FOR THE BIRDS ~ MARCH 1998

Mary MacMullin saw a Bald Eagle in a tree beside Slattery’s the week of February 20. Doug Pearl saw two eagles down by the Fortress Barachois at about the same time. On March 4, John Johnston and Bill O’Shea were driving along the back service road to the fortress when John spotted a mature Bald Eagle standing by a gull. As the car neared, the eagle flew away. The next day at noon while at Peck's store, Bill watched a mature Bald Eagle being chased by 3 crows. As Gary and Bill watched, the crows left and a lone gull continued to chase the eagle which soared above the fish plant.

We’ve been watching the Murres closely. Most of the time they are at the far end of the government wharf. There were three to begin with but one disappeared. Doug Pearl told me that he saw a dead Murre on the ice off Havenside. Perhaps it was killed by the gulls. With all the ice in the harbour open water is at a premium. Doug saw more than 100 ducks off Careening Point in the open water on Feb. 19. On Feb. 20, the ice was on Havenside and we saw several Bufflehead and Goldeneye in the open water below Commercial Street.

There was a flock of 125 Starlings on the wires at the Commercial Street-Lower Warren intersection. On Feb. 21 the same huge flock of starlings was on the roof of the Ashley Manor and also the lines in front. That day we saw 18 Red-breasted Mergansers, a dozen Bufflehead and 14 Goldeneye fishing in the open water below Commercial Street. Off the Government Wharf there were 2 Thick-billed Murres –one paddling furiously to reach the other.

Later in the day the snow began and much to my delight the 2 Pine Warblers returned to the feeders. The White-throated Sparrow, Chipping Sparrow, Song Sparrows, Red-breasted Nuthatch, Juncoes, Black-capped Chickadees, Red Crossbills were also there. When the weather is good most of the birds seem to find other places to munch.

March 1 was foggy, wet, and plus 2 degrees. We saw a number of birds in Louisbourg Harbour including Buffleheads, Red-breasted Mergansers, 2 Loons, a Thick-billed Murre, and 22 American Black Ducks.

Wardens Doug Pearl and Bill Baldwin saw a large raft of Eider Ducks off White Point and about 50 Oldsquaw off Black Rock on March 5.

Part of our March 1 outing was a drive along the coast through Lorraine and Mainadieu and on to Catalone Gut. There at the entrance to Centre Lane - the road leading to Harvey Lewis’ bungalow -we saw a male Cooper’s Hawk. He was sitting atop a post, spreading his wings as if to dry them. He remained in his position for at least ten minutes. It was the noise of our car starting that made him fly off. One of the challenges in birding is distinguishing Cooper’s Hawks from Sharp-shinned Hawks. A useful book is Advanced Birding by Ken Kaufman (Peterson Field Guides) In relation to body size, Cooper’s Hawk has a proportionately longer tail while the Sharp-shinned Hawk has proportionately longer wings. The Cooper’s Hawk has a blackish cap, contrasting abruptly with the paler nape and upper back. White areas are more often apparent on the back of the Cooper’s Hawk.

We started back driving through Bateston towards Catalone. About 100 feet before St. James Church on Catalone Road we noticed a large bird with an irregular flight just above the roadside. It landed on a utility pole and began to work his way up to the top. Much to our delight it was a male Pileated Woodpecker. He was busily chipping as he climbed the pole. Once up top he was warily watching our car for at least 10 minutes. Then, he flew off the road and through the dense brush. Carlo Lunn

has been reporting sightings of this bird from the Catalone area for two years and this was my first opportunity to get up close and personal with a sighting. A Guide to Bird Behaviour, (Volume 111) by Donald and Lillian Stokes, gives a good description of the Pileated Woodpercker. It is the largest woodpecker, about the size of a crow, and feeds primarily on carpenter ants that live in the central portions of large trees. In general, Pileated Woodpeckers are not migratory. They remain on their breeding territories throughout the year. They range over a very large area. The male has red plumage extending from his crest to the base of his upper bill and he a red "mustache" line next to his bill. The female has red on her crest but not on her forehead and she doesn’t have the red "mustache".

February 24 Doug Pearl reported a female Northern Pintail in the stillwaters below Jon Lawrence’s house on Terra Nova Road. It was a sunny but cool day. I decided to go and have a look and found the female Pintail and 3 American Black Ducks. There was no trouble getting a good look while inside the car. But as soon as we got out to set up the scope, the Pintail spooked and her three American Black Duck friends flew away with her. A couple of hours later that afternoon the four birds were all in the same location but flew off again as soon as the car stopped by the stillwaters.

Salmonella outbreak at feeders.

Finches and other small birds have been dying from salmonella poisoning around bird feeders on the mainland. I haven’t heard of any birds dying here and you can help by taking the following precautions. Clean up scattered seed from the ground and clean feeders with a dilute solution of bleach and water. Wear rubber gloves when doing this since salmonella can be transmitted to humans. If dead birds are found in the area of the feeders, dispose of the bodies, disinfect the area, disinfect your feeders and do not place them outside for at least a month. This should cause the finch and sparrow populations to disperse to other areas and lessen the spread of disease. Our mild weather has led to bacterial growth in the seeds in the feeders this year as well as in the seeds scattered on the ground.

On March 5, Carlo Lunn spotted 51 Geese flying eastward over Louisbourg and honking loudly as they flew. I saw 21 flying in a V formation near Horne’s Road. Song sparrows are singing and perching higher in the trees. Are they searching for mates? Chickadees are vocalizing and flitting about with more vigor. Grey Jays are already nesting. It must be spring - our Ground hog was correct.

Sheila Fudge commented on the fact that she sees Grey Jays or Blue Jays, but never both varieties at the same time in her area of Havenside Road.