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class=3 Yes please do report any Spring arrivals you see- everyones' observations will help to refine any changes to the species list in future. People are reporting many Robin flocks showing up of late. I even saw one yesterday below the feeders in snowy E Dalhousie. Seems to be a good berry crop still on the trees for them too. Robins are one of the excluded so far as the NSBS First Spring Arrivals table goes due to significant overwintering populations in many years (the dataset starts at 2014) and the arrival of the overwintering "Newfoundlanders", which can't really be distinguished also fudges things. Although this year it seems Robins largely left NS. Nancy On 2018-03-19, at 7:35 AM, "John and Nhung" <nhungjohn@eastlink.ca> wrote: > Saw my first robin day before yesterday (Mar. 17) on the Ellis Road, south of Yarmouth. Have seen none all winter! > > (When reporting, better to err on the side of inclusion and leave exclusion up to others! J) > > From: naturens-owner@chebucto.ns.ca [mailto:naturens-owner@chebucto.ns.ca] On Behalf Of nancy dowd > Sent: March 19, 2018 7:04 AM > To: naturens@chebucto.ns.ca > Subject: Re: [NatureNS] Spring first arrivals > > These no doubt are Spring First Arrivals, arriving via the route you mentioned. So I will use this opportunity to clarify some of the reasoning behind the species list on the NSBS Spring First Arrivals table. http://www.nsbirdsociety.ca/library/resources/spring-first-arrivals > > The reason these species are not part of this NSBS dataset: We have excluded species who have significant overwintering populations in some part of NS (see Conclusion section below table), to reduce any entries that require assumptions on our part. For example, did those RB Gulls get blown in from a nearby wintering population? Or were the Lesser Black-backs (always a tongue twister) ones already present in SW NS (probably not)? Even Baltimore Orioles got nixed due to ambiguity. > > NatureNS will be getting regular updates on Spring First Arrivals as the migration season progresses. So please post any sightings. > > Nancy > > Sent from my iPad > > On Mar 18, 2018, at 9:07 PM, Eric Mills <E.Mills@Dal.Ca> wrote: > > Two that I believe qualify, with my justification: > > Ring-billed Gull - March 18. 10 bright full adults roosting with Herring Gulls off Privateer Park, Liverpool, Queens Co., were not present earlier. Throughout the winter 1-2 Ring-bills, usually first-winter (occasionally adults) have been present. > > Lesser Black-backed Gull - March 11. An adult graellsii arrived among roosting Herring and Greater Black-backed Gulls off Privateer Park, Liverpool, Queens Co., slept for a while, and then headed off seaward. The timing is consistent with northward movement from wintering areas in the southeastern USA (likely toward nesting areas in W Greenland or Iceland, although no doubt by easy stages so early in the season). > > Eric Mills
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