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Hi there, Jean Hartley and I went out for a few hours late this morning. We made a brief stop at the Frog Pond in Fleming Park, to see if any Pied-billed Grebes had turned up; they are regular here in fall migration and frequently linger. However, there are none yet. There were a number of Common Yellowthroats and Yellow-rumped Warblers along the boardwalk through the cattail marsh, but a Gray Catbird there was a surprise. We then headed out to Sandy Cove Road (between Ketch Harbour and Sambro). By noon we were in hot sunshine, and as the road begins the final descent to the cove we found birds were very active on the sunny side of the hill. Hans Toom has reported in the past that he finds this spot good . A Broad-winged Hawk circled overhead, and the Ospreys were calling and flying about. In an hour or so we saw a variety of passerine species moving through, including Least Flycatcher, Blue-headed Vireo, Hermit Thrush, Cedar Waxwing, Nashville Warbler, Common Yellowthroat, Yellow-rumped Warbler, White-throated Sparrow, Purple Finch, and American Goldfinch. The usual residents were also active - Mourning Doves, Blue Jays, both Black-capped and Boreal Chickadees, Red-breasted Nuthatches, American Robins, Dark-eyed Juncos, Song Sparrows, etc. No Gray Jays, alas. In the cove there were a few shorebirds - Spotted, Least, and Semi-palmated Sandpiper. We saw Ladies-tresses Orchids (Spiranthes) in bloom along the roadside, the first I've seen this season, and a fine stand of Turtlehead (Chelone) down at the end of the road. There were lots of Fritillary butterflies sampling the flowers, and large colourful darners were patrolling the water-filled ditches. We could hear thunder rumbling in the distance for quite awhile before we began to pay attention to it. At last the gunmetal-gray clouds looked so heavy and threatening that we thought we should head back to town. We barely got to Duncan's Cove before the rain started, and it POURED all the rest of the way back. Cheers, Patricia L. Chalmers Halifax
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