[NatureNS] Hartlen Point, 14 Oct.

Date: Thu, 19 Oct 2006 13:17:44 -0300
To: naturens@chebucto.ns.ca
From: "Patricia L. Chalmers" <Patricia.Chalmers@ukings.ns.ca>
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Hi there,

         These two posts reminded me that I had meant to report that Jean 
Hartley and I set off last Saturday afternoon, too optimistically, for a 
walk at Hartlen's Point.  We stopped first along the broad shoulder of 
Shore Road (just beyond where the road curves) where one can look down on 
the beach; no buildup of scaup here yet, but on the shore there were the 
following shorebirds among the rocks:

         20+ Semipalmated Plovers
         3 Sanderling
         6+ Semipalmated Sandpipers
         a few Least Sandpipers

         We next parked down by the shore at Hartlen Point, and on the 
beach here found a different mix:

         1 Merlin, barrelling along the shore but not obviously chasing 
shorebirds
         3+ Black-bellied Plovers
         1 American Golden Plover
         5+ Greater Yellowlegs
         Whimbrel (heard only)
         7 American Pipits
         10+ Savannah Sparrows
         5+ Song Sparrows

         There were more birds further south along the shore, but we didn't 
walk far.  By this time the showers were becoming more persistent, but we 
still wanted to walk the route through the golf course.  We went in via the 
old entrance and had barely reached the service buildings when the heavens 
opened.  We stayed long enough to get thoroughly wet, but we also had a 
good look at the pond there, where we were pleased to find :

         11 Green-winged Teal
         1 Pectoral Sandpiper

         There was also a large flock (50+) of Robins among the Mountain 
Ashes along the road.

         The last time Jean and I were out at Hartlen's, about a month ago, 
we were warned off the property at the Point, adjacent to the golf course, 
by a uniformed Commissionaire doing his rounds.  In the past birders, 
cranberry-pickers, dog-walkers and ramblers have always been tolerated 
here.  This man gave us to understand that security was being stepped up on 
DND and Coast Guard properties.  Does anyone else know about this?

         Cheers,

         Patricia L. Chalmers
         Halifax




At 03:14 PM 17/10/2006 -0300, Ulli Hoeger wrote:
>Hi,
>
>Just to add to Ian's recent Hartlen Point sightings.  I was out along
>the harbour side beach on Sunday (Oct. 15) afternoon just before high
>tide for an hour to check the washed up seaweed for foraging
>shorebirds.  Numbers where down from the week before, but this may
>also have been linked to the  higher tide level this time (was close
>to low tide last weekend), and the massive sea weed built up on the
>beach.
>I have seen two Killdeers, few (single digit numbers) Greater and
>Lesser Yellowlegs, no peeps or small plovers seen feeding (just
>flying by towards the headland), a good dozen Black-bellied Plovers
>and, most noteworthy,  3 or 4 Golden Plovers.  Plenty of Savanna and
>Song sparrows were feeding in the washed up weed.
>
>Cheers
>
>Ulli

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