The colourful birds have arrived in town. Lillian Magee called to report a male Scarlet
Tanager at her backyard feeder May 9 and 10. A
Yellow-Rumped Warbler appeared in my maple tree on May 16. A pair are eating insects in
the tree on my front lawn daily. They show no
fear when we walk from the porch to the driveway and will sweep down in front of us to
pick bugs right out of the air. Pearl Magee reported a female Rose-Breasted Grosbeak at
her feeder May 16 to 18. She also had a
Chipping Sparrow for a couple of days, a Savannah Sparrow and a pair of Purple Finch.
Havenside Road should be renamed Tree
Swallow Haven. We saw them swooping
everywhere. There are nests at Cecil Pearl's and Gwen Lunn's. Barn Swallows in great numbers are nesting at the
Fortress Site. You never know when they will
make a deposit. Watching them scooping up
mud from the puddles to help with nest-building and repairs is quite the educational
opportunity.
Susann Myers has a male and female Merlin
Hawk (Pigeon Hawk) feasting on songbirds and nuthatches in her yard. Pearl Magee spotted one on her feeder May 31. Earlier she had noticed a swooping shadow which
she could not identify. The sighting
explained the junco feathers near the feeder.
She
also reported the first Ruby-Throated Hummingbird,
a male, May 21. The female arrived at her feeder on May 31. Gwen, Susann and I have had
them at our feeders. The male Ruby-Throated Hummingbird did not stay at my feeder too
long. Gwen suggested putting a richer liquid
food mixture in the feeder. Instead of four
parts water to one part sugar I made the mixture three parts water to one part sugar.
On May 28 I saw four Lesser Yellowlegs
near the bridge on Havenside as well as five Black Ducks. On May 30 Susann reported 11
Cedar Waxwings. June 2 Gwen reported a Lincoln Sparrow.
The Killdeer are back this year. I have seen them near the Havenside Barachois and
flying over the field in front of the National Sea Products building. Ian Harte saw one
down near the Motorhome Park. Susann now has 20-25 American Goldfinch and 12-15 Purple
Finch. She had a female Baltimore Oriole
arrive June 8 and the next day spotted a female yellow warbler gathering nesting
materials.
Bird
of Choice for Nova Scotia
Natural Resources Minister Don Downe has
introduced legislation in the House of Assembly designating the Osprey as Nova Scotia's
official bird. This high-flying, hawk-like
feathered creature joins the mayflower and red spruce as the province's third official
symbol.
Wintering in Florida and more
southern climates, ospreys live in Nova Scotia from April to September. An estimated 400
pairs nest in the province each year.
Despite a stay of only six months,
ospreys have become a fixture in many communities. They
feed mostly on fresh and salt water fish, with an occasional side dish of mice, muskrats,
woodchucks or snowshoe hare.
The linkage with the sea, combined
with its majestic flight, makes the osprey a fitting and proper choice as the avian symbol
of Nova Scotia.
Remember
to make notes of sightings over the summer months and call to share them with me. The September issue of
For the Birds
will have as its deadline the eighth of that month. Call
me at
733-2873. Check the shore along the Havenside Road for
shorebirds in late August and September. Have a good summer.
Helen
O’Shea
