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This is a multi-part message in MIME format. ------=_NextPart_000_000B_01CD997C.30179A20 Content-Type: text/plain; charset="iso-8859-1" Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable Sunday is the one day of the week that Laura and I sit down together for = a formal breakfast. Interestingly, I've also seen some of our best birds = during this ritual as I look through the large kitchen window into the = forest north of the house. Several years ago I spotted a Golden-winged = Warbler, my favourite of all the warblers, if such a thing is even = possible with such a glorious family of birds. Earlier this year I = spotted a Prothonotary Warbler out there, an over water cavity nesting = warbler. But as to this morning, there were no rare birds but lots of common and = uncommon indigenous Nova Scotia birds. The usual clutter of Purple = Finches, American Goldfinches and Blue Jays were tending to the feeders. = The regular bunch of over-wintering sparrows were on duty; Song and = White-throated Sparrows soon to be joined by the annual influx of Tree = Sparrows. Several years ago we started planting berry producing shrubs = all about our place and they are starting to bare fruit, literally and = figuratively. The elder berries and mutliflora rose berries are popular = with our pair of Gray Catbirds, also visible from my breakfast chair. I = suspect the Gray Catbirds have been with us since the spring. I spotted = our male Northern Cardinal through the window. There has been a female = cardinal around as well but not this morning. A Baltimore Oriole flew up = into our grape vines shrouding the back deck trellis. Birds are = impossible to see once in the trellis due to the thick foliage, all as = planned for our summertime dining enjoyment. Shucks, we can't even see = the raccoons when they are up there tearing the place apart looking for = grapes. Flocks of American Robins are moving through the area this = morning, the first major migration wave I suspect but a drive-about the = area is needed to confirm this conjecture. I spotted Yellow-rumped, Palm = and Common Yellowthroat Warblers in the forest through the window. The = warblers are all juveniles now as the adults are long gone. Our = Ruby-throated Hummingbirds left us circa Sept 20, as they do most years = but we keep the feeders up until the first hard frost. I put our winter bird feeder up the other day, the one designed for meal = worm feeding of Orioles and other strays. Although we had seven orioles = in the fall last year they moved on during a warm spell but a Northern = Mockingbird stayed all winter.=20 Hans _________________________________________________________________________= ________________________________ Hans Toom Portuguese Cove, Nova Scotia, Canada http://www.hanstoom.com/ ------=_NextPart_000_000B_01CD997C.30179A20 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 8.00.6001.19328"> <STYLE></STYLE> </HEAD> <BODY bgColor=3D#ffffff> <DIV><FONT size=3D2 face=3DArial>Sunday is the one day of the week that = Laura and I=20 sit down together for a formal breakfast. Interestingly, I've also seen = some of=20 our best birds during this ritual as I look through the large = kitchen=20 window into the forest north of the house. Several years ago I spotted a = Golden-winged Warbler, my favourite of all the warblers, if such a thing = is even=20 possible with such a glorious family of birds. Earlier this year I = spotted a=20 Prothonotary Warbler out there, an over water cavity nesting=20 warbler.</FONT></DIV> <DIV><FONT size=3D2 face=3DArial></FONT> </DIV> <DIV><FONT size=3D2 face=3DArial>But as to this morning, there were no = rare birds=20 but lots of common and uncommon indigenous Nova Scotia birds. The usual = clutter=20 of <STRONG>Purple Finches</STRONG>, <STRONG>American = Goldfinches</STRONG> and=20 <STRONG>Blue Jays</STRONG> were tending to the feeders. The regular = bunch of=20 over-wintering sparrows were on duty; <STRONG>Song</STRONG>=20 and <STRONG>White-throated Sparrows</STRONG> soon to be joined by = the=20 annual influx of Tree Sparrows. Several years ago we started = planting berry=20 producing shrubs all about our place and they are starting to bare = fruit,=20 literally and figuratively. The elder berries and mutliflora rose = berries are=20 popular with our pair of <STRONG>Gray Catbirds</STRONG>, also visible = from my=20 breakfast chair. I suspect the Gray Catbirds have been with us since the = spring.=20 I spotted our male <STRONG>Northern Cardinal</STRONG> through the = window. There=20 has been a female cardinal around as well but not this morning. A=20 <STRONG>Baltimore Oriole</STRONG> flew up into our grape vines shrouding = the=20 back deck trellis. Birds are impossible to see once in the trellis due = to the=20 thick foliage, all as planned for our summertime dining enjoyment. = Shucks, we=20 can't even see the raccoons when they are up there tearing the place = apart=20 looking for grapes. Flocks of <STRONG>American Robins</STRONG> are = moving=20 through the area this morning, the first major migration wave I = suspect but=20 a drive-about the area is needed to confirm this conjecture. I = spotted=20 <STRONG>Yellow-rumped</STRONG>, <STRONG>Palm</STRONG> and <STRONG>Common = Yellowthroat</STRONG> <STRONG>Warblers</STRONG> in the forest through = the=20 window. The warblers are all juveniles now as the adults are long gone. = Our=20 Ruby-throated Hummingbirds left us circa Sept 20, as they do most years = but we=20 keep the feeders up until the first hard frost.</FONT></DIV> <DIV><FONT size=3D2 face=3DArial></FONT> </DIV> <DIV><FONT size=3D2 face=3DArial>I put our winter bird feeder up the = other day, the=20 one designed for meal worm feeding of Orioles and other strays. Although = we had=20 seven orioles in the fall last year they moved on during a warm = spell but a=20 Northern Mockingbird stayed all winter. </FONT></DIV> <DIV><FONT size=3D2=20 face=3DArial><BR>Hans<BR>________________________________________________= _________________________________________________________<BR>Hans=20 Toom<BR>Portuguese Cove, Nova Scotia, Canada<BR><A=20 href=3D"http://www.hanstoom.com/">http://www.hanstoom.com/</A></FONT></DI= V></BODY></HTML> ------=_NextPart_000_000B_01CD997C.30179A20--
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