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This is a multi-part message in MIME format. ------=_NextPart_000_0305_01C9C842.64C66490 Content-Type: text/plain; charset="iso-8859-1" Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable TODAY: LITTLE LAKE It was a warm day today, even when I got up at 5:00 AM, my instruments = at the house were reading 9 degrees already. I hatched this (crazy?) = idea this winter that I would visit and paddle all the named lakes or = otherwise significant lakes in Kings County this season, or at least see = how many I can get to. There are something in excess of 102 that I have = identified. Many are a bit off the main road, as it were. This morning I = headed out to find 'lake number five'. Lake five is a tiny one in behind Greenfield on Gaspereau Mountain = called Little Lake [20 T 394756 4984100]. It was about a 1 km carry in = to the lake from the road, but the woods road and ATV trail I followed = were fairly dry so it wasn't bad. I spent a lot of time while carrying = thinking that one of these days I'm going to buy a lighter canoe. = (Though I'm kind of fond of my old Chestnuts.) Anyway, there were a = number of Hermit Thrushes singing and ruffed grouse drumming along the = road which kept me distracted until I reached the lake, which was a = pleasant woodland little lake, less than 800 m to circumnavigate. = Peepers were peeping. There were five black ducks on the pond and = black-capped chickadees in the evergreens. The real birding highlight = was a male hooded merganser that landed on the lake while I was = preparing to sling my canoe on my back and head home. The sun was just = coming up by that point and it was a splendid sight to see its erect = hood in this sharp, low-angle light. There was also a red-winged = blackbird singing in the stillwater beside the road on the walk out, and = I stopped watched him chat for a while too. I got home in plenty of time = to hand the car back over to my family for their various activities and = then bike the 13 km to work in Kentville. LAST FRIDAY: CORNWALLIS RIVER I should also report that Gary Dunfield and I escaped the printshop for = a few hours on Friday and ran the Cornwallis River from South Bishop = Road to behind the old roundhouse in downtown Kentville. There was a lot = of water after the heavy rains mid-week. The top part of the run was = twisty and quick. In the lower part, we were able to skip many of the = meanders due to the flooding which turned what would normally be a 15 km = run into a 13 km one. There were innumerable ducks, mostly black ducks = and mallards, though we also saw a pair (M&F) of wood ducks on the upper = part. Just after passing under Highway 101, we pulled into a quiet = backwater to watch a muskrat grooming and discovered a dozen or so good = sized eastern painted turtles sunning themselves. We saw a couple of = muskrats, but no sign of beaver at work at all. We also saw what I = believe was a pectoral sandpiper, a small flock of tree swallows, and a = bald eagle. Chickadees, ringed-neck pheasants, and song sparrows were = frequently heard. The silver maples that line some sections of the river = were in bud. Well, that's enough out of me. Andrew Steeves Wolfville, NS ------=_NextPart_000_0305_01C9C842.64C66490 Content-Type: text/html; charset="iso-8859-1" Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable <!DOCTYPE HTML PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD HTML 4.0 Transitional//EN"> <HTML><HEAD> <META http-equiv=3DContent-Type content=3D"text/html; = charset=3Diso-8859-1"> <META content=3D"MSHTML 6.00.6001.18226" name=3DGENERATOR> <STYLE></STYLE> </HEAD> <BODY bgColor=3D#ffffff> <DIV><FONT size=3D2>TODAY: LITTLE LAKE</FONT></DIV> <DIV><FONT size=3D2></FONT> </DIV> <DIV><FONT size=3D2>It was a warm day today, even when I got up at 5:00 = AM, my=20 instruments at the house were reading 9 degrees already. I hatched=20 this (crazy?) idea this winter that I would visit and paddle all=20 the named lakes or otherwise significant lakes in Kings = County=20 this season, or at least see how many I can get to. There are = something in=20 excess of 102 that I have identified. Many are a bit off the main = road, as=20 it were. This morning I headed out to find 'lake number = five'.</FONT></DIV> <DIV><FONT size=3D2></FONT> </DIV> <DIV><FONT size=3D2>Lake five is a tiny one in behind Greenfield on = Gaspereau=20 Mountain called Little Lake [20 T 394756 4984100]. It was about a 1 km = carry in=20 to the lake from the road, but the woods road and ATV trail I = followed=20 were fairly dry so it wasn't bad. I spent a lot of time while carrying = thinking=20 that one of these days I'm going to buy a lighter canoe. (Though I'm = kind of=20 fond of my old Chestnuts.) Anyway, there were a number=20 of <STRONG>Hermit Thrushes</STRONG> singing and = <STRONG>ruffed=20 grouse</STRONG> drumming along the road which kept me distracted until I = reached=20 the lake, which was a pleasant woodland little lake, less than 800 m to=20 circumnavigate. <STRONG>Peepers</STRONG> were peeping. There=20 were five <STRONG>black ducks</STRONG> on the pond and=20 <STRONG>black-capped chickadees</STRONG> in the evergreens. The=20 real birding highlight was a male <STRONG>hooded = merganser</STRONG>=20 that landed on the lake while I was preparing to sling my canoe on my = back and=20 head home. The sun was just coming up by that point and it was a = splendid sight=20 to see its erect hood in this sharp, low-angle light. There was also a=20 <STRONG>red-winged blackbird</STRONG> singing in the stillwater beside = the road=20 on the walk out, and I stopped watched him chat for a while too. I got = home in=20 plenty of time to hand the car back over to my family for their = various=20 activities and then bike the 13 km to work in Kentville.</FONT></DIV> <DIV><FONT size=3D2></FONT> </DIV> <DIV><FONT size=3D2>LAST FRIDAY: CORNWALLIS RIVER</FONT></DIV> <DIV><FONT size=3D2></FONT> </DIV> <DIV><FONT size=3D2>I should also report that Gary Dunfield and I = escaped the=20 printshop for a few hours on Friday and ran the Cornwallis River from = South=20 Bishop Road to behind the old roundhouse in downtown Kentville. There = was a lot=20 of water after the heavy rains mid-week. The top part of the run was = twisty and=20 quick. In the lower part, we were able to skip many of the meanders due = to the=20 flooding which turned what would normally be a 15 km run into a 13 = km one.=20 There were innumerable ducks, mostly <STRONG>black ducks</STRONG> and=20 <STRONG>mallards,</STRONG> though we also saw a pair (M&F) of = <STRONG>wood=20 ducks</STRONG> on the upper part. Just after passing under Highway 101, = we=20 pulled into a quiet backwater to watch a muskrat grooming and discovered = a dozen=20 or so good sized <STRONG>eastern painted turtles</STRONG> sunning = themselves. We=20 saw a couple of <STRONG>muskrats,</STRONG> but no sign of beaver at work = at all.=20 We also saw what I believe was a <STRONG>pectoral = sandpiper,</STRONG>=20 a small flock of <STRONG>tree swallows,</STRONG> and a <STRONG>bald=20 eagle.</STRONG> <STRONG>Chickadees,</STRONG> <STRONG>ringed-neck=20 pheasants,</STRONG> and <STRONG>song sparrows</STRONG> were frequently = heard.=20 The <STRONG>silver maples</STRONG> that line some sections of the river = were in=20 bud.</FONT></DIV> <DIV><FONT size=3D2></FONT> </DIV> <DIV><FONT size=3D2>Well, that's enough out of me.</FONT></DIV> <DIV><FONT size=3D2></FONT> </DIV> <DIV><FONT size=3D2>Andrew Steeves</FONT></DIV> <DIV><FONT size=3D2>Wolfville, NS</FONT></DIV></BODY></HTML> ------=_NextPart_000_0305_01C9C842.64C66490--
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