next message in archive
no next message in thread
previous message in archive
Index of Subjects
<bold><color><param>0100,0100,0100</param>BRIER ISLAND CHRISTMAS COUNT, 15 DECEMBER 2008</bold> Weather mainly cloudy, 9-11C; wind SSW 70 kph 0745-1645 AST Participants: Carl Haycock, Anne Mills, Eric Mills (compiler), June Swift 51 species, about 2936 individuals. Black Duck - 34; Mallard - 2; Green-winged Teal - 3; Common Eider - 113; Surf Scoter - 2; White-winged Scoter - 1; Long-tailed Duck - 19; Bufflehead - 3; Common Goldeneye - 8; Red-breasted Merganser - 33; Ring-necked Pheasant - 5; Common Loon - 14; Red-necked Grebe - 2; Northern Gannet - 36; Great Cormorant - 62; Great Blue Heron - 1; Turkey Vulture - 11; <bold>Black Vulture - 1; </bold>Bald Eagle - 1; Sharp-shinned Hawk- 1; Red-tailed Hawk - 1; Ring- billed Gull - 2; Herring Gull - 745; Iceland Gull - <bold>46</bold>; Great Black- backed Gull - 515; Black-legged Kittiwake - ; Dovekie - 1; Common Murre - 50; Black Guillemot - 39; alcid spp. - 500; Rock Pigeon - 4; Mourning Dove - 6; <bold>Snowy Owl - 1</bold>; Blue Jay - 14; American Crow - 87; Common Raven - 18; Horned Lark - 3; Black- capped Chickadee - 10; Boreal Chickadee - 3; Golden-crowned Kinglet - 4; European Starling - 57; Song Sparrow - 4; White- throated Sparrow - 6; Dark-eyed Junco - 6; Northern Cardinal - 2; <bold>Dickcissel - 1</bold>; Red-winged Blackbird - 2; Common Grackle - 22; White-winged Crossbill - 30; Common Redpoll - 100; American Goldfinch - 6; House Sparrow - 2. Birds in the count week, but not on count day: Northern Harrier; Peregrine Falcon; Red-breasted Nuthatch; Tree Sparrow; Rusty Blackbird; Pine Siskin. Comments: It was a mild day for Brier Island, but very windy. The wind in particular made finding land birds very difficult, and in Pond Cove, where the wind and spray were blowing straight across the beach it was nearly impossible to bird. The big pond had been frozen the day before, but although it opened up on count day only the gulls were using it. In the morning there were thousands of birds moving far offshore of Northern Point in the haze and spray, most of them alcids and gulls, but too far away under difficult conditions to be sure of. Despite the difficult conditions the count went pretty well, and was only a little below average in species and numbers. It was especially pleasant for two of us to get a good rather leisurely look at the Black Vulture (a new species for the island) that was first seen on the 14th. It will probably stick it out on the island with the numerous Turkey Vultures as long as there is something to feed on. <nofill> zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz Dr Eric L. Mills Professor of History of Science Emeritus Dept.of Oceanography Dalhousie University, Halifax, N.S., CANADA B3H 4J1 (Inglis Professor, University of King's College) e-mail:E.Mills@Dal.Ca http://www.dal.ca/~wwwocean/ocean_C907.html http://www.dal.ca/~wwwocean/sites/mills/mills.htm zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz
next message in archive
no next message in thread
previous message in archive
Index of Subjects