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--Apple-Mail-26--563970919 Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit Content-Type: text/plain; charset=US-ASCII; delsp=yes; format=flowed AUG. 13, 2012 - VIGIL FOR SHOREBIRDS/PEEPS AT EVANGELINE BEACH: Daytime high tide, a very low high, was at 10:13 a.m. I arrived at the Canteen/Motel/Viewing Platform parking lot at 11:20 a.m. Sky 3/4 overcast but clearing rapidly, then Sunny/Cloudy, very warm and muggy, 27 C., light wind from west off and on. Oodles of hungry no- see-ums (biting midges, Ceratopogonidae) added to discomfort. Rather than do my usual walk, I opted to set up my folding chair in front of the viewing platform and just watch for flying flocks of peeps and making rough counts and times -- at times the flocks were abundant to the point that undoubtedly some smallish flocks were missed while I recorded my data by hand. On arrival, about 200 resting and foraging peeps were close by along the water line or on sandstone outcrops. 11:40 a.m. - 1000 + 100 flew by from east to west, and most of the following numbers were similarly flying east to west: 11:45: 50 + 75 out over water and east to west + 60 + 25 + 200 + 60 + 250 + 125 minus 2 flocks flying eastward (uncounted) + 30 + 60 + 80 + 6000 at 11:52 a.m. + 200 + 800 + 10 + 125 + 475 at 11:56 + 3000 at noon + 250 + 30 + 275 + 300 + 350 + 400 (to 12:10 p.m. (2 hrs. post- high tide) + 350 + 500 + 25 + 75 (minus 50 flying back toward east) (at 12:15 p.m. several swallows (bank?) seen flying) + 100 + 50 (12:20 p.m.) + 60 -- I quit watching and counting at 12:27 p.m., 2.25 hrs. after high tide -- TOTAL PEEPS to this point was 15,640. Then I drove quickly south and east to Jean Merks' and Peter Jackson's home for a view of the eastern part of Evangeline Beach, where from the Merks home to the east edge of the beach/start of salt- marsh I guesstimated 10,000 peeps foraging near the ebbing tide line. THUS MY GRAND TOTAL FOR THIS EBB-TIDE WAS 25,640+ PEEPS. P.S. I should add here that 4-6 people with 2 dogs were misbehaving on the beach in the early phase of the ebbing tide, when on some days the shorebirds in post-roosting and early foraging stages are quite vulnerable to undue human disturbances (in addition to the usual natural disturbances plus the migratory restlessness of these transient visitors that are considered to be somewhat at risk as a species (semipalmated sandpipers). Thus a certain amount of friendly education is necessary, in addition to the provided signage which many people choose to ignore. The people above first walked along the uppermost beach, which is perfectly OK, but then walked through the upper intertidal zone to the ebbing water line and walked there, which is decidedly not OK, since this is prime potential foraging habitat for the peeps. And, to top it all off, their two dogs were totally unrestrained and running freely. Luckily, today there were no foraging peeps there nor trying to land, but on some days there can be awesome numbers of post-roosting and early foraging shorebirds right there below the Canteen and viewing platform. For any of you who visit this spot, at any stage of the tide (I recommend 1-1.5 hrs. before or after high tide, which was at 11 a.m. today (and about 11:30 p.m. tonight)), check out the excellent signage at the viewing platform, and notice the new public stairs adjacent to the platform for getting to & from the beach. The North Grand Pre Community Development Assoc. provided the stairs (with some public funding). For any of you who visit this spot, at any stage of the tide (I recommend 1-1.5 hrs. before or after high tide, which was at 11 a.m. today (and about 11:30 p.m. tonight)), check out the excellent signage at the viewing platform, and notice the new public stairs adjacent to the platform for getting to & from the beach. The North Grand Pre Community Development Assoc. provided the stairs (with some public funding). Another good spot for watching the flying flocks of shorebirds is at East Point, alias The Guzzle, which is harder to access and less comfortable (bring a comfy chair or sit on a rock). To get there, drive north from Grand Pre Nat. Historic Park across the dykelands to the T-junction, turn right and drive east past the tall silos and to the end of that road. This is where fishers try for striped bass during the high-tide periods. Cheers from Jim in Wolfville. --Apple-Mail-26--563970919 Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable Content-Type: text/html; charset=US-ASCII <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>AUG. = 13, 2012</b> - <b>VIGIL FOR SHOREBIRDS/PEEPS AT EVANGELINE = BEACH:</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">Daytime<b> high tide</b>, a very low high, was at = <b>10:13 a.m. </b> I arrived at the<b> Canteen/Motel/Viewing = Platform parking lot </b>at 11:20 a.m. Sky 3/4 overcast but = clearing rapidly, then Sunny/Cloudy, very warm and muggy, 27 C., light = wind from west off and on. Oodles of hungry no-see-ums (biting = midges, Ceratopogonidae) added to discomfort. Rather than do my = usual walk, I opted to set up my folding chair in front of the viewing = platform and just watch for flying flocks of peeps and making rough = counts and times -- at times the flocks were abundant to the point that = undoubtedly some smallish flocks were missed while I recorded my data by = hand.</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">On arrival, about 200 resting and foraging peeps were = close by along the water line or on sandstone outcrops.</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">11:40 = a.m. - 1000 + 100 flew by from east to west, and most of the following = numbers were similarly flying east to west: </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">11:45: 50 = + 75 out over water and east to west + 60 + 25 + 200 + 60 + 250 + 125 = minus 2 flocks flying eastward (uncounted) + 30 + 60 + 80 + <b>6000 at = 11:52 a.m.</b> + 200 + 800 + 10 + 125 + 475 at 11:56 + <b>3000 at = noon</b> + 250 + 30 + 275 + 300 + 350 + 400 (to 12:10 p.m. (2 hrs. = post-high tide) + 350 + 500 + 25 + 75 (minus 50 flying back toward east) = (at 12:15 p.m. several <b>swallows (bank?)</b> seen flying) + 100 + 50 = (12:20 p.m.) + 60 -- <b>I quit watching and counting at 12:27 p.m., 2.25 = hrs. after high tide -- TOTAL PEEPS to this point was = 15,640. </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">Then I drove quickly south = and east<b> to Jean Merks' and Peter Jackson's home</b> for a view of = the eastern part of Evangeline Beach, where from the Merks home to the = east edge of the beach/start of salt-marsh I guesstimated <b>10,000 = peeps</b> foraging near the ebbing tide line.</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>THUS = MY GRAND TOTAL FOR THIS EBB-TIDE WAS 25,640+ PEEPS.</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"><b><br></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"><b><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">P.S. I should add here that <b>4-6 people with 2 dogs = were misbehaving on the beach</b> in the early phase of the ebbing tide, = when on some days the shorebirds in post-roosting and early foraging = stages are quite vulnerable to undue human disturbances (in addition to = the usual natural disturbances plus the migratory restlessness of these = transient visitors that are considered to be somewhat at risk as a = species (semipalmated sandpipers). Thus a certain amount of = friendly education is necessary, in addition to the provided signage = which many people choose to ignore. </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">The = people above first walked along the uppermost beach, which is perfectly = OK, but then walked through the upper intertidal zone to the ebbing = water line and walked there, which is decidedly not OK, since this is = prime potential foraging habitat for the peeps. And, to top it all = off, their two dogs were totally unrestrained and running freely. = Luckily, today there were no foraging peeps there nor trying to land, = but on some days there can be awesome numbers of post-roosting and early = foraging shorebirds right there below the Canteen and viewing = platform.</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>For any of you who visit this spot,</b> at any = stage of the tide (<b>I recommend</b> 1-1.5 hrs. before or after high = tide, which was at 11 a.m. today (and about 11:30 p.m. tonight)), check = out the excellent signage at the <b>viewing platform</b>, and notice the = <b>new public stairs</b> adjacent to the platform for getting to & = from the beach. The North Grand Pre Community Development Assoc. = provided the stairs (with some public funding).</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"><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>For any of you who visit this spot,</b> at any = stage of the tide (<b>I recommend</b> 1-1.5 hrs. before or after high = tide, which was at 11 a.m. today (and about 11:30 p.m. tonight)), check = out the excellent signage at the <b>viewing platform</b>, and notice the = <b>new public stairs</b> adjacent to the platform for getting to & = from the beach. The North Grand Pre Community Development Assoc. = provided the stairs (with some public funding).</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">Another = good spot for watching the flying flocks of shorebirds is at <b>East = Point, alias The Guzzle</b>, which is harder to access and less = comfortable (bring a comfy chair or sit on a rock). <b> To get = there</b>, drive north from Grand Pre Nat. Historic Park across the = dykelands to the T-junction, turn right and drive east past the tall = silos and to the end of that road. This is where fishers try for = striped bass during the high-tide = periods.</font></div></font></div></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"><b><br></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"><b>Cheers = from Jim in Wolfville.</b></font></div> </body></html>= --Apple-Mail-26--563970919--
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