[ValleyNature] Birding by canoe/water at White Rock

[James W. Wolford]

Begin forwarded message:

> From: Andrew Steeves <andrew at gaspereau.com>
> Date: March 21, 2009 4:50:03 PM ADT
> To: naturens at chebucto.ns.ca
> Subject: [NatureNS] Birding by water at White Rock
> Reply-To: naturens at chebucto.ns.ca
>
> Now that it's officially spring I had no reasonable excuse for any  
> further delay in launching a canoe on my 'home pond'  -- the  
> Gaspereau River headpond at White Rock -- for the first time in  
> 2009. Accomplishing this was complicated, however, by about 200 m  
> of solid ice from the White Rock bridge out to the open water. With  
> great caution, I slid myself and the canoe across the ice to within  
> a few feet of the open water, got in, and then carefully shoved  
> off  the ice into the river. Huzza! The ice was still remarkably  
> sound, though I'm not sure I would have gone out on it without a  
> life jacket, a good knife and 16-foot-long wooden canoe to grab  
> onto if I went through.
>
> What this canoe-skate earned me was a 1.25 km stretch of open water  
> to play on in the warm sunshine. It was so warm and calm I didn't  
> even put my coat on. Mostly I saw the usual suspects. One adult  
> BALD EAGLE making its high-pitched call from a tall pine and  
> another being mobbed by CROWS. CHICKADEES calling from the shore.  
> RAVENS making gravelly noises while performing smartaleck  
> aerobatics. There was a female COMMON MERGANSER, a M&F pair of  
> BLACK DUCKS, and -- to my surprise -- a M&F pair of HOODED  
> MERGANSERS. I watched the waterfowl in particular for a long time.
>
> After about an hour entertaining myself in this fashion I carefully  
> weaseled the canoe back up on top of the ice and tip-toed my way  
> upstream to the bridge.
>
> And canoeing season begins in earnest (if it ever really ended) ...
>
> Andrew Steeves
> Wolfville, NS
>

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