[NatureNS] Yellow-rumped Warbler(s), Belted Kingfisher, Northern Gannet,

Date: Mon, 15 Jan 2007 16:41:35 -0400
From: Hans Toom <Htoom@hfx.eastlink.ca>
To: "Naturens@Chebucto.Ns.Ca" <naturens@chebucto.ns.ca>,
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I continue to encounter Yellow-rumped Warblers at Crystal Crescent Beach PP.  Some may actually make it through the winter this year.  Hooded Mergansers have been in the pond at Sambro Creek, as they are most years before complete freeze-up.

On Saturday Gary Murray and I toured the coastal barrens and rocky beach south of Duncan's Cove.  Highlights were a single Northern Gannet winging south and eight Purple Sandpipers.

We visited a few local hotspots yesterday in hopes of getting some photo ops, but alas the weather did not cooperate as the day remained cool and dark. We started out at Crystal Crescent Beach for sunrise and saw another Black Guillemot and a Dovekie. Near Island Rock Head another Dovekie was swimming close to shore affording me a few disappointing shots plus two more Black Guillemots. Island Rock hosted eight Great Cormorants.  The most surprising find was a Black Duck leading two female Mallard Ducks into the surf near Island Rock Head. Any port in a storm I guess!  One Common Goldeneye Duck swam with a Red-breasted Merganser near the headland before Mackerel Cove.

On our return we found several dozen Iceland Gulls at Sambro Harbour including one uncommonly brilliant white bird, and the usually reliable Belted Kingfisher. At Ketch harbour was one Lesser Scaup, not always an easy bird to find out this way. At Chebucto Head we spotted two Common Murre and two Black Guillemots plus several more Iceland Gulls.  As expected there were hundreds of Common Eiders and lots of Long-tailed Ducks and Red-breasted Mergansers over the day.

The snow is coming down now in blankets here in Portuguese Cove so I have hundreds of birds again after a very quiet winter to date.  It seems every Tree Sparrow and Dark-eyed Junco in the area has arrived.

I've posted one photo of the Dovekie and two sunrises, yesterday and this morning.

Hans

http://www.hanstoom.com/Highlights/Highlights11.html
_______________________________________________________________
Hans Toom
E-mail: htoom@hfx.eastlink.ca
Migration Count: http://hanstoom.com/NAMC/Index.html
Nature Website: http://hanstoom.com 
_______________________________________________________________

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<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>I continue to encounter Yellow-rumped Warblers at 
Crystal Crescent Beach PP.&nbsp; Some may actually make it through the winter 
this year.&nbsp; Hooded Mergansers have been in the pond at Sambro Creek, as 
they are most years before complete freeze-up.</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2></FONT>&nbsp;</DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>On Saturday Gary Murray and I toured the coastal 
barrens and rocky beach south of Duncan's Cove.&nbsp;&nbsp;Highlights were a 
single Northern Gannet winging south and eight Purple Sandpipers.</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2></FONT>&nbsp;</DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>We visited a few local hotspots yesterday in hopes 
of getting some photo ops, but alas the weather did not cooperate as the day 
remained cool and dark. </FONT><FONT face=Arial size=2>We started out at Crystal 
Crescent Beach for sunrise and saw another Black Guillemot and a 
Dovekie.&nbsp;Near Island Rock Head another Dovekie was swimming close to shore 
affording me a few disappointing shots plus two more Black Guillemots. Island 
Rock hosted eight Great Cormorants.&nbsp; The most surprising find was a Black 
Duck leading two female Mallard Ducks into the surf near Island Rock 
Head.&nbsp;Any port in a storm I guess!&nbsp;&nbsp;One Common Goldeneye Duck 
swam with a Red-breasted Merganser near the headland before Mackerel 
Cove.</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2></FONT>&nbsp;</DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>On our return we found several dozen Iceland Gulls 
at Sambro Harbour including one uncommonly brilliant&nbsp;white bird, and the 
usually reliable Belted Kingfisher.&nbsp;At Ketch harbour was one Lesser Scaup, 
not always an easy bird to find out this way. </FONT><FONT face=Arial size=2>At 
Chebucto Head we spotted two Common Murre and two Black Guillemots plus several 
more Iceland Gulls.&nbsp; As expected there were hundreds of Common Eiders and 
lots of Long-tailed Ducks and Red-breasted Mergansers over the day.</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2></FONT>&nbsp;</DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>The snow is coming down now in blankets here in 
Portuguese Cove so I&nbsp;have hundreds of birds again after a very quiet winter 
to date.&nbsp; It seems every Tree Sparrow and&nbsp;Dark-eyed Junco in the area 
has arrived.</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2></FONT>&nbsp;</DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>I've posted one photo of the Dovekie and two 
sunrises, yesterday and this morning.</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2></FONT>&nbsp;</DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>Hans</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2></FONT>&nbsp;</DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2><A 
href="http://www.hanstoom.com/Highlights/Highlights11.html">http://www.hanstoom.com/Highlights/Highlights11.html</A></FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial 
size=2>_______________________________________________________________<BR>Hans 
Toom<BR>E-mail: <A 
href="mailto:htoom@hfx.eastlink.ca">htoom@hfx.eastlink.ca</A><BR>Migration 
Count: <A 
href="http://hanstoom.com/NAMC/Index.html">http://hanstoom.com/NAMC/Index.html</A><BR>Nature 
Website: http://hanstoom.com 
<BR>_______________________________________________________________</FONT></DIV></BODY></HTML>

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