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Index of Subjects Ken McKenna Box 218 Stellarton NS B0K 1S0 902 752-7644 Hi Pat and all Yesterday while I was birding on Big I., Pictou Co., I noted a Common Tern repeatedly flying at and capturing some sort of aerial insects. I am not sre if they were craneflies or not, but I could see the insect despite the tern being ~ 400 or more meters away from shore and over the Strait side of the causeway to Big I. The warm temperatures of the last few days has brought on a new hatch of those pesky saltmarsh mosquitoes. I noted them both at Big I. and again this morning at Waterside PP where 4-5 Song Sparrows were singing away. cheers Ken ----- Original Message ----- From: "P.L. Chalmers" <plchalmers@ns.sympatico.ca> To: "NatureNS" <naturens@chebucto.ns.ca> Sent: Sunday, September 28, 2008 2:00 PM Subject: [NatureNS] Cranefly Hatch? Saltmarsh Trail in Cole Harbour > Hi there, > > A friend from Toronto was in town last week, and last Wednesday evening > after work we went for a walk along the Cole Harbour Saltmarsh Trail. We > drove through rush-hour traffic on Portland Street and Cole Harbour Drive, > past all the big box stores and strip malls. As one drives along Bissett > Road one gradually leaves suburbia behind. It felt liberating to crest > the hill and see that wonderful expanse of farmland, marsh and saltwater > that opens up ahead. My friend was impressed with how quickly we were > able to leave the city behind and reach such a lovely natural area. > > The evening was perfectly calm, with no wind, and rosy reflections in the > water of the lingering sunset. There were sparrows scampering all over the > trail, mostly Savannahs. Great Blue Herons, a Belted Kingfisher, and a few > ducks were in the marsh, but none of the terns or shorebirds which Kier > Gigeroff and I saw last Saturday. We didn't have much daylight so didn't > get quite as far as the Ready-Aye-Ready Bridge where the Wheatear had been > tending, so I can't say if it was still there. It may have been too late > in the evening anyway. > > The most striking experience was a hatch of Craneflies; there were tens, > perhaps hundreds, of thousands of them, hanging suspended in the air and > slowly floating westward. They don't bite, of course, so it wasn't > unpleasant, just an odd sensation of walking through something light like > cobwebs. I kept passing my hand in front of my face to sweep them away. > They were incredibly abundant, like aerial plankton. > > If this had happened earlier in the season, I'm sure there would have been > swallows or swifts feasting on the banquet, but as it was a late September > evening, no birds appeared to take advantage of this remarkable bounty. > > Cheers, > > Patricia L. Chalmers > Halifax >
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