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--Boundary_(ID_TXnRFftFSsAFLE0iJ+PwOQ) Content-type: text/plain; charset=windows-1252 Content-transfer-encoding: quoted-printable MAY 21, 2018 - Pat (Hawes) & I drove up to Blomidon Prov. Park, in order = to check out the fairy-shrimp pond along the Jodrey Trail. Gorgeous = sunny & warm day & breezy. Thus lots of flying insects for the = migrating warblers, but no biting flies noted yet. On our way we glassed the bald eagle nest at Blomidon. The nest looked = empty to me but deserves a later check for any young ones. And an adult = eagle was perched atop the broken tree-trunk that used to be the = nest-site. In mid-afternoon we saw a single soaring, teetering turkey vulture along = the Stewart Mountain Road. We stopped briefly at the check-in building at the upper park entrance. = The fellow there mentioned that some Dept. of Natural Resources = personnel checked out the trail and pond last week, and apparently they = saw some fairy shrimp. (I wondered if maybe that was John Brazner et = al.?) In the park we parked at the northeast corner of the big open field = adjacent to the north part of the campground, then walked the Jodrey = Trail northward. Flowers noted were purple/red trilliums, = fly-honeysuckle, and hobblebush. We needed some birders to help us with = the lots of bird songs: ovenbirds, black-throated green warblers, = black-throated blue warblers?, etc. FAIRY SHRIMP POND =97 First I used my dip-net in a shaded edge of the = pond, where we saw several tadpoles (wood frog??), several caddis-fly = larvae in their built cases of plant bits, several mosquito larvae and = pupae, and a few tiny larvae of damselflies. =20 But then I moved along the trail to a brightly sunlit edge of the pond, = and what a difference we then saw via the dip-net! The enamel pan was instantly full of tiny water fleas (cousins of = Daphnia), and lots of other life, including the ones listed above, plus = the following: - 1 fairy shrimp, about 2/3 grown; I=92m sure there were more, but we = did not do any more netting; - a few spring peepers (N.S.=92s treefrog species) were calling often; - besides the tadpoles, no salamander larvae noted yet; - several large larvae of phantom midges; - 1 small water boatman; - 1 small red bloodworm (midge larva); - 1 small red water mite (cousins of ticks but aquatic); - 1 small snail; - unseen were microscopic green algae (food for fairy shrimp etc.). Then we drove to the Look Off and had coffee and oat cakes up there (but = we decided to wait for later on the ice cream, which everyone else was = having. Cheers from Jim in Wolfville.= --Boundary_(ID_TXnRFftFSsAFLE0iJ+PwOQ) Content-type: text/html; charset=windows-1252 Content-transfer-encoding: quoted-printable <html><head><meta http-equiv=3D"Content-Type" content=3D"text/html = charset=3Dwindows-1252"></head><body style=3D"word-wrap: break-word; = -webkit-nbsp-mode: space; -webkit-line-break: after-white-space;"><div = style=3D"margin: 0px;"><b>MAY 21, 2018</b> - Pat (Hawes) & I drove = up <b>to Blomidon Prov. Park</b>, in order to check out the fairy-shrimp = pond along the Jodrey Trail. Gorgeous sunny & warm day & = breezy. Thus lots of flying insects for the migrating warblers, = but no biting flies noted yet.</div><div style=3D"margin: 0px; = min-height: 14px;"><br></div><div style=3D"margin: 0px;">On our way we = glassed the <b>bald eagle nest</b> at Blomidon. The nest looked = empty to me but deserves a later check for any young ones. And an = adult eagle was perched atop the broken tree-trunk that used to be the = nest-site.</div><div style=3D"margin: 0px; min-height: = 14px;"><br></div><div style=3D"margin: 0px;">In mid-afternoon we saw a = single soaring, teetering <b>turkey vulture</b> along the Stewart = Mountain Road.</div><div style=3D"margin: 0px; min-height: = 14px;"><br></div><div style=3D"margin: 0px;">We stopped briefly at the = check-in building at the upper park entrance. The fellow there = mentioned that some Dept. of Natural Resources personnel checked out the = trail and pond last week, and apparently they saw some fairy = shrimp. (I wondered if maybe that was John Brazner et = al.?)</div><div style=3D"margin: 0px; min-height: 14px;"><br></div><div = style=3D"margin: 0px;">In the park we parked at the northeast corner of = the big open field adjacent to the north part of the campground, then = walked the Jodrey Trail northward. Flowers noted were purple/red = trilliums, fly-honeysuckle, and hobblebush. We needed some birders = to help us with the lots of bird songs: ovenbirds, black-throated green = warblers, black-throated blue warblers?, etc.</div><div style=3D"margin: = 0px; min-height: 14px;"><br></div><div style=3D"margin: 0px;"><b>FAIRY = SHRIMP POND</b> =97 First I used my dip-net in a shaded edge of the = pond, where we saw several tadpoles (wood frog??), several caddis-fly = larvae in their built cases of plant bits, several mosquito larvae and = pupae, and a few tiny larvae of damselflies. </div><div = style=3D"margin: 0px; min-height: 14px;"><br></div><div style=3D"margin: = 0px;">But then I moved along the trail to a brightly sunlit edge of the = pond, and what a difference we then saw via the dip-net!</div><div = style=3D"margin: 0px; min-height: 14px;"><br></div><div style=3D"margin: = 0px;">The enamel pan was instantly full of tiny water fleas (cousins of = Daphnia), and lots of other life, including the ones listed above, plus = the following:</div><div style=3D"margin: 0px; min-height: = 14px;"><br></div><div style=3D"margin: 0px;">- 1 fairy shrimp, about 2/3 = grown; I=92m sure there were more, but we did not do any <span = class=3D"Apple-tab-span" style=3D"white-space:pre"> </span>more = netting;</div><div style=3D"margin: 0px;">- a few spring peepers (N.S.=92s= treefrog species) were calling often;</div><div style=3D"margin: = 0px;">- besides the tadpoles, no salamander larvae noted yet;</div><div = style=3D"margin: 0px;">- several large larvae of phantom = midges;</div><div style=3D"margin: 0px;">- 1 small water = boatman;</div><div style=3D"margin: 0px;">- 1 small red bloodworm (midge = larva);</div><div style=3D"margin: 0px;">- 1 small red water mite = (cousins of ticks but aquatic);</div><div style=3D"margin: 0px;">- 1 = small snail;</div><div style=3D"margin: 0px;">- unseen were microscopic = green algae (food for fairy shrimp etc.).</div><div style=3D"margin: = 0px;"><br></div><div style=3D"margin: 0px;">Then we drove to the Look = Off and had coffee and oat cakes up there (but we decided to wait for = la