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Index of Subjects
Index of Subjects
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Angus's experience is all to familiar to most of us. But occasionally locat=
ion and circumstances lead to another kind of experience, as was the case t=
he same day, yesterday morning, May 22, on Brier Island. What follows is a =
slightly edited version of my notes (and eBird submission) describing that =
experience.
Today (Tuesday, May 22) produced the largest grounding of spring-migrating =
warblers that I have seen for many years on Brier Island. The wind was SW a=
nd the sky mainly clear all night. Then just at dawn the wind came up from =
the E with some low cloud and haze. This seems to have brought down migran=
ts to the migrant-trap of the Northern Point thickets. By the time I arrive=
d there about 0600 every bush and tree had a bird in it, some gleaning, oth=
ers leaping vertically into the air after insects. Numbers were nearly impo=
ssible to estimate because of the activity, and because there was a constan=
t departure of birds from the feeding groups toward Long Island (to the NE)=
, but there were at least a thousand birds on the move when I arrived and h=
undreds had had flown off to the NE by the time I left at 0800. At first th=
e foraging group was dominated by Redstarts, including many males showing d=
elayed molt, and later by Magnolias and Northern Parulas. Numbers in the li=
st that follows are estimates of what I (and in some cases my fellow birder=
Russel Crosby) saw and identified. They probably indicate relative abundan=
ces of the many birds we did not have a chance to identify. We were surpris=
ed to miss Cape May and Canada Warblers, also empid flycatchers, and to see=
only one vireo. This was a warbler event almost completely, made up mainly=
of species that I normally think of as early-season migrants.
Species estimates: Red-eyed Vireo-1; Ovenbird-1; Black-and-White Warbler-10=
; Common Yellowthroat-10; American Redstart-150; Northern Parula-50; Magnol=
ia Warbler-100; Bay-breasted Warbler-1; Yellow-Warbler-30; Chestnut-sided W=
arbler-6; Blackpoll Warbler-8 (including 2 females); Black-throated Warbler=
-1 female; Yellow-rumped Warbler-10; Black-throated Green Warbler-30; Wilso=
n's Warbler-10.
Eric L. Mills
Lower Rose Bay
Lunenburg Co., NS
________________________________
From: naturens-owner@chebucto.ns.ca <naturens-owner@chebucto.ns.ca> on beha=
lf of Angus MacLean <cold_mac@hotmail.com>
Sent: May 22, 2018 9:07:59 PM
To: naturens@chebucto.ns.ca
Subject: [NatureNS] Birding Today
Decided this morning to check out a few sites on the S. Mountain (Kings) f=
or late arrivals. Travelling W. on North River Road, the first site was fro=
m McGee Lake to the power line which was extremely quiet with only 2 Ovenbi=
rds singing!! (In the past this has been a choice area with Least and Oliv=
e-sided Flycatchers, a diversity of warblers (including Black-throated Blu=
e), Winter Wren, Ruby-crowned Kinglet, etc). The next stop was the Granite =
Woods Road, a former woods road, which has been named since a cottage subdi=
vision has been underway for a few years. Again very quiet except for the =
ever-present Ovenbirds and a few warblers at one point. I tried an abandone=
d woods road where I did hear a Swainson's Thrush, a FOY for me so the best=
bird for the morning. Later in the afternoon a Broad-winged Hawk was soari=
ng in our area (Coldbrook) but was quickly discovered by a group of crows w=
hich harassed the hawk so much that it left the area heading west.
I expect such quiet birding mornings will become the norm as bird populatio=
ns continue to decline, a depressing thought.
Last evening I heard my first Veery calling along the RR bed in Coldbrook (=
KIngs).
Angus
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<p style=3D"margin-top:0;margin-bottom:0">Angus's experience is all to fami=
liar to most of us. But occasionally location and circumstances lead to ano=
ther kind of experience, as was the case the same day, yesterday morning, M=
ay 22, on Brier Island. What follows
is a slightly edited version of my notes (and eBird submission) describing=
that experience.
<br>
</p>
<p style=3D"margin-top:0;margin-bottom:0"><br>
</p>
<p style=3D"margin-top:0;margin-bottom:0">Today (Tuesday, May 22) produced =
the largest grounding of spring-migrating warblers that I have seen for man=
y years on Brier Island. The wind was SW and the sky mainly clear all night=
. Then just at dawn the wind came
up from the E with some low cloud and haze. This seems to have broug=
ht down migrants to the migrant-trap of the Northern Point thickets. By the=
time I arrived there about 0600 every bush and tree had a bird in it, some=
gleaning, others leaping vertically
into the air after insects. Numbers were nearly impossible to estimate bec=
ause of the activity, and because there was a constant departure of birds f=
rom the feeding groups toward Long Island (to the NE), but there were at le=
ast a thousand birds on the move
when I arrived and hundreds had had flown off to the NE by the time I left=
at 0800. At first the foraging group was dominated by Redstarts, including=
many males showing delayed molt, and later by Magnolias and Northern Parul=
as. Numbers in the list that follows
are estimates of what I (and in some cases my fellow birder Russel Crosby)=
saw and identified. They probably indicate relative abundances of the many=
birds we did not have a chance to identify. We were surprised to miss Cape=
May and Canada Warblers, also empid
flycatchers, and to see only one vireo. This was a warbler event almost co=
mpletely, made up mainly of species that I normally think of as early-seaso=
n migrants.</p>
<p style=3D"margin-top:0;margin-bottom:0"><br>
</p>
<p style=3D"margin-top: