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This is a multi-part message in MIME format. --Boundary_(ID_J7L4FH3jGsLUfVUwJ9NHcQ) Content-type: text/plain; charset=iso-8859-1 Content-transfer-encoding: 7BIT I visited Martinique Beach PP earlier this week and the numbers of shore birds have fallen off considerably although the diversity is still present. Of interest was a single White-rumped Sandpiper in the midst of Sanderlings. Fall shorebirds can be as tough to sort out as fall warblers especially when trying to distinguish between similar species such as White-rumped and Baird's Sandpipers. I photographed a Baird's Sandpiper last fall that showed no buffiness at all on the breast and was overall grey in colour, possibly enhanced by reflections from the rock it was standing on. Diagnostic on the White-rumped Sandpiper is a spot of reddish coloration at the base of the lower mandible but I've never seen this in the field before. The last photograph in this series of photos shows this feature, albeit poorly. On this morning's walk at Crystal Crescent Beach PP the sky over Sambro and Inner Sambro Islands was striking not by its starkness or vividness as is usually evident in a winter sky but by its softer, more subtle nature and by the pastel colour tones. I tried to capture this with my camera. Migrants have traditionally moved through the south end of the Chebucto Peninsula in fits and starts. Typically they arrive at Portuguese Cove and Duncan's Cove, then they whisk across the headland to Ketch Harbour, Sandy Cove and finally disperse as they arrive at Crystal Crescent Beach and the Pennant Peninsula. One of the best spots for viewing migrating passerines is Ketch Head on the eastern shoulder of Ketch Harbour. This mixed forest at the headland serves as a refuge for passerines after they cross the open coastal barrens from Duncan's Cove. I infrequently visit this place because of the one hour walk from Chebucto Head Road. I did visit the place this week. At Ketch Head there's now a new road, homes and the ground is peppered with no trespassing signs. I've posted 17 photographs of recent birds with the series finishing off with the described White-rumped Sandpiper. Hans http://www.hanstoom.com/Highlights/Highlight59.html __________________________________________________ Hans Toom Provincial Coordinator Nova Scotia's Migration Count e-mail: htoom@hfx.eastlink.ca NSMC website: http://hanstoom.com/NAMC/Index.html Nature website: http://hanstoom.com ___________________________________________________ --Boundary_(ID_J7L4FH3jGsLUfVUwJ9NHcQ) Content-type: text/html; charset=iso-8859-1 Content-transfer-encoding: 7BIT <!DOCTYPE HTML PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD HTML 4.0 Transitional//EN"> <HTML><HEAD> <META http-equiv=Content-Type content="text/html; charset=iso-8859-1"> <META content="MSHTML 6.00.2900.2963" name=GENERATOR> <STYLE></STYLE> </HEAD> <BODY bgColor=#ffffff> <DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>I visited Martinique Beach PP earlier this week and the numbers of shore birds have fallen off considerably although the diversity is still present. Of interest was a single White-rumped Sandpiper in the midst of Sanderlings. Fall shorebirds can be as tough to sort out as fall warblers especially when trying to distinguish between similar species such as White-rumped and Baird's Sandpipers. I photographed a Baird's Sandpiper last fall that showed no buffiness at all on the breast and was overall grey in colour, possibly enhanced by reflections from the rock it was standing on. Diagnostic on the White-rumped Sandpiper is a spot of reddish coloration at the base of the lower mandible but I've never seen this in the field before. The last photograph in this series of photos shows this feature, albeit poorly.</FONT></DIV> <DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2></FONT> </DIV> <DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>On this morning's walk at Crystal Crescent Beach PP the sky over Sambro and Inner Sambro Islands was striking not by its starkness or vividness as is usually evident in a winter sky but by its softer, more subtle nature and by the pastel colour tones. I tried to capture this with my camera.</FONT></DIV> <DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2></FONT> </DIV> <DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>Migrants have traditionally moved through the south end of the Chebucto Peninsula in fits and starts. Typically they arrive at Portuguese Cove and Duncan's Cove, then they whisk across the headland to Ketch Harbour, Sandy Cove and finally disperse as they arrive at Crystal Crescent Beach and the Pennant Peninsula. One of the best spots for viewing migrating passerines is Ketch Head on the eastern shoulder of Ketch Harbour. This mixed forest at the headland serves as a refuge for passerines after they cross the open coastal barrens from Duncan's Cove. I infrequently visit this place because of the one hour walk from Chebucto Head Road. I did visit the place this week. At Ketch Head there's now a new road, homes and the ground is peppered with no trespassing signs.</FONT></DIV> <DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2></FONT> </DIV> <DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>I've posted 17 photographs of recent birds with the series finishing off with the described White-rumped Sandpiper.</FONT></DIV> <DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2></FONT> </DIV> <DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>Hans</FONT></DIV> <DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2></FONT> </DIV> <DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2><A href="http://www.hanstoom.com/Highlights/Highlight59.html">http://www.hanstoom.com/Highlights/Highlight59.html</A></FONT></DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>__________________________________________________<BR>Hans Toom<BR>Provincial Coordinator<BR>Nova Scotia's Migration Count<BR>e-mail: <A href="mailto:htoom@hfx.eastlink.ca">htoom@hfx.eastlink.ca</A><BR>NSMC website: <A href="http://hanstoom.com/NAMC/Index.html">http://hanstoom.com/NAMC/Index.html</A><BR>Nature website: <A href="http://hanstoom.com">http://hanstoom.com</A><BR>___________________________________________________</FONT></DIV></BODY></HTML> --Boundary_(ID_J7L4FH3jGsLUfVUwJ9NHcQ)--
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