[NatureNS] hooded merganser

From: <klantz@ns.sympatico.ca>
To: <naturens@chebucto.ns.ca>
References: <02917C376D004955BF04D3B699C46B9B@riggsPC> <3CD59E1E-1DD6-437D-8860-46CFCCAF5233@gmail.com>
Date: Mon, 26 Jan 2015 19:21:20 -0400
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I grew up in Dayspring within sight of the Lahave and I spent many an hour 
each spring watching Red-breasted Mergansers patrol the river in flocks of 
50-100.
I didn't see my first Hooded Merganser in the area until the late seventies.
Hoodies certainly seem to have become the predominant Merganser along the 
river at least in the areas closer to Bridgewater. I wonder if the loss of 
the Atlantic Salmon has contributed to the change.
There has also been considerable change in ice formation and much more open 
water now than in the past. During the sixties the river usually froze 
enough that we could skate to Conquerall Bank and occasionally vehicles 
could be driven onto the ice. By the seventies we were starting to see 
winters in which only the sheltered coves were safe for travel. The section 
of river I often skated in my youth never froze hard enough for safe travel 
throughout the unusually harsh winter of 2013/14. I wonder if there may also 
have been changes in prey species related to the near absence of ice in some 
years.

Kevin Lantz

-----Original Message----- 
From: nancy dowd
Sent: Sunday, January 25, 2015 5:52 PM
To: naturens@chebucto.ns.ca
Subject: Re: [NatureNS] hooded merganser

Amazing how common the Hooded Mergansers have become here in coastal 
Lunenburg County over the past ten or so years. By far the most abundant 
duck seen on our winter drives along the Lahave R and adjacent seaside 
areas. This was not the case in the past, for me at least.

Nancy
On 2015-01-25, at 2:41 PM, Stan Riggs <stanriggs@eastlink.ca> wrote:

> saw a male & female Hooded Merganser on the Cornwallis River near South 
> Bishop Rd. in Coldbrook on Saturday
>
>                                             Stan Riggs


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