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--Boundary_(ID_RmX1Uw9xnv41zGXfRVjtfQ) Content-type: text/plain; CHARSET=US-ASCII; delsp=yes; format=flowed Content-transfer-encoding: 7BIT MAY 1, 2010 - 2 film photos of the occupied bald eagle nest in Evangeline Campground, north Grand Pre (Long Island). Adult eagle there was tending something in the nest, and I think she? was feeding babies? and perhaps herself, but I couldn't see what the food was. On Boot Island I could not see any definite bald eagle nest, but there was one adult eagle visible. Speaking of Boot Island, I just got the Can. Wildlife Service report from their survey of colonially nesting birds there in 2008 (survey done May 15/10): there were 243 nests of double-crested cormorants, 52 great blue heron nests, 998 great black-backed gull nests, and only 13 herring gull nests. CWS has also been surveying erosional loss of the seaward part of the island for a long time, and on 8 transect lines the losses per year vary from 0.7 to 1.3 metres per year -- the average is about 1 metre per year. Hundreds of young spruces are being planted, and this will be continued, but CWS predicts that all sizable trees will be lost before any planted trees will be suitable for nesting. The report has several nice photos and historical information. Other birds observed on May 15/10 included 1 merlin, 14 dunlins, 24 purple sandpipers, 1 lesser yellowlegs, an active bald eagle nest on top of a spruce (1 nestling present). Also a lot of evidence of mink was found near the eagle nest, and CWS suspects that mink are responsible for a lot of egg losses in ground nests of gulls. One gull nest was in a spruce tree. I checked the bald eagle nest that is obvious southeast of the Eye Road junction with Highway 1 (just east of Wolfville): the female eagle was on the nest rim, and I could see at least one large gray downy eaglet squirming in the nest; also there were two small birds flying from and to the lower parts of the nest -- presumably these were house sparrows? that are nesting? among the branches/twigs that make up the lower part of the nest. Highway 101 west of Wolfville: at one spot there were 2 road-killed carcasses together: a woodchuck/groundhog and a small raccoon -- I wondered if the raccoon had been scavenging on the woodchuck perhaps? I checked another known bald eagle nesting location northeast of Berwick and northwest of Waterville. (The nest was on the former pig farm of Mitch Visser; last year a neighbour of his told me he raises mink now. A sign in front of the barn near Mitch's home says "Greener Pastures".) This year the nest that has been used for many years is empty but still present and very large. I discovered a new and occupied nest about 150 metres east and a bit north of the former nest. Both nests are in pines. While I watched, the female? eagle was in incubation or brooding position in the nest. I took one film photo of the nest. Mitch Visser lives on a gravel road called "Parker Condon", which is south of Grafton. The new nesting tree is directly south of his house and very visible from his road. One more film photo of weird plant formation high in a red oak? tree, on the northwest corner of Blair Road and Black Rock Road, n. of Waterville. The weird growth is an upward-pointing "witch's broom". Is this some sort of disease or parasitic plant? Finally, a chipping sparrow was present and singing very loudly. I drove west to Clairmont Provincial Park, which is along Hwy. 1 6.3 km. west of Aylesford. This picnic park is forested (mostly pines) and big enough for nice walks, despite the proximity to two highways. This is where Nancy Nickerson et al. have seen up to 3 gray squirrels in the past, but I didn't see a single squirrel today. As I reported earlier, shadbush now is conspicuous everywhere by its blooming. Also japonica bushes are now in bloom in residential yards. Pussy-toes were flowering in the park, and lowbush blueberry will soon be blooming. In the park there were lots of whites (butterflies), and several that were checked were all mustard whites. I also saw a single tiny brown butterfly that I guess must have been an unidentified elfin? Black flies were abundant (good for the several yellow-rumped warblers) but were not biting -- all males? An eastern phoebe was singing loudly, but not seen. ------------------------ Robie Tufts Nature Centre in Wolfville at dusk. (It's time for the earliest chimney swifts, especially this year with everything early.) It was a nice Sunset/dusk, with clear sky, warm at 13 C., and I watched from 8:08 to 8:50 p.m. (Sunset was about 8:16 or so). No swifts seen. MAY 3, 2010 - At least one WILLET was on the Wolfville Harbour mud in early afternoon. Cheers from Jim in Wolfville --Boundary_(ID_RmX1Uw9xnv41zGXfRVjtfQ) 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>MAY 1, = 2010</b> - 2 film <b>photos</b> of the occupied <b>bald eagle nest</b> = in Evangeline Campground, north Grand Pre (Long Island). Adult = eagle there was tending something in the nest, and I think she? was = <b>feeding babies?</b> and perhaps herself, but I couldn't see what the = food was.</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">On <b>Boot Island</b> I could not see any definite = bald eagle nest, but there was one adult eagle visible.</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">Speaking = of <b>Boot Island</b>, I just got the Can. Wildlife Service report from = their survey of <b>colonially nesting birds</b> there in <b>2008</b> = (survey done May 15/10): there were<b> 243 nests of double-crested = cormorants, 52 great blue heron nests, 998 great black-backed gull = nests, and only 13 herring gull nests. </b>CWS has also been = surveying erosional loss of the seaward part of the island for a long = time, and on 8 transect lines the losses per year vary from 0.7 to 1.3 = metres per year -- the average is about 1 metre per year. Hundreds = of young spruces are being planted, and this will be continued, but CWS = predicts that all sizable trees will be lost before any planted trees = will be suitable for nesting. The report has several nice photos = and historical information. Other birds observed on May 15/10 = included 1 <b>merlin</b>, 14<b> dunlins</b>, 24 <b>purple = sandpipers</b>, 1<b> lesser yellowlegs</b>, an active <b>bald eagle nest = </b>on top of a spruce (1 nestling present). Also a lot of = <b>evidence of mink</b> was found near the eagle nest, and CWS suspects = that mink are responsible for a lot of egg losses in ground nests of = gulls. One gull nest was in a spruce tree.</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">I checked = the <b>bald eagle nest </b>that is obvious southeast of the <b>Eye Road = </b>junction with Highway 1 (just east of Wolfville): the female eagle = was on the nest rim, and I could see at least one <b>large gray downy = eaglet </b>squirming in the nest; also there were two <b>small birds = </b>flying from and to the lower parts of the nest -- presumably these = were <b>house sparrows?</b> that are <b>nesting?</b> among the = branches/twigs that make up the lower part of the nest.</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">Highway = 101 west of Wolfville: at one spot there were <b>2 road-killed carcasses = together: </b>a <b>woodchuck/groundhog and a small raccoon</b> -- I = wondered if the raccoon had been scavenging on the woodchuck = perhaps?</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">I checked another known <b>bald eagle nesting location = northeast of Berwick </b>and northwest of Waterville. (The nest = was on the former pig farm of Mitch Visser; last year a neighbour of his = told me he raises mink now. A sign in front of the barn near = Mitch's home says "Greener Pastures".) This year the nest that has = been used for many years is empty but still present and very = large. I discovered a<b> new and occupied nest </b>about 150 = metres east and a bit north of the former nest. Both nests are in = pines. While I watched, the female? eagle was in incubation or = brooding position in the nest. I took one film <b>photo</b> of the = nest. Mitch Visser lives on a gravel road called "Parker Condon", = which is south of Grafton. The new nesting tree is directly south = of his house and very visible from his 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">One more = film photo of <b>weird plant formation high in a red oak?</b> tree, on = the northwest corner of Blair Road and Black Rock Road, n. of = Waterville. The weird growth is an upward-pointing <b>"witch's = broom"</b>. Is this some sort of disease or parasitic = plant?</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">Finally, a <b>chipping sparrow</b> was present and = singing very loudly.</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">I drove west to <b>Clairmont Provincial Park</b>, = which is along Hwy. 1 6.3 km. west of Aylesford. This picnic park = is forested (mostly pines) and big enough for nice walks, despite the = proximity to two highways.<b> </b>This is where Nancy Nickerson et = al. have seen up to 3 <b>gray squirrels</b> in the past, but I didn't = see a single squirrel today. As I reported earlier, <b>shadbush = </b>now is conspicuous everywhere by its blooming. Also<b> = japonica bushes</b> are now in bloom in residential yards. <b> = Pussy-toes</b> were flowering in the park, and<b> lowbush blueberry</b> = will soon be blooming. </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 the park there were lots of <b>whites = (butterflies)</b>, and several that were checked were all <b>mustard = whites</b>. I also saw a single tiny brown butterfly that I guess = must have been an unidentified <b>elfin? Black flies</b> were = abundant (good for the several <b>yellow-rumped warblers</b>) but were = not biting -- all males?</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"><b> </b>An <b>eastern phoebe</b> was singing = loudly, but not seen.</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"><b>Robie = Tufts Nature Centre in Wolfville at dusk.</b> (It's time for the = earliest <b>chimney swifts</b>, especially this year with everything = early.) It was a nice Sunset/dusk, with clear sky, warm at 13 C., = and I watched from 8:08 to 8:50 p.m. (Sunset was about 8:16 or = so). <b> No swifts</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"><b>MAY 3, = 2010 </b>- At least one<b> WILLET</b> was on the Wolfville Harbour mud = in early afternoon. </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; ">Cheers from Jim in = Wolfville</div> </body></html>= --Boundary_(ID_RmX1Uw9xnv41zGXfRVjtfQ)--
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