[ValleyNature] young male harrier, gull checks/sewage ponds, swallows, rw blackbird

[James W. Wolford]

MAY 10, 2009 - An unusual bird was in my yard today, an adult male  
RED-WINGED BLACKBIRD (our yard is a long way from any appropriate  
nesting habitat).

Strangely on yesterday's bird count, both Brenda & Bill Thexton and I  
found absolutely NO GULLS at the Wolfville and New Minas sewage ponds  
respectively.  However, the Thextons did see a couple of ICELAND  
GULLS at the Wolfville sewage ponds on Friday, May 8th.  I decided to  
recheck both sets of sewage ponds this afternoon.  At Wolfville,  
there were 3 RING-BILLED GULLS.  New Minas had no gulls again, but  
the number of SWALLOWS had doubled from about 110 yesterday to 200+  
today, again nearly all TREE SWALLOWS.  Yesterday there was a single  
BANK SWALLOW, and today there were 5+ BARN SWALLOWS.

Also, east of Wolfville on the dykelands, I spotted a small, light  
brown N. HARRIER that was too small to be a female; it must have been  
an unusual? yearling male?

Cheers from Jim in Wolfville

Jim (James W.) Wolford
91 Wickwire Ave.
Wolfville, Nova Scotia, Canada
B4P 1W3

phone 902-542-9204
e-mail <jimwolford at eastlink.ca>

"In wildness is the preservation of the world" -- Henry David Thoreau
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