[NatureNS] Fw: Common Gallinule Update and Many Others

From: Hans Toom <htoom@hfx.eastlink.ca>
To: naturens@chebucto.ns.ca
Date: Fri, 13 Jan 2012 10:49:51 -0400
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Return-Path: <naturens-mml-owner@chebucto.ns.ca>
Original-Recipient: rfc822;"| (cd /csuite/info/Environment/FNSN/MList; /csuite/lib/arch2html)"

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----- Original Message -----=20
From: Hans Toom=20
To: NS-RBA=20
Sent: Friday, January 13, 2012 10:49 AM
Subject: Common Gallinule Update and Many Others


I left my house at 7:45AM just in time to see the Baltimore Oriole =
swinging into the feeder. At Red Bridge Pond I spotted the Common =
Gallinule swimming along the edge of the ice looking healthy and alert. =
The Mallards and Wigeons here are already becoming accustomed to being =
fed. Even the American Coot is becoming tamer. The mallards were =
actually walking up the bank towards me when I arrived. I left a bunch =
of lettuce, a block of suet, and a scattering of mixed seed. The feeding =
frenzy began immediately with the coot joining in on the snow covered =
gravel bar.

I swung over to Sullivan's Pond and found one Eurasian Wigeon sleeping =
on the ice and a Gadwall that posed nicely for me, showing off its =
speckled finish.

I returned to Red Bridge Pond and to my amazement the Common Gallinule =
was standing on the back of a male mallard within a few feet of the =
gravel bar pecking away at its back. This is one feisty bird! I managed =
to get the coot and gallinule in a single photo frame.

It is possible and the best of all scenarios that this area may not =
completely freeze allowing the Common Gallinule and American Coot to =
winter here. The cold temperatures are unlikely to kill these birds but =
the loss of body fat will, so bring food when you visit. It's tricky =
getting down the snow covered bank to the gravel bar so use care. The =
easiest route is from the front of the day care centre.

At home in Portuguese Cove the Baltimore Oriole, Northern Mockingbird =
and Red-bellied Woodpecker are all doing well.

Hans
_________________________________________________________________________=
________________________________
Hans Toom
Portuguese Cove, Nova Scotia, Canada
http://www.hanstoom.com/
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<!DOCTYPE HTML PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD HTML 4.0 Transitional//EN">
<HTML><HEAD>
<META content=3D"text/html; charset=3Diso-8859-1" =
http-equiv=3DContent-Type>
<META name=3DGENERATOR content=3D"MSHTML 8.00.6001.19170">
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<BODY bgColor=3D#ffffff>
<DIV>&nbsp;</DIV>
<DIV style=3D"FONT: 10pt arial">----- Original Message -----=20
<DIV style=3D"BACKGROUND: #e4e4e4; font-color: black"><B>From:</B> <A=20
title=3Dhtoom@hfx.eastlink.ca href=3D"mailto:htoom@hfx.eastlink.ca">Hans =
Toom</A>=20
</DIV>
<DIV><B>To:</B> <A title=3DNS-RBA@yahoogroups.com=20
href=3D"mailto:NS-RBA@yahoogroups.com">NS-RBA</A> </DIV>
<DIV><B>Sent:</B> Friday, January 13, 2012 10:49 AM</DIV>
<DIV><B>Subject:</B> Common Gallinule Update and Many Others</DIV></DIV>
<DIV><BR></DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=3D2 face=3DArial>I left my house at 7:45AM just in time =
to see the=20
<STRONG>Baltimore Oriole</STRONG> swinging into the feeder. At Red =
Bridge Pond I=20
spotted the <STRONG>Common Gallinule</STRONG> swimming along the edge of =
the ice=20
looking healthy and alert. The <STRONG>Mallards </STRONG>and =
<STRONG>Wigeons=20
</STRONG>here are already becoming accustomed to being fed. Even the=20
<STRONG>American Coot</STRONG> is becoming tamer. The mallards were =
actually=20
walking up the bank towards me when I arrived. I left a bunch of =
lettuce, a=20
block of suet, and a scattering of mixed seed. The feeding frenzy began=20
immediately with the coot joining in on the snow covered gravel=20
bar.</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=3D2 face=3DArial></FONT>&nbsp;</DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=3D2 face=3DArial>I swung over to Sullivan's Pond and =
found one=20
<STRONG>Eurasian Wigeon</STRONG> sleeping on the ice and a=20
<STRONG>Gadwall</STRONG> that posed nicely for me, showing off its =
speckled=20
finish.</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=3D2 face=3DArial></FONT>&nbsp;</DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=3D2 face=3DArial>I returned to Red Bridge Pond and to my =
amazement=20
the Common Gallinule was standing on the back of a male mallard within a =
few=20
feet of the gravel bar pecking away at its back. This is one feisty =
bird! I=20
managed to get the coot and gallinule in a single photo =
frame.</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=3D2 face=3DArial></FONT>&nbsp;</DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=3D2 face=3DArial>It is possible and the best of all =
scenarios that=20
this area may not completely freeze&nbsp;allowing the Common Gallinule =
and=20
American Coot&nbsp;to winter here. The cold temperatures are unlikely to =
kill=20
these birds but the loss of body fat will, so bring food when you visit. =
It's=20
tricky getting down the snow covered bank to the gravel bar so use care. =
The=20
easiest route is from the front of the day care centre.</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=3D2 face=3DArial></FONT>&nbsp;</DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=3D2 face=3DArial>At home in Portuguese Cove the =
<STRONG>Baltimore=20
Oriole</STRONG>, <STRONG>Northern Mockingbird</STRONG> and =
<STRONG>Red-bellied=20
Woodpecker</STRONG> are all doing well.</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=3D2 face=3DArial></FONT><BR><FONT size=3D2=20
face=3DArial>Hans<BR>____________________________________________________=
_____________________________________________________<BR>Hans=20
Toom<BR>Portuguese Cove, Nova Scotia, Canada<BR></FONT><A=20
href=3D"http://www.hanstoom.com/"><FONT size=3D2=20
face=3DArial>http://www.hanstoom.com/</FONT></A></DIV></BODY></HTML>

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