[NatureNS] Short-eared Owl, near Hartlen Point

Date: Sat, 04 Apr 2009 21:57:53 -0300
To: NatureNS <naturens@chebucto.ns.ca>
From: "P.L. Chalmers" <plchalmers@ns.sympatico.ca>
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Hi there,

	I drove out to Hartlen Point earlier this evening.  Strong sunshine 
still though the sun was getting low, with wisps of fog around 
Devil's Island, strong onshore winds, spectacular surf.  I walked 
down to the shore via the second gravel road (now blocked off by DND) 
.  There was a big mixed raft of birds just offshore - lots of 
Iceland Gulls, 3  Black-headed Gulls (which I tried to turn into 
Bonaparte's), Herring and Great Black-backed  Gulls, Common Eider, 
Black Ducks and a few Mallards.  There were few landbirds apart from 
Song Sparrows and Ring-necked Pheasants.  I scanned the kelp for the 
Yellow-throated Warbler found earlier in the day by Liz and Shane 
Gidney, but no luck.

	I also didn't see the Brant here this evening.  There were five here 
last Sunday, but they do move around and may just have been around 
the Point out of sight.

	On the way back towards Dartmouth I stopped at the corner of Shore 
Road and Caldwell Road in hopes of seeing the Short-eared Owl(s) 
which Mike King told me today he has seen there recently.  There is a 
large open field here, with some shrubs, and a dirt road leading into 
it.  That road was very soft and wet so I parked across the street, 
on the shore side, where there is a large gravel pull-off.  I was 
parked so I could scan the field, unlike several other vehicles and 
groups of walkers, who were all looking toward the harbour's mouth to 
admire the surf.  I watched for about half an hour, and at eight 
o'clock was rewarded with the sight of a SEOW coursing along the 
crest of the field, back and forth several times, before dipping out 
of sight.   Lovely.  Thanks, Mike!

	Cheers,

	Patricia L. Chalmers
	Halifax

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