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--Apple-Mail-1-989813613 Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit Content-Type: text/plain; charset=US-ASCII; delsp=yes; format=flowed FEB. 15, 2012 -- In my Wolfville yard I spotted a perched small sharp- shinned hawk (male), which then flew directly at me in my car -- it shot by very low to the ground and like a bullet, and I'm sure it was trying to startle and catch some slow songbird. This the only the first or possibly the second sharp-shin I have seen this winter. Lovely warm and windless day, temperatures about +2-4 C. In the afternoon in bright Sunshine (not good for birding, but feels great) I decided to make a try on foot for the short-eared owls at northwest Grand Pre or northeast of Wolfville along the main dyke. I parked at the west end of Long Island, after noting the 2 adult bald eagles on their nest in the solitary tree northwest of Jean Leung's home. Then I walked for about 20 minutes on top of the dyke to the conspicuous four big rocks. Just before I got there I spotted one of the supposedly four short-eared owls perched high in a tree along a drainage creek on the dykeland. That owl then flew, at very low altitude, to the dyke and beyond it to perch on some intertidal ice (tide was out). Then it flew again along the dyke but out of sight toward the south, and I never saw it again, despite walking several hundred metres beyond those big rocks. I also saw another? single short-eared owl flying from south to north across the dykelands at a distance (not near where I saw the first one). I left the dyke and dykeland at about 3 p.m., much too early to see any hunting activity from the owls (expected toward dusk or during heavily overcast days). For those who are unfamiliar with short-eared owls, review what they look like in flight -- distinctive pattern of dark and light under the long wings, and their rhythm of flapping is very distinctive and moth-like. Then check the area by doing a lot of scanning above the fields and the surfaces of those fields for either flying or perched owls. Also seen on the dykeland and Long Island were 2 red-tailed hawks. Cheers from Jim in Wolfville Jim (James W.) Wolford 91 Wickwire Ave. Wolfville, Nova Scotia, Canada B4P 1W3 phone 902-542-9204 e-mail <jimwolford@eastlink.ca> "The Earth has spawned such a diversity of remarkable creatures that I wonder why we do not all live in a state of perpetual awe and astonishment." -- Howard Ensign Evans, in "Life on a Little-Known Planet", 1968. "In wildness is the preservation of the world" -- Henry David Thoreau --Apple-Mail-1-989813613 Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable Content-Type: text/html; charset=US-ASCII <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>FEB. = 15, 2012</b> -- In my Wolfville yard I spotted a perched small = <b>sharp-shinned hawk </b>(male), which then flew directly at me in my = car -- it shot by very low to the ground and like a bullet, and I'm sure = it was trying to startle and catch some slow songbird. This the = only the first or possibly the second sharp-shin I have seen this = winter.</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">Lovely warm and windless day, temperatures about +2-4 = C. In the afternoon in bright Sunshine (not good for birding, but = feels great) I decided to make a try on foot for the <b>short-eared owls = at northwest Grand Pre</b> or northeast of Wolfville along the main = dyke. I parked at the west end of Long Island, after noting the 2 = adult bald eagles on their nest in the solitary tree northwest of Jean = Leung's home. Then I walked for about 20 minutes on top of the = dyke to the conspicuous four big rocks. Just before I got there<b> = I spotted one</b> of the supposedly four short-eared owls perched high = in a tree along a drainage creek on the dykeland. That owl then = flew, at very low altitude, to the dyke and beyond it to perch on some = intertidal ice (tide was out). Then it flew again along the dyke = but out of sight toward the south, and I never saw it again, despite = walking several hundred metres beyond those big = rocks. </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">I also saw <b>another? = single short-eared owl </b>flying from south to north across the = dykelands at a distance (not near where I saw the first one). I = left the dyke and dykeland at about 3 p.m., much too early to see any = hunting activity from the owls (expected toward dusk or during heavily = overcast days). </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">For those who are unfamiliar with <b>short-eared = owls</b>, review what they look like in flight -- distinctive pattern of = dark and light under the long wings, and their rhythm of flapping is = very distinctive and moth-like. Then check the area by doing a = lot of scanning above the fields and the surfaces of those fields for = either flying or perched owls.</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 on the dykeland = and Long Island were 2 <b>red-tailed hawks</b>. </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><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"><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">Jim = (James W.) Wolford</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">91 = Wickwire Ave.</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">Wolfville, Nova Scotia, = Canada</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">B4P 1W3</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">phone = 902-542-9204</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">e-mail <<a = href=3D"mailto:jimwolford@eastlink.ca">jimwolford@eastlink.ca</a>></fon= t></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">"The = Earth has spawned such a diversity of remarkable creatures that I wonder = why we do not all live in a state of perpetual awe and astonishment." -- = Howard Ensign Evans, in "Life on a Little-Known Planet", = 1968.</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">"In wildness is the preservation of the world" -- = Henry David Thoreau</font></div></font></div> </body></html>= --Apple-Mail-1-989813613--
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