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--Boundary_(ID_JUZU31RQezxhQVqdz8djTw) Content-type: text/plain; CHARSET=US-ASCII; delsp=yes; format=flowed Content-transfer-encoding: 7BIT APR. 25, 2010 - (part 2 of) NOVA SCOTIA BIRD SOCIETY/BLOMIDON NATURALISTS SOCIETY FIELD TRIP for birds of eastern King's County, led by myself. After the "owl show", about 20 of us caravanned through Port Williams out to Starr's Point to Van Nostrand's Pond, where we all did a walk around the ponds. We were pleased to see about 5 yellow-rumped or myrtle warblers actively fly-catching and ignoring our pishing along the south edge of the ponds, in the flowering willows. Waterfowl were mostly absent (2 green-winged teals, 1 mallard), but highlights included a merlin, a female red-winged blackbird, a swamp sparrow and a kingfisher heard by Patricia Chalmers, and a male bullfrog seen. Then we drove across Wellington Dyke dykelands, and we flushed a group of 12 ravens (very probably yearlings and non-breeders) from a manure pile. They flew east to the main dyke, where there was a bald eagle, and we could see a distant big eagle nest on the bank of the mouth of the Canard River, southeast of where we were on the road. Along Canard St., we saw a medium-sized residential wind turbine, an active raven nest in a red maple along the road, and an active bald eagle nest in a deciduous tree (with 2 adults on it)(I wondered if they have tiny eaglets now), on our way to our lunch-stop at the home of Helen and Fred Archibald (just east of the flashing light at "Jawbone Corner" (Canard Rd. & Hwy. 358). Beyond the eagle nest Clarence and Clarence could see at least 3 flying eagles, and 2 of them were"shadow flying"? in formation together, but my poor eyes saw only tiny specks in the sky. In and near the the Archibalds' yard, nest-building house sparrows and robins were detected. Next was Canard Pond, which was a disaster -- I'll blame myself for not telling everyone how to approach this pond: with multiple cars, it's imperative for everyone to get bumper-to-bumper and stay inside the cars!! As it was, Pat Kelly and I in the lead car saw some good ducks, which flew from the south shore to the north edge, but then they all flushed and flew away as soon as a few people got out of their cars. So we stood around and gawked at almost nothing. About four of us saw perhaps 20 green-winged teals, 7 Am. wigeons, 1 male gadwall, plus several black ducks and a few mallards. Next we drove north on Fred Thomas Road and encountered three large flocks of gulls. I made a short unsuccessful attempt to find a lesser black-backed gull, but in a larger flock the two Clarences were successful in finding at least one LBBG. Also present there predictably were ravens and an immature bald eagle, but I don't know what the attraction is there for them. The caravan of about six cars drove via Saxon St. to the Canning Aboiteau. There were 10 Canada geese in the Habitant River (and 20 more along in river in Canning). Patricia and Luke spotted a singing Savannah sparrow for us too. In Canning along the river at the Legion we saw a single greater yellowlegs and about 5 cedar waxwings, plus house sparrows in nest- cavities in buildings. Our final group stop was at Harris' Pond behind the Baptist Church in Canning. We saw at least 12 basking painted turtles, a single yellow- rumped warbler, a flicker (which may have been excaving a cavity in a dead stump?), a single unidentified swallow, and only a few of us saw a lovely male wood duck fly in and land on the far side of the pond and quickly disappear into shoreline plants. Finally Pat Kelly spotted a perched and basking Milbert's tortoiseshell butterfly. Pat Kelly & I checked the Wolfville Harbour mud with the tide out in late afternoon, but we couldn't see or hear any willets or yellowlegs. Thanks very much to Bernard Forsythe for his generous sharing of his barred owls with us, and to Helen and Fred Archibald for the donation of their home for our lunch and rest stop. ------------------- Cheers from Jim in Wolfville --Boundary_(ID_JUZU31RQezxhQVqdz8djTw) 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> - (part 2 of) <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">After the "owl show", about 20 of us caravanned = through Port Williams out to Starr's Point to<b> Van Nostrand's = Pond</b>, where we all did a walk around the ponds. We were = pleased to see about 5 <b>yellow-rumped or myrtle warblers</b> actively = fly-catching and ignoring our pishing along the south edge of the ponds, = in the flowering willows. Waterfowl were mostly absent (2 = green-winged teals, 1 mallard), but highlights included a <b>merlin</b>, = a <b>female red-winged blackbird</b>, a <b>swamp sparrow</b> and a = <b>kingfisher </b>heard by Patricia Chalmers, and a male <b>bullfrog</b> = seen. </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">Then we drove across <b>Wellington Dyke </b>dykelands, = and we flushed a group of <b>12 ravens </b>(very probably yearlings and = non-breeders) from a manure pile. They flew east to the main dyke, = where there was a bald eagle, and we could see a distant big <b>eagle = nest </b>on the bank of the mouth of the Canard River, southeast of = where we were on the road.</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">Along <b>Canard St.</b>, we saw a medium-sized = residential <b>wind turbine</b>, an active <b>raven nest </b>in a red = maple along the road, and an active <b>bald eagle nest </b>in a = deciduous tree<b> </b>(with 2 adults on it)(I wondered if they have tiny = eaglets now), on our way to our lunch-stop at the home of Helen and Fred = Archibald (just east of the flashing light at "Jawbone Corner" (Canard = Rd. & Hwy. 358).</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">Beyond the eagle nest Clarence and Clarence could see = at least 3<b> flying eagles</b>, and 2 of them were<b>"shadow = flying"?</b> in formation together, but my poor eyes saw only tiny = specks in the sky. </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 and near the the Archibalds' yard, nest-building = <b>house sparrows</b> and <b>robins </b>were detected.</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">Next was = <b>Canard Pond</b>, which was a <b>disaster </b>-- I'll blame myself for = not telling everyone how to approach this pond: with multiple cars, it's = imperative for everyone to get bumper-to-bumper and stay inside the = cars!! As it was, Pat Kelly and I in the lead car saw some good = ducks, which flew from the south shore to the north edge, but then they = all flushed and flew away as soon as a few people got out of their = cars. So we stood around and gawked at almost nothing. About = four of us saw perhaps 20 <b>green-winged teals</b>, 7 <b>Am. = wigeons</b>, 1 male <b>gadwall</b>, plus several <b>black ducks</b> and = a few <b>mallards</b>.</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">Next we drove north on <b>Fred Thomas Road</b> and = encountered three large flocks of <b>gulls</b>. I made a short = unsuccessful attempt to find a <b>lesser black-backed gull</b>, but in a = larger flock the two Clarences were successful in finding at least one = LBBG. Also present there predictably were<b> ravens </b>and an = immature<b> bald eagle</b>, but I don't know what the attraction is = there for them.</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">The caravan of about six cars drove via Saxon St. to = the <b>Canning Aboiteau.</b> There were 10 <b>Canada geese </b>in = the Habitant River (and 20 more along in river in Canning). = Patricia and Luke spotted a singing <b>Savannah sparrow</b> for us = too.</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 Canning along the river at the Legion we saw a = single <b>greater yellowlegs</b> and about 5 <b>cedar waxwings</b>, = plus<b> house sparrows</b> in nest-cavities in = buildings.</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 final group stop was at <b>Harris' Pond</b> behind = the Baptist Church in Canning. We saw at least 12 basking<b> = painted turtles</b>, a single <b>yellow-rumped warbler,</b> a <b>flicker = </b>(which may have been excaving a cavity in a dead stump?), a single = unidentified <b>swallow</b>, and only a few of us saw a lovely male<b> = wood duck</b> fly in and land on the far side of the pond and quickly = disappear into shoreline plants. Finally Pat Kelly spotted a = perched and basking <b>Milbert's tortoiseshell</b> = butterfly. </font></div><div style=3D"margin-top: 0px; = margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; = "><br></div><div style=3D"margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; = margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; "><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">Pat Kelly = & I checked the <b>Wolfville Harbour</b> mud with the tide out in = late afternoon, but we couldn't see or hear any willets or = yellowlegs. </font></div></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"><b>Thanks very much to Bernard Forsythe</b> for his = generous sharing of his barred owls with us, <b>and to Helen and Fred = Archibald</b> for the donation of their home for our lunch and rest = stop.</font></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">-------------------</font></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><div><br></div> </body></html>= --Boundary_(ID_JUZU31RQezxhQVqdz8djTw)--
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