[NatureNS] Impressive Hawk Flight at Brier Island

From: "James Hirtle" <jrhbirder@hotmail.com>
To: NS-RBA@yahoogroups.com, naturens@chebucto.ns.ca
Date: Tue, 12 Sep 2006 03:28:09 +0000
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I went to Brier Island today with George Lowe a birder for 40 years and his 
daughter Mel who has been birding since she was three.  Both of them picked 
up life birds.  It was a grand day with quite a few interesting sightings.

On the way along just past Keji we found a nice group of migrants.  There 
were evening grosbeaks, red crossbills and an array of other species.  
Amongst the group were a red-eyed vireo, blue-headed vireos, a number of 
different warblers, a swamp sparrow and a white-crowned sparrow along with 
other species.

At one stop through Virginia there were six swamp sparrows a merlin and a 
red-tailed hawk.

Through Bear River we saw one broad-winged hawk, a red-tailed hawk, and an 
American Kestrel.

Along Digby Neck there were numbers of warbler species and at one location 
an unknown which puzzles me.  I would say that it was a northern parula, but 
wing bars were absent.  The warbler was bluish in colour with an olive patch 
on the back, a yellow throat and white from the chest down.  Any suggestions 
that I might not have considered would be helpful?  Further along Digby neck 
and not far in was a juvenile Eastern Bluebird on the wires.  We also saw 
another broad-winged hawk and a merlin.

On Brier there were few warblers to be found.  The highlight was the 
impressive hawk flight a week earlier than I was expecting.

Sharp-shinned Hawk 25
Merlin 6
Broad-winged Hawk 301
Peregrine Falcon 1
Osprey 1
Bald Eagle 5
Northern Goshawk 11
Northern Harrier 8
American Kestrel 4
Turkey Vulture 1

Other highlights of Brier:  I saw about 60 phalaropes of unknown species fly 
by.  Off Peajack Cove, there were 6 black-legged kittiwakes that flew by.  
Off West Light there were four Great Cormorants.  At Pond Cove a 
buff-breasted sandpiper and 70 green-winged teal and one blue-winged teal.  
44 species for Brier while there and 66 for the day.

James R. Hirtle
Lunenburg


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