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Hi there, I walked around the Frog Pond at Fleming Park in Jollimore, HRM last night between 7 and 8:30 p.m. It was a lovely evening, without a breath of wind, and the colours of the sunset were reflected in the pond. The water levels have dropped quite a bit since my last visit a few weeks ago, but the fish were jumping. There were no shorebirds along the exposed banks, although occasionally a Spotted or a Solitary Sandpiper turns up here. I had hoped to see some migrants, such as the Pied-billed Grebes or Ring-necked Ducks which regularly pass through in late summer, but perhaps it's still a little too early for them. Like others, I have been regretting the scarcity of birds, and didn't really expect to find many. However, while there wasn't much birdsong, I was pleasantly surprised by the activity I encountered at that hour. There were little family groups of Song Sparrows, Dark-eyed Juncos and Black-capped Chickadees, as well as Yellow-rumped Warblers, all of which probably bred in the park. There was also a trio of Cedar Waxwings, one with dusky juvenile plumage. I chanced to glimpse a flycatcher high up in the maples; it persisted to flit about in silence, which was frustrating, as I couldn't see it well enough to study its behaviour for clues to its identity. So I'm not sure which of the empids it was. Several flocks of Grackles flew northeast at about 7:20, presumably heading for a roost. At about the same time, 3 or 4 Common Nighthawks flew over me, heading west. There were Goldfinches overhead, a Flicker calling from the woods, and an Osprey surveyed the pond several times. A Catbird was calling from the edge of the marsh, and I eventually got to see it skulking in the multiflora rose tangles. I have seen one here only once before, last fall. I was really pleased to see that the city has recently installed a large sign, with a map, historical information and some nature notes, at the edge of the parking lot near the trailhead. Some interpretation of this kind was really needed, and this is a great step forward. I was standing on one of the boardwalks, binoculars raised as I watched a beaver, when a young family walked by. All were delighted when I pointed out the beaver, which was sitting in the shallows eating lily roots. Their young boy (7 or 8?) had started to keep a journal of his nature sightings, and the beaver was a great addition to the two squirrels he had just seen! Cheers, Patricia L. Chalmers Halifax
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