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--Boundary_(ID_6N+12uOuZAJLgHXg+wRZBQ) Content-type: text/plain; CHARSET=US-ASCII; delsp=yes; format=flowed Content-transfer-encoding: 7BIT DEC. 12, 2011 - A drive at noon revealed that many small ponds are now covered or partly covered by thin ice. No birds in Stella's Pond, and Gesner's Pond is now ice-covered. Saxon St. Pond has a low water level now, and, beside the flowing stream, now has open water only distantly at the south end -- perhaps 25-30 mallards and black ducks combined were there. Lakeville's Silver Lake is still all open water. The only birds seen were 3 hooded mergansers (2 drakes & 1 female or immature). The red holly berries are still a lovely photo-op in the afternoon on a Sunny day like today. And, speaking of weather, temperature today reached a balmy 9 C. Port Williams Sewer/Sewage Ponds: 60+ mallards with a few black ducks. I saw a few sparrows there, and George Forsyth reported there is a flock of 25 song sparrows there. Today Bernard Forsythe saw a SNOWY OWL on Boot Island -- it was just a white spot in binoculars, but with his scope he could even see its yellow eyes. Bernard and George's reports were delivered at tonight's regular meeting of the Blomidon Naturalists Society in Wolfville, at which Hugh Broders of St. Mary's University told us the latest on conservation of Maritime bats and the fungus (Geomyces destructans) which causes white-nose syndrome. DEC. 13, 2011 - This morning Rick Whitman saw and photographed presumably Bernard Forsythe's snowy owl along the main dyke just south from The Guzzle at "East Point", i.e., northeasternmost Grand Pre (northeast corner of dykelands). Additions at my Wolfville feeders were a hairy woodpecker, 2 fem. or imm. purple finches, and 4 Am. goldfinches -- for n. cardinals, I am sure there are at least 4 different individuals: an adult male, 2 females that look like adults, and 1 juvenile female (latter will soon look like an adult). DEC. 14, 2011 - Sheila Young called from Grand Pre to report that she and Earl have had their feeders graced with a female red-bellied woodpecker both today and yesterday. Since the Wolfville Xmas Bird Count is Sat., Dec. 17, this bird would qualify for our list of Count Week birds. From the reports from all parts of Nova Scotia over the past couple of months, there has been a massive movement of red-bellied woodpeckers from nesting areas to our south. This was perhaps related to bumper mast crops of acorns in New England and states further south, coupled with excellent reproduction in the 2011 nesting season, and then big movements perhaps in all directions in the Autumn. The Grand Pre red-belly is the second report that I know of for our part of the province. The first was about 10-14 days ago when someone reported one at a feeder near lower Sherwood Ave. in Wolfville. The Thextons not only still have their Baltimore oriole in east Wolfville, they now report 2 B. orioles (1 female or imm., 1 male) for the past several days; thus we have another Count Week species for the Wolfville XBC. AND Brenda tells me that Hilma Frank of Tideways retirement complex in easternmost Wolfville called yesterday to report she thinks she had a western tanager?? at her feeder Dec. 13. She said that Cecil Pulsifer got a photo of it, so I got him to send it to me, and it looks like a young male Baltimore oriole to me. Since the Thextons live just west of Tideways, perhaps this oriole is one of the pair of them that Brenda & Bill are hosting (regular visitors there in early morning and late afternoon). I chatted a bit with Bernard Forsythe, who was birding today and yesterday. Yesterday (Dec. 13) he did a long walk from Wolfville to Grand Pre and back along the RR tracks. In one direction he walked along the bank south of the tracks at the edge of the woods, and in the other direction he walked along the tracks checking the cattails and shrubs. He says there were oodles of sparrows (song, white- throated, few swamps), plus 2 common yellowthroats, 1 Baltimore oriole, and several or more purple finches. Then today he checked some rivers and ponds. In the Habitant River in Canning was an American wigeon, and Saxon St. Pond held a male n. pintail. If I am right about the date, these two ducks are eligible for our Count Week list. DEC. 15, 2011 - In mid-morning at Tideways seniors complex in east Wolfville, Cecil Pulsifer took 4 more photos (only 1 is sharp) of very probably a different individual Baltimore oriole, very yellowish underneath with white belly -- perhaps the other oriole of the Thextons' pair of them -- photos taken again at the feeder of Hilma Frank. Along the RR tracks at the Wolfville Wharf Park pavilion, I saw the overwintering n. mockingbird that has been there now for at least three winters. It was perched high in the patch of "bamboo", i.e., Japanese knotweed. Cheers from Jim in Wolfville, 542-9204. --Boundary_(ID_6N+12uOuZAJLgHXg+wRZBQ) 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><div = style=3D"margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; = margin-left: 0px; "><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>DEC. 12, 2011</b> - A = drive at noon revealed that many <b>small ponds</b> are now covered or = partly covered by<b> thin ice</b>. No birds in Stella's Pond, and = Gesner's Pond is now ice-covered. <b>Saxon St. Pond</b> has a low = water level now, and, beside the flowing stream, now has open water only = distantly at the south end -- perhaps <b>25-30 mallards and black = ducks</b> combined were there.</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"><b>Lakeville's Silver = Lake</b> is still all open water. The only birds seen were <b>3 = hooded mergansers</b> (2 drakes & 1 female or immature). The = <b>red holly berries</b> are still a lovely photo-op in the afternoon on = a Sunny day like today. And, speaking of weather, temperature = today reached a balmy 9 C.</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"><b>Port Williams Sewer/Sewage Ponds: </b>60+ = <b>mallards</b> with a few <b>black ducks</b>. I saw a few = sparrows there, and George Forsyth reported there is a<b> flock of 25 = song sparrows</b> there.</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">Today Bernard Forsythe saw a <b>SNOWY OWL on Boot = Island</b> -- it was just a white spot in binoculars, but with his scope = he could even see its yellow eyes. Bernard and George's reports = were delivered at tonight's regular meeting of the <b>Blomidon = Naturalists Society</b> in Wolfville, at which <b>Hugh Broders</b> of = St. Mary's University told us the latest on <b>conservation of Maritime = bats and</b> the fungus (<i>Geomyces destructans</i>) which causes = <b>white-nose syndrome</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"><b>DEC. 13, 2011</b> - This morning Rick Whitman saw = and photographed presumably Bernard Forsythe's <b>snowy owl </b>along = the main dyke just south from The Guzzle at "East Point", i.e., = northeasternmost Grand Pre (northeast corner of = dykelands).</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">Additions at my Wolfville feeders were a<b> hairy = woodpecker</b>, 2 fem. or imm. <b>purple finches</b>, and 4 <b>Am. = goldfinches</b> -- for<b> n. cardinals,</b> I am sure there are at least = 4 different individuals: an adult male, 2 females that look like adults, = and 1 juvenile female (latter will soon look like an = adult).</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"><b>DEC. 14, 2011</b> - Sheila Young called from Grand = Pre to report that she and Earl have had their feeders graced with a = female<b> red-bellied woodpecker</b> both today and yesterday. = Since the Wolfville Xmas Bird Count is Sat., Dec. 17, this bird would = qualify for our list of Count Week birds.</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">=46rom = the reports from all parts of Nova Scotia over the past couple of = months, there has been a massive movement of <b>red-bellied = woodpeckers</b> from nesting areas to our south. This was perhaps = related to bumper mast crops of acorns in New England and states further = south, coupled with excellent reproduction in the 2011 nesting season, = and then big movements perhaps in all directions in the = Autumn.</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; "><b></b><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">The Grand Pre<b> red-belly</b> is the second report = that I know of for our part of the province. The first was about = 10-14 days ago when someone reported one at a feeder near lower Sherwood = Ave. in Wolfville.</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; = "><b></b><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">The Thextons not only still = have their <b>Baltimore oriole</b> in east Wolfville, they now report = <b>2 B. orioles</b> (1 female or imm., 1 male) for the past several = days; thus we have another <b>Count Week</b> species for the Wolfville = XBC.</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">AND Brenda tells me that Hilma Frank of Tideways = retirement complex in <b>easternmost Wolfville</b> called yesterday to = report she thinks she had a <b>western tanager??</b> at her feeder = Dec. 13. She said that Cecil Pulsifer got a <b>photo</b> of it, so = I got him to send it to me, and it looks like a young male <b>Baltimore = oriole</b> to me. Since the Thextons live just west of Tideways, = perhaps this oriole is one of the pair of them that Brenda & B<b>ill = </b>are hosting (regular visitors there in early morning and late = afternoon).</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 chatted a bit with <b>Bernard Forsythe</b>, who was = birding today and yesterday. <b>Yesterday (Dec. 13) </b>he did a = long walk from Wolfville to Grand Pre and back along the RR = tracks. In one direction he walked along the bank south of the = tracks at the edge of the woods, and in the other direction he walked = along the tracks checking the cattails and shrubs. He says there = were oodles of <b>sparrows</b> (song, white-throated, few swamps), plus = 2 <b>common yellowthroats</b>, 1 <b>Baltimore oriole</b>, and several or = more <b>purple finches</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">Then today he checked some rivers and ponds. In = the Habitant River in Canning was an <b>American wigeon</b>, and Saxon = St. Pond held a male <b>n. pintail</b>. If I am right about the = date, these two ducks are eligible for our <b>Count Week = </b>list.</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"><b>DEC. 15, 2011</b> - In mid-morning at Tideways = seniors complex in east Wolfville, Cecil Pulsifer took 4 more = <b>photos</b> (only 1 is sharp) of very probably a different individual = <b>Baltimore oriole</b>, very yellowish underneath with white belly -- = perhaps the other oriole of the Thextons' pair of them -- photos taken = again at the feeder of Hilma Frank.</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">Along the RR tracks at the = Wolfville Wharf Park pavilion, I saw the overwintering<b> n. = mockingbird</b> that has been there now for at least three = winters. It was perched high in the patch of "bamboo", i.e., = Japanese knotweed.</font></div><div><font face=3D"Helvetica" size=3D"3" = style=3D"font: 12.0px Helvetica"><br></font></div></div><div><font = face=3D"Helvetica" size=3D"3" style=3D"font: 12.0px = Helvetica"><br></font></div><div><font face=3D"Helvetica" size=3D"3" = style=3D"font: 12.0px Helvetica">Cheers from Jim in Wolfville, = 542-9204.</font></div></b></div> </body></html>= --Boundary_(ID_6N+12uOuZAJLgHXg+wRZBQ)--
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