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This is a multi-part message in MIME format. ------=_NextPart_000_006C_01D0B18B.AE3E18A0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset="iso-8859-1" Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable Pat McKay and I found yesterday, June 27th, that shorebird migration was = already underway at Shorebird Cove, Three Fathom Harbour. Newly arrived = shorebirds were: Lesser Yellowlegs - 10 Ruddy Turnstone - 1 Short-billed Dowitcher - 3 Also present were the local breeders that we've been watching since = April: Willets, Spotted Sandpipers and most notably a family of = Killdeer. =20 I've watched, usually with Pat, the arrival of a single Killdeer in late = April, then display flights and a pair mating on May 31st. From my car = at the end of the driveway, we've been able to watch the Killdeer = sitting and exchanging at the nest, in June. The books give 24 to 28 = days as the incubation time for Killdeer eggs, so I calculated the = earliest possible hatching date as June 23rd. We were very sad to find = the nest abandoned on June 20th, and assumed that a predator had found = it. Much to our delight, yesterday there were an adult Killdeer and 4 = well-grown downy juveniles out on the mudflats at the cove. The = temperature was only 14 degrees, with a brisk wind, so when we first saw = them the adult was brooding the young. Well, brooding 3 of them while = the 4th tried unsuccessfully to push its way in to join them. We've = missed the endearing stage of very young Killdeer chicks, but these = juveniles are still very attractive young birds, already almost half the = size of the adult. It's great to see some breeding success, since we've seen no juvenile = Willets so far. Altogether, it's already been a great season for = watching shorebirds. Cheers, Susann Myers =20 ------=_NextPart_000_006C_01D0B18B.AE3E18A0 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=3Dtext/html;charset=3Diso-8859-1 = http-equiv=3DContent-Type> <META name=3DGENERATOR content=3D"MSHTML 8.00.6001.23588"></HEAD> <BODY style=3D"PADDING-LEFT: 10px; PADDING-RIGHT: 10px; PADDING-TOP: = 15px"=20 id=3DMailContainerBody leftMargin=3D0 topMargin=3D0 = CanvasTabStop=3D"true"=20 name=3D"Compose message area"> <DIV><FONT face=3DCalibri>Pat McKay and I found yesterday, June 27th, = that=20 shorebird migration was already underway at Shorebird Cove, Three Fathom = Harbour. Newly arrived shorebirds were:</FONT></DIV> <DIV><FONT face=3DCalibri></FONT> </DIV> <DIV><FONT face=3DCalibri>Lesser Yellowlegs - 10</FONT></DIV> <DIV><FONT face=3DCalibri>Ruddy Turnstone - 1</FONT></DIV> <DIV><FONT face=3DCalibri>Short-billed Dowitcher - 3</FONT></DIV> <DIV><FONT face=3DCalibri></FONT> </DIV> <DIV><FONT face=3DCalibri>Also present were the local breeders that = we've been=20 watching since April: Willets, Spotted Sandpipers and most notably = a=20 family of Killdeer. </FONT></DIV> <DIV><FONT face=3DCalibri></FONT> </DIV> <DIV><FONT face=3DCalibri>I've watched, usually with Pat, the arrival of = a single=20 Killdeer in late April, then display flights and a pair mating on May=20 31st. From my car at the end of the driveway, we've been able to = watch the=20 Killdeer sitting and exchanging at the nest, in June. The = books give=20 24 to 28 days as the incubation time for Killdeer eggs, so I calculated = the=20 earliest possible hatching date as June 23rd. We were very sad=20 to find the nest abandoned on June 20th, and assumed that a = predator had=20 found it. Much to our delight, yesterday there were an adult = Killdeer and=20 4 well-grown downy juveniles out on the mudflats at the cove. The=20 temperature was only 14 degrees, with a brisk wind, so when we first saw = them=20 the adult was brooding the young. Well, brooding 3 of them=20 while the 4th tried unsuccessfully to push its way in to join=20 them. We've missed the endearing stage of very young = Killdeer=20 chicks, but these juveniles are still very attractive young birds, = already=20 almost half the size of the adult.</FONT></DIV> <DIV><FONT face=3DCalibri></FONT> </DIV> <DIV><FONT face=3DCalibri>It's great to see some breeding success,=20 since we've seen no juvenile Willets so far. Altogether,=20 it's already been a great season for watching = shorebirds.</FONT></DIV> <DIV><FONT face=3DCalibri></FONT> </DIV> <DIV><FONT face=3DCalibri>Cheers,</FONT></DIV> <DIV><FONT face=3DCalibri>Susann Myers </FONT></DIV> <DIV><FONT face=3DCalibri></FONT> </DIV> <DIV><FONT face=3DCalibri> </FONT></DIV></BODY></HTML> ------=_NextPart_000_006C_01D0B18B.AE3E18A0--
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