next message in archive
no next message in thread
previous message in archive
Index of Subjects
Joan Waldron and I drove to Onslow Saturday morning to try for the Greylag. We arrived at the gravel pit at the same time as Nelson Poirier, a birder friend from New Brunswick. We set up scopes in the late morning in the shade of a back-hoe, and shortly others from NB. arrived also. As we searched among the 150 or so geese swimming in the gravel pit pond, Dwayne Oakley, a birder friend from P.E.I. came quickly driving up to the chained gate saying ,"The Greylag is with the flock that moved. I'll take you there". You never saw scopes retracted more quickly. Thank you, Dwayne! We drove a few kms. back the road and down a side road - to #132 Mountain Lee Road in North River, to stop beside a house (which had Penguins painted on the mailbox). There were people on the raised back verandah waiting for us. Up we went, lined up the scopes along the edge of the deck, and began to scan the back field. There in the green grass were a flock of a couple hundred Canada Geese, the smaller Greylag in the front! It got up, showing the orange bill and feet, had a drink, scratched its neck and waddled about eating grass. A friend of the home owner, Andrew Hamilton, started a guest book. We learned that our host, Abdullah, was from Baghdad, and that we were the second group of birders there that day. We had such a great time admiring the lone stray goose from Eurasia. I believe this was the first sighting in Canada. Many thanks to Eric Mills who found the bird and to all the others who have shared so much information about its whereabouts. Joan and I continued on to Port Greville, but the only birds of note was a flock of about ten Snow Buntings seen along Diligent River flat. Today we drove out to Black Rock to check for seabirds. There were many vehicles along the usually deserted road as a massive search was ongoing for a man who was lost in the woods. While looking for birds on Black Rock, Joan Waldron spotted a whale spout. We watched while the whale surfaced several times. I have never seen a whale so far up the Minas Channel. This is the area where the Tidal Power research is being conducted.
next message in archive
no next message in thread
previous message in archive
Index of Subjects