[NatureNS] Eastern Passage/Eastern Shore Earlbirds

Date: Tue, 07 Sep 2010 00:20:01 -0300
To: NatureNS <naturens@chebucto.ns.ca>
From: "P.L. Chalmers" <plchalmers@ns.sympatico.ca>
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Hurricane Earl was certainly felt in my neighbourhood of the Halifax 
peninsula.  The power was out for more than 24 hours.  Then my phone 
line went down Sunday morning, after a fallen elm bough on the lines 
caught fire when the power came back on.  I waited another 24 hours, 
until late this morning, for my phone lines to be replaced.  Once I 
was connected again, I had a chance to read all the recent 
reports.  So it wasn't till about 4 p.m. that I was able to head over 
to McCormack's Beach in Eastern Passage.

I saw the two juvenile Black Skimmers before I even got out of my car 
- they were on the beach not far from the parking lot.  I studied 
them for awhile from the boardwalk, when I heard someone suddenly 
shout my name, and there was Ulli Hoeger pointing to the east - a 
Magnificent Frigatebird over the housetops!  Ulli told me that he and 
Mike King had seen it earlier as it flew into the harbour.

There were few other birds on the beach, but a fair number of people, 
and the skimmers appeared too weak or lethargic to move away.  A 
photographer whom I didn't recognize kept getting too close to them 
with his little camera.  I was about to go up and speak to him when 
they finally rallied and flew off.

Ulli was telling me about his other sightings when Mike King joined 
us and relayed news of yet more birds. We watched as the skimmers 
returned, flying about and occasionally lowering their bills to skim 
the water,  We couldn't see that they were catching anything.  At one 
point they narrowly avoided flying into a couple of little girls 
playing in the shallows as the tide was coming in.

Anxious to visit other places before the day's end, I was returning 
to my car when Mike shouted over to me, and we saw the frigatebird 
come flying into the harbour again.  This time I had a clear view of 
its ruby red gular pouch.  Spectacular!  I followed it in my 
binoculars as it flew along the shore of Lawlor's Island.  Did anyone 
else notice that it was being pursued by a hummingbird?

At Cow Bay I found a chickadee flock in the woods, with a Palm, a 
Yellow-rumped and a Prairie Warbler.

My last stop was at West Lawrencetown Marsh, where a Royal Tern flew 
across the trail in front of me, twice.


Thanks to everyone for their reports, and especially to Ulli Hoeger 
and Mike King for their help today.

Patricia L. Chalmers
Halifax

P.S. I left a phone message for Jean Hartley about the sightings, and 
later she also headed out along the eastern side of Halifax 
Harbour.  At Hartlen Point, about 6 p.m. (?) she saw the Frigatebird 
fly out the mouth of the harbour and turn east towards Cow Bay.  
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<body>
Hurricane Earl was certainly felt in my neighbourhood of the Halifax
peninsula.&nbsp; The power was out for more than 24 hours.&nbsp; Then my
phone line went down Sunday morning, after a fallen elm bough on the
lines caught fire when the power came back on.&nbsp; I waited another 24
hours, until late this morning, for my phone lines to be replaced.&nbsp;
Once I was connected again, I had a chance to read all the recent
reports.&nbsp; So it wasn't till about 4 p.m. that I was able to head
over to McCormack's Beach in Eastern Passage.&nbsp; <br><br>
I saw the two juvenile <b>Black Skimmers</b> before I even got out of my
car - they were on the beach not far from the parking lot.&nbsp; I
studied them for awhile from the boardwalk, when I heard someone suddenly
shout my name, and there was Ulli Hoeger pointing to the east - a
<b>Magnificent Frigatebird</b> over the housetops!&nbsp; Ulli told me
that he and Mike King had seen it earlier as it flew into the
harbour.<br><br>
There were few other birds on the beach, but a fair number of people, and
the skimmers appeared too weak or lethargic to move away.&nbsp; A
photographer whom I didn't recognize kept getting too close to them with
his little camera.&nbsp; I was about to go up and speak to him when they
finally rallied and flew off. <br><br>
Ulli was telling me about his other sightings when Mike King joined us
and relayed news of yet more birds. We watched as the skimmers returned,
flying about and occasionally lowering their bills to skim the
water,&nbsp; We couldn't see that they were catching anything.&nbsp; At
one point they narrowly avoided flying into a couple of little girls
playing in the shallows as the tide was coming in.<br><br>
Anxious to visit other places before the day's end, I was returning to my
car when Mike shouted over to me, and we saw the frigatebird come flying
into the harbour again.&nbsp; This time I had a clear view of its ruby
red gular pouch.&nbsp; Spectacular!&nbsp; I followed it in my binoculars
as it flew along the shore of Lawlor's Island.&nbsp; Did anyone else
notice that it was being pursued by a hummingbird?<br><br>
At Cow Bay I found a chickadee flock in the woods, with a Palm, a
Yellow-rumped and a <b>Prairie Warbler</b>.&nbsp;&nbsp; <br><br>
My last stop was at West Lawrencetown Marsh, where a <b>Royal Tern</b>
flew across the trail in front of me, twice.&nbsp; <br><br>
<br>
Thanks to everyone for their reports, and especially to Ulli Hoeger and
Mike King for their help today.<br><br>
Patricia L. Chalmers<br>
Halifax<br><br>
P.S. I left a phone message for Jean Hartley about the sightings, and
later she also headed out along the eastern side of Halifax
Harbour.&nbsp; At Hartlen Point, about 6 p.m. (?) she saw the Frigatebird
fly out the mouth of the harbour and turn east towards Cow Bay. </body>
</html>

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