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Index of Subjects Hi Pat Ken an All Yesterday the sky was full (3-400) most of the day with Starlings hawking what apeared to be carpender ants. Even the H. Gulls over the Marina were enjoyint this feast. This brings me to the reason of me jumping in on this thread. Earlier this summer I watched 15- 20 gulls hawking over Squid Cove (where I drop off visitors to the park). After a short while I was able to ID the the insects as Bees. We had a couple of days of very heavy rain and this day was very hot and muggy with calm >5 km of SW winds. I watched in horror as the steady waff of bees were picked off as they drifted out across the cove. Time and time again as a bee flew within a few feet of me I'd follow it with the Bino's to it's end! The closest gull! Yesterdays feast may of included Crane flys but I didn't notice anything other a Carpenter ant flight. Tom K Canso ----- Original Message ----- From: "Ken McKenna" <kenmcken@eastlink.ca> To: <naturens@chebucto.ns.ca> Sent: Sunday, September 28, 2008 2:15 PM Subject: Re: [NatureNS] Cranefly Hatch? Saltmarsh Trail in Cole Harbour > > 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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