Before Christmas, after a series of high
winds, Sheila and Tom Fudge saw a Dovekie (ice bird) stranded and flopping about on the
road near the Lighthouse. Tom threw it into
the wind so it could fly and get to the water.
Wallace Barter saw a Great Blue Heron at
the Havenside Barachois on December 30 and later at Big Lorraine. Sheila confirmed that this bird was still around
the third week of January.
My two Mourning Doves have been faithfully
showing up at our feeders throughout the past couple of months. A large flock of up to 50 goldfinch visit and
within the past two weeks a small flock of Evening Grosbeak have been appearing.
Ernie Lahey called on January 15 to report
a Newfoundland Robin on the lawn of the Cranberry Cove Inn.
The same day Susann Myers reported a Sharp-Shinned Hawk in her yard.
Sheila and Tom Fudge reported a Northern
Shrike sitting on their clothesline. While
out for a walk in Old Town we saw the same bird at Mark's Turn. He then flew from tree to tree and sat at the top
of each to scout out possible sources of food. The
Northern Shrike captures voles, mice, and smaller birds.
The Northern Shrike is a
small, robin-sized bird of prey, grey in color with black wings, tail and a mask. Fierce by nature, they will often attack birds
larger than themselves when hunting. The
Northern Shrike itself is a songbird, placing it in the unique position of being the only
songbird in North America that is also a bird of prey.
Unlike most hawks and owls which kill only to satisfy immediate food requirements,
Shrikes will often kill more prey than they can eat at one time and store their surplus
food supply impaled on long thorns or along barbed-wire fences. (Clarence
Stevens, Sunday Daily News. 29 Jan 1995)
Alice Skinner has been watching two sea
otters in the Havenside Barachois. Jason
Carter called on January 27 to report a Bald Eagle off the back of his property. A Pine Siskin showed up with the flock of
goldfinch on January 28.
During a bird watching expedition on 29
January we saw a seal on the ice at Gerrat's Barachois.
Gary Peck said it had been there the past two days.
Off the Government Wharf we saw five Black Ducks, two Loons, a Dovekie, three Black
Guillemots, and a Common Black-Headed Gull.
My first sighting of Purple Finch was
February 3 at my feeders. Rovie MacDonald
asked why there were almost no birds at the feeders compared to last year. Perhaps it is the mild weather and the lack of
snow cover. We must persist in keeping the
feeders supplied with seed since the birds fly by to check on them daily. There have certainly been fewer Juncoes and Song
Sparrows this past winter.
February 4 was a superb day for
sightings--the calm before our wind and rain storm. Sylvia
Trimm called to report three Bohemian Waxwings eating berries from the tree in her
backyard. They spent a couple of hours
gobbling the berries. An American Robin was
in our bushes eating rosehips all day. We
also had four pair of Purple Finch. The Pine Warbler returned with a flock of Goldfinch
and Evening Grosbeaks to eat sunflower seed, finch seed and suet throughout the day. A drive to Commercial Street revealed 3 Iceland
Gulls in the harbour amid the Herring and Great Black-backed Gulls. The Iceland Gull is a
pale northern gull that winters in harbours and on beaches.
He feeds by scavenging and often follows ships. We saw the paler version of this gull. The wing tips had no dark
markings.It had yellow eyes, a pale grey mantle, a white head, pinkish legs and feet, and
a yellow bill with a red spot on the lower mandible.
We also spotted a Common Black-headed Gull
by the sewer outlet. Later that
afternoon we saw a flock of 50 to 60 House Sparrows in the tree behind Bill Bate's house
and on the roof of Guy and Henrietta Hiltz.
The afternoon of February 5, I saw 9
Oldsquaw in the high seas at the Fortress Barachois.
That day the birds were ground feeding during the high winds of the morning but
returned to the feeders as the wind dropped.
By February 9 there were 9 pair of Purple
Finch at my feeders, the Pine Warbler, 5 Blue Jays, Pine Siskin, Goldfinch and Evening
Grosbeaks. The American Robin is still eating
rosehips.
TIP:
Remember to adjust your binoculars to your personal requirements BEFORE making
trips to watch the birds. When I use someone
else's binoculars a lot of time is wasted getting the correct focus and the bird has an
irritating habit of taking flight.
Keep your phone calls coming with your
sightings to 733-2873.
Helen
O’Shea
