[NatureNS] shorebirds etc., Windsor & Wolfville, Sept. 11-12/11

To: NatureNS <naturens@chebucto.ns.ca>,
From: "James W. Wolford" <jimwolford@eastlink.ca>
Date: Mon, 12 Sep 2011 16:40:39 -0300
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SEPT. 11, 2011 - Pat and I drove up to Pete Luckett's Vineyards/ 
Winery on Wallbrook Mountain at high tide at 1 p.m., partly to look  
for roosting shorebirds in the young vineyard surrounding his  
signature red phone booth just south of the winery building --  
gorgeous view of the countryside and Blomidon and Minas Basin -- but  
we saw absolutely no shorebirds there.  We checked out the lunch menu  
and the wines for sale, too.

Back home at our feeders I discovered a Norway rat (rats!).  I  
haven't seen my chipmunk for the past few days, but I heard a red  
squirrel recently.

SEPT. 12, 2011 - Pat got a surprise at home in Wolfville at about  
7:30 a.m. when she checked our porch for the morning newspaper: a  
brazen still-foraging raccoon with a poor sense of time and daylight!

Daytime high tide at 1:24 p.m. with a growing amplitude of 12.1  
metres, partly thanks to the full Moon that was gorgeous yesterday  
evening as it rose over the mouth of the Cornwallis River, as  
witnessed from The Port Pub restaurant in Port Williams.

I drove to Windsor 1.5 hrs. before high tide.  On my way there from  
Wolfville, I noted about 15+ double-crested cormorants perched along  
the power line that spans the Gaspereau River just north of the  
Highway 101 bridge.  These would be local cormorants that nest on  
Boot Island just east of The Guzzle at  the east end of Long Island,  
northeast Grand Pre.  And it's normal for them to sit on the power  
line over the high-tide period.  Thus I was puzzled an hour later to  
see none perched there, but perhaps they had been somehow disturbed.

I got to the Windsor sewage ponds an hour before high tide.  The gate  
was closed; thus my numbers for various birds are minimal since I  
couldn't see anything at the north pond.  But at the south pond were:  
75+ black-bellied plovers, 1 imm. ruddy turnstone, 1 spotted  
sandpiper, 3 Canada geese, 7+ Am. wigeons, 80 black ducks, no  
mallards noticed but probably present in small numbers, 30+ herring  
gulls, 10+ great black-backed gulls, about 10 ring-billed gulls.

Wolfville Harbour roosting shorebirds at high tide along rocks below  
railroad tracks: 2 willets, about 18 greater yellowlegs, about 7  
lesser yellowlegs, 1 spotted sandpiper, 31 "peeps" including 30  
semipalmated sandpipers and 1 least sandpiper.

Cheers from Jim in Wolfville.

--Boundary_(ID_Yfk2QeTSR9q/yX9MQBQRvA)
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<html><body style=3D"word-wrap: break-word; -webkit-nbsp-mode: space; =
-webkit-line-break: after-white-space; "><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"><b>SEPT. =
11, 2011</b> - Pat and I drove up to Pete<b> Luckett's Vineyards/Winery =
</b>on Wallbrook Mountain at high tide at 1 p.m., partly to look for =
roosting shorebirds in the young vineyard surrounding his signature red =
phone booth just south of the winery building -- gorgeous view of the =
countryside and Blomidon and Minas Basin -- but we saw absolutely <b>no =
shorebirds</b> there.&nbsp; We checked out the lunch menu and the wines =
for sale, too.</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">Back home at our feeders I discovered a <b>Norway rat =
</b>(rats!).&nbsp; I haven't seen my chipmunk for the past few days, but =
I heard a red squirrel recently.</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"><b>SEPT. 12, 2011</b> - Pat =
got a surprise at home in Wolfville at about 7:30 a.m. when she checked =
our porch for the morning newspaper: a brazen still-foraging =
<b>raccoon</b> with a poor sense of time and daylight!</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">Daytime =
<b>high tide at 1:24 p.m. </b>with a growing amplitude of 12.1 metres, =
partly thanks to the full Moon that was gorgeous yesterday evening as it =
rose over the mouth of the Cornwallis River, as witnessed from The Port =
Pub restaurant in Port Williams. &nbsp;</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 drove =
<b>to Windsor</b> 1.5 hrs. before high tide.&nbsp; On my way there from =
Wolfville, I noted about 15+ <b>double-crested cormorants</b> perched =
along the power line that spans the Gaspereau River just north of the =
Highway 101 bridge.&nbsp; These would be local cormorants that nest on =
Boot Island just east of The Guzzle at&nbsp; the east end of Long =
Island, northeast Grand Pre.&nbsp; And it's normal for them to sit on =
the power line over the high-tide period.&nbsp; Thus I was puzzled an =
hour later to see none perched there, but perhaps they had been somehow =
disturbed.</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 got to the<b> Windsor sewage ponds</b> an hour =
before high tide.&nbsp; The gate was closed; thus my numbers for various =
birds are minimal since I couldn't see anything at the north pond.&nbsp; =
But at the south pond were: <b>75+ black-bellied plovers, 1 imm. ruddy =
turnstone, 1 spotted sandpiper, 3 Canada geese, 7+ Am. wigeons, 80 black =
ducks, no mallards noticed but probably present in small numbers, 30+ =
herring gulls, 10+ great black-backed gulls, about 10 ring-billed =
gulls.</b></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; "><b></b><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"><b>Wolfville Harbour roosting shorebirds </b>at high =
tide along rocks below railroad tracks:<b> 2 willets, about 18 greater =
yellowlegs, about 7 lesser yellowlegs, 1 spotted sandpiper, 31 "peeps" =
including 30 semipalmated sandpipers and 1 least =
sandpiper</b>.</font></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"><br></font></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">Cheers from Jim in Wolfville.</font></div>
</body></html>=

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