[NatureNS] owls and swallow, observations

Date: Sat, 18 Apr 2009 11:13:50 -0300
From: "Margaret E.Millard" <mmillard@eastlink.ca>
To: naturens <naturens@chebucto.ns.ca>
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I have one (only so far) of my tree swallows back this morning. So far only 
one and one that is a regular for 3 years. I was outside filling a chickadee 
feeder and something swooped down and almost buzzed my head. I stood away 
from the grape vine and it swooped down again......it likes to pull away my 
hairs. I know some people say we give birds human traits they can't possibly 
have but that bird was greeting me in a way it knew I would know. Lifts my 
heart!
This morning about 4:45 I heard some strange owl type calls. Was someone out 
surveying them in the White Point area? the calls were very similar and long 
and repeated quite close together. Ending with a solitary utterance. About 
15 minutes later I could hear another couple calls that moved closer to our 
property much more like what I am used to hearing.
Call is like the old Brownie (junior girl guide) call........to wiit to wooh 
ending with a longer wooh that dropped.    make  any sense?
On the way to and from Halifax yesterday we saw a few things. Two dead small 
foxes quite a distance apart and several small raccoons.....maybe a family 
trying to cross the highway.
There was a bird on the nest just off the 103 at the water supply outside 
Hebbs Cross. White head clearly seen. It was present both going early in the 
am and returning mid afternoon. Looks like a nest is going up on the poles 
where the transmission lines cross the 103 outside Halifax not far from the 
water tower. I was surprised to still see snow in the woods along the 
highway on the not so sunny side of the road. Lots of coltsfoot now. Waves 
of it in spots.
We have a female cow bird visiting the feeder, lots of grackles. Song and 
White throat sparrows are morphing and singing away and we still have three 
American tree sparrows coming and going.
The Robins have settled who is doing what and where so the yard is much 
quieter. The woodpecker traffic is still present but seems scaled down 
considerably. A seed cake lasts a couple days now. The bluejay and the red 
winged blackbird are conspicuous by their absence. It is neat to watch them.
Oh and the Northern Flicker is going around and around the neighbourhood 
this morning calling. Jungle like when he does that!
Marg Millard, White Point
http://margmillard.ca 


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