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--Boundary_(ID_2E+wZ2ItfTmV1w/MHke4Lg) Content-type: text/plain; charset=US-ASCII; delsp=yes; format=flowed Content-transfer-encoding: 7BIT AUGUST 8, 2009 - high tide time 3:08 p.m. (3 days after Full Moon) -- I arrived at Evangeline Beach at about 4:45 p.m., about 1.5 hrs. after high tide -- at the canteen shorebird viewing platform, I saw about 500 PEEPS in small flocks of 100 or less, flying about and landing and foraging as the tide began to ebb. Then I walked Evangeline Beach eastward from the Bearnes' cottage (Sandpiper Lane and Pheasant Road) from about 5:00 to 5:45 p.m., i.e. to about 2.5 hrs. after high tide, to where the trees end and salt- marsh begins. When I walked back at 5:45 p.m., about 6000 PEEPS had accumulated in a very long narrow line along the water line, feeding in the newly exposed mudflat. And more flocks of peeps were arriving, so that I didn't stay to see how many would accumulate. Semipalmated plovers were fairly abundant, perhaps totalling 300 or more. Some of the peeps were flying low over the water in both eastward and westward directions, but I think most of the feeding peeps had arrived from the east (but I don't really know that). AUGUST 9, 2009 - I'm writing this at high, high tide at 3:44 p.m./ 15:44, right after Pat & I came back from an interesting time with PEEP SHOREBIRDS at THE GUZZLE, which is the far northeastern point of the Grand Pre dykelands. The Guzzle itself is the narrow strip of open water (mud at low tide) that separates Long Island (no longer an island) from Boot Island just offshore to the east (where our d-cr cormorants, great blue herons, great black-backed and herring gulls, and a bald eagle nest). (Not to be confused with The Guzzle at Cape Sable Island.) We got there at about 2.5 hours before high tide and first checked the area where most of the striped bass fishers do their thing. As usual, there were about 25 very camouflaged/cryptic LEAST SANDPIPERS there among the rocks and sand on the highest sand behind the fishers. Then a tour group of birders from the U.S. showed up. We had our best show of shorebirds from the northernmost end of the main dyke that heads south to Hortonville along the mouth of the Gaspereau River where it joins the Minas Basin. At first we saw linear flocks of flying PEEPS, mostly heading eastward, but then wheeling around, some landing briefly near an isolated fisher couple just west of us, then taking off again in their migratory restlessness (when I took Ornithology back in the 1960s, we had to learn a German word for this restlessness called "Zughenrhue" (spelling?)(Germans, e.g. Sauer, did much of the early experimental work on bird migration). By one hour before high tide, the SHOW OF FLYING PEEPS got very good, with about 1500-2000 of them in one aerodynamic flock that twisted and turned, showed bellies and then backs, and split up and then rejoined, and briefly landed several times to form GRAY CARPETS of densely packed sandpipers (an occasional semipalmated plover was visible among them by size (large, long-winged) or by their black collar on land. Their roosting was rudely interrupted by a PEREGRINE FALCON that suddenly arrived "out of nowhere", scattered the peeps in all directions, and then after a single pass past them just flew off toward the west and out of sight south of the farm with the tall silos. Pat & I departed at about a half-hour before high tide. I predicted for the birders that the east end of Evangeline Beach would be a great spot to be at about 2 hours after high tide, when the tide would be noticeably ebbing and shorebird feeding there would be in high gear for about an hour. Cheers from Jim in Wolfville --Boundary_(ID_2E+wZ2ItfTmV1w/MHke4Lg) Content-type: text/html; charset=US-ASCII 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"3" style=3D"font: 12.0px Arial"><b>AUGUST 8, = 2009</b> - high tide time 3:08 p.m. (3 days after Full Moon) -- I = arrived at <b>Evangeline Beach</b> at about 4:45 p.m., about 1.5 hrs. = after high tide -- at the canteen shorebird viewing platform, I saw = about <b>500 PEEPS</b> in small flocks of 100 or less, flying about and = landing and foraging as the tide began to ebb.</font></div><div = style=3D"margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; = margin-left: 0px; font: normal normal normal 12px/normal Arial; = min-height: 14px; "><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: 12.0px Arial">Then I walked = Evangeline Beach eastward from the Bearnes' cottage (Sandpiper Lane and = Pheasant Road) from about 5:00 to 5:45 p.m., i.e. to about 2.5 hrs. = after high tide, to where the trees end and salt-marsh begins. = When I walked back at 5:45 p.m., about <b>6000 PEEPS</b> had accumulated = in a very long narrow line along the water line, feeding in the newly = exposed mudflat. And more flocks of peeps were arriving, so that I = didn't stay to see how many would accumulate. Semipalmated plovers = were fairly abundant, perhaps totalling 300 or more. Some of the = peeps were flying low over the water in both eastward and westward = directions, but I think most of the feeding peeps had arrived from the = east (but I don't really know that).</font></div><div style=3D"margin-top:= 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; font: = normal normal normal 12px/normal Arial; min-height: 14px; "><b><span = class=3D"Apple-style-span" style=3D"font-weight: = normal;"><br></span></b></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: 12.0px Arial"><b>AUGUST 9, = 2009</b> - I'm writing this at high, high tide at 3:44 p.m./15:44, right = after Pat & I came back from an interesting time with <b>PEEP = SHOREBIRDS at THE GUZZLE</b>, which is the far northeastern point of the = Grand Pre dykelands. The Guzzle itself is the narrow strip of open = water (mud at low tide) that separates Long Island (no longer an island) = from Boot Island just offshore to the east (where our d-cr cormorants, = great blue herons, great black-backed and herring gulls, and a bald = eagle nest). (Not to be confused with The Guzzle at Cape Sable = Island.)</font></div><div style=3D"margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; = margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; font: normal normal normal = 12px/normal Arial; min-height: 14px; "><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: 12.0px Arial">We got there at = about 2.5 hours before high tide and first checked the area where most = of the striped bass fishers do their thing. As usual, there were = about 25 very camouflaged/cryptic <b>LEAST SANDPIPERS </b>there among = the rocks and sand on the highest sand behind the fishers. Then a = tour group of birders from the U.S. showed up. </font></div><div = style=3D"margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; = margin-left: 0px; font: normal normal normal 12px/normal Arial; = min-height: 14px; "><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: 12.0px Arial">We had our best = show of shorebirds from the northernmost end of the main dyke that heads = south to Hortonville along the mouth of the Gaspereau River where it = joins the Minas Basin. At first we saw linear flocks of flying = PEEPS, mostly heading eastward, but then wheeling around, some landing = briefly near an isolated fisher couple just west of us, then taking off = again in their migratory restlessness (when I took Ornithology back in = the 1960s, we had to learn a German word for this restlessness called = "Zughenrhue" (spelling?)(Germans, e.g. Sauer, did much of the early = experimental work on bird migration).</font></div><div = style=3D"margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; = margin-left: 0px; font: normal normal normal 12px/normal Arial; = min-height: 14px; "><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: 12.0px Arial">By one hour = before high tide, the <b>SHOW OF FLYING PEEPS</b> got very good, with = about 1500-2000 of them in one aerodynamic flock that twisted and = turned, showed bellies and then backs, and split up and then rejoined, = and briefly landed several times to form <b>GRAY CARPETS</b> of densely = packed sandpipers (an occasional semipalmated plover was visible among = them by size (large, long-winged) or by their black collar on = land.</font></div><div style=3D"margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; = margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; font: normal normal normal = 12px/normal Arial; min-height: 14px; "><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: 12.0px Arial">Their roosting = was rudely interrupted by a <b>PEREGRINE FALCON</b> that suddenly = arrived "out of nowhere", scattered the peeps in all directions, and = then after a single pass past them just flew off toward the west and out = of sight south of the farm with the tall silos.</font></div><div = style=3D"margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; = margin-left: 0px; font: normal normal normal 12px/normal Arial; = min-height: 14px; "><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: 12.0px Arial">Pat & I = departed at about a half-hour before high tide. I predicted for = the birders that the east end of Evangeline Beach would be a great spot = to be at about 2 hours after high tide, when the tide would be = noticeably ebbing and shorebird feeding there would be in high gear for = about an hour.</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"><br></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">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 Arial; min-height: 14px; "><br></div> </body></html>= --Boundary_(ID_2E+wZ2ItfTmV1w/MHke4Lg)--
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