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Hi Peter,
I saw a photo and accompanying story about this in the Sunday
Daily News (3 December). The article, by Lindsey Keilty, was entitled "All
enjoy tree lighting - except ducks" and described pandemonium among the
very large number of birds when the fountain was turned on, which happened
after dark, together with a Christmas-tree lighting and fireworks. I
wondered if the birds had collided with one another in the panic. The
article was accompanied by a small photo of a dead duck, and a large photo
of a happy family group enjoying the fireworks.
I have pasted in the article below, but can't share the
pictures. One small black-and-white photo shows a duck floating on its
side. The bird is very light coloured, without strong markings, but since
the photo was taken at night, with artifical light, it's hardly good for ID
purposes. It might be one of the domestic white ducks?
The incident certainly sounds disturbing, and I wish the
journalist had asked more questions!
Patricia L. Chalmers
Halifax
The Daily News (Halifax)
Local News, Sunday, December 3, 2006, p. 10
All enjoy tree lighting - except ducks
Lindsey Keilty
dartmouth - 'Mom, you should have seen the dead ducks!"
When Richard Inkpen, 9, and his brother Patrick, 6, ran into their
Dartmouth home after the Christmas tree lighting at Sullivan's Pond last
night, they weren't thinking about trees or fireworks or Santa.
"I'm sorry to say it, but I laughed at first because ducks were flying
everywhere," said the boys' father, Darrin Inkpen.
A sheet of waterfowl covered the sky when the new Sullivan's Pond fountain
lit up for the first time. Another round flocked to the skies when the
fireworks started minutes later.
"This duck in front of us looked like it tried to take off and then
didn't," Inkpen said. "Someone else said they saw a duck plummet into the
water."
While a good time was had by most, in the future, Inkpen thinks extra
precautions could be taken on the ducks' behalf at events with fireworks.
'It startled me'
"It's all my kids have talked about since we got home," he said. "It
startled me; it startled my kids, and it sure startled the ducks."
More than 1,000 spectators couldn't help but enjoy themselves at the
Christmas celebration in Dartmouth last night.
Tents set up around the park handed out free hot chocolate, cider and
cookies. Few could resist singing along when Jingle Bells came over the
speakers.
Dana Grant and her eight-year-old daughter Maddie Davis live just a few
streets away from the pond. They hugged together at times to warm up in the
chilly weather. They laughed, danced and sang together while they waited
for the lighting.
Love the music
"My favourite part is the music," Davis said, as she bobbed around to the
beat of children's group Razzmatazz singing Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer.
"The cider was delicious," Grant said. "This is really nice family
entertainment."
The crowd glistened with blinking light pins being handed out by the
Victoria Children's Society. Volunteers Danielle Yorke, 15, and Kelly
LeBrasseur, 14, both of Cole Harbour, didn't mind being out in the cold.
"It seemed like fun," Yorke said. "There's something about this time of
year that makes it nice to volunteer."
lkeilty@hfxnews.ca
Illustration(s):
collateral damage: A dead duck floats in Sullivan's Pond.
ooooh, ahhhhh!: Megan Vacheresse (middle) watches her first fireworks show
with her mom, Lisa (left), and grandmother, Margaret Lohnes, at the
Dartmouth Christmas tree lighting festival last night at Sullivan's Pond.
At 08:55 PM 05/12/2006 -0400, you wrote:
>Hi, all-
>
>I heard a part of a garbled sory that hinted at something strange having
>happened at Sullivan's Pond in Dartmouth.
>
>Apparently there were some fireworks there in recent weeks, perhaps to
>mark the inauguration of a fountain which now graces the pond. I gather
>that, perhaps the next day, some ducks were found dead. Questions were
>asked regarding a possible link between the fireworks and the dead ducks.
>
>That was the gist of the story. Does anyone have any facts?
>
>Regarding the fountain - any idea what happens when water is sprayed onto
>birds at sub-zero air temperatures?
>
>Peter Payzant
>
>
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Content-Type: text/html; charset="us-ascii"
<html>
Hi Peter,<br><br>
<x-tab> </x-tab>I saw a
photo and accompanying story about this in the Sunday Daily News (3
December). The article, by Lindsey Keilty, was entitled "All enjoy
tree lighting - except ducks" and described pandemonium among the
very large number of birds when the fountain was turned on, which
happened after dark, together with a Christmas-tree lighting and
fireworks. I wondered if the birds had collided with one another in
the panic. The article was accompanied by a small photo of a dead
duck, and a large photo of a happy family group enjoying the
fireworks.<br><br>
<x-tab> </x-tab>I have
pasted in the article below, but can't share the pictures. One
small black-and-white photo shows a duck floating on its side. The
bird is very light coloured, without strong markings, but since the photo
was taken at night, with artifical light, it's hardly good for ID
purposes. It might be one of the domestic white ducks?<br><br>
<x-tab> </x-tab>The
incident certainly sounds disturbing, and I wish the journalist had asked
more questions!<br><br>
<x-tab> </x-tab>Patricia
L. Chalmers<br>
<x-tab> </x-tab>Halifax<br><br>
<font size=4>The Daily News (Halifax)<br>
</font>Local News, Sunday, December 3, 2006, p. 10 <br>
<b>All enjoy tree lighting - except ducks</b> <br>
Lindsey Keilty <br>
dartmouth - 'Mom, you should have seen the dead ducks!" <br>
When Richard Inkpen, 9, and his brother Patrick, 6, ran into their
Dartmouth home after the Christmas tree lighting at
<font color="#FF0000"><b>Sullivan's Pond</b></font> last night, they
weren't thinking about trees or fireworks or Santa. <br><br>
"I'm sorry to say it, but I laughed at first because ducks were
flying everywhere," said the boys' father, Darrin Inkpen. <br>
A sheet of waterfowl covered the sky when the new
<font color="#FF0000"><b>Sullivan's Pond</b></font> fountain lit up for
the first time. Another round flocked