[NatureNS] Possible, but Unknown at this point

From: "James Hirtle" <jrhbirder@hotmail.com>
To: naturens@chebucto.ns.ca
Date: Sat, 08 Sep 2007 02:07:53 +0000
Precedence: bulk
Return-Path: <naturens-mml-owner@chebucto.ns.ca>
Original-Recipient: rfc822;"| (cd /csuite/info/Environment/FNSN/MList; /csuite/lib/arch2html)"

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A bird was reported to me via a friend from along the Mullocks Road.  The 
report was a week ago, and I doubt it if the bird in question is still 
about.  It was shortly after the hurricane force winds and rain that we had. 
  Anyhow, this is the road that cuts across from Rhodes Corner through to 
Whynott's Settlement where the recycling centre is.  The bird apparently was 
closer to the Rhode's Corner side.  It was described as an all dark heron, 
but a smaller one with an orange colored bill.  The person who saw this bird 
spotted it perched on a railing for a bridge alongside of a pond beside the 
road.  It was keyed out right away, as the person who saw it, has a house 
very near the pond and he went right to his bird book.  The bird was 
reported to me as as a dark morph reddish egret.  I got the email the day 
after the sighting and went to try and find this bird right away, but could 
not find anything.  Although it is possible that the bird could have been 
blown inland, the reddish egret is a bird of saltwater marshes according to 
Sibleys.  I think that it is more likely that the bird in question was a 
little blue heron in regards to habitat.  In second questioning the 
reportee, he is unsure now about the color of the bill even though initially 
he was adament about it.  Anyhow, the reportee will have his camera on hand 
and if the bird shows again he will try to get a photo and will call me 
right away.  This person knows the normal birds about and recognized this 
one as different. He also took note of the size and it is definitely not a 
great blue heron as he knows this species and of course a great blue is much 
larger and looks different then the discription above.  I've documented it 
as a little blue heron unless other confirmation can be obtained.

Just in case, has anyone online had other reports, or of confirmation of a 
reddish egret, either in New Brunswick or elsewhere in the maritimes or 
across the bay from us that might correlate to this sighting as a 
possiblilty only in Nova Scotia?  Again no confirmation of this bird has 
been made and I'm only reporting it as an unconfirmed possible, just in case 
it happens to show somewhere else as a reddish egret correlating to the same 
timeline.

To Ian or others, what is the history or record of reddish egrets in Nova 
Scotia?  Has there ever been one?  I have no knowledge of such.  Again just 
to clarify, I am not stating that the bird resported was this species and 
put these questions forth only out of curiousity.

James R. Hirtle
Dublin Shore

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