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--Boundary_(ID_h3dP1xMiKYaF2/IC6zNPKg) Content-type: text/plain; charset=US-ASCII; delsp=yes; format=flowed Content-transfer-encoding: 7BIT APR. 26, 2009 - NSBS/BNS FIELD TRIP, WOLFVILLE AREA BIRDS ETC., led by me and attended by 32 people including lots of familiar and welcome faces. Very nice warm day, with light to moderate winds and alternate bright overcast vs. Sunny skies, temperatures up to 19 C. as measured by my car. At the Wolfville Wharf area, besides the rock pigeons and an Iceland or glaucous gull, there were 3 GREATER YELLOWLEGS (and one more was seen later in Canning by James Hirtle et al.). Our first caravan stop was on Starr's Point, at a RED-TAILED HAWK NEST in a woodlot adjacent to a house. There was no hawk on the nest, but the house occupant told us it was active again this year. Then to Van Nostrand's Ponds, also on Starr's Point, where we did the usual slow walk around the two ponds, finding lots of stuff of interest and not just birds! In the newer Ducks Unlimited pond, there were 2 male RING-NECKED DUCKS. Other birds were 2 TREE SWALLOWS, several male YELLOW-RUMPED WARBLERS, a PALM WARBLER was heard by Pat Chalmers and a SWAMP SPARROW too, an early female RED- WINGED BLACKBIRD, and a FEMALE DOWNY WOODPECKER was seen DRUMMING (is this normal for downies?). Mammals seen were a MUSKRAT and a PORCUPINE, the latter sleeping? up in a larch tree. One small pond had a school of probable BANDED KILLIFISH that were disturbing the surface in the shallows as they were startled by us. Herptiles (now known as herpes, courtesy of Don MacNeill), included calling LEOPARD FROGS and SPRING PEEPERS, and sightings of either GREEN or BULL FROGS (just their heads, and seasonally too early for them to be calling). Also a PAINTED TURTLE was seen basking (and later some more were seen in Canning and elsewhere). PLANTS IN BLOOM included COLTSFOOT, TREMBLING ASPEN, RED MAPLE, AMERICAN ELM (an apparently healthy large tree was a rare sight), SPECKLED ALDER, and unidentified WILLOW species. The male willow bushes were attracting and humming with oodles of HONEY BEES, which were clearly gathering pollen on their hind legs, and a MOURNING CLOAK BUTTERFLY that gave the appearance of not only basking with open wings but also feeding on the willow flowers -- thus the latter must produce nectar in addition to the pollen? Another butterfly seen was a CABBAGE WHITE, which several people were trying unsuccessfully to turn into a MUSTARD WHITE. Next stop was northwest of Wellington Dyke (Canard Valley), at the Canard Rd. BALD EAGLE NEST. I'm pretty sure they have tiny downy eaglets now, but we would have had to be very patient with good scopes to see them. We did see both adult eagles, and 1-2 red-tailed hawks nearby. Just east of Jawbone Corner (flashing light on Hwy. 358), we stopped at the home of Helen & Fred Archibald for a pit-stop and a bit of lunch. Another pair of DOWNY WOODPECKERS was there, plus a flock of HOUSE SPARROWS, etc. Then to Canard Pond, where we saw relatively very little, perhaps because a couple of people were walking along the pond bank when we arrived. There were a male GADWALL, 1 or 2 N. PINTAILS flying over, 2 female COMMON MERGANSERS, 2 MALLARDS, a few GREEN-WINGED TEALS, a bunch of the usual gulls plus an imm. ICELAND GULL, a well-seen SWAMP SPARROW. Along Fred Thomas Road we couldn't spot a LESSER BLACK-BACKED GULL in a large flock of herring and great black-backed gulls. But a GROUNDHOG/WOODCHUCK was found at a burrow along the road. Then we drove to Canning, stopping first at the Canning Aboiteau (Habitant River) at high tide: 10 CANADA GEESE and about 5 GREEN- WINGED TEALS. Our last formal stop was in Canning at Harris' Pond, just nw. of the United Church: 2 AMERICAN WIGEONS (alias BALDPATES), 2 female C. MERGANSERS, a small number of SWALLOWS, including at least one each of BARN and TREE SWALLOWS, 1 YELLOW-RUMPED WARBLER, and a couple of PAINTED TURTLES. And, to finish off this trip, there was a roosting RACCOON that was not sleeping, up in a sugar maple?, AND a GRAY SQUIRREL!! (probably one of the three that occasionally visit Merritt Gibson's property nearby). Thus some of us will remember this year's excursion as the one with several mammal species seen. I disbanded the field trip there in mid-afternoon, but then later checked a few other spots. Port Williams sewage ponds: only a m,f pr of RING-NECKED DUCKS. "Kidston's Pond" (upper Church St.): 6 male RING-NECKED DUCKS and 2 male GREEN-WINGED TEALS. New Minas Ducks Unlimited Pond (next to Cornwallis River): on the island I could see a single CANADA GOOSE, and this might signal the presence of an unseen mate on a NEST? Cheers from Jim in Wolfville 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_h3dP1xMiKYaF2/IC6zNPKg) 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 = face=3D"Arial" size=3D"4" style=3D"font: 14.0px Arial"><b>APR. 26, 2009 = - NSBS/BNS FIELD TRIP, WOLFVILLE AREA BIRDS ETC.</b>, led by me and = attended by 32 people including lots of familiar and welcome faces. Very = nice warm day, with light to moderate winds and alternate bright = overcast vs. Sunny skies, temperatures up to 19 C. as measured by my = car.</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 the Wolfville = Wharf area, besides the rock pigeons and an Iceland or glaucous gull, = there were 3 <b>GREATER YELLOWLEGS</b> (and one more was seen later in = Canning by James Hirtle et al.).</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">Our first caravan stop was on Starr's = Point, at a <b>RED-TAILED HAWK NEST</b> in a woodlot adjacent to a = house.=A0 There was no hawk on the nest, but the house occupant told us = it was active again this year.</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">Then to Van Nostrand's Ponds, also on = Starr's Point, where we did the usual slow walk around the two ponds, = finding lots of stuff of interest and not just birds!=A0 In the newer = Ducks Unlimited pond, there were 2 male <b>RING-NECKED DUCKS</b>.=A0 = Other birds were 2 <b>TREE SWALLOWS</b>, several male <b>YELLOW-RUMPED = WARBLERS</b>, a <b>PALM WARBLER</b> was heard by Pat Chalmers and a = <b>SWAMP SPARROW</b> too, an early female <b>RED-WINGED BLACKBIRD</b>, = and a <b>FEMALE DOWNY WOODPECKER</b> was seen <b>DRUMMING</b> (is this = normal for downies?).</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">Mammals seen were a <b>MUSKRAT</b> and a <b>PORCUPINE</b>, = the latter sleeping? up in a larch tree.</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">One small pond = had a school of probable <b>BANDED KILLIFISH</b> that were disturbing = the surface in the shallows as they were startled by = us.</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">Herptiles (now = known as herpes, courtesy of Don MacNeill), included calling<b> LEOPARD = FROGS</b> and <b>SPRING PEEPERS</b>, and sightings of either <b>GREEN or = BULL FROGS</b> (just their heads, and seasonally too early for them to = be calling).=A0 Also a <b>PAINTED TURTLE</b> was seen basking (and later = some more were seen in Canning and elsewhere).</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>PLANTS IN = BLOOM</b> included <b>COLTSFOOT</b>, <b>TREMBLING ASPEN</b>, <b>RED = MAPLE</b>, <b>AMERICAN ELM</b> (an apparently healthy large tree was a = rare sight), <b>SPECKLED ALDER</b>, and unidentified <b>WILLOW</b> = species.=A0 The male willow bushes were attracting and humming with = oodles of <b>HONEY BEES</b>, which were clearly gathering pollen on = their hind legs, and a <b>MOURNING CLOAK BUTTERFLY</b> that gave the = appearance of not only basking with open wings but also feeding on the = willow flowers -- thus the latter must produce nectar in addition to the = pollen?=A0 Another butterfly seen was a <b>CABBAGE WHITE</b>, which = several people were trying unsuccessfully to turn into a <b>MUSTARD = WHITE</b>.=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">Next stop was = northwest of Wellington Dyke (Canard Valley), at the Canard Rd. <b>BALD = EAGLE NEST</b>.=A0 I'm pretty sure they have tiny downy eaglets now, but = we would have had to be very patient with good scopes to see them.=A0 We = did see both adult eagles, and 1-2 red-tailed hawks = nearby.</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 east of = Jawbone Corner (flashing light on Hwy. 358), we stopped at the home of = Helen & Fred Archibald for a pit-stop and a bit of lunch.=A0 Another = pair of <b>DOWNY WOODPECKERS</b> was there, plus a flock of <b>HOUSE = SPARROWS</b>, 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">Then to Canard Pond, where we saw relatively very little, = perhaps because a couple of people were walking along the pond bank when = we arrived.=A0 There were a male <b>GADWALL</b>, 1 or 2 <b>N. = PINTAILS</b> flying over, 2 female <b>COMMON MERGANSERS</b>, 2 = <b>MALLARDS</b>, a few <b>GREEN-WINGED TEALS,</b> a bunch of the usual = gulls plus an imm. <b>ICELAND GULL</b>, a well-seen <b>SWAMP = SPARROW</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">Along Fred Thomas = Road we couldn't spot a <b>LESSER BLACK-BACKED GULL</b> in a large flock = of herring and great black-backed gulls.=A0 But a <b>GROUNDHOG/WOODCHUCK = </b>was found at a burrow along the road.</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">Then we drove to = Canning, stopping first at the Canning Aboiteau (Habitant River) at high = tide: 10 <b>CANADA GEESE</b> and about 5 <b>GREEN-WINGED = TEALS</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">Our last formal = stop was in Canning at Harris' Pond, just nw. of the United Church: 2 = <b>AMERICAN WIGEONS</b> (alias BALDPATES), 2 female <b>C. = MERGANSERS</b>, a small number of SWALLOWS, including at least one each = of <b>BARN and TREE SWALLOWS</b>, 1 <b>YELLOW-RUMPED WARBLER</b>, and a = couple of <b>PAINTED TURTLES</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">And, to finish off this trip, there was a = roosting <b>RACCOON</b> that was not sleeping, up in a sugar maple?,<b> = AND a GRAY SQUIRREL!!=A0</b> (probably one of the three that = occasionally visit Merritt Gibson's property nearby).=A0 Thus some of us = will remember this year's excursion as the one with several mammal = species 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">I disbanded the = field trip there in mid-afternoon, but then later checked a few other = spots.</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 a m,f pr of <b>RING-NECKED = DUCKS</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">"Kidston's Pond" = (upper Church St.): 6 male <b>RING-NECKED DUCKS</b> and 2 male = <b>GREEN-WINGED TEALS</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">New Minas Ducks Unlimited Pond (next to Cornwallis River): = on the island I could see a single <b>CANADA GOOSE</b>, and this might = signal the presence of an unseen mate on a = <b>NEST?</b>=A0</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><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">Cheers from Jim in Wolfville</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">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><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_h3dP1xMiKYaF2/IC6zNPKg)--
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