FOR THE BIRDS

FEBRUARY 2006

By

Helen O'Shea

Sightings

Ø      Sheila Fudge reported a male Lazuli Bunting in her yard on January 24.  It was in the tree with her feeder.  The colourful plumage attracted her attention—especially the bright orange on its chest.  The local sparrows were very aggressive with this visitor and chased it off.  Peterson describes this bird as a small turquoise-blue finch, patterned somewhat like a Bluebird (blue upper parts, pale cinnamon across breast and sides), but with 2 white wing bars.  Hybrids are very frequent where the ranges of Indigo and Lazuli Buntings overlap.  Range: south western Canada and the western United States.  Winters in Mexico.  Habitat:  Open brush, streamside shrubs.  Sheila, who has an excellent eye for detail, has seen rarities before. Our unusually mild weather and storms everywhere could blow any wanderer off-course.

Ø      Minnie and Brian MacLeod had a small flock of a dozen Common Redpolls, Pine Siskins and Goldfinch arrive in their yard on January 9.  The flock ate sunflower seed from the ground as well as dined on the finch sock.  Minnie reported 5 male and 3 female Pine Grosbeaks on January 30.

Ø      Pearl Magee was happy to announce the arrival of an American Tree Sparrow in her yard at noon on January 28.  It was at the feeder until dusk and arrived back the next day.  She discovered a pair of American Tree Sparrows in her yard on a sunny and cool January 30.  On January 28, 2002 she also had an American Tree Sparrow and notes that they are usually around in January and February.  Our February 1 blizzard yielded a Song Sparrow that arrived to gulp down seed that Pearl managed to throw out through a small space in the back door that was blocked by drifts.  She also had a couple of Chipping Sparrows at daybreak.  A lone Redpoll was there with several Goldfinch, Chickadees and a Red-breasted Nuthatch.  Her son in Moncton mentioned that a huge flock of 300 Purple Finch landed in their backyard at the feeder.  The “cloud” of birds dropped out of the sky all around the back yard and surrounding trees and then left as fast as they came after fighting over the feeders.

Ø      Colleen & Joe Rosta saw two mature bald eagles flying over Eskasoni Road on January 29. They believe the birds nest in the area because they see them on a regular basis.

Ø      Bill O’Shea reported on February 2, after the blizzard, that he saw 12 snow buntings at the Fortress barachois, 6 Longtails flying over the harbour and 3 White-winged Scoters  and 6 pairs of Buffleheads swimming in the harbour, 2 mature Bald Eagles over the Fortress and 300-400 Common Eiders off Black Rock.

Ø      Margo Patrick reported a large hawk at Catalone Gut the day after the blizzard. 

Ø      Ian Harte reports seeing 2 Pileated Woodpeckers on the hill leading from Mullins Shell Station near the New Boston Road on February 3. 

Around the town

January 8, sunny and plus 4 degrees, during my walk up Lorway Street, I watched a Sharp-shinned Hawk chase a Blue Jay from Millie Parson’s feeder into the trees in Betty Beaver’s yard.  Walking on a sunny, cool morning on January 20, I watched 2 mature Bald Eagles soaring over Station Hill and the Havenside Barachois.  They were also enjoying the fine weather.  January 21, there were 2 dozen House Sparrows in the shrubs at Dr. Carol Corbin’s front yard.  6 dozen European Starlings were in the trees in front of the home of Gail and Kevin Bond.  10 American Crows were eating goodies on the lawn of Evelyn Phillips.  It was a mild plus 4 degrees that day.  February 2, there was a flock of 14 Waxwings on the utility line in front of the home of Don and Margie Cameron. 

Around the harbour

The afternoon of January 26 we saw 2 pair of Buffleheads and a pair of Goldeneye Ducks at the Fortress Barachois.  There was a Common Loon, a Common (Thin-billed) Murre, 4 Black Guillemots, a female Long-tailed Duck, 10 American Black Ducks, and 2 pair of Red-breasted Mergansers off the Government Wharf. It was a day of snow, high winds and was minus 1 degree. When I went to my Bird Check List there was an interesting discovery. On January 10, 1998 we saw one off the Government wharf in the afternoon.  It was the day after high winds and rough seas and was a sunny day (zero degrees).  On January 6, 2001 we found the body of a Common Murre at the Fortress Barachois. (snow and zero degrees).  Bill retrieved the well-preserved corpse and Susann Myers sent it to Allan Hebda at the Museum of Natural History in Halifax.

Saturday, February 4 was sunny, plus 10 degrees and a wonderful change from the blizzard conditions on Thursday. The harbour was calm. We saw a pair of Buffleheads and about a dozen White-winged Scoters in the harbour off Bobby Burke’s. There were Black Guillemots everywhere with a few concentrated near Sammy Carter’s wharf. There was a great looking carved folk-art bald eagle in Blair and Heather Cross’ yard. A small group of female Common Eiders dove close to Lemoine’s Wharf.. Two Longtails – a male and female- were in the water below Leo Carter Sr.’s home.  2 Surf Scoters swam near Doug Pearl’s wharf and 3 Red-breasted Mergansers near Jackie DeVries’ wharf. At least 200 Common Eiders bobbed up and down in the sea around Lighthouse Point. Linda Fudge had more than 5 Black-Capped Chickadees at her feeder, making their usual racket. Off the government Wharf there were 2 Loons and some Eiders. Along Commercial Street we saw about 20 Black Ducks in the water and a couple of dozen Great Black Backed and Herring Gulls eating what looked to be a chicken or turkey carcass by the side of the road. Shirley Kennedy had chickadees flying around her yard as we drove past. A Ruffed Grouse was standing at the edge of the road just before the Marconi picnic area. There were the usual crows everywhere.  

At my feeders

January 8 we had 6 Pine Siskins, a Black-capped Chickadee, a Red-breasted Nuthatch and an American Goldfinch at the feeders. January 17, after 2 centimetres of snow fell, there was a lone Bohemian Waxwing eating rosehips, 3 dozen Common Redpolls, Black-capped Chickadees and a Red-breasted Nuthatch in the yard.  It was windy and minus 6 on January 22.  The only bird at the feeder was a very strangely coloured goldfinch.  It was much more brown and had a lighter patch on the front of the head.  It clung desperately to the swinging disselfink and we were able to discount (with some disappointment), that we might have a different bird. 

January 24 the Redpolls landed as soon as Bill refilled the niger feeder.  The Crows feasted on sunflower seed that Bill had spilled on the ground.  These birds also bathed in the freshly fallen snow and looked like children at play. 

January 26 it was snowing and windy with gusts of 90 kilometres per hour.  Bill cleared the ports of the feeder.  The Crows arrived as did our Bohemian Waxwing to attack the rosehips.  It is amazing what a 10 centimetre snowfall can bring in.  The Redpolls were here as well as a Song Sparrow.  January 27 it was minus 6 and we had snow flurries.  A dozen and a half Redpolls and Goldfinch arrived to feast. The next day the regulars were back and the Crow made mighty efforts at the gazebo feeder. The only new arrival was a Mourning Dove on January 30. 

Since we put out very little millet and no mixed seed, the ground feeders are not around as much—the Juncos, Sparrows, or Mourning Doves.

The day of the blizzard, February 1, a European Starling landed above the feeders and then flew on. 

Weird bird behaviour

Minnie MacLeod has a Blue Jay that has learned to dine on niger seed from her finch sock.  It can eat from the top of the sock if it perches near the bottom.  I am sure the flapping of wings is comical since this feeder was designed for a much smaller bird.

Bill and I have a Crow that arrived on January 26 and discovered that if he flew up and hooked his claws on to the shelf of our small gazebo feeder – he was twice the size of the feeder - and flapped mightily he could jar out a beakful of black-oil sunflower seed.  Then he was able to land on the ground and devour the seed.  After a while three more Crows arrived to take advantage of the seeds on the ground.  Since then the smart Crow sits on a tree branch above the feeder or on the porch beside the feeder in anticipation of another wild ride and a few beakfuls of seed. Needless to say we no longer fill that feeder since the Crow frightens away the smaller birds.

Enjoy the birds when you look out the window.  It is better than shoveling.    

Helen O’Shea

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

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