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This is a multi-part message in MIME format. ------=_NextPart_000_010B_01CFADE9.6E26DE60 Content-Type: text/plain; charset="iso-8859-1" Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable Ken McKenna Box 218 Stellarton NS B0K 1S0 902 752-7644 Hi all Been working inside last few days on spreadsheets so made a trip out = this evening to the Middle River dyke or old railway bed from Granton to = the Middle river spillway. It was a beautiful evening and very good = birding and I wished I had left 30 min. earlier. Even the nearby = notorious pulp mill, much in the news lately, was co-operating with the = plume going straight up and no drift in my direction. I quickly lowered = the sleeves of my shirt and applied a few squirts of deet- this is not = an area for exposed skin!- mozzies! =20 At the first little cattail marsh I noticed a Sora with a black young = that made a quick move to get behind cattail cover. An Eastern Wood = Peewee was calling nearby and a Northern Parula appeared carrying food. = Once I reached the reservoir, I noted the water level was down = considerably since my last visit. Several Spotted Sandpipers were busy = calling and teetering on the south side of the dyke as well as several = active Belted Kingfishers sallying out from perches along the = reservoir.. The single Greater Scaup I saw last couple of visits was = boosted in numbers with a total of 47 present. I counted 11 Hooded = Mergansers all in female or juvenile appearance. I was surprised to see = a female Common Goldeneye with a half grown young one beside it. I think = this is my first evidence of young COGE for Pictou Co. They have been = known to breed just outside the county in the Honeymoon Bog -Trafalgar = area for years. I have seen the lone female in a couple of visits = lately. Cedar Waxwings were fly-catching along the dyke walk and = overhead, I counted at least 70 swallows- mostly Barn Swallows. Some I = had to leave unidentified. An adult and an immature Bald Eagle flew = toward the spillway and looking back at the pumping station, I could see = 2 Osprey on the nest and another on the building.=20 As I got close to the 2 exposed bars on the south side near the = spillway, a group of 54 Common Mergansers which had been resting on the = bar flew off, but later returned. Gulls and terns also took off, but = most returned- lucky for me as there were some surprises in the flock. = Most common bird was 50 RB Gulls, and 23 Bonaparte's Gulls scattered = about. The darker mantle of an adult Laughing Gull stood out as did the = size and large bill of a Caspian Tern dwarfing 10+ Common Terns. There = was a larger dark juvenile gull with a prominent ear patch and speckly = back with a Lesser-black-backed Gull look to it. I snapped a few distant = shots in the lowering light- maybe the bird can be identified with the = shots, but for now I counted as "gull species". Also on the bar was a = nice grouping of 15 noisy Spotted Sandpipers. =20 My time was running short as I wanted to do a Chimney Swift check at = Temperance St. school in New Glasgow. I quickly back-tracked to my = vehicle quickly counting about 300 Double-crested Cormorants flying = south from the area of the Pictou Causeway to land on the south side of = the dyke. An Alder Flycatcher calling at Granton end of the dyke was my = last addition for the walk. My ebird total for the walk of 80 min. was = 39+ species.=20 I made it to the school with 5 min. to spare and noted 160 Chimney = Swifts enter the chimney 8:57-9:03. Summer numbers peaked at 313 July = 30. There were 229 July 31, so the birds appear to be moving out of = Pictou Co. In less than a couple weeks all will likely be gone! Anyway = great nature evening in Pictou Co.=20 all the best Ken ------=_NextPart_000_010B_01CFADE9.6E26DE60 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 8.00.6001.23588"> <STYLE></STYLE> </HEAD> <BODY bgColor=3D#ffffff> <DIV><FONT size=3D2 face=3DArial></FONT> </DIV> <DIV><FONT size=3D2 face=3DArial>Ken McKenna<BR>Box 218 Stellarton = NS<BR>B0K=20 1S0<BR>902 752-7644<BR></FONT></DIV> <DIV><FONT size=3D2 face=3DArial></FONT> </DIV> <DIV><FONT size=3D2 face=3DArial>Hi all</FONT></DIV> <DIV><FONT size=3D2 face=3DArial></FONT> </DIV> <DIV><FONT size=3D2 face=3DArial>Been working inside last few days on = spreadsheets=20 so made a trip out this evening to the Middle River dyke or old railway = bed from=20 Granton to the Middle river spillway. It was a beautiful evening and = very good=20 birding and I wished I had left 30 min. earlier. Even the nearby = notorious=20 pulp mill, much in the news lately, was co-operating with the plume = going=20 straight up and no drift in my direction. I quickly lowered the sleeves = of my=20 shirt and applied a few squirts of deet- this is not an area for = exposed=20 skin!- mozzies!</FONT></DIV> <DIV><FONT size=3D2 face=3DArial> </FONT></DIV> <DIV><FONT size=3D2 face=3DArial>At the first little cattail marsh I = noticed a=20 <STRONG>Sora </STRONG>with a black young that made a quick move to get = behind=20 cattail cover. An <STRONG>Eastern Wood Peewee</STRONG> was calling = nearby=20 and a <STRONG>Northern Parula</STRONG> appeared carrying food. Once I = reached=20 the reservoir, I noted the water level was down considerably since my = last=20 visit. Several <STRONG>Spotted Sandpipers</STRONG> were busy calling and = teetering on the south side of the dyke as well as several active = <STRONG>Belted=20 Kingfishers </STRONG>sallying out from perches along the reservoir.. The = single=20 <STRONG>Greater Scaup</STRONG> I saw last couple of visits was boosted = in=20 numbers with a total of <STRONG>47 </STRONG>present. I counted 11 = <STRONG>Hooded=20 Mergansers</STRONG> all in female or juvenile appearance. I was = surprised=20 to see a female <STRONG>Common Goldeneye</STRONG> with a half grown = young one=20 beside it. I think this is my first evidence of young COGE for Pictou = Co.=20 They have been known to breed just outside the county in the = Honeymoon Bog=20 -Trafalgar area for years. I have seen the lone female in a couple = of=20 visits lately. <STRONG> Cedar Waxwings</STRONG> were fly-catching = along the=20 dyke walk and overhead, I counted at least 70 swallows- mostly = <STRONG>Barn=20 Swallows</STRONG>. Some I had to leave unidentified. An adult and an = immature=20 <STRONG>Bald Eagle</STRONG> flew toward the spillway and looking=20 back at the pumping station, I could see 2 <STRONG>Osprey = </STRONG>on the=20 nest and another on the building. </FONT></DIV> <DIV><FONT size=3D2 face=3DArial></FONT> </DIV> <DIV><FONT size=3D2 face=3DArial>As I got close to the 2 exposed = bars on the=20 south side near the spillway, a group of 54 <STRONG>Common=20 Mergansers</STRONG> which had been resting on the bar flew = off, but=20 later returned. Gulls and terns also took off, but most returned- lucky = for me=20 as there were some surprises in the flock. Most common bird was 50 = <STRONG>RB=20 Gulls</STRONG>, and 23 <STRONG>Bonaparte's Gulls </STRONG>scattered = about.=20 The darker mantle of an adult <STRONG>Laughing Gull</STRONG> stood out = as did=20 the size and large bill of a <STRONG>Caspian Tern</STRONG> dwarfing 10+=20 <STRONG>Common Terns</STRONG>. There was a larger dark juvenile = gull with=20 a prominent ear patch and speckly back with a Lesser-black-backed Gull = look to=20 it. I snapped a few distant shots in the lowering light- maybe the bird = can be=20 identified with the shots, but for now I counted as = "gull=20 species". Also on the bar was a nice grouping of = <STRONG>15</STRONG> noisy=20 <STRONG>Spotted Sandpipers. </STRONG> </FONT></DIV> <DIV><FONT size=3D2 face=3DArial></FONT> </DIV> <DIV><FONT size=3D2 face=3DArial>My time was running short as I wanted = to do a=20 Chimney Swift check at Temperance St. school in New Glasgow. I quickly=20 back-tracked to my vehicle quickly counting about 300 Double-crested = Cormorants=20 flying south from the area of the Pictou Causeway to land on = the=20 south side of the dyke. An <STRONG>Alder Flycatcher</STRONG> = calling=20 at Granton end of the dyke was my last addition for the walk. My ebird = total for=20 the walk of 80 min. was 39+ species. </FONT></DIV> <DIV><FONT size=3D2 face=3DArial></FONT> </DIV> <DIV><FONT size=3D2 face=3DArial>I made it to the school with 5 min. to = spare and=20 noted 160 <STRONG>Chimney Swifts</STRONG> enter the chimney 8:57-9:03. = Summer=20 numbers peaked at 313 July 30. There were 229 July 31, so the birds = appear to be=20 moving out of Pictou Co. In less than a couple weeks all will likely be=20 gone! Anyway great nature evening in Pictou Co. </FONT></DIV> <DIV><FONT size=3D2 face=3DArial></FONT> </DIV> <DIV><FONT size=3D2 face=3DArial>all the best</FONT></DIV> <DIV><FONT size=3D2 face=3DArial>Ken</FONT></DIV> <DIV><FONT size=3D2 face=3DArial></FONT> </DIV> <DIV><FONT size=3D2 face=3DArial> </DIV></FONT></BODY></HTML> ------=_NextPart_000_010B_01CFADE9.6E26DE60--
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