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--Boundary_(ID_LcTNKkW6vn02+kmzAgjYgA) Content-type: text/plain; CHARSET=US-ASCII; delsp=yes; format=flowed Content-transfer-encoding: 7BIT Here's another one of my wordy reports, for which I apologize! Cheers from Jim in Wolfville. ------------------------ AUG. 23, 2011 - Daytime high tide was at 8:22 a.m. with a very low amplitude of 8.2 metres. I did my usual beach walk of eastern Evangeline Beach a bit late today, 2 hours after high tide, by which time the tide had receded quite far, so that I probably missed the maximum number of shorebirds/peeps there in their feeding frenzy at the start of their feeding cycle. The peeps, about 3000 to 5000 at the most, were scattered out near the ebbing edge of the mud/water, from Jean Merks' home to the start of the salt-marsh west of The Guzzle. I'm guessing that there would have been perhaps substantially more of the peeps there if I had been a half-hour to an hour earlier. Also seen were 3 immature (dark and perhaps juvenile) bald eagles, 2 of which flew out from the forest and landed together on some rocks among the feeding sandpipers and plovers, which showed little or no alarm at the eagles' presence. Also I had a distant view of a tight flock of 5 small white flying birds moving purposely along the water's edge from east to west. My guess is that these were some kind of small tern? (commons most likely), but it's also possible that they were small gulls (like Bonaparte's or black-headed, but I couldn't make out any dark heads). On my return walk, I met two very nice young people, Lisanne? and Sean?/Shawn?, who have the second cottage east of the Beach Breeze Motel, which is across the parking lot from the Evangeline Beach canteen. They told me there is a meeting tonight of the North Grand Pre Community. They also said there are some public-access steps just northeast from the motel adjacent to the parking lot -- I wonder how many of the public/visitors know about this public access? I suggested that, if this isn't being done at the moment, it would be nice for someone to post the tide times at the canteen, along with some guidelines about how to avoid disturbing the shorebirds, especially when they are trying to roost in their gray carpets on the upper beach, and then just as they get active when the tide begins to ebb. I was happy that these young people mentioned having talked with beach users about the shorebirds and excess disturbance that is preventable. One more personal note from myself, and an opinion that might be controversial. Some provincial and federal biologists and naturalists worry about effects of disturbance on the migrants, perhaps by lengthening the time it takes for an individual to fatten up enough for that non-stop long trek to Suriname, mostly over water. But I'm really not worried much about that. I have mentioned the phenomenon of "Zugunruhe" or migratory restlessness, several times in my reports over the past 10 days or so. Yes, there are times near high tide when the birds try to be very quiet and unmoving in large roosts. But for longer periods, both when the feeding is over and the incoming tide forces the fed birds to move toward shore, and later when the tide is ebbing, the flocks are extremely restless, providing us gawkers with show after show of flying and aerobatics (flashing bellies and then backs and bellies and backs...) and then landing and then flying etc. Most of the cases of flocks taking off seem to be for no particular reason, but of course we cannot be certain of that. We observers have to scan for enemies or whatever in the sky, both very high and very low (especially for peregrine falcons and merlins) every time that a flock takes off from the shore. Liseanne, Sean, and I were very surprised today to see a small airplane flying from The Guzzle toward and over us at very, very low altitude, almost scraping the sand, for the whole length of the beach at least as far as the canteen! This should not happen at all, and I wonder how to find out who this was and what the purpose of this flight was?? I am tempted to crash this meeting of North Grand Pre Community tonight, even though I know almost nothing about what they have done in recent years for the good of the shorebirds and the public. --------------------------- --Boundary_(ID_LcTNKkW6vn02+kmzAgjYgA) 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; ">Here's another one of my wordy = reports, for which I apologize! Cheers from Jim in = Wolfville.<div>------------------------</div><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>AUG. 23, 2011</b> - Daytime<b> high tide was at = 8:22 a.m.</b> with a very low amplitude of 8.2 metres. I did my = usual beach walk of <b>eastern Evangeline Beach</b> a bit late today, = <b>2 hours after high tide</b>, by which time the tide had receded quite = far, so that I probably missed the maximum number of shorebirds/peeps = there in their feeding frenzy at the start of their feeding cycle. = The <b>peeps, about 3000 to 5000</b> at the most, were scattered out = near the ebbing edge of the mud/water, from Jean Merks' home to the = start of the salt-marsh west of The Guzzle. I'm guessing that = there would have been perhaps substantially more of the peeps there if I = had been a half-hour to an hour earlier.</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">Also seen = were <b>3 immature (dark and perhaps juvenile) bald eagles</b>, 2 of = which flew out from the forest and landed together on some rocks among = the feeding sandpipers and plovers, which showed little or no alarm at = the eagles' presence.</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">Also I had a distant view of a tight flock of <b>5 = small white flying birds</b> moving purposely along the water's edge = from east to west. My guess is that these were some kind of = <b>small tern? (commons most likely), but</b> it's also possible that = they were small gulls (like Bonaparte's or black-headed, but I couldn't = make out any dark heads).</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 my return walk, I met two very nice <b>young = people, Lisanne? and Sean?/Shawn?</b>, who have the second cottage east = of the Beach Breeze Motel, which is across the parking lot from the = Evangeline Beach canteen. They told me there is a meeting tonight = of the <b>North Grand Pre Community</b>. They also said there are = some <b>public-access steps</b> just northeast from the motel adjacent = to the parking lot -- I wonder how many of the public/visitors know = about this public access? I suggested that, if this isn't being = done at the moment, it would be nice for someone to<b> post the tide = times at the canteen</b>, along with some guidelines about how to avoid = disturbing the shorebirds, especially when they are trying to roost in = their gray carpets on the upper beach, and then just as they get active = when the tide begins to ebb. I was happy that these young people = mentioned having talked with beach users about the shorebirds and excess = disturbance that is preventable.</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 personal note from = myself, and an <b>opinion</b> that might be controversial. Some = provincial and federal biologists and naturalists worry about <b>effects = of disturbance</b> on the migrants, perhaps by lengthening the time it = takes for an individual to fatten up enough for that non-stop long trek = to Suriname, mostly over water. But I'm really not worried much = about that. </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 have mentioned the phenomenon of<b> = "Zugunruhe" or migratory restlessness</b>, several times in my reports = over the past 10 days or so. Yes, there are times near high tide = when the birds try to be very quiet and unmoving in large roosts. = But for longer periods, both when the feeding is over and the incoming = tide forces the fed birds to move toward shore, and later when the tide = is ebbing, the flocks are extremely restless, providing us gawkers with = show after show of flying and aerobatics (flashing bellies and then = backs and bellies and backs...) and then landing and then flying = etc. Most of the cases of flocks taking off seem to be for no = particular reason, but of course we cannot be certain of = that. </font><span class=3D"Apple-style-span" = style=3D"font-size: 12px; ">We observers have to <b>scan for enemies</b> = or whatever in the sky, both very high and very low (especially for = <b>peregrine falcons and merlins</b>) every time that a flock takes off = from the shore.</span></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">Liseanne, Sean, and I were very surprised today to see = a <b>small airplane</b> flying from The Guzzle toward and over us <b>at = very, very low altitude</b>, almost scraping the sand, for the whole = length of the beach at least as far as the canteen! This should = not happen at all, and I wonder how to find out who this was and what = the purpose of this flight was??</font></div></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"><br></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">I am = tempted to crash this meeting of North Grand Pre Community tonight, even = though I know almost nothing about what they have done in recent years = for the good of the shorebirds and the public.</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></body></html>= --Boundary_(ID_LcTNKkW6vn02+kmzAgjYgA)--
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