[NatureNS] Tangier Owl Route, Bat, Frogs, etc.

Date: Sat, 21 Apr 2007 17:53:17 -0300
To: NatureNS <naturens@chebucto.ns.ca>
From: "P.L. Chalmers" <plchalmers@ns.sympatico.ca>
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Hi there,

	Last night Suzanne Borkowski and I did the Tangier to Mooseland Owl 
Survey route, which we have done now for 5 years.  It was a beautiful 
evening, with no precipitation, no wind at all and a brilliant night 
sky.  The sight of so many stars, away from the light pollution of 
the city, is one of the reasons I love doing this route.

	We stopped for a brief visit with Karl Tay at "Swallow 
Hollow".  Long time members of the Bird Society will know Karl.  He 
told us that the ice just went out of the lake (River Lake) on 
Wednesday.  He has been seeing lots of Purple Finches, a dozen or so 
Evening Grosbeaks and lots (50+) of Dark-eyed Juncos at his 
feeders.  Five Fox Sparrows showed up recently.  There is a pair of 
Hooded Mergansers on the lake, though a large number of  Common 
Mergansers moved through earlier, and he is hoping for Wood Ducks 
again this year.  Karl saw a Woodcock two weeks ago, in the snow at 
Easter, and several of his neighbours have also reported them.

	It was a good night for owling,  though not as good as we somehow 
felt it should be.   The lovely crescent moon lit our way until 
shortly before midnight.  We heard 4 Barred Owls, 2 Great Horned 
Owls, and one Northern Saw-whet Owl during the survey, which is about 
average for this route.  As usual there were others which revealed 
themselves outside of the survey times and so couldn't be 
included.  One Barred Owl which we had been listening to flew over 
our heads at the end of the stop, and then began duetting with a 
second Barred Owl, very close by, which we hadn't detected before at all!

	Other night sounds included the wails of several loons, the low 
steady roar of water at the dams, and the quacking of a very few Wood 
Frogs, the first I have heard this year.  We did not hear any Spring 
Peepers, and I have yet to hear any.

	We saw three Porcupines during the evening, all moving beside paved 
roads, where I suppose they were attracted to road salt.

	A number of small moths which might have been "winter moths" were 
about, as well as a few much larger ones.  The oddest sight was a 
smallish light-coloured BAT which briefly flitted about a street 
light on the outskirts of Mooseland.  It appeared silvery but that 
might be a distortion due to the artificial light.  I remembered that 
James Hirtle had reported one from his Lapland route last week - I 
don't remember bats being mentioned before as a phenomenon on Owl 
routes.  What species would they be?

	Cheers,

	Patricia L. Chalmers
	Halifax


	

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