[NatureNS] Brier Island Christmas Count

From: Eric Mills <E.Mills@Dal.Ca>
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Thread-Topic: Brier Island Christmas Count
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It is a long haul to Brier Island for those of us who don't live there, but=
 the birding is always interesting. Here are the results from December 14's=
 Brier Island CBC.

BRIER ISLAND CHRISTMAS COUNT 2015 (CBC#116)
Monday, December 14, 2015

Time & weather: 0700-1700 AST. Overcast, with occasional rain showers and i=
ce pellets. Wind ESE 5 to ca. 20 kph

Participants: Stewart Brown, Wanda Christensen, Lisa Clark, Dominic Cormier=
, Ron d'Entremont, Cindy Garron, George Garron, Carl Haycock, Kevin Lantz, =
Sharron Marlor, Anne Mills, Eric Mills (compiler), Richard Stern, Jake Walk=
er, Rick Whitman.

Effort: Total party kilometres 90.4 (20.2 on foot, 70.2 by car). Total part=
y hours 23.9 (21.1 on foot, 2.8 by car).

59 species (4 more in Count Week), 2312 individuals.
Black Duck - 48; Mallard - 3; Northern Pintail - 1; Common Eider - 78; Harl=
equin Duck - 1; Surf Scoter - 1; White-winged Scoter - 22; Black Scoter - 1=
2; Long-tailed Duck - 104; Bufflehead - 11; Red-breasted Merganser - 34; Ri=
ng-necked Pheasant - 7; Ruffed Grouse - 5; Common Loon - 55; Red-necked Gre=
be - 12; Northern Fulmar - 25; Great Shearwater - 15; Northern Gannet - 51;=
 Double-crested Cormorant - 2; Great Cormorant - 102; Bald Eagle - 1; Sharp=
-shinned Hawk - 1; Purple Sandpiper - 31; Dovekie - 202; Murre sp. - 100; R=
azorbill - 52; Black Guillemot - 25; Atlantic Puffin - 15; Black-legged Kit=
tiwake - 225; Laughing Gull - 1; Ring-billed Gull - 1; Herring Gull - 527; =
Iceland Gull - 4; Great Black-backed Gull - 99; Rock Pigeon - 19; Mourning =
Dove - 46; Downy Woodpecker - 1; Western Kingbird - 1; Blue Jay - 13; Ameri=
can Crow - 80; Common Raven - 11; Horned Lark - 2; Black-capped Chickadee -=
 39; Red-breasted Nuthatch - 1; White-breasted Nuthatch - 1; Brown Creeper =
- 1; Golden-crowned Kinglet - 21; Ruby-crowned Kinglet - 1; European Starli=
ng - 70; Lapland Longspur - 2; Snow Bunting - 45; Song Sparrow - 9; White-t=
hroated Sparrow - 2; Dark-eyed Junco - 12; Northern Cardinal - 5; Red-winge=
d Blackbird - 8; Common Grackle - 7; Brown-headed Cowbird - 1; Purple Finch=
 - 7; American Goldfinch - 34.
Count week species: Turkey Vulture, American Pipit, American Tree Sparrow, =
Baltimore Oriole.

Comments. The highlight of this year's count was the addition of two specie=
s to the overall CBC list for Brier Island, Laughing Gull and Western Kingb=
ird. The Baltimore Oriole that had been regular at Lisa Clark's feeder up t=
o count day was not seen then nor thereafter. The Laughing Gull, 15 Great S=
hearwaters, 25 Fulmars and a nice mix of alcids, were seen by Carl Haycock =
off the island, within the pelagic part of the count circle, during the sea=
bird melee accompanying lobster fishing. From shore it was evident that the=
re were large numbers of seabirds north and west of the island, but they we=
re totally unidentifiable in the distance and in haze despite relatively ca=
lm sea conditions, especially in the morning. On land, despite relatively g=
ood weather (a few showers of rain and ice pellets), birds were few and far=
 between except in Westport, where the feeders really paid off, and the Wes=
tern Kingbird, found first two days before the count, alternated through th=
e day between fruit-bearing bushes and a rather unproductive search for fly=
ing insects from the wires along Second Street.




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<html>
<head>
<meta http-equiv=3D"Content-Type" content=3D"text/html; charset=3Diso-8859-=
1">
<style type=3D"text/css" style=3D"display:none;"><!-- P {margin-top:0;margi=
n-bottom:0;} --></style>
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<body dir=3D"ltr">
<div id=3D"divtagdefaultwrapper" style=3D"font-size:12pt; color:#000000; ba=
ckground-color:#FFFFFF; font-family:Calibri,Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif">
<p>It is a long haul to Brier Island for those of us who don't live there, =
but the birding is always interesting. Here are the results from December 1=
4's Brier Island CBC.</p>
<p><br>
</p>
<p></p>
<p class=3D"MsoNormal" style=3D"text-align:justify;text-justify:inter-ideog=
raph"><b style=3D"mso-bidi-font-weight:normal">BRIER ISLAND CHRISTMAS COUNT=
 2015 (CBC#116)</b></p>
<p class=3D"MsoNormal" style=3D"text-align:justify;text-justify:inter-ideog=
raph">Monday, December 14, 2015</p>
<p class=3D"MsoNormal" style=3D"text-align:justify;text-justify:inter-ideog=
raph"><b style=3D"mso-bidi-font-weight:normal">&nbsp;</b></p>
<p class=3D"MsoNormal" style=3D"text-align:justify;text-justify:inter-ideog=
raph"><b style=3D"mso-bidi-font-weight:normal">Time &amp; weather:
</b>0700-1700 AST. Overcast, with occasional rain showers and ice pellets. =
Wind ESE 5 to ca. 20 kph</p>
<p class=3D"MsoNormal" style=3D"text-align:justify;text-justify:inter-ideog=
raph">&nbsp;</p>
<p class=3D"MsoNormal" style=3D"text-align:justify;text-justify:inter-ideog=
raph"><b style=3D"mso-bidi-font-weight:normal">Participants:
</b>Stewart Brown, Wanda Christensen, Lisa Clark, Dominic Cormier, Ron d&#8=
217;Entremont, Cindy Garron, George Garron, Carl Haycock, Kevin Lantz, Shar=
ron Marlor, Anne Mills, Eric Mills (compiler), Richard Stern, Jake Walker, =
Rick Whitman.
</p>
<p class=3D"MsoNormal" style=3D"text-align:justify;text-justify:inter-ideog=
raph">&nbsp;</p>
<p class=3D"MsoNormal" style=3D"text-align:justify;text-justify:inter-ideog=
raph"><b style=3D"mso-bidi-font-weight:normal">Effort:
</b>Total party kilometres 90.4 (20.2 on foot, 70.2 by car). Total party ho=
urs 23.9 (21.1 on foot, 2.8 by car).</p>
<p class=3D"MsoNormal" style=3D"text-align:justify;text-justify:inter-ideog=
raph">&nbsp;</p>
<p class=3D"MsoNormal" style=3D"text-align:justify;text-justify:inter-ideog=
raph"><b style=3D"mso-bidi-font-weight:normal">59 species</b> (4 more in Co=
unt Week),
<b style=3D"mso-bidi-font-weight:normal">2312</b> individuals. </p>
<p class=3D"MsoNormal" style=3D"text-align:justify;text-justify:inter-ideog=
raph">Black Duck &#8211; 48; Mallard &#8211; 3; Northern Pintail &#8211; 1;=
<b style=3D"mso-bidi-font-weight:=0A=
normal">
</b>Common Eider &#8211; 78; Harlequin Duck &#8211; 1; Surf Scoter &#8211; =
1; White-winged Scoter &#8211; 22;<b style=3D"mso-bidi-font-weight:normal">
</b>Black Scoter &#8211; 12; Long-tailed Duck &#8211; 104;<b style=3D"mso-b=
idi-font-weight:normal">
</b>Bufflehead &#8211; 11;<b style=3D"mso-bidi-font-weight:normal"> </b>Red=
-breasted Merganser &#8211; 34; Ring-necked Pheasant &#8211; 7; Ruffed Grou=
se &#8211; 5; Common Loon &#8211; 55; Red-necked Grebe &#8211; 12;<b style=
=3D"mso-bidi-font-weight:normal">
</b>Northern Fulmar &#8211; <b style=3D"mso-bidi-font-weight:normal">25</b>=
; <b style=3D"mso-bidi-font-weight:=0A=
normal">
Great Shearwater </b>&#8211; <b style=3D"mso-bidi-font-weight:normal">15</b=
>; Northern Gannet &#8211; 51; Double-crested Cormorant &#8211; 2; Great Co=
rmorant &#8211; 102; Bald Eagle &#8211; 1; Sharp-shinned Hawk &#8211; 1; Pu=
rple Sandpiper &#8211; 31; Dovekie &#8211; 202; Murre sp. &#8211; 100; Razo=
rbill &#8211; 52; Black
 Guillemot &#8211; 25; Atlantic Puffin &#8211; 15; Black-legged Kittiwake &=
#8211; 225; <b style=3D"mso-bidi-font-weight:normal">
Laughing Gull </b>&#8211; 1; Ring-billed Gull &#8211; 1; Herring Gull &#821=
1; 527; Iceland Gull &#8211; 4; Great Black-backed Gull &#8211; 99; Rock Pi=
geon &#8211; 19; Mourning Dove &#8211; 46; Downy Woodpecker &#8211; 1;
<b style=3D"mso-bidi-font-weight:normal">Western Kingbird</b> &#8211; 1; Bl=
ue Jay &#8211; 13; American Crow &#8211; 80; Common Raven &#8211; 11; Horne=
d Lark &#8211;<b style=3D"mso-bidi-font-weight:=0A=
normal">
</b>2; Black-capped Chickadee &#8211; 39; Red-breasted Nuthatch &#8211; 1; =
<b style=3D"mso-bidi-font-weight:normal">
White-breasted Nuthatch</b> &#8211; 1; Brown Creeper &#8211; 1; Golden-crow=
ned Kinglet &#8211; 21; <b style=3D"mso-bidi-font-weight:normal">
Ruby-crowned Kinglet</b> &#8211; 1; European Starling - 70; Lapland Longspu=
r &#8211; 2; Snow Bunting &#8211; 45; Song Sparrow &#8211; 9; White-throate=
d Sparrow &#8211; 2; Dark-eyed Junco &#8211; 12; Northern Cardinal &#8211; =
5; Red-winged Blackbird &#8211; 8; Common Grackle &#8211; 7; Brown-headed C=
owbird &#8211; 1;
 Purple Finch &#8211; <b style=3D"mso-bidi-font-weight:normal">7</b>; Ameri=
can Goldfinch &#8211; 34.</p>
<p class=3D"MsoNormal"><b style=3D"mso-bidi-font-weight:normal">Count week =
species</b>: Turkey Vulture, American Pipit, American Tree Sparrow, Baltimo=
re Oriole.</p>
<p class=3D"MsoNormal">&nbsp;</p>
<p class=3D"MsoNormal" style=3D"text-align:justify;text-justify:inter-ideog=
raph"><b style=3D"mso-bidi-font-weight:normal">Comments</b>. The highlight =
of this year&#8217;s count was the addition of two species to the overall C=
BC list for Brier Island, Laughing Gull and
 Western Kingbird. The Baltimore Oriole that had been regular at Lisa Clark=
&#8217;s feeder up to count day was not seen then nor thereafter. The Laugh=
ing Gull, 15 Great Shearwaters, 25 Fulmars and a nice mix of alcids, were s=
een by Carl Haycock off the island, within
 the pelagic part of the count circle, during the seabird melee accompanyin=
g lobster fishing. From shore it was evident that there were large numbers =
of seabirds north and west of the island, but they were totally unidentifia=
ble in the distance and in haze
 despite relatively calm sea conditions, especially in the morning. On land=
, despite relatively good weather (a few showers of rain and ice pellets), =
birds were few and far between except in Westport, where the feeders really=
 paid off, and the Western Kingbird,
 found first two days before the count, alternated through the day between =
fruit-bearing bushes and a rather unproductive search for flying insects fr=
om the wires along Second Street.<span style=3D"mso-spacerun:yes">&nbsp;
</span></p>
<br>
<p></p>
<p><br>
</p>
<p><br>
</p>
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</body>
</html>

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