[NatureNS] purple finches and other notes from NB

Date: Sun, 25 Mar 2007 12:21:02 -0300
From: "Grant McLoughlin, John Francis" <johngm@unb.ca>
To: naturens@chebucto.ns.ca
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Let me introduce myself first. My name is John Grant McLoughlin. This is my first winter
on the naturens list, as I live in Fredericton, NB. However, I have been spending some
time on the South Shore of NS for brief intervals since November and thus, wanted to
learn more about birds and nature in NS.   I had the opportunity to participate in the
Christmas count in Lunenburg and see the sandhill crane outside the count circle. I'm
grateful for those opportunities.

The postings concerning purple finches prompted me to write at this time. It has been
fascinating to follow the differences in winter birds. Here we have had purple finches
in the backyard on and off since late January/early Feb with as many as a dozen or so
at that time. Today there are 6 purple finches and yet there are many days with none.
Our backyard birds that have been regularly seen thus far in 2007  include among them
goldfinches (the most common bird here this winter), downy and occasionally hairy
woodpeckers, red breasted nuthatches (not a single white breasted nuthatch this
winter), juncos (though they seem to have been absent just this past week), mourning
doves, black capped chickadees, purple finches, and a pair of cardinals (that appear in
the yard every few days but can be heard in the neighbourhood more often).

The regular visits of the yellow rumped warbler since December are most noteworthy. The
yellow rumped warbler visited earlier today and  a few times yesterday. Curiously this
is the third successive winter in which a yellow rumped warbler has regularly appeared
in the yard - usually seen two or three times weekly. I feel fortunate for this curious
circumstance as sightings of yellow rumped warblers in winter are uncommon.

I look forward to reading more about nature in Nova Scotia and hope that this diversion
into another geographical area has been of interest to some of you.

Thanks
John Grant McLoughlin

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