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Aug. 6, 2006 - On this beautiful Sunny day, Pat and I walked EVANGELINE BEACH at North Grand Pre, starting at the canteen shorebird signage and viewing platform and walking east to the end of the trees and where the salt-marsh starts. We started at about noon,1.25 hours after the very mediocre high tide. Most of the shorebird activity, which was lots and just of peeps (small sandpipers and plovers), was toward the east end of the beach, from the Merksą home to the start of the salt-marsh. We quickly noted two concentrations of peeps just getting active at the ebbing shoreline. Later the peeps spread out to occupy most of the length of the beach in smaller groups. At one point, unfortunately just for a minute or so, most of the peeps were in the air in several sizable flocks and doing marvelous aerobatic twists and turns, with the Sun showing off the contrasts between the white bellies and dark backs and unbelievably synchronized turnings like schools of fish. We were still oohing and aahing when a PEREGRINE FALCON provided a nice fly-by. I wasnąt able to tell whether the peregrine was an adult or immature. It didnąt seem to be hunting, but its fly-over was perhaps responsible for so many peeps being in the air at once. I canąt give a firm number for the peeps, but Pat and I agreed there were at least 10,000 in all, and there could easily have been 50% or even 100% more than that. What makes the numbers difficult to guess is the movements of the flocks, with many flying off to the west and then the same birds or others seen flying in the opposite direction. When we got back to the viewing platform, with binoculars we could see foraging groups of peeps, mainly a bit east of the canteen area. I think it would be a very good idea for the Dept. of Nat. Resources and Can. Wildlife Service to provice a viewing telescope there if possible. Cheers from Jim in Wolfville, 542-9204 --------------------- Jim (James W.) Wolford 91 Wickwire Avenue Wolfville, Nova Scotia, Canada B4P 1W3 phone (902)542-9204 (home) fax (902)585-1059 (Acadia Univ. Biology Dept.) e-mail <jimwolford@eastlink.ca> ---------------------- łIn every walk with nature one receives far more than he seeks.˛ -- John Muir ----------------------
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