The first outing of the new Season for our Birding Group was held on August 29th at the Courtenay Airpark.
Only a few birds were sighted before we reached the Lagoon but once there, we were kept entertained with the activity noted on and around the waters. One of the first birds detected was an Osprey, passing overhead! We were also lucky to have a Comox Valley Nature Club Birder join us for awhile and she helped us detect a Baird's Sandpiper (new to most of us) in the distance.
Our final count was 28 species: House Finch, Bushtit, White-crowned Sparrow, Song Sparrow, American Crow, Eurasian Collared-Dove, European Starling, Rock Pigeon, Northern Flicker, Bald Eagle, Osprey, Turkey Vulture, Belted Kingfisher, Great Blue Heron, Canada Geese, Western Sandpiper, Least Sandpiper, Baird's Sandpiper, Killdeer, Ring-billed Gull, gull spp., Mallard, Green-winged Teal, Northern Pintail, Long-billed Dowitcher, Lesser Yellowleg, Common Merganser and Hooded Merganser.
Photos by Ian T., Bill S. and Dawn M.
1. Osprey 2. Bushtit
3. House Finch 4. Rock Pigeons
5. group checking lagoon for birds 6. group photo
7. Great Blue Heron 8. Canada Geese
9. Common Mergansers 10. Hooded Merganser
11. Ring-billed Gull 12. Green-winged Teal
13. Lesser Yellowlegs 14. Long-billed Dowitcher
15. Northern Pintail 16. Killdeer
17. Turkey Vulture in flight 18. juvenile Turkey Vultures
19. Turkey Vultures with fish meal
