[NatureNS] Evangeline Beach shorebirds etc., July 19/13 (a bit long)

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From: Nancy P Dowd <nancypdowd@gmail.com>
Date: Fri, 19 Jul 2013 20:38:38 -0300
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href=3D"mailto:dhamilto@mta.ca"&gt;dhamilto@mta.ca&lt;/a&gt;&amp;gt;

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Hi Jim

Thank you for that simplified summary of the sandpiper waves of southward mi=
gration.=20

I do not know the details of the Bloodworm trade. But would their removal fo=
r bait possibly result in the opposite effect and leave more prey (I.e. Coro=
phium and other small arthropods) available for the peeps without the worms f=
eeding on them instead? Other things may be more influential in their needin=
g more time to fatten up.=20

Just a thought.=20

Nancy

Sent from my iPhone

On 2013-07-19, at 4:24 PM, "James W. Wolford" <jimwolford@eastlink.ca> wrote=
:

>> Date: July 19, 2013 4:20:14 PM ADT
>> To: Nature BNS <nature@blomidonnaturalists.ca>, Diana Hamilton <dhamilto@=
mta.ca>, Sherman Boates <boatesjs@gov.ns.ca>, Sue Abbott <sabbott@bsc-eoc.or=
g>, Julie Paquet <Julie.Paquet@ec.gc.ca>
>> Subject: [ValleyNature] Evangeline Beach shorebirds etc., July 19/13 (a b=
it long)
>>=20
>> JULY 19, 2013 - EVANGELINE BEACH -- This morning was quite rainy and over=
cast, but by 11:30 a.m. (high tide was 10 a.m.) the rain was very light, alm=
ost a drizzle, which gradually lightened more and then quit while I did a vi=
gil from my car in the canteen parking lot (car with driver-side facing Cape=
 Blomidon (north).  Compared with yesterday's bright and blinding sunlight, t=
oday the visibility was perfect, with the flying small shorebirds (peeps) ve=
ry easy to see against the light gray sky.  The ebbing water/flats edge was q=
uite close to me when I started, versus much further out/advanced at my star=
t yesterday.  Thus during my watch from 11:30 a.m. to 12:18 p.m., the flats w=
ent from quite narrow to fairly broad, but nowhere near how far the water wo=
uld eventually recede by low tide, which would have been three hours later.
>>=20
>> Here is the report from my vigil today: Today I saw a total of 658 "peeps=
" or small shorebirds (prob. mostly semipalmated sandpipers), which is about=
 200 more than seen yesterday.  All of these were flying along or parallel t=
o the shore, from east to west, and none that I watched landed at all, headi=
ng out of sight to the west (toward the mouth of the Cornwallis River).  Flo=
ck sizes, in order from 11:30 a.m. to 12:08 p.m., were: 25 + 20 + 35 + 25 + 3=
50 + 20 + 60 + 3 + 20 + 20 + 20 + 20 + 30 + 10.  Very probably I missed some=
 peeps, since, like yesterday, the first small flock occurred just when I ar=
rived.
>>=20
>> Other birds seen were 9 double-crested cormorants, 18 herring gulls, 5 gr=
eat black-backed gulls, and 2 immature bald eagles.
>>=20
>> A surprise seen fairly close to shore was a SEAL, very probably a harbour=
 seal, seen only briefly and distantly.
>>=20
>> I ended my vigil at 12:18 p.m.
>> ---------------------------
>>=20
>> FURTHER GENERAL INFO' ON OUR MIGRANT SHOREBIRDS here in the Minas Basin I=
mportant Bird Area:
>>=20
>> For those who don't know, I will summarize the season for the south-bound=
 migrant shorebirds at this site (especially semipalmated sandpipers).  Afte=
r mostly wintering in South America, most of them take a different route on t=
heir migration north through Spring to arrive in the Low Arctic, west of Hud=
son Bay across to Alaska, where they court, nest, and raise juveniles.  Fema=
le adults incubate the eggs, then the male raises the chicks, while the fema=
le can recover & fatten up & migrate south before the others.  The earliest s=
outhbound migrants arrive from late June to (mostly) mid-July.  The next wav=
e of migrants is mostly males, who have by then abandoned the independent ju=
veniles in the north and migrated south.  Finally the third wave, largely na=
ive juveniles, show up here (these three "waves" are herein greatly oversimp=
lified).  All of them are dependent on the nutritious mudflats for fattening=
 up for that long, non-stop-over-the-water, flight to northern South America=
 (Suriname).  Thus the season here is a long one, from early to mid-July to w=
ell into September and later to October.  During those many weeks, flocks ar=
e constantly arriving while others are departing, when conditions are right f=
or long flights.  (Also consider the common sense that says, if the semi's w=
ere not really good at this, natural selection would have weeded out this mi=
gratory route.)  Individual semi' sandpipers have been thought to spend 10 t=
o 14 days here in fattening up, but there is some concern that this length o=
f stay could be longer than previously.  One possible reason of many is that=
 commercial digging of baitworms/bloodworms (Glycera) here for bait for spor=
t-fishing in eastern U.S. results in some of the prey animals like mud shrim=
ps becoming not only less abundant but also less available to the semi' sand=
pipers.
>>=20
>> Here I will invite comments from Julie Paquet of Can. Wildl. Service, She=
rman Boates of N.S. Dept. of Nat. Resources, and especially Diana Hamilton o=
f Mount Allison University, who has had a team studying all of this for quit=
e a few years, with many publications.  One of the things they have discover=
ed is that the diet of the semi' sandpipers is much more diverse than previo=
usly thought.
>>=20
>> Additional important perspective is that these shorebirds have been showi=
ng gradual population declines during recent decades, and the reasons are po=
orly understood, I think.  Quality of nesting habitats and overwintering hab=
itats are big questions, in addition to all of the stop-over spots like ours=
 here.  The local mudflats are extremely biodiverse and incredibly productiv=
e (think of the salt-marsh sediment and Grand Pre agricultural crops on the d=
ykelands, which used to be tidal marshes).=20
>> ------------------------- =20
>> Cheers from Jim in Wolfville.
>> _______________________________________________
>> Nature mailing list
>> Nature@blomidonnaturalists.ca
>> http://blomidonnaturalists.ca/mailman/listinfo/nature_blomidonnaturalists=
.ca
>=20

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<html><head><meta http-equiv=3D"content-type" content=3D"text/html; charset=3D=
utf-8"></head><body dir=3D"auto"><div>Hi Jim</div><div><br></div><div>Thank y=
ou for that simplified summary of the sandpiper waves of southward migration=
.&nbsp;</div><div><br></div><div>I do not know the details of the Bloodworm t=
rade. But would their removal for bait possibly result in the opposite effec=
t and leave more prey (I.e. Corophium and other small arthropods) available f=
or the peeps without the worms feeding on them instead? Other things may be m=
ore influential in their needing more time to fatten up.&nbsp;</div><div><br=
></div><div>Just a thought.&nbsp;</div><div><br></div><div>Nancy<br><br>Sent=
 from my iPhone</div><div><br>On 2013-07-19, at 4:24 PM, "James W. Wolford" &=
lt;jimwolford@eastlink.ca&gt; w=
rote:<br><br></div><blockquote type=3D"cite"><div><div><blockquote type=3D"c=
ite"><div style=3D"margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; m=
argin-left: 0px; "><font face=3D"Helvetica" size=3D"3" color=3D"#000000" sty=
le=3D"font: 12.0px Helvetica; color: #000000"><b>Date: </b></font><font face=
=3D"Helvetica" size=3D"3" style=3D"font: 12.0px Helvetica">July 19, 2013 4:2=
0:14 PM ADT</font></div><div style=3D"margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; ma=
rgin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; "><font face=3D"Helvetica" size=3D"3" co=
lor=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">=
Nature BNS &lt;<a href=3D"mailto:nature@blomidonnaturalists.ca">nature@blomi=
donnaturalists.ca</a>&gt;, Diana Hamilton &lt;<a href=3D"mailto:dhamilto@mta=
.ca">dhamilto@mta.ca</a>&gt;, Sherman Boates &lt;<a href=3D"mailto:boatesjs@=
gov.ns.ca">boatesjs@gov.ns.ca</a>&gt;, Sue Abbott &lt;<a href=3D"mailto:sabb=
ott@bsc-eoc.org">sabbott@bsc-eoc.org</a>&gt;, Julie Paquet &lt;<a href=3D"ma=
ilto:Julie.Paquet@ec.gc.ca">Julie.Paquet@ec.gc.ca</a>&gt;</font></div><div s=
tyle=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"Helv=
etica" size=3D"3" style=3D"font: 12.0px Helvetica"><b>[ValleyNature] Evangel=
ine Beach shorebirds etc., July 19/13 (a bit long)</b></font></div><div styl=
e=3D"margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0p=
x; min-height: 14px; "><br></div> <div style=3D"margin-top: 0px; margin-righ=
t: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; "><font face=3D"Helvetica" siz=
e=3D"3" style=3D"font: 12.0px Helvetica"><b>JULY 19, 2013 - EVANGELINE BEACH=
 </b>-- This morning was quite<b> rainy and overcast, but</b> by 11:30 a.m. (=
high tide was 10 a.m.) the rain was very light, almost a drizzle, which grad=
ually lightened more and then quit while<b> I did a vigil from my car </b>in=
 the canteen parking lot (car with driver-side facing Cape Blomidon (north).=
&nbsp; Compared with yesterday's bright and blinding sunlight, today the <b>=
visibility was perfect</b>, with the flying small shorebirds (peeps) very ea=
sy to see against the light gray sky.&nbsp; The ebbing water/flats edge was q=
uite close to me when I started, versus much further out/advanced at my star=
t yesterday.&nbsp; Thus during my watch from 11:30 a.m. to 12:18 p.m., the f=
lats went from quite narrow to fairly broad, but nowhere near how far the wa=
ter would eventually recede by low tide, which would have been three hours l=
ater.</font></div><div style=3D"margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-b=
ottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; font: normal normal normal 12px/normal Helveti=
ca; min-height: 14px; "><br></div><div style=3D"margin-top: 0px; margin-righ=
t: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; "><font face=3D"Helvetica" siz=
e=3D"3" style=3D"font: 12.0px Helvetica"><b>Here is the report from my vigil=
 today: </b>Today I saw a total of <b>658 "peeps"</b> or small shorebirds (p=
rob. mostly semipalmated sandpipers), which is about 200 more than seen yest=
erday.&nbsp; All of these were flying along or parallel to the shore, from e=
ast to west, and none that I watched landed at all, heading out of sight to t=
he west (toward the mouth of the Cornwallis River).&nbsp; Flock sizes, in or=
der from 11:30 a.m. to 12:08 p.m., were: 25 + 20 + 35 + 25 + 350 + 20 + 60 +=
 3 + 20 + 20 + 20 + 20 + 30 + 10.&nbsp; <b>Very probably I missed some peeps=
, since</b>, like yesterday, the first small flock occurred just when I arri=
ved.</font></div><div style=3D"margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bo=
ttom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; font: normal normal normal 12px/normal Helvetic=
a; 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"><b>Other birds seen</b> were 9 doubl=
e-crested cormorants, 18 herring gulls, 5 great black-backed gulls, and 2 im=
mature bald eagles.</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: 0p=
x; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; "><font face=3D"=
Helvetica" size=3D"3" style=3D"font: 12.0px Helvetica">A surprise seen fairl=
y close to shore was <b>a SEAL, very probably a harbour seal</b>, seen only b=
riefly and distantly.</font></div><div style=3D"margin-top: 0px; margin-righ=
t: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; font: normal normal normal 12p=
x/normal Helvetica; min-height: 14px; "><br></div><div style=3D"margin-top: 0=
px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; "><font face=3D=
"Helvetica" size=3D"3" style=3D"font: 12.0px Helvetica">I ended my vigil at 1=
2:18 p.m.</font></div><div style=3D"margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; marg=
in-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; "><font face=3D"Helvetica" size=3D"3" styl=
e=3D"font: 12.0px Helvetica">---------------------------</font></div><div st=
yle=3D"margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0=
px; font: normal normal normal 12px/normal Helvetica; min-height: 14px; "><b=
r></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"><b>FURTHER GENERAL INFO' ON OUR MIGRANT SHOREBIRDS here in th=
e Minas Basin Important Bird Area:</b></font></div><div style=3D"margin-top:=
 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; font: normal n=
ormal 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 don't know, I will summarize the <b>season for the south-bound mi=
grant shorebirds</b> at this site (especially semipalmated sandpipers).&nbsp=
; After mostly wintering in South America, most of them take a different rou=
te on their migration north through Spring to arrive in the Low Arctic, west=
 of Hudson Bay across to Alaska, where they court, nest, and raise juveniles=
.&nbsp; Female adults incubate the eggs, then the male raises the chicks, wh=
ile the female can recover &amp; fatten up &amp; migrate south before the ot=
hers.&nbsp; The earliest southbound migrants arrive from late June to (mostl=
y) mid-July.&nbsp; The next wave of migrants is mostly males, who have by th=
en abandoned the independent juveniles in the north and migrated south.&nbsp=
; Finally the third wave, largely naive juveniles, show up here (these three=
 "waves" are herein greatly oversimplified).&nbsp; All of them are dependent=
 on the nutritious mudflats for fattening up for that long, non-stop-over-th=
e-water, flight to northern South America (Suriname).&nbsp; Thus<b> the seas=
on here is a long one</b>, from early to mid-July to well into September and=
 later to October.&nbsp; During those many weeks, flocks are constantly arri=
ving while others are departing, when conditions are right for long flights.=
&nbsp; (Also consider the common sense that says, if the semi's were not rea=
lly good at this, natural selection would have weeded out this migratory rou=
te.)&nbsp; Individual semi' sandpipers have been thought to spend 10 to 14 d=
ays here in fattening up, but there is some concern that this length of stay=
 could be longer than previously.&nbsp; One possible reason of many is that c=
ommercial digging of baitworms/bloodworms (<i>Glycera</i>) here for bait for=
 sport-fishing in eastern U.S. results in some of the prey animals like mud s=
hrimps becoming not only less abundant but also less available to the semi' s=
andpipers.</font></div><div style=3D"margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; mar=
gin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; font: normal normal normal 12px/normal He=
lvetica; 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"><b>Here I will invite comments=
</b> from Julie Paquet of Can. Wildl. Service, Sherman Boates of N.S. Dept. o=
f Nat. Resources, and especially Diana Hamilton of Mount Allison University,=
 who has had a team studying all of this for quite a few years, with many pu=
blications.&nbsp; One of the things they have discovered is that the diet of=
 the semi' sandpipers is much more diverse than previously thought.</font></=
div><div style=3D"margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; ma=
rgin-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">Additional important perspective is that these shor=
ebirds have been showing gradual <b>population declines</b> during recent de=
cades, and the reasons are poorly understood, I think.&nbsp; Quality of <b>n=
esting habitats and overwintering habitats</b> are big questions, in additio=
n to all of the stop-over spots like ours here.&nbsp; The local mudflats are=
 extremely biodiverse and incredibly productive (think of the salt-marsh sed=
iment and Grand Pre agricultural crops on the dykelands, which used to be ti=
dal marshes).&nbsp;</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">------------------------- &nbsp;</font>=
</div><div style=3D"margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; m=
argin-left: 0px; font: normal normal normal 12px/normal Helvetica; min-heigh=
t: 14px; ">Cheers from Jim in Wolfville.</div><div style=3D"margin-top: 0px;=
 margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; ">________________=
_______________________________</div><div style=3D"margin-top: 0px; margin-r=
ight: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; ">Nature mailing list</div>=
<div style=3D"margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin=
-left: 0px; "><a href=3D"mailto:Nature@blomidonnaturalists.ca">Nature@blomid=
onnaturalists.ca</a></div><div style=3D"margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; m=
argin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; "><a href=3D"http://blomidonnaturalists=
.ca/mailman/listinfo/nature_blomidonnaturalists.ca">http://blomidonnaturalis=
ts.ca/mailman/listinfo/nature_blomidonnaturalists.ca</a></div> </blockquote>=
</div><br></div></blockquote></body></html>=

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