[NatureNS] shorebirds report etc., Aug. 19/11, Grand Pre to Blue Beach

To: NatureNS <naturens@chebucto.ns.ca>,
From: "James W. Wolford" <jimwolford@eastlink.ca>
Date: Sat, 20 Aug 2011 14:22:13 -0300
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AUG. 19, 2011 - My ankle sting from yesterday (yellowjacket wasp?)  
continues to hurt and itch, despite several applications of calamine  
lotion last night.  It's not debilitating nor very swollen.  BUT  
later, 24 hours after the sting or bite, my whole right foot is very  
swollen compared to my svelte left foot!  Pat is wondering if I  
should be taking something for it?  I think I'm fine, not debilitated  
at all, except that it's hard to get my right beach-walking rubber- 
bottom shoe onto that foot.

I forgot something relevant to roosting shorebirds: about two days  
ago Raymond Parker told me he had been kayaking or canoeing in the  
St. Croix River at Windsor during high tide recently; and about 1 km.  
upstream from Windsor, he encountered large flocks of small  
shorebirds or peeps (uncounted).

I went to Evangeline Beach, the canteen area & parking lot etc., to  
look for flocks of peeps 1.5 hours before high tide -- today's  
daytime high tide was 5:15 p.m. with an amplitude of 11.0 metres  
(mediocre).   According to two visitors, I had just missed a good  
"show" of lots of the flying and roosting peeps, but then they flew  
away toward the east and out of sight.  At the time, there was still  
beach available for roosting, but scattered humans in the water of  
the incoming tide probably made it difficult for the shorebirds to  
land and rest there.

Thus I drove east to Jean Merks' house on the shore of the eastern  
part of Evangeline Beach, and, at one hour before high tide, there on  
the very wide beach just west of her house was a large and very quiet  
roost or "gray carpet" of an estimated 20,000 peeps.  There were no  
human fishers nor recreators, so at least today it was a great place  
for them to stay and rest.

Jean has lots of nice flowers and active feeders, and while I was at  
the house I was buzzed loudly by a hummingbird, a male, that was  
clearly defending his area of a hanging fuchsia plant full of  
blossoms.  It seems very late now for such territorial behaviour on  
the part of any male.  Also there were lots of goldfinches.  I should  
add here that Jean Merks' property is private, but I have access by  
knowing here for quite a few years.

Then I checked out Penny Beach south of Avonport Beach at 0.5 hr.  
before high tide, and I saw scattered human fishers and recreators  
along the narrow beach there and, out over the water, a flying flock  
of perhaps 2000 peeps heading east toward Horton Bluff.

I thought those flying peeps might have been going to roost on Blue  
Beach, but today there was no big roost there, at high tide.  There  
were 8-10 fishers for striped bass there, and a small group of 23  
semipalmated plovers and 13 semipalmated sandpipers landed on the  
shore.  And I saw a couple of other small flying flocks of peeps.   
The fishers had been catching only occasional non-keeper bass up to  
14 inches (35 cm.) long.

Lastly, as usual during the high-tide period, there were about 20  
double-crested cormorants that crosses the Gaspereau River north of  
the Highway 101 bridge over the same river.  And those cormorants can  
be fairly closely viewed and photographed at the end of a 2-km. road  
that goes east from the area of the Hortonville Just Us! Coffee  
Roastery.

For anyone who wishes to find my usual place of public access to East  
Evangeline Beach:  At Grand Pre drive north on the paved road across  
the dykelands to the T-junction, turn right and look for Pheasant  
Road.  Turn left and drive north to Sandpiper Lane, and then go right  
or east for about 200 metres, where you will see a break in the trees  
among the cottages.  Park there, scramble onto the beach carefully,  
then either walk to the east past Jean Merks' home and to the end of  
the trees (best about 1 to 1.5 hours after high tide), or, before  
high tide, walk west to get to the motel and canteen and viewing  
platform area -- often at about 2 hrs. before high tide, there are  
large numbers of flying and roosting shorebirds.  If approached very  
slowly, you can get very close to the birds and they will not even  
notice you if you pick a nice rock for just sitting.

This evening Pat & I had a nice supper and spirited conversation with  
Janet & John Foster at Paddy's Pub in Wolfville, and then Pat & I  
went to the Whittle Theatre for a play, "The Vigil".
-------------------------

AUG. 20, 2011 - My stung right ankle and foot got very stiff along  
with its swollen, itchy, and achy condition overnight, but by this  
morning I could walk again with it all right.  The calamine lotion  
did nothing to relieve any of those symptoms, and I continue to  
wonder about what kind of critter stung me and why.

This might be the end of my long reports on the shorebirds for now,  
since the Fosters drove to Moncton today and then will fly back to  
their farm between Toronto and Ottawa.

Cheers from Jim in Wolfville. 

--Boundary_(ID_HMPw16RUIjkUje0dbRXuiQ)
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margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; "><font =
face=3D"Helvetica" size=3D"3" style=3D"font: 12.0px Helvetica"><b>AUG. =
19, 2011 - My ankle sting</b> from yesterday (yellowjacket wasp?) =
continues to hurt and itch, despite several applications of calamine =
lotion last night.&nbsp; It's not debilitating nor very swollen.&nbsp; =
<b>BUT later, 24 hours after </b>the sting or bite, my whole <b>right =
foot is very swollen</b> compared to my svelte left foot!&nbsp; Pat is =
wondering if I should be taking something for it?&nbsp; I think I'm =
fine, not debilitated at all, except that it's hard to get my right =
beach-walking rubber-bottom shoe onto that foot.</font></div><div =
style=3D"margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; =
margin-left: 0px; font: normal normal normal 12px/normal Helvetica; =
min-height: 14px; "><br></div><div style=3D"margin-top: 0px; =
margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; "><font =
face=3D"Helvetica" size=3D"3" style=3D"font: 12.0px Helvetica">I forgot =
something relevant to <b>roosting shorebirds: </b>about two days ago<b> =
Raymond Parker</b> told me he had been kayaking or canoeing in the =
<b>St. Croix River </b>at Windsor during high tide recently; and =
<b>about 1 km. upstream from Windsor,</b> he encountered large flocks of =
small shorebirds or peeps (uncounted).</font></div><div =
style=3D"margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; =
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