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This is a multi-part message in MIME format. ------=_NextPart_000_0336_01CD0096.876D15E0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset="iso-8859-1" Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable Ken McKenna Box 218 Stellarton NS B0K 1S0 902 752-7644 Hi all=20 Rick Ferguson and I went out to the old Drummond strip mine site in = Westville late this evening to see if Woodcock were back in any numbers = and displaying. We were not disappointed. Before it got dark, we checked = out several beaver dams. The ice was still frozen enough to walk on and = we checked out several old nests- Grackles??. We found a last year pale = bluish duck egg in one of the nests.=20 Rick put up a Snowshoe Hare. It was still mostly white although there = was very little snow except in the woods. The Hare was sitting in a area = that it must sit in regularly as it was a bare spot of ground next to a = small (< 1 foot) evergreen and it was reluctant to budge from the spot.=20 We saw beavers active at 2 dams. Rick felt that water levels in one of = the dams had dropped significantly since yesterday.=20 While walking from one dam to the other we flushed a Woodcock. A few = Black Ducks were around the edge of the dam where there was slight open = water and through the evening, mostly after dusk, ducks were coming and = going. We were leaving the last dam at about 7:40? (neither of us had a = watch) when we heard a Woodcock beep. We waited a further 5 min. before = it stated again. Shortly after a second started to call less than 50m = from the first. There was a curious little chatter that both gave that = neither Rick nor I heard before. Both these Woodcock took off and left = that spot, but we were pretty sure there was more there. After another = short period, a third started to beep and shortly after did an aerial = display. A fourth did the same. We watched several of these flights = trying to sneak close to the take off point. Great fun!.=20 At this point we started to notice planets appearing in the sky and when = we got back to our vehicles- we had walked several km., we put up the = scope and had a look at Jupiter's moons.=20 What a fantastic day and evening the weather was nice and warm and the = air still. Great evening for a dusk walk! Earlier in the day I had walked Brook Rd. and then went to the Willard = Fraser property near Brookville to photograph the maple syrup cans on = the taps. Sap was running freely and all buckets were nearly full. I met = Charlie Kendell there out for a walk and we then went to a nearby small = falls on the MacLellans Brook. I had hoped to see butterflies today, but = too early. Charlie had seen a few small whitish moths, but I did not see = much insect life.=20 At the Drummond we saw buds of Coltsfoot, but no flowers yet.=20 I managed to see 2 Red-winged Blackbirds at my feeder near noon and a = Grackle in Stellarton. Rick saw 13 Grackles near his Westville feeder.=20 Spring was sure here in Pictou Co. today.=20 cheers ken ------=_NextPart_000_0336_01CD0096.876D15E0 Content-Type: text/html; charset="iso-8859-1" Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable <!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 8.00.6001.19190"> <STYLE></STYLE> </HEAD> <BODY bgColor=3D#ffffff> <DIV><FONT size=3D2 face=3DArial></FONT> </DIV> <DIV><FONT size=3D2 face=3DArial>Ken McKenna<BR>Box 218 Stellarton = NS<BR>B0K=20 1S0<BR>902 752-7644<BR></FONT></DIV> <DIV><FONT size=3D2 face=3DArial>Hi all </FONT></DIV> <DIV><FONT size=3D2 face=3DArial>Rick Ferguson and I went out to = the old=20 Drummond strip mine site in Westville late this evening to see if = Woodcock=20 were back in any numbers and displaying. We were not disappointed. = Before it got=20 dark, we checked out several beaver dams. The ice was still frozen = enough to=20 walk on and we checked out several old nests- Grackles??. We found a = last year=20 pale bluish duck egg in one of the nests. </FONT></DIV> <DIV><FONT size=3D2 face=3DArial>Rick put up a Snowshoe Hare. It was = still mostly=20 white although there was very little snow except in the woods. The Hare = was=20 sitting in a area that it must sit in regularly as it was a bare spot of = ground=20 next to a small (< 1 foot) evergreen and it was reluctant to = budge from=20 the spot. </FONT></DIV> <DIV><FONT size=3D2 face=3DArial>We saw beavers active at 2 dams. Rick = felt that=20 water levels in one of the dams had dropped significantly since=20 yesterday. </FONT></DIV> <DIV><FONT size=3D2 face=3DArial>While walking from one dam to the other = we flushed=20 a Woodcock. A few Black Ducks were around the edge of the dam where = there=20 was slight open water and through the evening, mostly after dusk, ducks = were=20 coming and going. We were leaving the last dam at about 7:40? (neither = of us had=20 a watch) when we heard a Woodcock beep. We waited a further 5 min. = before it=20 stated again. Shortly after a second started to call less than = 50m from the=20 first. There was a curious little chatter that both gave = that neither Rick=20 nor I heard before. Both these Woodcock took off and left that spot, but = we were=20 pretty sure there was more there. After another short period, a = third=20 started to beep and shortly after did an aerial display. A fourth = did the=20 same. </FONT><FONT size=3D2 face=3DArial> We watched several of = these flights=20 trying to sneak close to the take off point. Great fun!. </FONT></DIV> <DIV><FONT size=3D2 face=3DArial>At this point we started to notice = planets=20 appearing in the sky and when we got back to our vehicles- we had walked = several=20 km., we put up the scope and had a look at Jupiter's moons. = </FONT></DIV> <DIV><FONT size=3D2 face=3DArial>What a fantastic day and evening the = weather was=20 nice and warm and the air still. Great evening for a dusk = walk!</FONT></DIV> <DIV><FONT size=3D2 face=3DArial></FONT> </DIV> <DIV><FONT size=3D2 face=3DArial>Earlier in the day I had walked Brook = Rd. and then=20 went to the Willard Fraser property near Brookville to photograph the = maple=20 syrup cans on the taps. Sap was running freely and all buckets were = nearly full.=20 I met Charlie Kendell there out for a walk and we then went to a nearby = small=20 falls on the MacLellans Brook. I had hoped to see butterflies today, but = too=20 early. Charlie had seen a few small whitish moths, but I did not see = much insect=20 life. </FONT></DIV> <DIV><FONT size=3D2 face=3DArial>At the Drummond we saw buds of = Coltsfoot, but no=20 flowers yet. </FONT></DIV> <DIV><FONT size=3D2 face=3DArial>I managed to see 2 Red-winged = Blackbirds at my=20 feeder near noon and a Grackle in Stellarton. Rick saw 13 Grackles near = his=20 Westville feeder. </FONT></DIV> <DIV><FONT size=3D2 face=3DArial>Spring was sure here in Pictou Co. = today.=20 </FONT></DIV> <DIV><FONT size=3D2 face=3DArial>cheers</FONT></DIV> <DIV><FONT size=3D2 face=3DArial>ken</FONT></DIV> <DIV><FONT size=3D2 face=3DArial></FONT> </DIV> <DIV><FONT size=3D2 face=3DArial> </DIV></FONT></BODY></HTML> ------=_NextPart_000_0336_01CD0096.876D15E0--
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