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a couple of goldfinches.</font></div><div style=3D" Just wanted to add some more info to Jim's report. As in previous years a small group of us went to the Eagle Watch feeding site at the end of M.Dyke Road to taken even more photos. . We arrived ~8:30 and there were only few cars and people present in comparisson to previous years. Some folks came down from Toronto for Eagle Watch. Maybe the cold and snowy weather of the previous days had a discouraging effect. I guess it will be a different story today. There were ~30 Eagles perched in the trees when the chicken express showed up to deliver breakfast for the eagles just before 9. Depsite that the chickens were dropped much closer to the crowd than in previous years it took only a short time before the eagles started feeding. The first spur of activity lasted for ~20 minutes, with a second round of feeding about 40 minutes later when a tour bus showed up (not that I think that had anything to do with it). Arround 11 a second load of chicken was delivered. We packed it up around 11:20, but good to hear that there was some more action later on. Positively noted that signage had been put up with some info and a plea to stay off farm properties and fields. Personaly I would put some red tape up as a visual barrier to keep folks from wandering in the field and on the boardering property. Cheers Ulli > > > Begin forwarded message: > > From: "James W. Wolford" <jimwolford@eastlink.ca> > Date: January 27, 2013 12:28:56 AM AST > Subject: 22ND ANNUAL EAGLE WATCH report -- c. mergansers, redpolls, etc. > > JAN. 26, 2013 -- 22ND ANNUAL EAGLE WATCH at Sheffield Mills -- Relative to what weather > we have had over the past week or more, today was gorgeous , Sunny and wind-free in the > morning, fairly warm at -10 C., and perfect for the first day of this year's Eagle Watch -- also > perfect for our annual count of eagles and raptors in eastern King's County (more on that to come > later). The afternoon got warmer to -8 C. but also windy with a resulting wind-chill. > > This morning at home I checked my Niger/thistle black metal feeder and found it empty, so I > refilled it, hoping for some of my neighbour's redpolls and siskins -- in the afternoon I did see 2 > common redpolls with a couple of goldfinches. > > In mid-morning I drove east from Wolfville to the Eye Road eagle-feeding site but saw only one > bald eagle there, at the nest across the hwy. from the chicken barn. Then I continued east to > Grand Pre, then south to Wallbrook -- 2 drake common mergansers were in the Gaspereau > River just above the bridge. I drove west parallel to the river and spotted only a few perched bald > eagles, no feeding concentrations. > > Then I drove to Sheffield Mills, again only noting a few scattered bald eagles. At the > Community Hall at 10:30 a.m. there were relatively few parked cars and people inside the hall, > perhaps because many were at the viewing site at the north end of Middle Dyke Road?? I was > told that earlier in the morning there were plenty of eagles there, but they were mostly just > perched in the trees around the feeding field. > > However, it was different by noon, when I snuck away from the Hall (partly to hear Quirks & > Quarks) and drove to the viewing site. I counted as many as 30 bald eagles on the ground at > once, but there was lots of action so that the numbers changed rapidly up and down. A few > immatures flew across the field and landed briefly, and about 20 ravens were also on the ground. > I also counted at least 30 more perched eagles, for a minimum total of 60 but probably > considerably more in the general area, with many in the air at once. There was plenty of room for > manoeuvering my car and stopping briefly to look before driving on and getting out of other's way. > Number of cars there were well below what I expected to see. > > The eagles on the ground were relatively far from the photographers along the road, and three > photographers has advanced about 20 metres into the field -- I was concerned about that, and I > hope they didn't try to get any closer. > > Later, on my way home, I visited the viewing site again at about 2:40 p.m. I only saw 3 perched > eagle, and now on the ground were only 20 great black-backed gulls and, surprisingly, a single > herring gull -- we hardly ever see the latter at the feeding sites. > > Once again, go to www.eaglens.ca for details about the 22nd Annual Eagle Watch at Sheffield > Mills. > > Tomorrow's forecast is for up to -10 C. and partly Sunny, perhaps another nice day for the drive > in eastern King's County plus a pancake-and-sausage breakfast plus viewing of displays and > videos plus shopping for eagle paraphernalia etc.?? > > Cheers from Jim in Wolfville. > > >
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