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--Boundary_(ID_Pjr4QVg1aHvFC+pdaGMfcA) Content-type: text/plain; CHARSET=US-ASCII; delsp=yes; format=flowed Content-transfer-encoding: 7BIT APR. 25, 2010 - NOVA SCOTIA BIRD SOCIETY/BLOMIDON NATURALISTS SOCIETY FIELD TRIP for birds of eastern King's County, led by myself. Our day started out not so good, with early morning showers. But the field trip stayed dry, with the day gradually brightening and then in mid-afternoon becoming Sunny and clear and fairly warm (16 C.). (Participants included Helen Archibald, Luke Berrigan from Acadia Univ. Biology, David and ?? Burton from Wolfville, Patricia Chalmers, Guan ?? from China, ?? Jordan from west of Gaspereau, Patrick Kelly from Falmouth, Chris Pepper from Halifax?, Clarence Stevens Sr. & Clarence Stevens Jr. of Halifax, plus Liz Doull and several neighbours and relatives of Bernard Forsythe just for the "owl show".) We had about 25 people for the first part at the home of Bernard Forsythe on Wolfville Ridge. Bernard thinks the female barred owl of his back-yard pair is a relatively new replacement for a road-killed owl about three years ago. For the past two years this pair laid no eggs, but this year they have produced two, the first of which came on March 24. First we located the perched male of this pair, in a tall spruce right next to the trunk, and everyone got good looks at him. Then Bernard put on his crash-helmet and used a ladder to get up to the nest-box. He tapped gently on the box, and the female emerged, paused very briefly in the entrance-hole, then flew off a short distance and perched in a deciduous tree. One woman who was with us got some very nice photos of the female leaving the box. And this year the female owl did not attack Bernard (this time). Bernard reached into the box and pulled out a very tiny hatchling barred owl that was covered in whitish down. He held it up for us to see with binoculars. He said the hatchling was only one day old, so that makes the incubation period for that first egg about 31 days. He also said that prey items in the nest-box were two meadow voles and a song sparrow. And later he told us about how opportunistic barred owls are in their dietary choices (which vary from small snowshoe hares and other smaller mammals through various birds, salamanders and frogs, various fishes, to beetles, earthworms, etc. Bernard had a road-killed red squirrel as a food offering for the owls, but this time they did not take it from his feeding platform. They are used to being fed in the evening, from winter to when the baby owls get fledged in mid-summer. We heard the owls calling a bit when we left the back yard, plus a crow that was undoubtedly harassing the male? Bernard told us the story of one of his nest-boxes being very old and having rotted to the point that it fell to the ground. That same day Bernard checked it and found a single unbroken egg plus several barred owl feathers, so he thinks the owl was in the box with the egg when it fell. He saved the egg, then went home and built a new box, and put it up where the old one fell. A later check revealed two more eggs plus the one he saved, and incubation continues there. In Bernard's yard someone heard or saw a purple finch, and there were also bright goldfinches, chickadees, mourning doves, etc. (rest of report will be sent separately, because rather long -- sorry) Cheers from Jim in Wolfville --Boundary_(ID_Pjr4QVg1aHvFC+pdaGMfcA) 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"Helvetica" size=3D"3" style=3D"font: 12.0px Helvetica"><b>APR. = 25, 2010</b> - <b>NOVA SCOTIA BIRD SOCIETY/BLOMIDON NATURALISTS = SOCIETY FIELD TRIP </b>for birds of eastern King's County, led by = myself.</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">Our day started out not so good, with early morning = showers. But the field trip stayed dry, with the day gradually = brightening and then in mid-afternoon becoming Sunny and clear and = fairly warm (16 C.).</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">(Participants included Helen Archibald, Luke Berrigan = from Acadia Univ. Biology, David and ?? Burton from Wolfville, Patricia = Chalmers, Guan ?? from China, ?? Jordan from west of Gaspereau, Patrick = Kelly from Falmouth, Chris Pepper from Halifax?, Clarence Stevens Sr. = & Clarence Stevens Jr. of Halifax, plus Liz Doull and several = neighbours and relatives of Bernard Forsythe just for the "owl = show".)</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">We had about 25 people for the first part at the home = of <b>Bernard Forsythe</b> on Wolfville Ridge. Bernard thinks the = female <b>barred owl</b> of his back-yard pair is a relatively new = replacement for a road-killed owl about three years ago. For the = past two years this pair laid no eggs, but this year they have produced = two, the first of which came on March 24.</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">First we = located the perched male of this pair, in a tall spruce right next to = the trunk, and everyone got good looks at him. Then Bernard put on = his crash-helmet and used a ladder to get up to the nest-box. He = tapped gently on the box, and the female emerged, paused very briefly in = the entrance-hole, then flew off a short distance and perched in a = deciduous tree. One woman who was with us got some very nice = photos of the female leaving the box. And this year the female owl = did not attack Bernard (this time). </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">Bernard = reached into the box and pulled out a very<b> tiny hatchling barred owl = </b>that was covered in whitish down. He held it up for us to see = with binoculars. He said the hatchling was only one day old, so = that makes the incubation period for that first egg about 31 = days.</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">He also said that <b>prey items</b> in the nest-box = were two meadow voles and a song sparrow. And later he told us = about how opportunistic barred owls are in their dietary choices (which = vary from small snowshoe hares and other smaller mammals through various = birds, salamanders and frogs, various fishes, to beetles, earthworms, = etc.</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">Bernard had a road-killed red squirrel as a food = offering for the owls, but this time they did not take it from his = feeding platform. They are used to being fed in the evening, from = winter to when the baby owls get fledged in mid-summer.</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">We heard = the owls calling a bit when we left the back yard, plus a crow that was = undoubtedly harassing the male?</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">Bernard told us the story = of<b> one of his nest-boxes</b> being <b>very old</b> and having = <b>rotted</b> to the point that it <b>fell to the ground</b>. That = same day Bernard checked it and found a single unbroken egg plus several = barred owl feathers, so he thinks the owl was in the box with the egg = when it fell. He saved the egg, then went home and <b>built a new = box, and</b> put it up where the old one fell. A later check = revealed two more eggs plus the one he saved, and incubation continues = there.</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 Bernard's yard someone heard or saw a <b>purple = finch,</b> and there were also bright goldfinches, chickadees, mourning = doves, etc.</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">(rest of report will be sent separately, because = rather long -- sorry)</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">Cheers from Jim in Wolfville</font></div> </body></html>= --Boundary_(ID_Pjr4QVg1aHvFC+pdaGMfcA)--
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