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Today while doing a shorebird survey at Back Oler Farm Marsh I came across two merlins, with a youngster. They were very vocal and captured I suppose a shorebird for the young one. Needlessly to say the shorebird survey was not all that good with these birds having passed over the area just prior to my conducting it. Anyhow, I did moderately well. My question is whether anyone knows if the youngster travels with the adults to a location where lots of food would be available? In short could these birds have come from a long distance? The pair might have come from Lunenburg or possibly there was a pair in Lunenburg and another at Garden Lots. Anyhow, both would fall within the square. What are the chances that they might have come from outside of the square? I did not have confirmation for this species at this point and can I still assume that the pair feeding the youngster bred in the area of the marsh. I know a lot of other birds are still feeding young with late nests, probably second or third nests. Today for instance I saw two newly hatched mallards, robins carrying food and I had a youngster of unknown species. This bird was very vocal and had not tail yet. It was warbler size with an all white chest and face, a little black fuzzy cap and the back was brown with some green down near where the wings were. The wings were still fuzzy, and when the bird saw me it flittered the wings and opened its mouth hollering for food, probably thinking I don't know what. I watched this bird for a long time from a distance as it continued to vocalize for food, but the adult bird did not come to feed it. My first impression was a young red-eyed vireo, but the youngster was not large enough. It also did not have a distinct eye line. It could not fly at this point and I think that it was a young chestnut-sided warbler. The fuzzy black cap is the only thing that would rule this out. The small greenish patch on the back in my mind would rule out the red-eyed vireo though. Any thoughts on this. James R. Hirtle Dublin Shore _________________________________________________________________ Show Your Messenger Buddies How You Really Feel http://www.freemessengeremoticons.ca/?icid=EMENCA122
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