next message in archive
no next message in thread
previous message in archive
Index of Subjects
All: I've been showing a keen Australian colleagure birding around the region for a couple of days. Yesterday we went up the E. Shore as far as Three-fathom Hbr., looking for any possible storm-delivered seabirds, without success. The storm was not one to deliver either pelagics or coastal seabirds - we were on the wrong side for the former, and I don't believe it passed close enough to US E. Coast to scoop up terns and Laughing Gulls for example. I suspect the Least Tern came up on its own, as they sometimes do, maybe earlier. We then decided to go to the Mt. Uniacke Estate forest and had a glorious walk, but came only across three flocks of mixed warblers and other species, all of them seemingly gatherings of post-breeding local residents rather than stopover migrants - no Blackpolls, for example. Then we shot off to Kings Co. for raptors, shorebirds, gull flocks, etc. Again there seemed to be little movement of migrant warbler flocks, although we saw a few gatherings of presumed local birds. A highlight was the duo of graellsii LESSER BLACK-BACKED GULLS in the flock in a field W of the the Wolfville-Canning road just before reaching the Canard R. At visit to the end of the Scots Bay road (start of trail to Cape Split). A yodeling flock of 11 Common Loons just off the lookout there gave the most pleasure to my Antipodean birder. Several Ruby-throateds were at a feeder at last house and on nearby Jewelweed (Imaptiens capensis). There were also seedeaters busy at feeders. The home has a quite indcredible garden of huge, goreous lilies - worth a visit for them alone. I assume Kings Co. birders check out that site from time to time - looks like a good migrant/vagrant trap. Then home to Halifax. Today we decided against Hartlen Pt. (my colleague with running shoes) and went to Hans Toom's favoured haunts Portuguese Cove, Duncans Cove, and SandyCove road. Again, we were struck by the lack of much evidence of stopover migrants -Numbers of "Myrtle" warblers may well be local. Probable exceptions were a Red-eyed Vireo and a Wilson's Warbler at Sandy Cove and a Blackpoll at the foot of Waegwoltic Av., W. end Halifax. ALl in all the birding was rather paltry, but enjoyable. Nothing is like a keen visitor to take you to pleasant places you haven't been to for a while and to help you find that you can still i.d. most things pretty quickly.
next message in archive
no next message in thread
previous message in archive
Index of Subjects