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Index of Subjects This is a multi-part message in MIME format. ------=_NextPart_000_0035_01CDB550.62A3B740 Content-Type: text/plain; charset="iso-8859-1" Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable Good evening, Just back on NatureNS after a 6-week hiatus so hope this report is not = all old news! Wendy and I took a run up to the Valley for produce, etc but did manage = to do some birding on the way and while there. First stop was the = Windsor Sewage lagoons where things have changed since our last visit. = As far as I can tell it is now next to impossible to access the second = pond. Too bad. The only species of note there were 7-8 American Wigeon = and about half a dozen GW Teal. No Eurasian Wigeon or Lesser = Black-backed Gull was seen. Next stop was the Wolfville Waterfront where after much searching, and a = bit of good luck, the Northern Mockingbird did show! Recently, one spot we try not to miss is Miner's Marsh - this really is = a terrific spot and it did not disappoint today! Amongst the countless = Mallards were several small groups of GW Teal, numbering about 20 in = total. There was one female Northern Pintail in the larger pond. = Today, the Marsh was literally crawling with Wilson's Snipe - I lost = count after seeing about 15 birds and I expect that there were at least = 2-3 dozen! Only other shorebirds were 2 Lesser Yellowlegs. The Bird-of-the-Day however was undoubtedly a Marsh Wren, mainly heard = (not singing but chucking to itself) but seen briefly, as it worked its = way along the edge of the cat-tails beside the trail through the middle = of the marsh. I searched for other birders and did grab one = unsuspecting gentleman with binoculars and told him about it. He went = off in search.... I obtained several pictures of cat-tails but in none = of my images did I "capture" the bird. Does anyone know if Marsh Wren = breeds here? It looks like perfect habitat, although perhaps a bit busy = during breeding season. Other interesting species seen included 3 Great Blue Herons, 1 = Red-winged Blackbird (male), 1 Northern Mockingbird (near the path with = all the Private Property/No Trespassing signs, in a small Barberry = shrub), 1 Bald Eagle, 1 Belted Kingfisher and a few sparrows (Song, = White-throated and Chipping - feeding with a large flock of juncos near = the parking lot). All in all, an interesting day! Cheers, Bob McDonald Halifax bobathome83@gmail.com (new email address) ------=_NextPart_000_0035_01CDB550.62A3B740 Content-Type: text/html; charset="iso-8859-1" Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable <!DOCTYPE HTML PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD HTML 4.0 Transitional//EN"> <HTML><HEAD> <META content=3D"text/html; charset=3Diso-8859-1" = http-equiv=3DContent-Type> <META name=3DGENERATOR content=3D"MSHTML 8.00.6001.19328"> <STYLE></STYLE> </HEAD> <BODY bgColor=3D#ffffff> <DIV><FONT size=3D2 face=3DArial>Good evening,</FONT></DIV> <DIV><FONT size=3D2 face=3DArial></FONT> </DIV> <DIV><FONT size=3D2 face=3DArial>Just back on NatureNS after a 6-week = hiatus so hope=20 this report is not all old news!</FONT></DIV> <DIV><FONT size=3D2 face=3DArial></FONT> </DIV> <DIV><FONT size=3D2 face=3DArial>Wendy and I took a run up to the Valley = for=20 produce, etc but did manage to do some birding on the way and while = there. =20 First stop was the Windsor Sewage lagoons where things have changed = since our=20 last visit. As far as I can tell it is now next to impossible to = access=20 the second pond. Too bad. The only species of note there = were 7-8=20 <STRONG>American Wigeon</STRONG> and about half a dozen <STRONG>GW=20 Teal</STRONG>. No Eurasian Wigeon or Lesser Black-backed Gull was=20 seen.</FONT></DIV> <DIV><FONT size=3D2 face=3DArial></FONT> </DIV> <DIV><FONT size=3D2 face=3DArial>Next stop was the Wolfville Waterfront = where after=20 much searching, and a bit of good luck, the <STRONG>Northern=20 Mockingbird</STRONG> did show!</FONT></DIV> <DIV><FONT size=3D2 face=3DArial></FONT> </DIV> <DIV><FONT size=3D2 face=3DArial>Recently, one spot we try not to miss = is Miner's=20 Marsh - this really is a terrific spot and it did not disappoint = today! =20 Amongst the countless Mallards were several small groups of <STRONG>GW=20 Teal</STRONG>, numbering about 20 in total. There was one female=20 <STRONG>Northern Pintail</STRONG> in the larger pond. Today, the = Marsh was=20 literally crawling with <STRONG>Wilson's Snipe</STRONG> - I lost count = after=20 seeing about 15 birds and I expect that there were at least 2-3 = dozen! =20 Only other shorebirds were 2 <STRONG>Lesser = Yellowlegs</STRONG>.</FONT></DIV> <DIV><FONT size=3D2 face=3DArial>The Bird-of-the-Day however was = undoubtedly a=20 <STRONG>Marsh Wren</STRONG>, mainly heard (not singing but chucking to = itself)=20 but seen briefly, as it worked its way along the edge of the cat-tails = beside=20 the trail through the middle of the marsh. I searched for other = birders=20 and did grab one unsuspecting gentleman with binoculars and told him = about=20 it. He went off in search.... I obtained several pictures of = cat-tails but in none of my images did I "capture" the bird. Does = anyone=20 know if Marsh Wren breeds here? It looks like perfect habitat, = although=20 perhaps a bit busy during breeding season.</FONT></DIV> <DIV><FONT size=3D2 face=3DArial></FONT> </DIV> <DIV><FONT size=3D2 face=3DArial>Other interesting species seen included = 3=20 <STRONG>Great Blue Herons</STRONG>, 1 <STRONG>Red-winged = Blackbird</STRONG>=20 (male), 1 <STRONG>Northern Mockingbird</STRONG> (near the path with all = the=20 Private Property/No Trespassing signs, in a small Barberry shrub), 1=20 <STRONG>Bald Eagle</STRONG>, 1 <STRONG>Belted Kingfisher</STRONG> and a = few=20 sparrows (Song, White-throated and <STRONG>Chipping</STRONG> - feeding = with a=20 large flock of juncos near the parking lot).</FONT></DIV> <DIV><FONT size=3D2 face=3DArial></FONT> </DIV> <DIV><FONT size=3D2 face=3DArial>All in all, an interesting = day!</FONT></DIV> <DIV><FONT size=3D2 face=3DArial></FONT> </DIV> <DIV><FONT size=3D2 face=3DArial>Cheers,</FONT></DIV> <DIV><FONT size=3D2 face=3DArial>Bob McDonald</FONT></DIV> <DIV><FONT size=3D2 face=3DArial>Halifax</FONT></DIV> <DIV><FONT size=3D2 face=3DArial><A=20 href=3D"mailto:bobathome83@gmail.com">bobathome83@gmail.com</A&