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</div& <!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Strict//EN" "http://www.w3.org= /TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-strict.dtd"><html xmlns=3D"http://www.w3.org/1999/xht= ml"><head> <meta content=3D"text/html; charset=3DUTF-8" http-equiv=3D"Content-Type= "/> =20 <style type=3D"text/css"><!-- /* Font Definitions */ @font-face {font-fa= mily: Calibri; } /* Style Definitions */ p.MsoNormal, li.MsoNormal, div.MsoNormal {margin:= 0cm; margin-bottom: .0001pt; font-size: 12.0pt; font-family: "Times New= Roman","serif";} a:link, span.MsoHyperlink { color: blue; text-decoration: underline;} a:visited, span.MsoHyperlinkFollowed { color: purple; text-decoration: = underline;} span.EmailStyle17 { font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; color: #1F497D= ;} .MsoChpDefault {} @page WordSection1 { margin: 72.0pt 72.0pt 72.0pt 72.0pt;} div.WordSection1 {} --></style> =20 </head><body style=3D""> =20 <div> <span style=3D"font-size: 12pt;">Here at our little feeder Donna Purple = Finches are the second</span> </div>=20 <div> <span style=3D"font-size: 12pt;">most common bird I see - after Gold Fin= ches.</span> <span style=3D"font-size: 12pt;"><br/></span> </div>=20 <div> <span style=3D"font-size: 12pt;">Red breasted Nuthatches come every once= in a while <br/></span> </div>=20 <div> <span style=3D"font-size: 12pt;">the White Breasted and Brown Creepers s= tay in the trees.<br/></span> </div>=20 <div> <span style=3D"font-size: 12pt;">At home on PEI the old folks used to sa= y the best time to travel<br/></span> </div>=20 <div> <span style=3D"font-size: 12pt;">by horse and sleigh on the ice was St P= atricks day. This coming<br/></span> </div>=20 <div> <span style=3D"font-size: 12pt;">Friday so the cold blast is no susprise= to me!<br/></span> </div>=20 <div> <span style=3D"font-size: 12pt;">Enjoy the end of winter<br/></span> </div>=20 <div> <span style=3D"font-size: 12pt;">Paul<br/></span> </div>=20 <blockquote style=3D"padding-left: 10px; margin-left: 0px; border-left-co= lor: blue; border-left-width: 1px; border-left-style: solid; position: rela= tive;" type=3D"cite"> <!-- [if gte mso 9]> --> <!-- <![endif] --> <!-- [if gte mso 9]> --> <!-- <![endif] -->On March 12, 2017 at 9:49 AM Donna Crossland <dcro= ssland@eastlink.ca> wrote: <br/> <br/>=20 <div class=3D"WordSection1">=20 <p class=3D"MsoNormal"><span style=3D"color: #1f497d; font-family: '= ;Calibri','sans-serif'; font-size: 11pt;">It really was a popul= ar day yesterday at the feeders (and similar today).  None of us, feat= hered or otherwise, are accustomed to the sudden drop in temps and high win= ds that were experienced since it=E2=80=99s been a pretty smooth coast for = most of the winter.   I dove into the woods to get out of the bit= ing winds yesterday afternoon.  It=E2=80=99s amazing what a difference= forests makes on a cold windy day.  Glad I don=E2=80=99t live on the = prairies.  </span></p>=20 <p class=3D"MsoNormal"><span style=3D"color: #1f497d; font-family: '= ;Calibri','sans-serif'; font-size: 11pt;"> </span></p>=20 <p class=3D"MsoNormal"><span style=3D"color: #1f497d; font-family: '= ;Calibri','sans-serif'; font-size: 11pt;">The sap sucker was ba= ck at the suet feeder.  He=E2=80=99s very predictable when the temp dr= ops.  For a while, my feeder area was very colorful with a male and fe= male cardinal on the ground beneath, and the gorgeous red flashes of the ma= le sapsucker feeding from the last bit of suet low to the ground.  I m= ade up a fresh batch of suet with black oil sunflower seeds mixed in (delic= ious) and hung it out to ensure everyone had a rich caloric intake to get t= hrough the cold afternoon and night ahead.  I made a second batch this= AM, and the chickadees immediately began to vocalize the news of the new s= uet being hung in a sheltered spot.</span></p>=20 <p class=3D"MsoNormal"><span style=3D"color: #1f497d; font-family: '= ;Calibri','sans-serif'; font-size: 11pt;"> </span></p>=20 <p class=3D"MsoNormal"><span style=3D"color: #1f497d; font-family: '= ;Calibri','sans-serif'; font-size: 11pt;">Similar to Marg=E2=80= =99s observations, there are no purple finches around, but I have gold finc= hes a plenty.  Considering what purple finches consume, I suspect the = population will be extra low for a while, aside from its usual irregulariti= es as a winter feeder visitor and its reported declines elsewhere from Hous= e finch invasions.  I was observing air photo imagery under DNR=E2=80= =99s Harvest Plans Map Viewer a few days ago.  It is clear that we are= flattening nearly all the remaining mature conifer forest in NS that would= have supplied much of the natural sources of seed.  With 55 year harv= est rotations set up on Crown land, it=E2=80=99s not certain what natural f= ood supply will remain for the next while.  Trees need time to mature = before producing any significant quantity of seed.  It=E2=80=99s a dir= e situation we are creating for wildlife.  Meanwhile, the =E2=80=9Cfie= ld and roadside junco and goldfinch crews=E2=80=9D seem perfectly fine.= 0; </span></p>=20 <p class=3D"MsoNormal"><span style=3D"color: #1f497d; font-family: '= ;Calibri','sans-serif'; font-size: 11pt;"> </span></p>=20 <p class=3D"MsoNormal"><span style=3D"color: #1f497d; font-family: '= ;Calibri','sans-serif'; font-size: 11pt;">I=E2=80=99ve heard va= lid and science-based criticisms against maintaining bird feeders  thr= ough the years, and how this can do more harm than good for birds.  We= know the feeders can spread diseases if we don=E2=80=99t sanitize them, an= d they can set birds up for easy predation.  It=E2=80=99s perhaps most= ly a selfish pleasure watching birds at feeders, I suppose, bringing nature= closer to us.  But with the sudd