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--0016363b9ee2b80c04048aa45a5f Content-Type: text/plain; charset=ISO-8859-1 All, Tony Miller and I had a very productive atlassing trip in the Cheticamp Flowage and points north into the Cape Breton Highlands National Park. Firstly, the north arm of the flowage ( http://maps.google.com/?ie=UTF8&hq=&hnear=Antigonish,+Antigonish+County,+Nova+Scotia,+Canada&ll=46.66063,-60.63612&spn=0.062559,0.110378&z=13) is an incredibly productive birding spot during breeding season, I can't think of many comparisons in this province. However, unless you walk around the flowage, which would very much restrict your birding, you have to have decent canoeing skills to contend with the vagaries of this large water body. Depending on the level of the flowage (human controlled), you can canoe up the stream feeding the flowage to a greater or lesser extent; this time, we got over a kilometre farther than we did in 1996...what a bonus when you've got several days' worth of gear! I have canoed across this flowage on three other occasions, and have always been impressed with the birds. Rusty Blackbirds were not uncommon and we got FY in two squares. Wilson's Snipe have always been easy to see here, but we did not get confirmations of breeding. Several species of duck were present, and we found a few ABDU and GWTE. A real pleasure was to find two broods of Common Goldeneye...the chicks were likely less than a week old. Sadly, unlike in 1996, we could not entice a response from either Boreal Owl or Northern Hawk Owl. However, the NHOW playback is an effective tool for enticing mobbing behaviour of small birds...redstarts were particularly attracted. We had several Bicknell's Thrushes, including a male singing later in the morning than expected. I used playback to entice both birds to come out. As I played the BOOW recording after dark though, BITH would respond - agitated? We had three sightings of Golden Eagle - all immatures, possibly all the same bird. One was about 2 km N of the north tip of the flowage (as mapped), and both Tony and I confirmed this ID; it ultimately flew off to the east. About 1 km south, another showed up, and I couldn't say that it was a different bird; finally, along the N arm of the Flowage itself, another showed up. Ageing is difficult for these birds, but I'm relatively confident they weren't young-of-the-year birds. Sadly then, I think I can only assign the sightings as X. Similarly, a juvenile Goshawk only got an X, but a second one south of the flowage was an adult and got an H. Although we walked through kilometres of bog and barren, we only heard one Greater Yellowlegs (H), though we did see one at the Flowage (X). Finally, Fox Sparrows were almost everywhere; and it was sure nice to see so many Wilson's Warblers - a species I almost only ever see on migration. _________________________________ RF Lauff Way in the boonies of Antigonish County, NS. --0016363b9ee2b80c04048aa45a5f Content-Type: text/html; charset=ISO-8859-1 Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable All,<div><br></div><div>Tony Miller and I had a very productive atlassing t= rip in the Cheticamp Flowage and points north into the Cape Breton Highland= s National Park.</div><div><br></div><div>Firstly, the north arm of the flo= wage (<a href=3D"http://maps.google.com/?ie=3DUTF8&hq=3D&hnear=3DAn= tigonish,+Antigonish+County,+Nova+Scotia,+Canada&ll=3D46.66063,-60.6361= 2&spn=3D0.062559,0.110378&z=3D13">http://maps.google.com/?ie=3DUTF8= &hq=3D&hnear=3DAntigonish,+Antigonish+County,+Nova+Scotia,+Canada&a= mp;ll=3D46.66063,-60.63612&spn=3D0.062559,0.110378&z=3D13</a>) is a= n incredibly productive birding spot during breeding season, I can't th= ink of many comparisons in this province. However, unless you walk around t= he flowage, which would very much restrict your birding, you have to have d= ecent canoeing skills to contend with the vagaries of this large water body= . Depending on the level of the flowage (human controlled), you can canoe u= p the stream feeding the flowage to a greater or lesser extent; this time, = we got over a kilometre farther than we did in 1996...what a bonus when you= 've got several days' worth of gear!</div> <div><br></div><div>I have canoed across this flowage on three other occasi= ons, and have always been impressed with the birds. Rusty Blackbirds were n= ot uncommon and we got FY in two squares. Wilson's Snipe have always be= en easy to see here, but we did not get confirmations of breeding. Several = species of duck were present, and we found a few ABDU and GWTE. A real plea= sure was to find two broods of Common Goldeneye...the chicks were likely le= ss than a week old.</div> <div><br></div><div>Sadly, unlike in 1996, we could not entice a response f= rom either Boreal Owl or Northern Hawk Owl. However, the NHOW playback is a= n effective tool for enticing mobbing behaviour of small birds...redstarts = were particularly attracted.</div> <div><br></div><div>We had several Bicknell's Thrushes, including a mal= e singing later in the morning than expected. I used playback to entice bot= h birds to come out. As I played the BOOW recording after dark though, BITH= would respond - agitated?</div> <div><br></div><div>We had three sightings of Golden Eagle - all immatures,= possibly all the same bird. One was about 2 km N of the north tip of the f= lowage (as mapped), and both Tony and I confirmed this ID; it ultimately fl= ew off to the east. About 1 km south, another showed up, and I couldn't= say that it was a different bird; finally, along the N arm of the Flowage = itself, another showed up.=A0Ageing=A0is difficult for these birds, but I&#= 39;m relatively confident they weren't young-of-the-year birds. Sadly t= hen, I think I can only assign the sightings as X.</div> <div><br></div><div>Similarly, a juvenile Goshawk only got an X, but a seco= nd one south of the flowage was an adult and got an H.</div><div><br></div>= <div>Although we walked through kilometres of bog and barren, we only heard= one Greater Yellowlegs (H), though we did see one at the Flowage (X).</div= > <div><br></div><div>Finally, Fox Sparrows were almost everywhere; and it wa= s sure nice to see so many Wilson's Warblers - a species I almost only = ever see on migration.</div><div><br clear=3D"all">________________________= _________<br> RF Lauff<br>Way in the boonies of<br>Antigonish County, NS.<br> </div> --0016363b9ee2b80c04048aa45a5f--