[ValleyNature] Birding etc., Aug. 24, 25 - long

[James W. Wolford]

Begin forwarded message:

> From: iamclar at dal.ca
> Date: August 25, 2009 2:25:39 PM ADT
> To: naturens at chebucto.ns.ca
> Subject: [NatureNS] Birding etc., Aug. 24, 25 - long
> Reply-To: naturens at chebucto.ns.ca
>
> All:
>
> I've been showing a keen Australian colleagure birding around the  
> region for a
> couple of days.
>
> Yesterday we went up the E. Shore as far as Three-fathom Hbr.,  
> looking for any
> possible storm-delivered seabirds, without success. The storm was  
> not one to
> deliver either pelagics or coastal seabirds - we were on the wrong  
> side for the
> former, and I don't believe it passed close enough to US E. Coast  
> to scoop up
> terns and Laughing Gulls for example. I suspect the Least Tern came  
> up on its
> own, as they sometimes do, maybe earlier.
>
> We then decided to go to the Mt. Uniacke Estate forest and had a  
> glorious walk,
> but came only across three flocks of mixed warblers and other  
> species, all of
> them seemingly  gatherings of  post-breeding local residents rather  
> than
> stopover migrants - no Blackpolls, for example.
>
> Then we shot off to Kings Co. for raptors, shorebirds, gull flocks,  
> etc. Again
> there seemed to be little movement of migrant warbler flocks,  
> although we saw a
> few gatherings of presumed local birds. A highlight was the duo of  
> graellsii
> LESSER BLACK-BACKED GULLS in the flock in a field W of the the
> Wolfville-Canning road just before reaching the Canard R.
>
> At visit to the end of the Scots Bay road (start of trail to Cape  
> Split). A
> yodeling flock of 11 Common Loons just off the lookout there gave  
> the most
> pleasure to my Antipodean birder. Several Ruby-throateds [hummers]  
> were at a feeder at
> last house and on nearby Jewelweed (Impatiens capensis). There were  
> also
> seed-eating birds busy at feeders. The home has a quite incredible  
> garden of huge,
> gorgeous lilies - worth a visit for them alone. I assume Kings Co.  
> birders check
> out that site from time to time - looks like a good migrant/vagrant  
> trap. Then
> home to Halifax.
>
> Today we decided against Hartlen Pt. (my colleague with running  
> shoes) and went
> to Hans Toom's favoured haunts Portuguese Cove, Duncans Cove, and  
> SandyCove
> road. Again, we were struck by the lack of much evidence of  
> stopover migrants
> -Numbers of "Myrtle" warblers may well be local. Probable  
> exceptions were a
> Red-eyed Vireo and a  Wilson's Warbler at Sandy Cove and a  
> Blackpoll at the
> foot of Waegwoltic Av., W. end Halifax.
>
> All in all the birding was rather paltry, but enjoyable. Nothing is  
> like a keen
> visitor to take you to pleasant places you haven't been to for a  
> while and to
> help you find that you can still i.d. most things pretty quickly.
>
>

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