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style=3D'font-size:11.0pt;font-family:Calibri;c I think there are some very distinct regional differences in this year's wild food supply. The spruce bark beetle, which I understand is native to Nova Scotia and normally kept in check by cold winters...) has created quite severe and rapid devastation in some parts of the province, in particular the east side of St Margarets Bay, (especially Seabright and Glen Margaret), where whole chunks of spruce forest have died off in the space of the last 2-3 years and also, I believe in parts of Antigonish County and Cape Breton. So cones for squirrels, for example, must be severely reduced or non existent in these areas. Eleanor Lindsay Seabright, St Margarets Bay Blake Maybank wrote: > 10 November 2009 > > Nothwithstanding the presence of some stellar bird rarities right now > (and certainly more to be discovered), I've heard concerns from > several observers across the province that the number of birds they > are accustomed to seeing at their feeders or on walks is way down. > And that is my impression as well. I have the usual resident species > at my feeders (chickadees, woodpeckers, nuthatches, doves, jays, > juncos and sparrows), but their numbers are low, and on walks in the > woods or coastline, the landbirds are in short supply. And I > suspect, though can't prove, that this is due to an absence of wild food. > > There are certainly very few berries around, and the berry production > this past summer was not aided by the poor weather, but the cone crop > is also poor, and there seems to be less grass and other seeds about. > > I'd be curious to learn the impressions of other observers across the > province. Is the wild food crop in poor shape? Do you think the > numbers of land birds is down over "normal" years? I suspect that > the Christmas Bird Counts will reveal a more clear picture, but they > are still more than one month away. > > What is the situation in your "neck of the woods"? > > Cheers, > > Blake > > > ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- > > Blake Maybank > maybank@ns.sympatico.ca > 902-852-2077 > > Editor, "Nova Scotia Birds" > http://nsbs.chebucto.org > > author, "Birding Sites of Nova Scotia" > http://tinyurl.com/birdingns > Downloadable Nova Scotia Maps for inside front and back covers: > http://tinyurl.com/mr627d > > White's Lake, Nova Scotia, Canada > ------------------------------------------------------------------------ > > > No virus found in this incoming message. > Checked by AVG - www.avg.com > Version: 9.0.704 / Virus Database: 270.14.59/2494 - Release Date: 11/10/09 03:38:00 > >
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