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--Boundary_(ID_IEddqS/xPO2Tlfz8u/OYEg) Content-type: text/plain; CHARSET=US-ASCII; delsp=yes; format=flowed Content-transfer-encoding: 7BIT SEPT. 26, 2011 - Evangeline Beach and Shorebirds today, 2 hours after high tide (h.t. was at 12:25 p.m.)(AND VERY BIG TIDES THIS WEEK, PEAKING ON THURSDAY and then gradually getting smaller). I was just a bit too late in starting my walk, partly because Joan Bearne was bending my ear about how there are still lots of shorebirds around, seemingly rather later than in other years? AND she said an unusual HAWK with whitish underparts and undertail was bothering the shorebirds, along with a PEREGRINE FALCON, which has been seen recently catching one or a few of them. More on the raptors in a bit, as I describe my walk today, from the gap in the cottages along East Sandpiper Lane (east of Pheasant Rd.) and eastward, past Jean Merks' lonely house (no others nearby) to the east end of the beach and beginning of the salt marsh. My round-trip walk took a half-hour. Immediately I spotted 100+ peeps flying from the west and toward the east, probably to the east end of the beach. Then there were several successive flocks, all flying eastward. When I got to Jean Merks' home, there were about 600+ peeps in several foraging flocks in the lower intertidal zone (actually middle zone, since tide was still ebbing quickly). I encountered 2 birds of prey toward the east end. First the flushing flocks of peeps denoted a fly-over by a juvenile male northern harrier, perhaps the same individual? that was repeatedly flushing the peeps along the beach about two weeks ago when I last walked there. I saw this harrier twice, and both times it disappeared toward the dykelands? I hope it has learned by now where to hunt, what to hunt, and how. Then again the flushing peeps alerted me to something, and behind me to the west I saw a very low-flying fast peregrine falcon, a small one and probably male. At the east end the peregrine flushed a few hundred more peeps that were still roosting on the upper beach, quite late in the ebb-tide cycle. There was a short horizontal and very fast chase, but the falcon quickly aborted the chase and flew into the trees and out of sight. I don't think the attempted predation was successful, but the chase was quite distant from me. All told, I didn't see any more than 1000 peeps, of which there were substantial uncounted numbers of semipalmated plovers and at least 10 sanderlings. Thus I think Joan Bearne's "hawk" was the young n. harrier, very probably. Cheers from Jim in Wolfville. --Boundary_(ID_IEddqS/xPO2Tlfz8u/OYEg) 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"Helvetica" size=3D"3" style=3D"font: 12.0px Helvetica"><b>SEPT. = 26, 2011 - Evangeline Beach and Shorebirds</b> today, 2 hours after high = tide (h.t. was at 12:25 p.m.)(AND <b>VERY BIG TIDES THIS WEEK</b>, = PEAKING ON THURSDAY and then gradually getting smaller). I was = just a bit too late in starting my walk, partly because Joan Bearne was = bending my ear about how there are still lots of shorebirds around, = seemingly rather later than in other years? AND she said an = unusual <b>HAWK</b> with whitish underparts and undertail was bothering = the shorebirds, along with a <b>PEREGRINE FALCON</b>, which has been = seen recently catching one or a few of them.</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">More on = the raptors in a bit, as I describe<b> my walk today</b>, from the gap = in the cottages along East Sandpiper Lane (east of Pheasant Rd.) and = eastward, past Jean Merks' lonely house (no others nearby) to the east = end of the beach and beginning of the salt marsh. My round-trip = walk took a half-hour. Immediately I spotted 100+ peeps flying = from the west and toward the east, probably to the east end of the = beach. Then there were several successive flocks, all flying = eastward. When I got to Jean Merks' home, there were about 600+ = peeps in several foraging flocks in the lower intertidal zone (actually = middle zone, since tide was still ebbing quickly). = </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 encountered 2 birds of prey toward the east = end. First the flushing flocks of peeps denoted a fly-over by a<b> = juvenile male northern harrier</b>, perhaps the same individual? that = was repeatedly flushing the peeps along the beach about two weeks ago = when I last walked there. I saw this harrier twice, and both times = it disappeared toward the dykelands? I hope it has learned by now = where to hunt, what to hunt, and how.</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">Then = again the flushing peeps alerted me to something, and behind me to the = west I saw a very <b>low-flying fast peregrine falcon</b>, a small one = and probably male. At the east end the peregrine flushed a few = hundred more peeps that were still roosting on the upper beach, quite = late in the ebb-tide cycle. There was a <b>short horizontal and = very fast chase</b>, but the falcon quickly aborted the chase and flew = into the trees and out of sight. I don't think the attempted = predation was successful, but the chase was quite distant from = me.</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">All told, I didn't see any more than <b>1000 = peeps</b>, of which there were substantial uncounted numbers of = <b>semipalmated plovers</b> and at least 10 = <b>sanderlings</b>.</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">Thus I think Joan Bearne's "hawk" was the young n. = harrier, very probably.</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"><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">Cheers from Jim in = Wolfville.</font></div> </body></html>= --Boundary_(ID_IEddqS/xPO2Tlfz8u/OYEg)--
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