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<div>Hi there,<br><br>&nbsp; --0-1157933097-1215509578=:7961 Content-Type: text/plain; charset=iso-8859-1 Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable Sorry all, I guess I'm not up on alot of the terms but I give up. What is a= "pish"? =A0 Thanks! =A0 Gayle MacLean Dartmouth --- On Mon, 7/7/08, Jeff hiltz <4x4play@gmail.com> wrote: From: Jeff hiltz <4x4play@gmail.com> Subject: Re: [NatureNS] Margaretsville - Hummingbirds, Butterflies, etc. To: naturens@chebucto.ns.ca Received: Monday, July 7, 2008, 11:32 PM I'm a very new birder and have been running the backwoods of the North Moun= tain from N. Kingston to port George for the last couple months spending al= most every evening looking for new "lifers" and trying to get a few photos.= =20 I've also noticed that the Ovenbirds were very elusive in the early months = of Spring, I would hear them but could never see one and now they=A0seem to= be one of the first birds to come out to see what's making noises. As for = the Hummingbirds, I've never seen so many in my life but then again before = I became a "birder" I wasn't really looking. Is it common for Hummingbirds = to come to a pish? I can't count the # of times that I've been sitting in t= he Jeep doing a little pishing while swatting black flies and have them app= ear within' 5 feet of my face, my girlfriend has observed them above my hea= d while I pish...lol The Pileated Woodpecker that you mentioned, by chance is the Sugar Maple lo= cated right on the main shore road coming into Margaret(s)ville from Kingst= on way? I had thought I saw one fly out of a hole in a SM along that main s= tetch but didn't have the time to wait around very long for him to come bac= k. =A0 Another observation this year, I've been taking the kids to=A0Port George f= or many many years and have never seen a Starfish there until this year and= they seem to be everywheres when the tide is out. =A0 Cheers! Jeff =A0 =A0 On Mon, Jul 7, 2008 at 11:40 PM, P.L. Chalmers <plchalmers@ns.sympatico.ca>= wrote: Hi there, =A0=A0=A0=A0=A0=A0=A0=A0I'm back home after five days visiting friends in M= argaretsville, where I spent the mornings atlassing and doing point counts = in that and several adjoining squares.=A0 The afternoons were given over to= weeding my friends' gardens.=A0 Lovely to be outdoors so much in fine weat= her - with the Fundy breezes blowing, the heat was never oppressive even on= warm days. =A0=A0=A0=A0=A0=A0=A0=A0Breeding activity among=A0 songbirds was at fever p= itch, and some species are so busy feeding young that they are completely o= blivious of humans. On the other hand the Ovenbirds in the woods, normally = elusive, were so agitated by my presence that they interrupted their food-g= athering to come out in plain view and scold me.=A0=A0 I particularly enjoy= ed watching a male Pileated Woodpecker attending a nest in a big old sugar = maple, and seeing Bobolinks singing and displaying over the uncut meadows.= =A0=20 =A0=A0=A0=A0=A0=A0=A0=A0While exploring the back roads along the North Moun= tain, I was struck by the abundance of Ruby-throated Hummingbirds.=A0 They = were very easy to see, usually perched on telephone wires along the road, a= pparently basking in the sun, perhaps one every kilometre or so.=A0 This wa= s in an area where there were no homes, so no feeders or gardens to concent= rate their numbers.=A0 I easily saw a dozen or more every morning, without = even trying.=A0 I have observed this abundance=A0 in the area for the last = several years.=A0 This seems remarkable to me.=A0 When I was a child, befor= e hummingbird feeders were a commonplace, it was quite unusual and exciting= to see a hummingbird, even though we always had a flower-filled garden whi= ch might have been expected to attract them. =A0=A0=A0=A0=A0=A0=A0=A0I was also pleased to see a large number of butterf= lies last week.=A0 I wasn't focussing on them and regretted that I didn't h= ave my field guide, as I am a little rusty with ID's, but there were lots o= f fritillaries of several sorts along these dirt roads, as well as White Ad= mirals, Canadian Tiger Swallowtails, Northern Pearl Crescents, Ringlets, an= d various skippers and azures.=A0 Not many sulphurs.=A0=A0=20 =A0=A0=A0=A0=A0=A0=A0=A0There was an interesting article in last Saturday's= Globe and Mail about changes to butterfly population and distribution.=A0 = [ "LEPIDOPTERA: CANADA DAY COUNT:Ethereal, exotic and exceptionally fragile= " by Matthew Hart ] which gave a dismal outlook for the long term.=A0 This = year, at least, some species seem do be doing well in the western end of th= e Valley.=A0 Do others find that is it a particularly good year for seeing = butterflies? =A0=A0=A0=A0=A0=A0=A0=A0During my visit on the farm I averaged two ticks pe= r day - still a matter of comment there, where ten years ago we never encou= ntered any.=A0 I saved a couple to send in to the Museum. =A0=A0=A0=A0=A0=A0=A0=A0Cheers, =A0=A0=A0=A0=A0=A0=A0=A0Patricia L. Chalmers =A0=A0=A0=A0=A0=A0=A0=A0 Halifax =0A=0A=0A ____________________________________________________________= ______=0AInstant Messaging, free SMS, sharing photos and more... Try the ne= w Yahoo! Canada Messenger at http://ca.beta.messenger.yahoo.com/ --0-1157933097-1215509578=:7961 Content-Type: text/html; charset=us-ascii <table cellspacing='0' cellpadding='0' border='0' ><tr><td valign='top' style='font: inherit;'><P>Sorry all, I guess I'm not up on alot of the terms but I give up. What is a "pish"?</P> <P> </P> <P>Thanks!</P> <P> </P> <P>Gayle MacLean</P> <P>Dartmouth<BR><BR>--- On <B>Mon, 7/7/08, Jeff hiltz <I><4x4play@gmail.com></I></B> wrote:<BR></P> <BLOCKQUOTE style="PADDING-LEFT: 5px; MARGIN-LEFT: 5px; BORDER-LEFT: rgb(16,16,255) 2px solid">From: Jeff hiltz <4x4play@gmail.com><BR>Subject: Re: [NatureNS] Margaretsville - Hummingbirds, Butterflies, etc.<BR>To: naturens@chebucto.ns.ca<BR>Received: Monday, July 7, 2008, 11:32 PM<BR><BR> <DIV id=yiv1931678264> <DIV>I'm a very new birder and have been running the backwoods of the North Mountain from N. Kingston to port George for the last couple months spending almost every evening looking for new "lifers" and trying to get a few photos. </DIV> <DIV>I've also noticed that the Ovenbirds were very elusive in the early months of Spring, I would hear them but could never see one and now they seem to be one of the first birds to come out to see what's making noises. As for the Hummingbirds, I've never seen so many in my life but then again before I became a "birder" I wasn't really looking. Is it common for Hummingbirds to come to a pish? I can't count the # of times that I've been sitting in the Jeep doing a little pishing while swatting black flies and have them appear within' 5 feet of my face, my girlfriend has observed them above my head while I pish...lol</DIV&