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--Boundary_(ID_HwyPVumoddny3Ak373m4DQ) Content-type: text/plain; charset=US-ASCII; delsp=yes; format=flowed Content-transfer-encoding: 7BIT Sorry to send such a long report, but for unknown reasons I've been saving up some local goodies, including eagle nest checks, white geese, gray squirrels, feeder birds, sewage ponds, etc. Cheers from Jim in Wolfville ------------------------------ MAR. 16, 2009 - We still have the black-capped CHICKADEE WITH A STRIKINGLY WHITE TAIL at our feeders, and the adult WHITE-CROWNED SPARROW also appeared again today. MAR. 17, 2009 - At Wellington Dyke (ne. of Port Williams) at mid-day there were at least 800 CANADA GEESE -- what a great sight and sound, as many were calling, most were on the ground (some close to the road in corn stubble, most in open fields just east of the road), and many small flocks were flying. Two days ago, Brenda & Bill Thexton saw about 400 geese in the same spot. Just north of Wellington Dyke, with herring gulls, was a single adult LESSER BLACK-BACKED GULL. Today I checked three BALD EAGLE NESTS, and only one of them definitely had an apparent incubating adult in/on the nest: the occupied one was on the south bank of the mouth of the Canard River (se. of Wellington Dyke, on Starr's Point) on the property of Chris Cox's pig farm; the rebuilt nest on the north bank of the Cornwallis River just west of Willowbank Farm (Starr's Point Loop Road) had no attending eagles; and I could not see an adult eagle at the Canard nest (at Muskrat Marsh Farm, east of Jawbone Corner. Also on March 15/09 Pat & I checked the BALD EAGLE NEST on the cliff edge at Blomidon (well south of the park), and no adult was visible on it; however, the angle and height of the nest leaves open that an adult was there but couldn't be seen. [Since then someone else reported an adult eagle on this nest.] At Chris Cox's farm at Starr's Point, an adult RAVEN was at the previously-used NEST built just below the top of the metal grain elevator, but I couldn't see any incubating adult in the nest. The RAVEN NEST just north of the Acadia Arena now probably has an incubating adult on it, but there doesn't seem to be any place where I can view the nest clearly. Port Williams sewage ponds: only 4 ducks, including a male mallard and 3 COMMON GOLDENEYES (2m,1f). On the old Acadia gymnasium building, a ROCK PIGEON was in INCUBATING position on a nest. MAR. 18, 2009 - WHITE-CROWNED SPARROW still present at our feeders. A SHARP-SHINNED HAWK was soaring in the glorious sunshine a bit north of our home in Wolfville in late morning. Temperatures went to at least +12 C. today. And a male CARDINAL showed up at our feeders at dusk (for the last few days, our pair of cardinals have not been seen). MAR. 19, 2009 - Seeming a bit early (or overwintered?) this morning at our feeders was a lovely FOX SPARROW, joining the 12+ white- throated sparrows, single adult WHITE-CROWNED SPARROW, one AM. TREE SPARROW, single overwintered song sparrow, few juncos, single brown- plumaged PURPLE FINCH, black-capped chickadees (including the one with an all-white tail), 2 CARDINALS (m,f), mourning doves, blue jays, crows, pheasants, and 2 red squirrels. Lots of singing over the past few days by white-throated and song sparrows. Yesterday and today there were quite a few e-mail reports of small numbers of GRACKLES and RED-WINGED BLACKBIRDS at feeders at various places in Nova Scotia. And even earlier there were several reports of WOODCOCKS, too, including one that Cindy Day apparently photographed on her deck? and then showed on her ATV weather report. Susan Fuertado (542-0878) phoned to say she photographed EIGHT WHITE GEESE with pink bills and legs/feet, on the ice at Lumsden Reservoir. She sent two PHOTOS that are not close enough to tell for sure, but look like they could have been SNOW GEESE? NO -- I went up there in late afternoon the next day -- the geese are DOMESTICS, quite fat and not streamlined in body, no bands on legs, and possibly able to fly (one bird stretched a long-looking wing while I watched). Mark Elderkin also saw them and agrees they are definitely domestics. MAR. 20, 2009 - VERNAL EQUINOX, 8:44 a.m. (per Sherman Williams). Merritt Gibson, when asked, said he regularly sees TWO GRAY SQUIRRELS in his Canning yard, as well as a small BLACK SQUIRREL; when I quizzed him about whether the small black one was a RED SQUIRREL?, he seemed reluctant to go out on a limb about what species it is. [But later he said it's too big to be a red squirrel.] The FOX SPARROW is still present at our Wolfville feeders. MAR. 21, 2009 - At the Port Williams sewage ponds, 8 GOLDENEYES quite probably both species) flew away before I could view them well (3 males), and they left 3 COMMON GOLDENEYES behind in the north pond (1m,2f). Later there were also 11 mallards there. I checked the small rebuilt BALD EAGLE NEST on the bank of the Cornwallis River west of Willowbank Farm, and the only eagle present was an immature that was perched about 25 metres from the nest. The nest itself is very unimpressive and perhaps was never finished by the adults? The Canard BALD EAGLE NEST does have an incubating adult eagle in it, but she? is very difficult to see, with just the top of her head visible from the road with a scope. [FOR MORE ON BALD EAGLE NESTS, today Harold Forsyth sent me this e- mail message: Jim, I found a NEW EAGLE NEST for your list in Greenwich with some direction from Peter Elderkin. It is south of Stirling's Farm Market, across the field and in a pine tree. It is fairly low in the tree and difficult to see. It has 2 eagles in attendance with one sitting on the nest. Four days ago I also noticed 2 eagles at the nest just before [south of] Blomidon Park with one sitting.] Very few CANADA GEESE were in the area of Wellington Dyke, where Richard Stern had a wonderful show of 1000 geese, lots of ducks including 8+ N. PINTAILS, and a RED-TAILED HAWK and PEREGRINE FALCON interacting over a dead mallard (see his photos and video) yesterday. Upstream from the Canning Aboiteau there were 300++ CANADA GEESE along the Habitant River (and a m,f pr of COMMON GOLDENEYES. WARNING: the dirt "road" from the Canning riverside park to the Legion is impassable because of a partial wash-out that needs to be repaired. MAR. 22, 2009 - I tried to observe the shy flock of GOLDENEYES at Port Williams sewage ponds, but they flew again before I could get it done. However, the north pond held two newly-arrived male RING- NECKED DUCKS. Also there was an all-white immature ICELAND GULL (first winter?). Pat and I saw our first male RED-WINGED BLACKBIRD for this spring, apparently on territory in a tree at the edge of the newest Van Nostrand's Pond, Starr's Point. And we saw 4 male COMMON GRACKLES in our home neighborhood in Wolfville. We saw a single AM. ROBIN along Saxon St. south of Canning. I also got a call from Robin Whidden about a possible SNOWY OWL that weirdly was flushed from under a very small coniferous shrub on the edge of her driveway along east Church Street, north of Port Williams. Judy Tufts and Bernard Forsythe confirmed that indeed it was a SNOWY OWL. It could fly a bit, and it flew away toward the northwest toward the Canard Valley when last seen. As far as I know, we have had no local sightings of snowy owls since the one that was at Starr's Point in mid-December, 2008. Perhaps this Church St. individual was on its way back northward in early Spring? In early evening, a CARDINAL sang beautifully twice in our Wolfville neighborhood. MAR. 23, 2009 - In our back yard, a cock PHEASANT surprised me this morning by puffing out its body feathers, standing vertically up on "tiptoes", and CROWING and flapping just like Spring, even though it was -4 C. and the pheasant was standing in a bit of new-fallen snow. Still at our feeders are a FOX SPARROW and an AM. TREE SPARROW, about 10 new GOLDFINCHES, etc., plus the NORWAY RAT which appears from time to time and seems quite unwary now (likely to lead to its demise soon, I hope?). MAR. 24, 2009 - More WINTER WEATHER, with a blizzard plus very strong winds from east. Lots of birds at feeders, including our FOX SPARROW, CHICKADEE WITH WHITE TAIL, several JUNCOS with our 10+ white- throated sparrows, 1 song sparrow, crows, 1+1 cock pheasants, etc. MAR. 25, 2009 - Today at our feeders I noticed at least three SONG SPARROWS, two more than the single that overwintered there. MAR. 26, 2009 - Port Williams sewage/sewer ponds, with George Forsyth: about 100 AM. ROBINS (obviously new migrants, right on time) in a loose flock with many of them feeding on fruits of staghorn sumac; 4 mallards and a single male COMMON GOLDENEYE in the north pond; and about 250 CANADA GEESE across the highway on the dykeland along the river. -------------------------- Jim (James W.) Wolford 91 Wickwire Ave. Wolfville, Nova Scotia, Canada B4P 1W3 phone 902-542-9204 e-mail <jimwolford@eastlink.ca> "In wildness is the preservation of the world" -- Henry David Thoreau --Boundary_(ID_HwyPVumoddny3Ak373m4DQ) Content-type: text/html; charset=ISO-8859-1 Content-transfer-encoding: quoted-printable <html><body style=3D"word-wrap: break-word; -webkit-nbsp-mode: space; = -webkit-line-break: after-white-space; "><div style=3D"margin-top: 0px; = margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; "><font = class=3D"Apple-style-span" face=3D"Arial" size=3D"4"><span = class=3D"Apple-style-span" style=3D"font-size: 14px;"><b>Sorry to send = such a long report, but for unknown reasons I've been saving up some = local goodies, including eagle nest checks, white geese, gray squirrels, = =A0feeder birds, sewage ponds, etc.</b></span></font></div><div = style=3D"margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; = margin-left: 0px; "><font class=3D"Apple-style-span" face=3D"Arial" = size=3D"4"><span class=3D"Apple-style-span" style=3D"font-size: = 14px;"><b><br></b></span></font></div><div style=3D"margin-top: 0px; = margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; "><font = class=3D"Apple-style-span" face=3D"Arial" size=3D"4"><span = class=3D"Apple-style-span" style=3D"font-size: 14px;"><b>Cheers from Jim = in Wolfville</b></span></font></div><div style=3D"margin-top: 0px; = margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; "><font = class=3D"Apple-style-span" face=3D"Arial" size=3D"4"><span = class=3D"Apple-style-span" style=3D"font-size: = 14px;"><b>------------------------------</b></span></font></div><div = style=3D"margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; = margin-left: 0px; "><font face=3D"Arial" size=3D"4" style=3D"font: = 14.0px Arial"><b>MAR. 16, 2009</b> - We still have the black-capped = <b>CHICKADEE WITH A STRIKINGLY WHITE TAIL</b> at our feeders, and the = adult <b>WHITE-CROWNED SPARROW</b> also appeared again = today.</font></div><div style=3D"margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; = margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; font: normal normal normal = 14px/normal Arial; min-height: 16px; "><br></div><div style=3D"margin-top:= 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; "><font = face=3D"Arial" size=3D"4" style=3D"font: 14.0px Arial"><b>MAR. 17, = 2009</b> - At Wellington Dyke (ne. of Port Williams) at mid-day there = were <b>at least 800 CANADA GEESE</b> -- what a great sight and sound, = as many were calling, most were on the ground (some close to the road in = corn stubble, most in open fields just east of the road), and many small = flocks were flying.=A0 Two days ago, Brenda & Bill Thexton saw about = 400 geese in the same spot.</font></div><div style=3D"margin-top: 0px; = margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; font: normal = normal normal 14px/normal Arial; min-height: 16px; "><br></div><div = style=3D"margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; = margin-left: 0px; "><font face=3D"Arial" size=3D"4" style=3D"font: = 14.0px Arial">Just north of Wellington Dyke, with herring gulls, was a = single adult <b>LESSER BLACK-BACKED GULL</b>.</font></div><div = style=3D"margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; = margin-left: 0px; font: normal normal normal 14px/normal Arial; = min-height: 16px; "><br></div><div style=3D"margin-top: 0px; = margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; "><font = face=3D"Arial" size=3D"4" style=3D"font: 14.0px Arial">Today I checked = three <b>BALD EAGLE NESTS</b>, and only one of them definitely had an = apparent incubating adult in/on the nest: the occupied one was on the = south bank of the mouth of the Canard River (se. of Wellington Dyke, on = Starr's Point) on the property of Chris Cox's pig farm; the rebuilt nest = on the north bank of the Cornwallis River just west of Willowbank Farm = (Starr's Point Loop Road) had no attending eagles; and I could not see = an adult eagle at the Canard nest (at Muskrat Marsh Farm, east of = Jawbone Corner.</font></div><div style=3D"margin-top: 0px; margin-right: = 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; font: normal normal normal = 14px/normal Arial; min-height: 16px; "><br></div><div style=3D"margin-top:= 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; "><font = face=3D"Arial" size=3D"4" style=3D"font: 14.0px Arial">Also on March = 15/09 Pat & I checked the<b> BALD EAGLE NEST</b> on the cliff edge = at Blomidon (well south of the park), and no adult was visible on it; = however, the angle and height of the nest leaves open that an adult was = there but couldn't be seen. =A0[Since then someone else reported an = adult eagle on this nest.]=A0</font></div><div style=3D"margin-top: 0px; = margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; font: normal = normal normal 14px/normal Arial; min-height: 16px; "><br></div><div = style=3D"margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; = margin-left: 0px; "><font face=3D"Arial" size=3D"4" style=3D"font: = 14.0px Arial">At Chris Cox's farm at Starr's Point, an adult = <b>RAVEN</b> was at the previously-used <b>NEST</b> built just below the = top of the metal grain elevator, but I couldn't see any incubating adult = in the nest.=A0 The <b>RAVEN NEST</b> just north of the Acadia Arena now = probably has an incubating adult on it, but there doesn't seem to be any = place where I can view the nest clearly.</font></div><div = style=3D"margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; = margin-left: 0px; font: normal normal normal 14px/normal Arial; = min-height: 16px; "><br></div><div style=3D"margin-top: 0px; = margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; "><font = face=3D"Arial" size=3D"4" style=3D"font: 14.0px Arial">Port Williams = sewage ponds: only 4 ducks, including a male mallard and 3 <b>COMMON = GOLDENEYES</b> (2m,1f).</font></div><div style=3D"margin-top: 0px; = margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; font: normal = normal normal 14px/normal Arial; min-height: 16px; "><br></div><div = style=3D"margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; = margin-left: 0px; "><font face=3D"Arial" size=3D"4" style=3D"font: = 14.0px Arial">On the old Acadia gymnasium building, a <b>ROCK PIGEON</b> = was in <b>INCUBATING</b> position on a nest.</font></div><div = style=3D"margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; = margin-left: 0px; font: normal normal normal 14px/normal Arial; = min-height: 16px; "><br></div><div style=3D"margin-top: 0px; = margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; "><font = face=3D"Arial" size=3D"4" style=3D"font: 14.0px Arial"><b>MAR. 18, = 2009</b> - <b>WHITE-CROWNED SPARROW</b> still present at our feeders.=A0 = A <b>SHARP-SHINNED HAWK</b> was soaring in the glorious sunshine a bit = north of our home in Wolfville in late morning.=A0 Temperatures went to = at least +12 C. today.=A0 And a male <b>CARDINAL</b> showed up at our = feeders at dusk (for the last few days, our pair of cardinals have not = been seen).</font></div><div style=3D"margin-top: 0px; margin-right: = 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; font: normal normal normal = 14px/normal Arial; min-height: 16px; "><br></div><div style=3D"margin-top:= 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; "><font = face=3D"Arial" size=3D"4" style=3D"font: 14.0px Arial"><b>MAR. 19, = 2009</b> - Seeming a bit early (or overwintered?) this morning at our = feeders was a lovely <b>FOX SPARROW</b>, joining the 12+ white-throated = sparrows, single adult <b>WHITE-CROWNED SPARROW</b>, one <b>AM. TREE = SPARROW</b>, single overwintered song sparrow, few juncos, single = brown-plumaged <b>PURPLE FINCH</b>, black-capped chickadees (including = the one with an all-white tail), 2 <b>CARDINALS</b> (m,f), mourning = doves, blue jays, crows, pheasants, and 2 red squirrels.=A0 Lots of = singing over the past few days by white-throated and song = sparrows.</font></div><div style=3D"margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; = margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; font: normal normal normal = 14px/normal Arial; min-height: 16px; "><br></div><div style=3D"margin-top:= 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; "><font = face=3D"Arial" size=3D"4" style=3D"font: 14.0px Arial">Yesterday and = today there were quite a few e-mail reports of small numbers of = <b>GRACKLES</b> and <b>RED-WINGED BLACKBIRDS</b> at feeders at various = places in Nova Scotia. =A0 And even earlier there were several reports = of <b>WOODCOCKS</b>, too, including one that Cindy Day apparently = photographed on her deck? and then showed on her ATV weather report. = =A0</font></div><div style=3D"margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; = margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; font: normal normal normal = 14px/normal Arial; min-height: 16px; "><br></div><div style=3D"margin-top:= 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; "><font = face=3D"Arial" size=3D"4" style=3D"font: 14.0px Arial">Susan Fuertado = (542-0878) phoned to say she photographed <b>EIGHT WHITE GEESE</b> with = pink bills and legs/feet, on the ice at Lumsden Reservoir.=A0 She sent = two <b>PHOTOS</b> that are not close enough to tell for sure, but look = like they could have been <b>SNOW GEESE</b>?=A0<b> NO</b> -- I went up = there in late afternoon the next day -- the geese are <b>DOMESTICS</b>, = quite fat and not streamlined in body, no bands on legs, and possibly = able to fly (one bird stretched a long-looking wing while I watched).=A0 = Mark Elderkin also saw them and agrees they are definitely = domestics.</font></div><div style=3D"margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; = margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; font: normal normal normal = 14px/normal Arial; min-height: 16px; "><br></div><div style=3D"margin-top:= 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; "><font = face=3D"Arial" size=3D"4" style=3D"font: 14.0px Arial"><b>MAR. 20, = 2009</b> - <b>VERNAL EQUINOX</b>, 8:44 a.m. (per Sherman = Williams).</font></div><div style=3D"margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; = margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; font: normal normal normal = 14px/normal Arial; min-height: 16px; "><br></div><div style=3D"margin-top:= 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; "><font = face=3D"Arial" size=3D"4" style=3D"font: 14.0px Arial">Merritt Gibson, = when asked, said he regularly sees <b>TWO GRAY SQUIRRELS</b> in his = Canning yard, as well as a <b>small BLACK SQUIRREL</b>; when I quizzed = him about whether the small black one was a <b>RED SQUIRREL?</b>, he = seemed reluctant to go out on a limb about what species it is. =A0[But = later he said it's too big to be a red squirrel.]</font></div><div = style=3D"margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; = margin-left: 0px; font: normal normal normal 14px/normal Arial; = min-height: 16px; "><br></div><div style=3D"margin-top: 0px; = margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; "><font = face=3D"Arial" size=3D"4" style=3D"font: 14.0px Arial">The <b>FOX = SPARROW</b> is still present at our Wolfville feeders.</font></div><div = style=3D"margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; = margin-left: 0px; font: normal normal normal 14px/normal Arial; = min-height: 16px; "><br></div><div style=3D"margin-top: 0px; = margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; "><font = face=3D"Arial" size=3D"4" style=3D"font: 14.0px Arial"><b>MAR. 21, 2009 = </b>- At the Port Williams sewage ponds, 8 <b>GOLDENEYES</b> quite = probably both species)<b> </b>flew away before I could view them well (3 = males), and they left 3 <b>COMMON GOLDENEYES</b> behind in the north = pond (1m,2f).=A0 Later there were also 11 mallards = there.</font></div><div style=3D"margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; = margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; font: normal normal normal = 14px/normal Arial; min-height: 16px; "><br></div><div style=3D"margin-top:= 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; "><font = face=3D"Arial" size=3D"4" style=3D"font: 14.0px Arial">I checked the = small rebuilt<b> BALD EAGLE NEST</b> on the bank of the Cornwallis River = west of Willowbank Farm, and the only eagle present was an immature that = was perched about 25 metres from the nest.=A0 The nest itself is very = unimpressive and perhaps was never finished by the = adults?</font></div><div style=3D"margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; = margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; font: normal normal normal = 14px/normal Arial; min-height: 16px; "><br></div><div style=3D"margin-top:= 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; "><font = face=3D"Arial" size=3D"4" style=3D"font: 14.0px Arial">The <b>Canard = BALD EAGLE NEST</b> does have an incubating adult eagle in it, but she? = is very difficult to see, with just the top of her head visible from the = road with a scope.</font></div><div style=3D"margin-top: 0px; = margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; font: normal = normal normal 14px/normal Arial; min-height: 16px; "><br></div><div = style=3D"margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; = margin-left: 0px; "><font face=3D"Arial" size=3D"4" style=3D"font: = 14.0px Arial">[<b>FOR MORE ON BALD EAGLE NESTS</b>, today Harold Forsyth = sent me this e-mail message:=A0</font></div><div style=3D"margin-top: = 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; font: = normal normal normal 14px/normal Arial; min-height: 16px; = "><br></div><div style=3D"margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; = margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; "><font face=3D"Arial" size=3D"3" = style=3D"font: 11.9px Arial">Jim, I found a <b>NEW EAGLE NEST</b> for = your list in Greenwich with some direction from Peter Elderkin.=A0 It is = south of Stirling's Farm Market, across the field and in a pine tree.=A0 = It is fairly low in the tree and difficult to see.=A0 It has 2 eagles in = attendance with one sitting on the nest.</font></div><p style=3D"margin: = 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px"><font face=3D"Helvetica" size=3D"4" = style=3D"font: 14.1px Helvetica">=A0</font></p><div style=3D"margin-top: = 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; "><font = face=3D"Arial" size=3D"3" style=3D"font: 11.9px Arial">Four days ago I = also noticed 2 eagles at the <b>nest just before [south of] Blomidon = Park</b> with one sitting.]</font></div><p style=3D"margin: 0.0px 0.0px = 0.0px 0.0px"><font face=3D"Helvetica" size=3D"4" style=3D"font: 14.1px = Helvetica">=A0</font><font face=3D"Arial" size=3D"4" style=3D"font: = 14.0px Arial">=A0</font></p><div style=3D"margin-top: 0px; margin-right: = 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; "><font face=3D"Arial" = size=3D"4" style=3D"font: 14.0px Arial">Very few <b>CANADA GEESE</b> = were in the area of Wellington Dyke, where Richard Stern had a wonderful = show of 1000 geese, lots of ducks including 8+ <b>N. PINTAILS</b>, and a = <b>RED-TAILED HAWK</b> and <b>PEREGRINE FALCON</b> interacting over a = dead mallard (see his photos and video) yesterday.</font></div><div = style=3D"margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; = margin-left: 0px; font: normal normal normal 14px/normal Arial; = min-height: 16px; "><br></div><div style=3D"margin-top: 0px; = margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; "><font = face=3D"Arial" size=3D"4" style=3D"font: 14.0px Arial">Upstream from the = Canning Aboiteau there were 300++ <b>CANADA GEESE</b> along the Habitant = River (and a m,f pr of <b>COMMON GOLDENEYES</b>.</font></div><div = style=3D"margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; = margin-left: 0px; font: normal normal normal 14px/normal Arial; = min-height: 16px; "><br></div><div style=3D"margin-top: 0px; = margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; "><font = face=3D"Arial" size=3D"4" style=3D"font: 14.0px Arial">WARNING: the dirt = "road" from the Canning riverside park to the Legion is impassable = because of a partial wash-out that needs to be = repaired.</font></div><div style=3D"margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; = margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; font: normal normal normal = 14px/normal Arial; min-height: 16px; "><b></b><br></div><div = style=3D"margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; = margin-left: 0px; "><font face=3D"Arial" size=3D"4" style=3D"font: = 14.0px Arial"><b>MAR. 22, 2009 </b>- I tried to observe the shy flock of = <b>GOLDENEYES</b> at Port Williams sewage ponds, but they flew again = before I could get it done.=A0 However, the north pond held two = newly-arrived male <b>RING-NECKED DUCKS</b>.=A0 Also there was an = all-white immature <b>ICELAND GULL</b> (first winter?).</font></div><div = style=3D"margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; = margin-left: 0px; font: normal normal normal 14px/normal Arial; = min-height: 16px; "><br></div><div style=3D"margin-top: 0px; = margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; "><font = face=3D"Arial" size=3D"4" style=3D"font: 14.0px Arial">Pat and I saw our = first male <b>RED-WINGED BLACKBIRD</b> for this spring, apparently on = territory in a tree at the edge of the newest Van Nostrand's Pond, = Starr's Point.=A0 And we saw 4 male <b>COMMON GRACKLES</b> in our home = neighborhood in Wolfville.=A0 We saw a single<b> AM. ROBIN</b> along = Saxon St. south of Canning.</font></div><div style=3D"margin-top: 0px; = margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; font: normal = normal normal 14px/normal Arial; min-height: 16px; "><br></div><div = style=3D"margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; = margin-left: 0px; "><font face=3D"Arial" size=3D"4" style=3D"font: = 14.0px Arial">I also got a call from Robin Whidden about a possible = <b>SNOWY OWL </b>that weirdly was flushed from under a very small = coniferous shrub on the edge of her driveway along east Church Street, = north of Port Williams.=A0 Judy Tufts and Bernard Forsythe confirmed = that indeed it was a <b>SNOWY OWL</b>.=A0 It could fly a bit, and it = flew away toward the northwest toward the Canard Valley when last seen.=A0= As far as I know, we have had no local sightings of snowy owls since = the one that was at Starr's Point in mid-December, 2008.=A0 Perhaps this = Church St. individual was on its way back northward in early = Spring?</font></div><div style=3D"margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; = margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; font: normal normal normal = 14px/normal Arial; min-height: 16px; "><br></div><div style=3D"margin-top:= 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; "><font = face=3D"Arial" size=3D"4" style=3D"font: 14.0px Arial">In early evening, = a <b>CARDINAL</b> sang beautifully twice in our Wolfville = neighborhood.</font></div><div style=3D"margin-top: 0px; margin-right: = 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; font: normal normal normal = 14px/normal Arial; min-height: 16px; "><br></div><div style=3D"margin-top:= 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; "><font = face=3D"Arial" size=3D"4" style=3D"font: 14.0px Arial"><b>MAR. 23, = 2009</b> - In our back yard, a cock <b>PHEASANT</b> surprised me this = morning by puffing out its body feathers, standing vertically up on = "tiptoes", and <b>CROWING</b> and flapping just like Spring, even though = it was -4 C. and the pheasant was standing in a bit of new-fallen = snow.=A0</font></div><div style=3D"margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; = margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; font: normal normal normal = 14px/normal Arial; min-height: 16px; "><br></div><div style=3D"margin-top:= 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; "><font = face=3D"Arial" size=3D"4" style=3D"font: 14.0px Arial">Still at our = feeders are a <b>FOX SPARROW </b>and an <b>AM. TREE SPARROW</b>, about = 10 new <b>GOLDFINCHES</b>, etc., plus the <b>NORWAY RAT</b> which = appears from time to time and seems quite unwary now (likely to lead to = its demise soon, I hope?).</font></div><div style=3D"margin-top: 0px; = margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; font: normal = normal normal 14px/normal Arial; min-height: 16px; "><br></div><div = style=3D"margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; = margin-left: 0px; "><font face=3D"Arial" size=3D"4" style=3D"font: = 14.0px Arial"><b>MAR. 24, 2009</b> - More <b>WINTER WEATHER,</b> with a = blizzard plus very strong winds from east.=A0 Lots of birds at feeders, = including our <b>FOX SPARROW</b>, <b>CHICKADEE WITH WHITE TAIL</b>, = several <b>JUNCOS</b> with our 10+ white-throated sparrows, 1 song = sparrow, crows, 1+1 cock pheasants, etc.</font></div><div = style=3D"margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; = margin-left: 0px; font: normal normal normal 14px/normal Arial; = min-height: 16px; "><br></div><div style=3D"margin-top: 0px; = margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; "><font = face=3D"Arial" size=3D"4" style=3D"font: 14.0px Arial"><b>MAR. 25, = 2009</b> - Today at our feeders I noticed at least three <b>SONG = SPARROWS</b>, two more than the single that overwintered = there.</font></div><div style=3D"margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; = margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; font: normal normal normal = 14px/normal Arial; min-height: 16px; "><br></div><div style=3D"margin-top:= 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; "><font = face=3D"Arial" size=3D"4" style=3D"font: 14.0px Arial"><b>MAR. 26, = 2009</b> - Port Williams sewage/sewer ponds, with George Forsyth: about = 100 <b>AM. ROBINS </b>(obviously new migrants, right on time) in a loose = flock with many of them feeding on fruits of staghorn sumac; 4 mallards = and a single male <b>COMMON GOLDENEYE</b> in the north pond; and about = 250 <b>CANADA GEESE</b> across the highway on the dykeland along the = river.</font></div><div style=3D"margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; = margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; "><font class=3D"Apple-style-span" = face=3D"Arial" size=3D"4"><span class=3D"Apple-style-span" = style=3D"font-size: = 14px;">--------------------------</span></font></div><div = style=3D"margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; = margin-left: 0px; "><font class=3D"Apple-style-span" face=3D"Arial" = size=3D"4"><span class=3D"Apple-style-span" style=3D"font-size: = 14px;"><div style=3D"margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: = 0px; margin-left: 0px; "><font face=3D"Helvetica" size=3D"3" = style=3D"font: 12.0px Helvetica">Jim (James W.) Wolford</font></div><div = style=3D"margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; = margin-left: 0px; "><font face=3D"Helvetica" size=3D"3" style=3D"font: = 12.0px Helvetica">91 Wickwire Ave.</font></div><div style=3D"margin-top: = 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; "><font = face=3D"Helvetica" size=3D"3" style=3D"font: 12.0px = Helvetica">Wolfville, Nova Scotia, Canada</font></div><div = style=3D"margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; = margin-left: 0px; "><font face=3D"Helvetica" size=3D"3" style=3D"font: = 12.0px Helvetica">B4P 1W3</font></div><div style=3D"margin-top: 0px; = margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; font: normal = normal normal 12px/normal Helvetica; min-height: 14px; "><br></div><div = style=3D"margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; = margin-left: 0px; "><font face=3D"Helvetica" size=3D"3" style=3D"font: = 12.0px Helvetica">phone 902-542-9204</font></div><div style=3D"margin-top:= 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; "><font = face=3D"Helvetica" size=3D"3" style=3D"font: 12.0px Helvetica">e-mail = <<a = href=3D"mailto:jimwolford@eastlink.ca">jimwolford@eastlink.ca</a>></font><= /div><div style=3D"margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: = 0px; margin-left: 0px; font: normal normal normal 12px/normal Helvetica; = min-height: 14px; "><br></div><div style=3D"margin-top: 0px; = margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; "><font = face=3D"Helvetica" size=3D"3" style=3D"font: 12.0px Helvetica">"In = wildness is the preservation of the world" -- Henry David = Thoreau</font></div></span></font></div><div style=3D"margin-top: 0px; = margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; "><font = class=3D"Apple-style-span" face=3D"Arial" size=3D"4"><span = class=3D"Apple-style-span" style=3D"font-size: = 14px;"><br></span></font></div> </body></html>= --Boundary_(ID_HwyPVumoddny3Ak373m4DQ)--
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