[NatureNS] gulls & tractor, red-tails, b. eagles, Can. geese,

Date: Thu, 3 Dec 2015 08:45:51 -0400 (AST)
From: "rita.paul@ns.sympatico.ca" <rita.paul@ns.sympatico.ca>
To: naturens@chebucto.ns.ca
References: <CE6A88A5-4826-4D2F-B89B-539CB352980D@eastlink.ca> <8A84AF84-7AF2-47F1-88BB-CBDC6637238A@eastlink.ca> <EE466756293C4206B9C4FD5AF47A9A44@D58WQPH1>
Importance: Medium
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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  <div>
   <span style=3D"font-size: 12pt;">Hi Dave and All</span>
  </div>=20
  <div>
   <span style=3D"font-size: 12pt;">The proverb is quite correct!<br/></spa=
n>
  </div>=20
  <div>
   <span style=3D"font-size: 12pt;">Growing up on a potato farm there was l=
ots of plowing to be done<br/></span>
  </div>=20
  <div>
   <span style=3D"font-size: 12pt;">this time of years and the flock of gul=
ls always came with along.<br/></span>
  </div>=20
  <div>
   <span style=3D"font-size: 12pt;">A young set of legs was very useful at =
that time so I got to do a lot of plowing.<br/></span>
  </div>=20
  <div>
   <span style=3D"font-size: 12pt;">I even plowed with horses with both a s=
ingle furrow and a gang plow.<br/></span>
  </div>=20
  <div>
   <span style=3D"font-size: 12pt;">Then with a tractor. Good memories but =
I wouldn&#39;t be up to the horse <br/></span>
  </div>=20
  <div>
   <span style=3D"font-size: 12pt;">bit now!<br/></span>
  </div>=20
  <div>
   <span style=3D"font-size: 12pt;">The gulls of course were looking for lu=
nch and became quite tame. Some<br/></span>
  </div>=20
  <div>
   <span style=3D"font-size: 12pt;">would even stand on the plow to be firs=
t in line for the goodies. There was what<br/></span>
  </div>=20
  <div>
   <span style=3D"font-size: 12pt;">we thought was a very old gull, small a=
nd white, it only had one leg with a stump<br/></span>
  </div>=20
  <div>
   <span style=3D"font-size: 12pt;">for the other, everyone for miles aroun=
d knew it - called it Granny! It would stand<br/></span>
  </div>=20
  <div>
   <span style=3D"font-size: 12pt;">on the plow as it couldn&#39;t run very=
 fast. a real pet. It probably was not a Herring Gull<br/></span>
  </div>=20
  <div>
   <span style=3D"font-size: 12pt;">but the farmers knew it was old.<br/></=
span>
  </div>=20
  <div>
   <span style=3D"font-size: 12pt;">Mice were a favorite treat. Especially =
when plowing stubble. The gulls knew and would<br/></span>
  </div>=20
  <div>
   <span style=3D"font-size: 12pt;">leave someone plowing lea and go to som=
eone plowing stubble! When the sod turned over<br/></span>
  </div>=20
  <div>
   <span style=3D"font-size: 12pt;">the mouse would fall in the dead furrow=
 and the poor little fellow would scurry along<br/></span>
  </div>=20
  <div>
   <span style=3D"font-size: 12pt;">looking for a place to hide. The gull w=
ould put its head down and open its mouth. The little<br/></span>
  </div>=20
  <div>
   <span style=3D"font-size: 12pt;">mouse would see the dark tunnel and run=
 it! It would then become a snack!<br/></span>
  </div>=20
  <div>
   <span style=3D"font-size: 12pt;">You would see more nature plowing a fie=
ld than on a TV show!<br/></span>
  </div>=20
  <div>
   <span style=3D"font-size: 12pt;">Enjoy the last of fall<br/></span>
  </div>=20
  <div>
   <span style=3D"font-size: 12pt;">Paul<br/></span>
  </div>=20
  <div>
   <span style=3D"font-size: 12pt;">&#160;</span>
  </div>=20
  <blockquote style=3D"padding-left: 10px; margin-left: 0px; border-left-co=
lor: blue; border-left-width: 1px; border-left-style: solid; position: rela=
tive;" type=3D"cite">
   On December 2, 2015 at 8:41 PM David &#38; Alison Webster &#60;dwebster@=
glinx.com&#62; wrote:
   <br/>
   <br/>=20
   <div>
    There is a French proverb which translates as &#39;Gulls follow the plo=
w&#39;, but the original escapes me.
   </div>=20
   <div>
    DW
   </div>=20
   <blockquote style=3D"padding-right: 0px; padding-left: 5px; margin-right=
: 0px; margin-left: 5px; border-left-color: #000000; border-left-width: 2px=
; border-left-style: solid;">=20
    <div style=3D"font: 10pt/normal arial; font-size-adjust: none; font-str=
etch: normal;">
     ----- Original Message -----
    </div>=20
    <div style=3D"background: #e4e4e4; font: 10pt/normal arial; font-size-a=
djust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-color: black;">
     <strong>From:</strong>=20
     Jim Wolford
    </div>=20
    <div style=3D"font: 10pt/normal arial; font-size-adjust: none; font-str=
etch: normal;">
     <strong>To:</strong>=20
     naturens
    </div>=20
    <div style=3D"font: 10pt/normal arial; font-size-adjust: none; font-str=
etch: normal;">
     <strong>Sent:</strong> Wednesday, December 02, 2015 5:55 PM
    </div>=20
    <div style=3D"font: 10pt/normal arial; font-size-adjust: none; font-str=
etch: normal;">
     <strong>Subject:</strong> [NatureNS] gulls &#38; tractor, red-tails, b=
. eagles, Can. geese, hooded merganser
    </div>=20
    <div>
     &#160;
    </div>=20
    <br/>=20
    <div>
     <br/>=20
     <div>
      Begin forwarded message:
     </div>=20
     <br class=3D"Apple-interchange-newline"/>=20
     <blockquote type=3D"cite">=20
      <div style=3D"margin: 0px;">
       <span style=3D"font-family: &#39;Helvetica&#39;;"><strong>From: </st=
rong></span>
       <span style=3D"font-family: &#39;Helvetica&#39;;">Jim Wolford &#60;<=
a href=3D"mailto:jimwolford@eastlink.ca">jimwolford@eastlink.ca</a>&#62;<br=
/></span>
      </div>=20
      <div style=3D"margin: 0px;">
       <span style=3D"font-family: &#39;Helvetica&#39;;"><strong>Subject: <=
/strong></span>
       <span style=3D"font-family: &#39;Helvetica&#39;;"><strong>gulls &#38=
; tractor, red-tails, b. eagles, Can. geese, hooded merganser</strong><br/>=
</span>
      </div>=20
      <div style=3D"margin: 0px;">
       <span style=3D"font-family: &#39;Helvetica&#39;;"><strong>Date: </st=
rong></span>
       <span style=3D"font-family: &#39;Helvetica&#39;;">December 2, 2015 a=
t 5:54:43 PM AST<br/></span>
      </div>=20
      <div style=3D"margin: 0px;">
       <span style=3D"font-family: &#39;Helvetica&#39;;"><strong>To: </stro=
ng></span>
       <span style=3D"font-family: &#39;Helvetica&#39;;">Nature BNS &#60;<a=
 href=3D"mailto:nature@blomidonnaturalists.ca">nature@blomidonnaturalists.c=
a</a>&#62;<br/></span>
      </div>=20
      <div style=3D"margin: 0px;">
       <span style=3D"font-family: &#39;Helvetica&#39;;"><strong>Cc: </stro=
ng></span>
       <span style=3D"font-family: &#39;Helvetica&#39;;">Jim Wolford &#60;<=
a href=3D"mailto:jimwolford@eastlink.ca">jimwolford@eastlink.ca</a>&#62;<br=
/></span>
      </div>=20
      <br/>=20
      <div>=20
       <div style=3D"-ms-word-wrap: break-word;">=20
        <div style=3D"margin: 0px;">
         <strong>DECEMBER 1, 2015</strong> - On the northeast Grand Pre dyk=
elands, I found a=20
         <strong>tractor ploughing</strong> the soil of a field and it was =
attended by=20
         <strong>300++ gulls</strong>, which were a mixture of about half=
=20
         <strong>herring gulls</strong>, half=20
         <strong>ring-billed gulls</strong>, and a handful of=20
         <strong>great black-backed gulls</strong> (less than 10).
        </div>=20
        <div style=3D"margin: 0px; min-height: 14px;">
         &#160;
        </div>=20
        <div style=3D"margin: 0px;">
         Concerning raptors, on a power-pole was a probable mated pair of a=
dult=20
         <strong>red-tailed hawks</strong>.&#160; Also I saw a=20
         <strong>possible n. harrier</strong>, but it was distant and soari=
ng high above the fields.&#160; Also I saw 2 separate=20
         <strong>bald eagles</strong>, a subadult and an immature, both sit=
ting on the ground.
        </div>=20
        <div style=3D"margin: 0px; min-height: 14px;">
         &#160;
        </div>=20
        <div style=3D"margin: 0px;">
         <strong>DEC. 2, 2015 </strong>- Both=20
         <strong>Canard Pond</strong> and=20
         <strong>Saxon St. Pond</strong> were ice-covered, with no water bi=
rds, but at the latter pond there were at least 17
         <strong> bald eagles</strong> perched together in the trees along =
the west shore of the pond =E2=80=94 this is a long-standing spot for varia=
ble numbers of bald eagles to perch socially for long periods during the da=
y.
        </div>=20
        <div style=3D"margin: 0px; min-height: 14px;">
         &#160;
        </div>=20
        <div style=3D"margin: 0px;">
         The ice on those two ponds did not discourage me from checking out=
=20
         <strong>Silver Lake at Lakeville</strong>, where there was a mostl=
y sleeping flock of 150+=20
         <strong>Canada geese </strong>(no variants nor neck-collars) and, =
separately, a single male=20
         <strong>hooded merganser</strong>.
        </div>=20
        <div>
         &#160;
        </div>=20
        <div>
         Cheers from Jim in Wolfville.
        </div>=20
       </div>=20
      </div>=20
     </blockquote>=20
    </div>=20
    <br/>
    <a></a>=20
    <p align=3D"left">No virus found in this message.<br/>Checked by AVG - =
www.avg.com<br/>Version: 2016.0.7227 / V=
irus Database: 4477/11099 - Release Date: 12/01/15</p>=20
   </blockquote>=20
  </blockquote>=20
  <div>
   <br/>&#160;
  </div>
=20
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