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--Boundary_(ID_m9atCz1q3wsNnPsNpPQu6w) Content-type: text/plain; CHARSET=US-ASCII; delsp=yes; format=flowed Content-transfer-encoding: 7BIT AUGUST 1, 2011 - High tide, quite a big one, was at 2:50 p.m., with an amplitude of 13.8 metres, according to the Blomidon Naturalists Society Calendar for 2011. At 1:45 p.m. I checked Wolfville Harbour for roosting shorebirds along the rocks below the railroad bed. I saw about 10 greater yellowlegs (which characteristically landed out on the water away from shore for a while), 2 willets, and about 10 peeps (small unidentified shorebirds). -------------------------- In late afternoon, starting at 4:40 and finishing at 5:30 p.m., I did my usual walk of eastern Evangeline Beach for monitoring shorebirds. I walked from the break in the trees among the cottages (former boat launch spot), eastward to and past Jean Merks' home and to the end of the trees, where the beach ends at the salt marsh that extends east to The Guzzle. When I started my walk, I saw a small flock of perhaps 50 peeps flying westward and coming from the east. But past the Merks home and to the end of the beach was a very impressive number of peeps (mixed small sandpipers and plovers), which I guesstimated at up to 13,000. Perhaps a thousand or so were at the very top of the beach, so that my guess is that there was a sizable high-tide roost there today or at least for the beginning of the ebb of the high tide. These peeps were beginning to actively forage on the mudflats, but the flocks were also clearly restless (migratory restlessness, which we called "zugenrhue" (sp?) or something like that when I was learning ornithology back in the 1960s). Thus flocks were frequently taking off on short flights out over the water, without noticeable stimulation like birds of prey, and back and forth before coming back to land somewhere near where they were before. The Sunny conditions made a very nice aerial display, with frequent flashes of white and dark as they all turned together and often in the air, and I was the only witness. Perhaps 95 per cent of the peeps were sandpipers, no doubt nearly all semipalmated (I wasn't close enough to look for leasts or other sandpipers); and higher up in the middle intertidal zone, well above the sandpipers, as usual for them, were perhaps 100 semipalmated plovers. No merlins nor peregrine falcons were seen, nor other raptors. -------------------------- Cheers from Jim in Wolfville, 542-9204 -- In a day or two, I will send the tide times and amplitudes for the next couple of weeks for the local Minas Basin/Wolfville to Avonport area. --Boundary_(ID_m9atCz1q3wsNnPsNpPQu6w) 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; = "><b><br></b></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>AUGUST 1, 2011</b> - High = tide, quite a big one, was at 2:50 p.m., with an amplitude of 13.8 = metres, according to the Blomidon Naturalists Society Calendar for 2011. = At 1:45 p.m. I checked <b>Wolfville Harbour</b> for roosting = shorebirds along the rocks below the railroad bed. I saw = about 10 <b>greater yellowlegs</b> (which characteristically landed out = on the water away from shore for a while), 2 <b>willets</b>, and about = 10 <b>peeps</b> (small unidentified shorebirds). </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">In late afternoon, starting at 4:40 and finishing at = 5:30 p.m., I did my usual walk of <b>eastern Evangeline Beach</b> for = monitoring shorebirds. I walked from the break in the trees among = the cottages (former boat launch spot), eastward to and past Jean Merks' = home and to the end of the trees, where the beach ends at the salt marsh = that extends east to The Guzzle. </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">When I = started my walk, I saw a small flock of perhaps 50 <b>peeps</b> flying = westward and coming from the east. But past the Merks home and to = the end of the beach was a<b> very impressive number of peeps</b> (mixed = small sandpipers and plovers), which I guesstimated at up to = <b>13,000.</b> Perhaps a thousand or so were at the very top of = the beach, so that my guess is that there was a sizable high-tide roost = there today or at least for the beginning of the ebb of the high = tide. </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">These peeps were beginning to actively forage on the = mudflats, but the flocks were also clearly restless (migratory = restlessness, which we called "zugenrhue" (sp?) or something like that = when I was learning ornithology back in the 1960s). Thus flocks = were frequently taking off on short flights out over the water, without = noticeable stimulation like birds of prey, and back and forth before = coming back to land somewhere near where they were before. The = Sunny conditions made a very nice aerial display, with frequent flashes = of white and dark as they all turned together and often in the air, and = I was the only witness.</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">Perhaps 95 per cent of the peeps were = <b>sandpipers</b>, no doubt nearly all <b>semipalmated </b>(I wasn't = close eno