next message in archive
no next message in thread
previous message in archive
Index of Subjects
--Boundary_(ID_hZeHqy/Mp8ub1b7xjPdZfA) Content-type: text/plain; CHARSET=US-ASCII; delsp=yes; format=flowed Content-transfer-encoding: 7BIT AUG. 11, 2010 - I visited Evangeline Beach twice today, first before high tide and then 2.5 hours after high tide, to look for flocks of peeps/small shorebirds etc. I saw 4000+ peeps on both occasions, possibly as many as 6000 (guesstimate). I started at The Guzzle 2 hours before high tide -- h.t. was at 2:24 p.m. today. Nothing was happening as I sat at The Guzzle for a half- hour, except that black swallowtails and wood nymph butterflies were active, plus cabbage whites and lots of grasshoppers etc. I only saw one small flock of peeps (30), but then well to the west I could see a "gray carpet" roost of peeps on the beach to the west of Jean Merks' home (well east of the Bearnes' cottage). So I drove to the Merks home (I have access there) and talked with Jean and with Peter Jackson, while we watched the comings and goings of the roosting peeps just to the west. These 4000+ peeps were frequently taking off and flying over the water and gyrating in aerobatics with splitting and joining of flocks, and then landing back now on the big imported boulders that have been trucked and dumped there to stop shoreline erosion (this invites endless discussion of what is best here for everyone's shores). This spot used to have a much wider beach and for years was a favourite roosting place for the peeps. No falcons (no merlins nor peregrines) were seen on either of my beach visits today. But in the afternoon I saw at least 3 bald eagles, and a couple of flights over the feeding peeps on the beach failed to spook very many of them. I guess they can recognize the general low-level threat from an eagle, compared with other kinds of birds of prey. In late afternoon I walked the east part of Evangeline Beach from 2.5 to 3 hours after high tide, and peeps were scattered in large numbers pretty continuously and often densely along the areas of the ebbing tide, from the public launch gap among eastern cottages all the way to the end of the trees and further along the salt-marsh, almost to The Guzzle. I guessed the total again at 4000+ peeps. Of course, the similarity in guessed numbers on my two visits today in no way imply that I was viewing the same individual birds or flocks, since it is quite possible/probable that those seen at mid-day were somewhere else in late afternoon. Later Judy Tufts told me she saw an estimated 10,000 peeps today at Evangeline Beach. One more thing: just east of Jean Merks' home, the beach is quite wide and littered with skeletons of forest trees with the roots still attached and the trunks fallen toward the land from the beach. The clear implication is that, without the erosional protection there from the imported alien big boulders, the shore has just eroded a lot and exposed the roots of those trees, which then fell toward and onto the edge of the land/remaining forest. Thus there is a huge contrast in beach width between east and west of Jean Merks' home, which sits by itself apart from the cottages to the west, and is quite visible from The Guzzle with binoculars. I might as well mention here that the seaward shore of Boot Island, just east of The Guzzle, is eroding very rapidly at an average rate of one metre per year, as measured carefully by the Canadian Wildlife Service during their surveys every two years of the number of nests of cormorants, great blue herons, and great black-backed and herring gulls on the island. Needless to say, this federal migratory bird reserve has no big alien boulders protecting the shore from onshore storms and tidal currents. How much of the current rapid erosion is "natural" is open to question. --Boundary_(ID_hZeHqy/Mp8ub1b7xjPdZfA) 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. 11, = 2010</b> - I visited <b>Evangeline Beach</b> twice today, first before = high tide and then 2.5 hours after high tide, to look for flocks of = <b>peeps/small shorebirds</b> etc. I saw 4000+ peeps on both = occasions, possibly as many as 6000 (guesstimate). = </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 started at The Guzzle 2 hours before high tide -- h.t. = was at 2:24 p.m. today. Nothing was happening as I sat at The = Guzzle for a half-hour, except that <b>black swallowtails</b> and = <b>wood nymph butterflies</b> were active, plus cabbage whites and lots = of grasshoppers etc. I only saw one small flock of peeps (30), but = then well to the west I could see a <b>"gray carpet" roost of peeps on = the beach</b> to the west of Jean Merks' home (well east of the Bearnes' = cottage). So I drove to the Merks home (I have access there) and = talked with Jean and with Peter Jackson, while we watched the comings = and goings of the roosting peeps just to the west. These 4000+ = peeps were frequently taking off and flying over the water and gyrating = in aerobatics with splitting and joining of flocks, and then landing = back now on the <b>big imported boulders</b> that have been trucked and = dumped there to stop shoreline erosion (this invites endless discussion = of what is best here for everyone's shores). This spot used to = have a much wider beach and for years was a favourite roosting place for = the peeps.</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"><b>No falcons</b> (no merlins nor peregrines) were seen on = either of my beach visits today. But in the afternoon I saw at = least 3<b> bald eagles</b>, and a couple of flights over the feeding = peeps on the beach failed to spook very many of them. I guess they = can recognize the general low-level threat from an eagle, compared = with other kinds of birds of prey.</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 late afternoon I walked the <b>east part = of Evangeline Beach from 2.5 to 3 hours after high tide</b>, and = <b>peeps </b>were scattered in large numbers pretty continuously and = often densely along the areas of the ebbing tide, from the public launch = gap among eastern cottages all the way to the end of the trees and = further along the salt-marsh, almost to The Guzzle. I guessed the = total again at 4000+ peeps. Of course, the similarity in guessed = numbers on my two visits today in no way imply that I was viewing the = same individual birds or flocks, since it is quite possible/probable = that those seen at mid-day were somewhere else in late = afternoon.</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">Later <b>Judy Tufts</b> told me she saw an <b>estimated = 10,000 peeps</b> today at Evangeline Beach.</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 more = thing:<b> just east of Jean Merks' home</b>, the <b>beach is quite wide = and littered with skeletons of forest trees with the roots still = attached</b> and the trunks fallen toward the land from the beach. = The clear implication is that, without the erosional protection there = from the imported alien big boulders, the <b>shore has just eroded</b> a = lot and exposed the roots of those trees, which then fell toward and = onto the edge of the land/remaining forest. Thus there is a huge = contrast in beach width between east and west of Jean Merks' home, which = sits by itself apart from the cottages to the west, and is quite visible = from The Guzzle with binoculars.</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 might as well mention here that the = <b>seaward shore of Boot Island</b>, just east of The Guzzle, is = <b>eroding very rapidly</b> at an average rate of <b>one metre per = year</b>, as measured carefully by the Canadian Wildlife Service during = their surveys every two years of the number of nests of cormorants, = great blue herons, and great black-backed and herring gulls on the = island. Needless to say, this federal migratory bird reserve has = no big alien boulders protecting the shore from onshore storms and tidal = currents. How much of the current rapid erosion is "natural" is = open to question.</font></div> </body></html>= --Boundary_(ID_hZeHqy/Mp8ub1b7xjPdZfA)--
next message in archive
no next message in thread
previous message in archive
Index of Subjects