next message in archive
next message in thread
previous message in archive
previous message in thread
Index of Subjects
t&g --089e01184e4c006100052c7a2da5 Content-Type: text/plain; charset=UTF-8 6 or 7 years ago I could drive the roads along the Fundy Shore in winter, e.g Margaretsville, Parker's Cove etc., and there would be streams of eiders, scoters , Long-tailed.ducks, Red-breated mergansers and small numbers of Harlequin ducks going by all along the coast all day. For the last 2-3 years you'd be lucky to see even a few ducks anywhere along that coast. Even the eiders around Brier Island all year round are nothing like what they used to be. The numbers can be seen on CBC reports. Alcids, loons and other coastal wintering seabirds still seem to be present in traditional numbers. I don't have any explanation. The amount of icing along that coast is virtually nil most of the winter, and hasn't changed as long as I can remember. I suspect it's something to do with the food supply. Perhaps "our" sea ducks are over in the Great Lakes feeding on zebra mussels or something. Perhaps there have been breeding failures farther north and west, etc. Richard On Tuesday, 23 February 2016, Ken McKenna <kenmcken@eastlink.ca> wrote: > Hi Fritz and all > I think the rather warm winter might be a large factor in that waterfowl > from further north were not displaced like usual with lack of freeze-up. > Here in Pictou Co for instance, the Pictou Harbour has been pretty much > open save for a couple of 2-3 day periods where a light skim of ice > developed. I can't ever remember a winter that this has happened > Recently I re-read the introduction to Eric Holdways "Birds of the Pictou > Area, Nova Scotia A Ten-year Survey 1957-1966". In his introduction Eric, > who was captain of one of the Caribou-Wood Islands ferries describes > "Pictou and Caribou harbours are often ice-bound temporarily after > mid-December before the winter ice sets hard from January to March. The > extreme limits of permanent winter ice were: 14 December 1958 and 17 April > 1965, the adjacent sea from a week to three weeks later." > I actually remember when I first moved to Pictou Co. in the late 70's cars > used to have races on the ice. ( I also think maybe there were tragic > break-throughs). There is no way this could be attempted the last number of > years and in this year there has been no hard set of ice at all. > The waterfowl numbers in the area this year are the lowest in numbers > that I can remember since I have been counting but here we depend on freeze > up concentrating the waterfowl into small areas such as the spillway of the > Pictou Causeway or the outflow of the NSPC in Trenton. I think the > waterfowl just did not arrive here or they are scattered in the open waters > further north. The numbers on the Pictou Hbr. CBC were down considerably > this year. > Cheers > Ken > > > > Sent from my iPad > > > On Feb 23, 2016, at 8:11 PM, Fritz McEvoy <fritzmcevoy@hotmail.com > <javascript:_e(%7B%7D,'cvml','fritzmcevoy@hotmail.com');>> wrote: > > Hi All, > > I'm not a resident of Halifax, so may be way off base here, but I > wonder if the new sewage treatment plant and the resulting lack of a raw > sewage outflow pipes might be part of the reason for the decline of ducks > in Halifax Harbour? > > Fritz McEvoy > > Sunrise Valley, CB > > > ------------------------------ > *From:* naturens-owner@chebucto.ns.ca > <javascript:_e(%7B%7D,'cvml','naturens-owner@chebucto.ns.ca');> < > naturens-owner@chebucto.ns.ca > <javascript:_e(%7B%7D,'cvml','naturens-owner@chebucto.ns.ca');>> on > behalf of Pat McKay <pat.mckay@gmail.com > <javascript:_e(%7B%7D,'cvml','pat.mckay@gmail.com');>> > *Sent:* February 23, 2016 4:43 PM > *To:* naturens@chebucto.ns.ca > <javascript:_e(%7B%7D,'cvml','naturens@chebucto.ns.ca');> > *Subject:* Re: [NatureNS] Dartmouth Cove and Ferry Terminal Today > > It has been my experience too, that ducks have been in short supply in the > harbour this winter - at least as far as I can see from my home in > Admiralty Place. However, I did have a pair of Surf Scoters on Sunday - a > new species for my yard list! > > Pat McKay > > On 23 February 2016 at 15:30, Rick Ballard <ideaphore@gmail.com > <javascript:_e(%7B%7D,'cvml','ideaphore@gmail.com');>> wrote: > >> I saw a flock of about 20 Common Eiders a few days ago, swimming off the >> Navy Dockyard. >> I've been seeing only the odd Black Guillemot from the Alderney ferry. >> They like to hang out in the middle of the Harbour. >> >> On Tue, Feb 23, 2016 at 3:10 PM, chris kennedy <cjkennedy66@gmail.com >> <javascript:_e(%7B%7D,'cvml','cjkennedy66@gmail.com');>> wrote: >> >>> I took the Woodside Ferry yesterday at 530pm and noted 9 Black >>> Guillemots and 6 Red-breasted Merganser. >>> >>> I've created an eBird location for both the Harbour Ferries, should >>> anyone else wish to add them to their eBird locations. >>> >>> -Chris Kennedy in Dartmouth >>> >>> On Tue, Feb 23, 2016 at 2:58 PM, Dave&Jane Schlosberg < >>> dschlosb-g@ns.sympatico.ca >>> <javascript:_e(%7B%7D,'cvml','dschlosb-g@ns.sympatico.ca');>> wrote: >>> >>>> This is the first time this winter that I have noticed any ducks around. >>>> >>>> Ferry Terminal to Kings Wharf: >>>> Two Black Guillimots >>>> Four male RB Mergansers >>>> >>>> Dartmouth Cove >>>> About six male and three female Golden Eyes (they were at quite a >>>> distance) >>>> >>> >>> >> >> >> -- >> Rick Ballard >> Dartmouth,Nova Scotia, Canada >> > > -- Richard stern Sent from Gmail Mobile On my IPhone --089e01184e4c006100052c7a2da5 Content-Type: text/html; charset=UTF-8 Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable 6 or 7 years ago I =C2=A0could drive the roads along the Fundy Shore in win= ter, e.g=C2=A0Margaretsville, Parker's Cove etc., and there would be st= reams of eiders, scoters=C2=A0, Long-tailed.ducks,=C2=A0Red-breated mergans= ers and small numbers of Harlequin ducks going by=C2=A0all along the coast = all day. For the last 2-3 years you'd be lucky to see even a few ducks = anywhere along that coast. Even the eiders around Brier Island all year rou= nd are nothing like what they used to be. The numbers can be seen=C2=A0on C= BC reports.=C2=A0Alcids, loons and other coastal=C2=A0wintering seabirds st= ill seem to be present in traditional numbers. I don't have any explana= ti