[NatureNS] 5000++? shorebirds + lots of squid eggs Aug. 20/14, Evangeline Beach

From: Jim Wolford <jimwolford@eastlink.ca>
Date: Fri, 22 Aug 2014 01:19:50 -0300
References: <3E514C8C-23F2-426D-BFAE-6650F2B70A53@eastlink.ca>
Cc: Glenys Gibson <glenys.gibson@acadiau.ca>,
To: naturens <naturens@chebucto.ns.ca>,
Precedence: bulk
Return-Path: <naturens-mml-owner@chebucto.ns.ca>
Original-Recipient: rfc822;"| (cd /csuite/info/Environment/FNSN/MList; /csuite/lib/arch2html)"

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> AUG. 20, 2014 - EVANGELINE BEACH: Today=92s daytime high tide was 9:41 =
a.m. with a very mediocre amplitude of 9 metres =97 I arrived late for =
my eastward shorebird-monitoring walk from the public steps at the =
shorebird viewing platform at 11:40, two hours after high tide, so the =
ebbing tide was already well receded from the top of the beach. =20
>=20
> Visible right away from the steps were 250 + 200 foraging peeps just =
to eht west and east of me =97 beautiful day, sunny & warm with nice =
gentle breeze, visibility good (except for very bright sunlight).
>=20
> Immediately I discovered lots of =93sea mops=94 of transparent =
egg-sacs (like fingers) of long-finned or Peale=92s squids, Loligo =
pealei, or whatever the current name is (Google long-finned squid vs. =
short-finned squid, Illex, which is the species in Newfoundland in the =
=93squid-jiggin=92 ground=92 song) =97 I counted 85 of these =93sea =
mops=94, nearly  all of which were near the uppermost sand of the beach, =
probably deposited within the past2-3 days?
>=20
> 11:45 a.m. =97 some small flocks of peeps were flying in both =
directions along shore, either westward or eastward;
> 11:50 - 500 more feeding peeps along low ebbing edge of water;
> 11:55 - 1000 more feeding, and 500 of them flew eastward;
> 12:00 noon - 1000 peeps feeding north of the east end of the cottages =
=97 then they flew but I didn=92t see where;
> 12:15 p.m. - 2000+ feeding northeast of Merks=92s house;
> 12:15 also - a few peeps are still arousing/waking up and emerging =
after having roosted among the big rocks at the top of the beach;
> 12:20 - feeding flocks appeared to be gradually splitting up and =
flying toward the west (gradual movement, flights short with quick =
re-landing);
> 12:25 - end of walk, at east end of trees and beach =97 1000 densely =
packed peeps feeding? (distant) well on the mudflats but well away from =
the ebbing edge of the water, in lower intertidal zone;=20
>=20
> On my walk back toward the canteen etc., there was an impressive =
assemblage of 5000 peeps feeding north of the eastern cottages;
> 12:20 - the big dense feeding flock took flight and gave me a nice =
show of aerobatics for perhaps 30 seconds to a minute, then re-landed in =
the same spots and resumed feeding (no falcons nor other disturbnce =
seen);
> 1:00 =97 back to car and ice cream at canteen!
> =97=97=97=97=97=97=97=97=97=97=97=97
> Numbers of peeps above to carefully add up:
> 450+500+1000+1000+2000 =3D 4950 as a minimum number;
> BUT my overall impression was of many more, particularly because of =
the massive flock of 5000 or so that gave me an impressive but very =
short aerobatics display 2.5 hours after high tide.
> =97=97=97=97=97=97=97=97=97=97=97=97  =20
> Cheers from Jim in Wolfville.
>=20


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<html><head><meta http-equiv=3D"Content-Type" content=3D"text/html =
charset=3Dwindows-1252"></head><body style=3D"word-wrap: break-word; =
-webkit-nbsp-mode: space; -webkit-line-break: =
after-white-space;"><div><br><blockquote type=3D"cite"><div><meta =
http-equiv=3D"Content-Type" content=3D"text/html =
charset=3Dwindows-1252"><div style=3D"word-wrap: break-word; =
-webkit-nbsp-mode: space; -webkit-line-break: after-white-space;"><div =
style=3D"margin: 0px; font-size: 13px; font-family: Arial;"><b>AUG. 20, =
2014 </b>-&nbsp;<b>EVANGELINE BEACH: </b>Today=92s daytime<b> high tide =
was 9:41 a.m.</b> with a very mediocre amplitude of 9 metres =97 I =
arrived late for <b>my eastward shorebird-monitoring walk</b> from the =
public steps at the shorebird viewing platform at <b>11:40, two hours =
after high tide</b>, so the ebbing tide was already well receded from =
the top of the beach. &nbsp;</div><div style=3D"margin: 0px; font-size: =
13px; font-family: Arial; min-height: 15px;"><br></div><div =
style=3D"margin: 0px; font-size: 13px; font-family: Arial;">Visible =
right away from the steps were 250 + 200 foraging peeps just to eht west =
and east of me =97 beautiful day, sunny &amp; warm with nice gentle =
breeze, visibility good (except for very bright sunlight).</div><div =
style=3D"margin: 0px; font-size: 13px; font-family: Arial; min-height: =
15px;"><br></div><div style=3D"margin: 0px; font-size: 13px; =
font-family: Arial;">Immediately I discovered<b> lots of =93sea mops=94 =
of transparent egg-sacs (like fingers) of long-finned or Peale=92s =
squids, </b><i>Loligo pealei</i><b>, or</b> whatever the current name is =
(Google long-finned squid vs. short-finned squid, <i>Illex</i>, which is =
the species in Newfoundland in the =93squid-jiggin=92 ground=92 song) =
=97<b> I counted 85</b> of these =93sea mops=94, nearly&nbsp; all of =
which were near the uppermost sand of the beach, probably deposited =
within the past2-3 days?</div><div style=3D"margin: 0px; font-size: =
13px; font-family: Arial; min-height: 15px;"><br></div><div =
style=3D"margin: 0px; font-size: 13px; font-family: Arial;">11:45 a.m. =97=
 some small flocks of peeps were flying in both directions along shore, =
either westward or eastward;</div><div style=3D"margin: 0px; font-size: =
13px; font-family: Arial;">11:50 - 500 more feeding peeps along low =
ebbing edge of water;</div><div style=3D"margin: 0px; font-size: 13px; =
font-family: Arial;">11:55 - 1000 more feeding, and 500 of them flew =
eastward;</div><div style=3D"margin: 0px; font-size: 13px; font-family: =
Arial;">12:00 noon - 1000 peeps feeding north of the east end of the =
cottages =97 then they flew but I didn=92t see where;</div><div =
style=3D"margin: 0px; font-size: 13px; font-family: Arial;">12:15 p.m. - =
2000+ feeding northeast of Merks=92s house;</div><div style=3D"margin: =
0px; font-size: 13px; font-family: Arial;"><b>12:15 also - a few peeps =
are still arousing/waking up and emerging after having roosted among the =
big rocks at the top of the beach</b>;</div><div style=3D"margin: 0px; =
font-size: 13px; font-family: Arial;">12:20 - feeding flocks appeared to =
be gradually splitting up and flying toward the west (gradual movement, =
flights short with quick re-landing);</div><div style=3D"margin: 0px; =
font-size: 13px; font-family: Arial;">12:25 - end of walk, at east end =
of trees and beach =97 1000 densely packed peeps feeding? (distant) well =
on the mudflats but well away from the ebbing edge of the water, in =
lower intertidal zone;&nbsp;</div><div style=3D"margin: 0px; font-size: =
13px; font-family: Arial; min-height: 15px;"><br></div><div =
style=3D"margin: 0px; font-size: 13px; font-family: Arial;">On my walk =
back toward the canteen etc., there was an impressive assemblage of =
<i>5000 peeps feeding</i> north of the eastern cottages;</div><div =
style=3D"margin: 0px; font-size: 13px; font-family: Arial;"><b>12:20 - =
the big dense feeding flock took flight and gave me a nice show of =
aerobatics for perhaps 30 seconds to a minute, then re-landed in the =
same spots and resumed feeding</b> (no falcons nor other disturbnce =
seen);</div><div style=3D"margin: 0px; font-size: 13px; font-family: =
Arial;">1:00 =97 back to car and ice cream at canteen!</div><div =
style=3D"margin: 0px; font-size: 13px; font-family: =
Arial;">=97=97=97=97=97=97=97=97=97=97=97=97</div><div style=3D"margin: =
0px; font-size: 13px; font-family: Arial;">Numbers of peeps above to =
carefully add up:</div><div style=3D"margin: 0px; font-size: 13px; =
font-family: Arial;">450+500+1000+1000+2000 =3D <b>4950 as a minimum =
number</b>;</div><div style=3D"margin: 0px; font-size: 13px; =
font-family: Arial;"><b>BUT my overall impression was of many more</b>, =
particularly because of the massive flock of 5000 or so that gave me an =
impressive but very short aerobatics display 2.5 hours after high =
tide.</div><div style=3D"margin: 0px; font-size: 13px; font-family: =
Arial;">=97=97=97=97=97=97=97=97=97=97=97=97&nbsp; &nbsp;</div><div =
style=3D"margin: 0px; font-size: 13px; font-family: Arial;">Cheers from =
Jim in =
Wolfville.</div><div><br></div></div></div></blockquote></div><br></body><=
/html>=

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