he flushed. I had my teleconverter on my lens so all that fit in the picture was his head and shoulders. Nice to know that they are still around and that the season for finding them easier is upon us.

Fifth Try Unsuccessful for Blue Birds

Hi,
Today marks my fifth attempt to see a Mountain Bluebird at the Nanaimo river estuary. I have scoured the entire estuary several times with no positive results since the beginning of April. There have been multiple sightings reported on the rare bird alert for Nanaimo but still nothing to be seen on each of my outings.

Lots of White Crowned (pictured to the right), and Savannah Sparrows in their mating colors singing everywhere. Some Common Mergansers in the river and a huge flock of what appeared to be Greater White Fronted Geese. Although I could not get close enough to them for a good ID they had a strange whistling call almost like a wood duck. Not the loud raucous honk of the Canada Geese. They also had the tell tale grey color and the prominent black and white rings on their tails.

First Blog Post - Neck Point Pileated Woodpeckers

Hi there,
I'm leaving the house a bit late today. It is off to Neck Point again and possibly Buttertubs Marsh to try to catch some of the new spring arrivals. I will post again if there are any favorable results.

Back home again at 4:30PM. Not much shaking at Neck Point today. I went to check on the Pileated Woodpecker's nest. The other day there was an entire class of students and their teacher playing a game of hide and seek directly under the tree that the nest is in. I realize that it's a public park but I feared for the worst as regards the Pileats sticking around after all the noise and commotion. Much to my relief the female stuck her head out to check me out while I was setting up my tripod. The picture to the left is actually the male Pileated Woodpecker. It was taken over a week ago. Can't wait until the young arrive and I can get some shots of the feeding frenzie.

Lots of the other usual types of birds around like Brown Tree Creepers, Starlings, Robins, and the odd Downy and Hairy Woodpecker as well. No exotics yet like the Black Headed Grosbeak or Western Tanager. Guess we won't start seeing them in any number until May.