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--Apple-Mail-8-1043771303 Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit Content-Type: text/plain; charset=US-ASCII; delsp=yes; format=flowed I have been at Burns Lake in central B.C. for a week now, and white- crowned sparrows are hugely abundant here, singing, and moving through northwardly very rapidly. At the home of Pat's son and family here, at the feeders I have been interested to see the white- crowns going after not only the black-oil sunflower seeds, but also the suet in a hanging cage. They are getting at the suet in three ways: by landing on top of a sunflower feeder and reaching across to the suet cage, or by landing on top of the cage and reaching through the top to get suet below, or by leaning over from the cage top and hanging downward almost like a big chickadee to reach the cage openings. So far, of all the hundreds of white-crowned sparrows I've seen, none are in immature plumage, but a few show narrower white stripes on the crown -- perhaps yearlings like Richard's bird? Also at the feeders are many "Oregon juncos" (dark-eyed variants) plus black-capped chickadees. The lakes and ponds here are not yet cleared of ice, but big Burns Lake has open edges of water. Other birds seen nearby were 4 unidentified swans, Canada geese, 1 common loon, 2 pairs of red-necked grebes in breeding dress, 2 ring- necked ducks, unidentified ducks, ring-billed gulls, a possible California gull?, both "myrtle" and "Audubon's" subspecies of yellow- rumped warblers, common crows (we saw northwestern crows? in Vancouver), song sparrows, Savannah sparrow, several red-winged blackbird males & one female, starling, no house sparrows (except in Vancouver), n. flicker heard, lots of moose poop, one moose seen, scratches from black bears on an aspen trunk, etc. Willows and young grey or water birches in bloom. (Versus Vancouver, where all the fruit trees and garden plants are asplendor with multi- coloured blooms!) Pat & I will be back in Nova Scotia on May 8th. Cheers from Jim. Begin forwarded message: > From: Richard Stern <sternrichard@gmail.com> > Date: April 30, 2012 4:27:46 PM ADT > To: NatureNS <naturens@chebucto.ns.ca>, NS-RBA <NS- > RBA@yahoogroups.com> > Subject: [NatureNS] White - crowned sparrow > Reply-To: naturens@chebucto.ns.ca > > Hi, > > I just got home, and saw an adult White-crowned sparrow on the > ground around the base of the feeder by the kitchen window. It's > one of the eastern races, with dark lores (Ian). I suspect it's the > same one that has been here over the last 2 months or so - > initially in imm. plumage (see picture on my Smugmug site), then > later still sort of imm. plumage but darker head stripes, and now > in adult plumage. > > Richard > -- > ################# > Richard Stern, > Port Williams, NS, Canada > sternrichard@gmail.com > ################### --Apple-Mail-8-1043771303 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; "> I have been at Burns Lake in central B.C. for a week now, and = white-crowned sparrows are hugely abundant here, singing, and moving = through northwardly very rapidly. At the home of Pat's son and = family here, at the feeders I have been interested to see the = white-crowns going after not only the black-oil sunflower seeds, but = also the suet in a hanging cage. They are getting at the suet in = three ways: by landing on top of a sunflower feeder and reaching across = to the suet cage, or by landing on top of the cage and reaching through = the top to get suet below, or by leaning over from the cage top and = hanging downward almost like a big chickadee to reach the cage = openings.<div><br></div><div>So far, of all the hundreds of = white-crowned sparrows I've seen, none are in immature plumage, but a = few show narrower white stripes on the crown -- perhaps yearlings like = Richard's bird?<br><div><br></div><div>Also at the feeders are many = "Oregon juncos" (dark-eyed variants) plus black-capped = chickadees.</div><div><br></div><div>The lakes and ponds here are not = yet cleared of ice, but big Burns Lake has open edges of = water.</div><div><br></div><div>Other birds seen nearby were 4 = unidentified swans, Canada geese, 1 common loon, 2 pairs of red-necked = grebes in breeding dress, 2 ring-necked ducks, unidentified ducks, = ring-billed gulls, a possible California gull?, both "myrtle" and = "Audubon's" subspecies of yellow-rumped warblers, common crows (we saw = northwestern crows? in Vancouver), song sparrows, Savannah sparrow, = several red-winged blackbird males & one female, starling, no house = sparrows (except in Vancouver), n. flicker heard, lots of moose poop, = one moose seen, scratches from black bears on an aspen trunk, = etc.</div><div><br></div><div>Willows and young grey or water birches in = bloom. (Versus Vancouver, where all the fruit trees and garden = plants are asplendor with multi-coloured = blooms!)</div><div><br></div><div>Pat & I will be back in Nova = Scotia on May 8th.</div><div><br></div><div>Cheers from = Jim. <br><div><br><div>Begin forwarded message:</div><br = class=3D"Apple-interchange-newline"><blockquote type=3D"cite"><div = style=3D"margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; = margin-left: 0px; "><font face=3D"Helvetica" size=3D"3" color=3D"#000000" = style=3D"font: 12.0px Helvetica; color: #000000"><b>From: = </b></font><font face=3D"Helvetica" size=3D"3" style=3D"font: 12.0px = Helvetica">Richard Stern <<a = href=3D"mailto:sternrichard@gmail.com">sternrichard@gmail.com</a>></fon= t></div><div style=3D"margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: = 0px; margin-left: 0px; "><font face=3D"Helvetica" size=3D"3" = color=3D"#000000" style=3D"font: 12.0px Helvetica; color: = #000000"><b>Date: </b></font><font face=3D"Helvetica" size=3D"3" = style=3D"font: 12.0px Helvetica">April 30, 2012 4:27:46 PM = ADT</font></div><div style=3D"margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; = margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; "><font face=3D"Helvetica" = size=3D"3" color=3D"#000000" style=3D"font: 12.0px Helvetica; color: = #000000"><b>To: </b></font><font face=3D"Helvetica" size=3D"3" = style=3D"font: 12.0px Helvetica">NatureNS <<a = href=3D"mailto:naturens@chebucto.ns.ca">naturens@chebucto.ns.ca</a>>, = NS-RBA <<a = href=3D"mailto:NS-RBA@yahoogroups.com">NS-RBA@yahoogroups.com</a>></fon= t></div><div style=3D"margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: = 0px; margin-left: 0px; "><font face=3D"Helvetica" size=3D"3" = color=3D"#000000" style=3D"font: 12.0px Helvetica; color: = #000000"><b>Subject: </b></font><font face=3D"Helvetica" size=3D"3" = style=3D"font: 12.0px Helvetica"><b>[NatureNS] White - crowned = sparrow</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" color=3D"#000000" style=3D"font: 12.0px Helvetica; color: = #000000"><b>Reply-To: </b></font><font face=3D"Helvetica" size=3D"3" = style=3D"font: 12.0px Helvetica"><a = href=3D"mailto:naturens@chebucto.ns.ca">naturens@chebucto.ns.ca</a></font>= </div><div style=3D"margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: = 0px; margin-left: 0px; min-height: 14px; "><br></div> Hi,<br><br>I just = got home, and saw an adult White-crowned sparrow on the ground around = the base of the feeder by the kitchen window. It's one of the eastern = races, with dark lores (Ian). I suspect it's the same one that has been = here over the last 2 months or so - initially in imm. plumage (see = picture on my Smugmug site), then later still sort of imm. plumage but = darker head stripes, and now in adult plumage.<br clear=3D"all"> = <br>Richard<br>-- <br>#################<br>Richard Stern, <br>Port = Williams, NS, Canada<br><a href=3D"mailto:sternrichard@gmail.com" = target=3D"_blank">sternrichard@gmail.com</a><br>###################<br></b= lockquote></div><br></div></div></body></html>= --Apple-Mail-8-1043771303--
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