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--Boundary_(ID_OnO0LCjUBrX0MgcAteFW5g) Content-type: text/plain; CHARSET=US-ASCII; delsp=yes; format=flowed Content-transfer-encoding: 7BIT AUG. 2, 2010 - "COTTON" is blowing around in the air in our neighborhood, and elsewhere in Wolfville. I'm pretty sure it is the dispersing seeds of tall alien poplars, either Carolina poplars and/ or balsam poplars, some of which are in our neighborhood and along Westwood Ave. on the edge of the Botanical Gardens and scattered elsewhere in town. I checked Evangeline Beach for shorebirds in late afternoon, on a day of a very low high tide at about 6:30 p.m. (tidal amplitude very small). At about 4:30 p.m. Bob and Joan Bearne told me that yesterday was the first day of very big flocks of shorebirds, with just small flocks before yesterday. Also a peregrine falcon perched on one of their trees just before I got there. I drove to The Guzzle and mingled with the 8-10 striped bass fishers. There were small numbers of least sandpipers there near them, perhaps 50 in total. Apparently striped bass were few and far between, and I saw a very small one caught and thrown back. One fisher told me that perhaps two weeks ago? there was a stranded harbour porpoise (identification just probable from description and size). Of more interest was that another fisher said he was one of seven who saw a white beluga whale off Blue Beach at high tide last Wednesday, July 28/10. He said the beluga often "breached" to show its back, and it was pure white. At 5 p.m. I and a few other people saw a very impressive flying flock of "peeps" (small shorebirds, undoubtedly mostly semipalmated sandpipers) well out over the water, estimated to contain 3500 birds; this flock flew mainly from east toward the west. I also saw a merlin (hunting the least sandpipers, but outcome not seen) and a peregrine falcon, the latter not hunting and flying east from the Guzzle toward Boot Island. In Wolfville at 5:30 p.m. at the town wharf park, high in the air were 75+ gulls that were very probably foraging on flying insects (my guess would be on flying ants, although I didn't see any). I'm not sure what kind of gulls they were, but my guess was mainly ring- billed gulls, and at least a few were herring gulls. At 5:45 p.m. (high tide) in Wolfville Harbour, I checked for roosting shorebirds on the rocks along the railroad tracks, and found about 20 willets, 10 greater yellowlegs, and 4 dowitchers (very prob. short- billed). I didn't see any definite lesser yellowlegs, but a few could have been present. Cheers from Jim in Wolfville --Boundary_(ID_OnO0LCjUBrX0MgcAteFW5g) 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"Arial" size=3D"5" style=3D"font: 17.3px Arial"><b>AUG. 2, = 2010</b> - <b>"COTTON"</b> is blowing around in the air in our = neighborhood, and elsewhere in Wolfville. I'm pretty sure it is = the dispersing <b>seeds of</b> tall alien poplars, either <b>Carolina = poplars and/or balsam poplars</b>, some of which are in our neighborhood = and along Westwood Ave. on the edge of the Botanical Gardens and = scattered elsewhere in town.</font></div><div style=3D"margin-top: 0px; = margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; font: normal = normal normal 17.3px/normal Arial; min-height: 21px; "><br></div><div = style=3D"margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; = margin-left: 0px; "><font face=3D"Arial" size=3D"5" style=3D"font: = 17.3px Arial"> I checked <b>Evangeline Beach for shorebirds</b> in = late afternoon, on a day of a very low high tide at about 6:30 p.m. = (tidal amplitude very small). At about 4:30 p.m. Bob and Joan = Bearne told me that <b>yesterday </b>was the <b>first day of very big = flocks</b> of shorebirds, with just small flocks before yesterday. = Also a <b>peregrine</b> falcon perched on one of their trees just before = I got there.</font></div><div style=3D"margin-top: 0px; margin-right: = 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; font: normal normal normal = 17.3px/normal Arial; min-height: 21px; "><br></div><div = style=3D"margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; = margin-left: 0px; "><font face=3D"Arial" size=3D"5" style=3D"font: = 17.3px Arial">I drove to The Guzzle and mingled with the 8-10 striped = bass fishers. There were small numbers of <b>least sandpipers</b> = there near them, perhaps 50 in total. Apparently striped bass were = few and far between, and I saw a very small one caught and thrown back. = </font></div><div style=3D"margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; = margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; font: normal normal normal = 17.3px/normal Arial; min-height: 21px; "><br></div><div = style=3D"margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; = margin-left: 0px; "><font face=3D"Arial" size=3D"5" style=3D"font: = 17.3px Arial">One fisher told me that perhaps two weeks ago? there was a = <b>stranded harbour porpoise</b> (identification just probable from = description and size). Of more interest was that another fisher = said he was one of seven who saw a <b>white beluga whale off Blue = Beach</b> at high tide last Wednesday, <b>July 28/10</b>. He said = the beluga often "breached" to show its back, and it was pure = white.</font></div><div style=3D"margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; = margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; font: normal normal normal = 17.3px/normal Arial; min-height: 21px; "><br></div><div = style=3D"margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; = margin-left: 0px; "><font face=3D"Arial" size=3D"5" style=3D"font: = 17.3px Arial">At 5 p.m. I and a few other people saw a very impressive = flying flock of "peeps" (small shorebirds, undoubtedly mostly = semipalmated sandpipers) well out over the water, estimated to contain = 3500 birds; this flock flew mainly from east toward the = west.</font></div><div style=3D"margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; = margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; font: normal normal normal = 17.3px/normal Arial; min-height: 21px; "><br></div><div = style=3D"margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; = margin-left: 0px; "><font face=3D"Arial" size=3D"5" style=3D"font: = 17.3px Arial">I also saw a <b>merlin</b> (hunting the least sandpipers, = but outcome not seen) and a <b>peregrine falcon</b>, the latter not = hunting and flying east from the Guzzle toward Boot = Island.</font></div><div style=3D"margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; = margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; font: normal normal normal = 17.3px/normal Arial; min-height: 21px; "><br></div><div = style=3D"margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; = margin-left: 0px; "><font face=3D"Arial" size=3D"5" style=3D"font: = 17.3px Arial">In Wolfville at 5:30 p.m. at the town wharf park, high in = the air were <b>75+ gulls that were very probably foraging on = flying insects</b> (my guess would be on flying ants, although I didn't = see any). I'm not sure what kind of gulls they were, but my guess = was mainly ring-billed gulls, and at least a few were herring = gulls.</font></div><div style=3D"margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; = margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; font: normal normal normal = 17.3px/normal Arial; min-height: 21px; "><br></div><div = style=3D"margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; = margin-left: 0px; "><font face=3D"Arial" size=3D"5" style=3D"font: = 17.3px Arial">At 5:45 p.m. (high tide) in Wolfville Harbour, I checked = for roosting shorebirds on the rocks along the railroad tracks, and = found about <b>20 willets, 10 greater yellowlegs, and 4 dowitchers</b> = (very prob. short-billed). I didn't see any definite lesser = yellowlegs, but a few could have been present.</font></div><div = style=3D"margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; = margin-left: 0px; "><font face=3D"Arial" size=3D"5" style=3D"font: = 17.3px Arial"><br></font></div><div style=3D"margin-top: 0px; = margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; "><font = face=3D"Arial" size=3D"5" style=3D"font: 17.3px Arial">Cheers from Jim = in Wolfville </font></div><div><font face=3D"Arial" size=3D"5" = style=3D"font: 17.3px Arial"><br></font></div> </body></html>= --Boundary_(ID_OnO0LCjUBrX0MgcAteFW5g)--
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