FOR THE BIRDS

January 2000

By

Helen O'Shea

Birds in Louisbourg for the first week of January

Evening Grosbeak, Dark-eyed Junco, Mourning Dove, Black-capped Chickadee, American Crow, American Goldfinch, Red-breasted Nuthatch, Common Loon, Red-breasted Merganser, Glaucous Gull, Black Guillemot, American Black Duck, Long-tailed Duck (Oldsquaw), Black-backed Gull, Herring Gull, Double-crested Cormorant, Red-tailed Hawk, Pine Siskin, Red Crossbill, Common Redpoll, Northern Shrike, Goldeneye Duck, White-winged Scoter, Iceland Gull, Ring-billed Gull, Ring-necked Pheasant, Blue Jay, Bufflehead Duck, Common Merganser, Starling, House Sparrow, Rock Dove (Pigeon), Thick-billed Murre, Raven, Brown Creeper, Bohemian Waxwing, Sharp-shinned Hawk, Boreal Chickadee and a Bald Eagle.

The return of the Ring-Necked Pheasant

Imagine my surprise when I looked out the window on the morning of January 3 and saw the handsome, male Ring-necked Pheasant eating under my large feeder. He moved away to check around the composter, then to a multi-flora rose bush, and returned to dine under the feeder. He was in the yard for 15 minutes before leaving. He returned the next morning and after several minutes flew from under the feeder, across the yards to Braddock Street, to the home of Bonnie and Stewart Whynott, and into the woods in front of their car. Donald Cameron called on January 5 to report the male Ring-necked Pheasant was in his yard. He and Margie threw out some bread which it pecked at. An American Crow arrived making the Pheasant edgy and he then flew across Gerratt’s Brook. Around 9:30 on the morning of January 7 the Pheasant was again under our feeder. Startled by a truck he flew over the house formerly occupied by Gordon and Diane MacLean. I was surprised that for a bird that size, it can sustain an elevated flight for a considerable distance.

Now you see the Brown Creeper, but you must be quick

Only if you happen to be in the right place, at the right time do you have a chance to see the elusive Brown Creeper. It normally moves upwards from the base of a tree and rarely remains in a fixed area for any length of time. On both days that it has been observed in my yard it was in the maple tree for no longer than a minute before flying off to another location. The flash of white of its breast is an identifier.

What has happened to the Blue Jays?

Did they move to another area of Louisbourg? Has a large cat or predator in the form of a Sharp-shinned Hawk made off with them? In desperation we wrapped wide-mesh chicken wire around our large feeder last fall when 7 Blue Jays devoured the entire contents in 3 hours. Now we are lucky to see one small Blue Jay and the maximum number is 2. We unwrapped the mesh prior to the Christmas Bird Count in the hopes of attracting more birds.

Does the arrival of the Common Redpoll mean fewer Purple Finch?

My first Common Redpoll sighting was New Year’s Eve on a stalk of angelica between the houses of Seward and Geraldine MacKeigan and Wayne and Charlotte Hardy on Lorway Street. The next day 3 arrived at our feeders and by January 5 we had 10.

Double-crested Cormorant fishing near Government Wharf

Two days in early January there was a Cormorant fishing off the Government Wharf. We were able to observe him from a distance of 5 meters while he stood on the side of the wharf. I have never seen a Cormorant this late in the year in Louisbourg Harbour.

The arrival of the American Goldfinch

By January 5 we had 9 American Goldfinch at our feeders. Prior to this time we had 2 or 3 Goldfinch at our feeders on any given day. Occasionally a Common Redpoll or Pine Siskin accompanies them.

The swooping and successful Sharp-shinned Hawk

The morning of January 7 a Sharp-shinned Hawk flew through our yard swooping low under the sunflower seed disselfink and the result was a scattering of birds and no casualties. On December 30 a male Evening Grosbeak was not so lucky. We looked out the window to see the Sharp-shinned Hawk with outspread wings perched on the snow atop the Grosbeak body. Within a minute he flew off to a neighbouring yard with his meal in his talons. Another Sharp-shinned Hawk scattered a flock of at least 50 House Sparrows at the feeder of Burns MacMillan as it swooped through his yard to disappear somewhere around Huntington Avenue. It flew within 3 feet of me as I walked along Main Street December 27.

No wonder Evening Grosbeaks are nervous

Worrying about being lunch to a predator is a real concern—especially to the male of the species. Perhaps that is why they seem to be outnumbered at least two to one by females when they appear at the backyard feeders. Our first large flock arrived December 19. By January 3 it had increased to two dozen. That day two female and a male Red Crossbill arrived and have returned from time to time.

Pigeon Talk

Millie Creaser and her sister Ethel enjoy watching the Rock Doves ( Pigeons) that land in their yard. These same Pigeons then move across the brook and visit Margie and Donald Cameron. From there they land on the roof of Betty Beaver’s house and move down the street to the yard of Everett and Greta Beaver. There is a flock of Fancy Pigeons owned by Jim Steylen that spend a lot of time on the roof of Brian and Millie Harpell. There is another flock of 24 Rock Doves that I saw in the yard of Sandy Anthony and Peter Chiasson on Station Hill. And then there are the Mourning Doves—attractive but equally numerous. We thought that we were lucky with only a dozen but that number has increased to 32. Since they like to perch on a high point for good viewing, power and phone lines in our backyard make it very attractive. The area under the feeders has to be kept clean because droppings can contaminate the seed. Question: Does any bird as large as a Mourning Diove have such a small head?

Around the Town

Gladys and Joe Fiander have a flock of at least two dozen House Sparrows and a dozen European Starlings dining at their feeder. Margaret and David Tellum had a flock of 60 plus Starlings dining on their lawn and Jane Harris has a lawn that attracts another large flock.

We watched a larger than crow-sized hawk land in a tree beside the home of Danny and Mabel Hanhem. To our surprise, a Crow landed on a nearby branch. Within a couple of minutes the Hawk was mobbed by 8 Crows and finally chased off.

Bohemian Waxwings

The morning of January 7 a flock of 20 Bohemian Waxwings were eating rose hips in our back yard. They are still in the area after being spotted in large numbers in November. I had two during count week.

Northern Oriole

Sherry Campbell and Rose Gledhill managed to take video and still photographs of the Male Northern Oriole in their yards in late November.

Seabird Sightings

Remember that the best spots for viewing seabirds are at the Fortress Barachois, the sewer outfall below Olive Shaw’s home, the Government Wharf, the Boardwalk below the Motorhome Park, and Havenside Road.

Until the next time.

Helen O’Shea

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

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