FOR THE BIRDS

FEBRUARY  2004

By

Helen O'Shea

Sightings

• Heather and George MacKeigan of Trout Brook Road were speaking with me on January 21. They have both Downy & Hairy Woodpeckers, Evening Grosbeaks, Blue and Gray Jays, Red-breasted Nuthatches & Ravens.
• Ruth Stevens had 3 Purple Finches, Mourning Doves and Blue Jays to report on Jan. 21.
• Dougie Stevens noticed sandpipers at their brook in Catalone. Would they be Purple Sandpipers?
• Lizzie Morrison reported Downy and Hairy Woodpeckers on her property on Jan. 21.
• Pearl Magee had a dozen Purple Finch arrive on Jan. 21. Earlier she had 40 American Goldfinch. On Jan. 22 there was a flock of 30 Evening Grosbeaks, more than 18 Pine Siskins, a Boreal Chickadee, 9 Black-capped Chickadees, a Fox Sparrow and a White-Throated Sparrow. She had also seen a Bald Eagle flying over Havenside Road. On her way to Sydney she noticed a dozen Goldeneye in the open water at Albert Bridge. Jan. 28 a Song Sparrow arrived to keep the Fox Sparrow and White-throated Sparrow company below the feeder.
• Marie Ayres of Framboise called on Feb. 3 to report that a Black-capped Chickadee ate from her hand before she could refill her feeder. The day before she went for a walk on Morrison beach and saw 4 Purple Sandpipers. She has 25 Blue Jays, a flock of 20 Evening Grosbeaks (mostly males), 30 Common Redpolls, a dozen Purple Finch and 2 Gray Jays that prefer bread and suet.
• Gary Peck reported a dozen Waxwings and a pair of Robins eating berries in the bushes behind his house on Jan 15. He said that the Robins were fighting in the snow.
• Florence Miron reported 9 Blue Jays flying over on Jan. 28. She saw a seal below her house for a couple of days the week before and it then disappeared. I think it became the feast for the birds that we saw in the Fortress Barrachois.
• Millie Parsons called on January 24, to report 10 Robins in her rose bush. Unfortunately they are not a sign of spring but do stay here over winter.
• Susan Bladgon called on January 14 to report several Bufflehead in the harbour between A. & L. Seafood and Ervin Langille's wharves.
• Gwen Lunn, now living in Cold Lake, Alberta, reported on January 28 that it was minus 45 without the wind chill. She has a pair of House Sparrows and a small flock of Redpolls. We all got a chance to speak with her briefly during a session of Piecemakers held at Florence Miron's home.
• Andrée Crepeau, former senior archaeologist at the Fortress, reported American Goldfinch, Pine Siskins, Common Redpolls, a Downy Woodpecker and Blue Jays in her yard in Sydney. She called Bill on January 23 to report a pair of Crossbills.
• Bill O'Shea reported 14 Waxwings at the Fortress Compound on January 16.
• Colleen and Joe Rosta saw 3 dozen Canada Geese below their home on the Bras d'Or lakes on January 19.
• Carol Corbin had a flock of 20 Evening Grosbeaks, male and female, in her yard on January 30.
• Lee Anne Reeves, warden at the Fortress, reported a Long -tailed Duck at Kennington Cove that had been killed by an Eagle.
• Joseph Kelly of Hornes Road has seen the Pileated Woodpecker. There are either several of them in the vicinity or one that gets around a lot.

Around the Town

An immature Bald Eagle flew over Holland Street on January 9. On January 18 there were 3 American Robins in Darlene and Chris Chisholm's yard. Bonnie and Stewart Whynott had 6 Crows walking around their driveway on January 19. Elaine and Gary Carter were feeding gulls on Feb 4. There were 10 Herring Gulls squabbling over food in the front yard. The birds moved to the roof and waited for additional offerings. That day I watched a flock of 8 Evening Grosbeaks fly through Dan and Mabel Hanham's yard. Peter Chiasson and Sandy Anthony had several Blue Jays and Evening Grosbeaks in the trees near their feeders. The large flock of House Sparrows is still in Burns MacMillan's yard though some were in the eaves of the Grubstake restaurant.

Around the Harbour

19 Bufflehead, 6 Long-tailed Ducks, 9 Female Common Eiders were in the harbour at the Fortress on January 11. There were 2 pair of Goldeneye off the Royal Battery. On January 18 a mature Bald Eagle was eating a seal carcass on the ice at the Fortress Barachois. A Great Black-backed Gull and several Crows waited their turn at the feast. Off the Government Wharf there were 4 Black Guillemots, 20 American Black Ducks, a pair of Glaucous Gulls, Iceland Gulls, a Thick-billed Murre and 2 pair of Red-breasted Mergansers. Feb 1, there were 5 Bufflehead, and a Common Loon at the Fortress Barachois. A mature Bald Eagle was munching on some dead thing by the building at the bus loop and fighting off a Crow. There were 2 White-winged Scoters off the Royal Battery and 20 Black Ducks near the sewer outlet on Commercial Street. There were 6 Scaup off the Government Wharf as well as 6 Common Loons. On Havenside there was a mature Bald Eagle, a pair of Bufflehed, a Goldeneye and a pair of Long-tailed Ducks. Off the lighthouse there was a pair of Dovekies and a pair of Thick-billed Murres.

At My Feeders

There were 36 Mourning Doves at my feeders on January 11 in minus 12 degree temperature. Seven Juncos, 28 Pine Siskins, 4 Blue Jays and a Song Sparrow kept them company. On January 14 there were 4 Bohemian Waxwings eating rosehips, and 8 Blue Jays, 14 Common Redpolls, 3 American Goldfinch and 4 Crows at the feeders. January 17 we had an American Robin drop by to eat the rosehips. The next day he was back with 3 friends. The Robins were still around on January 22 when a Boreal Chickadee arrived at the suet feeder. It has been making several daily visits now that it knows that we sprinkle millet below the suet. Not being as aggressive as other birds we notice that it goes to the back of the block to eat (making it less visible to other bully birds). On January 22 a flock of more than 50 Common Redpolls arrived. These flighty birds will suddenly spook and fly away leaving other birds to continue eating at the feeders or on the ground under the trees. Quickly the Redpolls would return to resume their meal. Our first Purple Finch arrived on January 25. These birds are bigger than Goldfinch and Siskins. On a minus 13 degree morning on January 26 we had 16 Evening Grosbeaks arrive at the feeders as well as a European Starling. There were also 33 Redpolls and a Song Sparrow. An American Tree Sparrow made its appearance eating millet under the rose bush on January 28. It is one of the first birds to arrive in the morning and the last to leave at night.

How Birds Keep Warm in Winter

"By fluffing out exterior feathers, a bird creates air pockets between the feathers and the skin that help retain heat. When resting, a bird can tuck its head or other body parts with exposed skin into its feathers to conserve heat. Below a certain temperature birds begin to shiver the chest and leg muscles to increase metabolism. Some birds cluster together in cold weather or even rest in pyramid shaped piles to conserve heat. Grouse bury themselves in snow, and other birds roost in tree cavities or in dense foliage or in brush piles to minimize heat loss. Birds bodies reduce heat loss by constricting the flow of warm blood through the leg arteries to exposed feet and legs. Small releases of warm blood into the leg arteries prevent the tissues of the feet from freezing. In extremely cold weather, by allowing its core body temperature to drop, a small bird can conserve a considerable amount of energy which may help it survive cold nights or periods of low food availability." (Sibley Guide to Birdlife and Behaviour. National Audubon Society, 2001)

Have a good month and don't forget to call with your sightings Helen

Helen O’Shea

Extracted from © The Seagull, Helen O'Shea, For the Birds

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