FOR THE BIRDS

March 1997

By

Helen O'Shea

The Eagles have landed, and are flying about the harbour. Florence and Marcel Miron called to tell me about two mature eagles that perch on the ballast pile in the harbour below their home. We drove over to look at them. They were sitting contentedly looking around and every now and then looking at each other as if they were talking. Sheila Fudge says that they fly towards the ball field daily after 4 PM. Bonnie Dalziel called her parents, Cyneth and Gordon Hutt who telephoned me to report eagles on the ice in the harbour They were attacking a loon and trying to drag it up on the ice. This attempt at finding a meal seemed to fail, however, for by the time I got there the loon had disappeared and the eagles were again soaring above the harbour. Out walking one morning last weekend, we met Jason Carter who told us that he has seen as many as 5 eagles from his Havenside home.

Bill & I have been driving around the area lately, to Little Lorraine, Baleine, Main-a-Dieu, Catalone Gut and Mira Gut to observe birds. There are 2 to 4 Loons in each of these places as well as at least one pair of Red-breasted Mergansers. In Main-a-Dieu we saw a large flock of White Winged Scoter and 5 or 6 Surf Scoters.

Last weekend we went farther afield to Blackett’s Lake Road, then to Victoria Mines, New Victoria, Dominion, Glace Bay and Port Morien. At the bridge on Blackett’s Lake road there is a flock of 150 or so Mallards and Black Ducks, and a small flock of Icelandic Gulls. There were also 3 Green Winged Teals, one male and two females. They are attractive birds, about ½ the size of the Mallards. We were hoping to see a Wood Duck that has been in the area most of the winter, but it was either feeding in a local yard or has moved on. In Victoria Mines we stopped for church service. Fr. Everett MacDow is stationed there. In Dominion we were turning around in a driveway when I spotted a Horned Lark.

The Horned Lark is sparrow sized with a very distinctive face pattern. It has a black forehead with turfed horns at the back of the head. It has a white or yellowish face and throat. There is a broad black stripe under the eye, which reminds you of a mask . It also has a black bib. According to Robie Tufts in Birds of Nova Scotia, the Horned Lark is a ground feeder and when seen off the ground perches on a post or fence rail and not a tree.

At Glace Bay harbour there was a flock of mature and immature Great Black Backed Gulls. In the water there were Bufflehead, Oldsquaw and a large flock of Greater and Lesser Scaup.

In my walks around Louisbourg I have been noticing that the Crows are getting ready for the spring and raising a new family. I’ve seen several of them with grass and twigs in their beaks heading for nesting sites.

"When your time is up, it’s up." Last week, while out walking at the beginning of the Havenside Road, I saw a muskrat wandering aimlessly across the intersection. Bennie Fudge was driving by and stopped to watch it. Eventually the little fellow meandered across the road in front of Earl and Iris Stevens’ house and disappeared down a storm sewer grate. Several days later, I was walking along the Havenside Road when I noticed a ball of fur on the road in front of Joe Burke’s house. Sure enough, it was the muskrat, flattened by the tire of some vehicle. I could see where it had come out from the culvert on the harbour side, walked around in the snow for a while and then decided to cross the road.

At the Fortress Barachois, Bill and I saw evidence of the Otter. There were tracks along the edge of the ice leading to the water and several mussel shells on the edge of the ice. Just inside the gate were the few remnants of a seal - a small bit of fur and a flipper. The area for 2 meters around had been packed flat by the birds gathering to eat what was left.

On Saturday, March 8, just before lunch we were driving along Main Street. As we came up to Jim Price’s cabins across from the Fire Station we saw a fox. It walked across the road and calmly walked up the stairs to the apartment where the Logues used to live. It was a well-fed animal with a bright orange-red coat. The fox jumped off the upper landing and sat on the roof of the small shed at the back of the building looking towards Timmy Bagnell’s and Jean Kyte’s houses. It seemed completely unconcerned that we were watching it.

On Friday, March 7, I was driving down the road from the Fortress Administration area and saw a Red-Tailed Hawk. This is a fairly rare sighting this winter. In past years hawks have been fairly common in this area but there have not been as many sightings this year. There is a coyote though. I saw it on Friday and several other people have seen it crossing the Administration road. There is also a bobcat in the same area. Chuck Blanchard spotted it several weeks ago as he was on his way home for lunch.

For the first time ever I have a boreal chickadee as a regular visitor to my feeders. Usually they are shy birds and just come and go.

I want to thank Mary MacMullin for giving me the Reader’s Digest book, Birds: Their Life, Their Ways, Their World. Every additional book gives me a new perspective and extra information on this interesting hobby. Thanks again Mary.

 Well, I think that this will be my last For the Birds for a while. I want to take a rest from writing. I will still be watching the birds. If you have any interesting sightings please give me a call. See you again in the fall.

P. S. The first Fox Sparrows should be here soon.

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

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