FOR THE BIRDS

MAY 2001

By

Helen O'Shea

Reported sightings

Ø Tommy and Leo Carter reported 30 Canada Geese at the Havenside end of the harbour April 9.

Ø Sheila Fudge watched a mature Bald Eagle hopping around in the dry grass at the Havenside Barachois by the brook. Two crows were bothering it until it flew off with a huge clump of grass in its talons. This is one of the softer nesting materials used as a nest-liner. By May 9 she had seen Tree Swallows and 2 Kingfishers in the barachois.

Ø David Skinner observed a female Sharp-shinned Hawk pluck a bird out of the air behind his van in early April.

Ø Harvey Morash saw 8 Canada Geese in the Fortress Barachois on April 6.

Ø Ray Johnson saw an American Robin across the street from the Pharmasave on April 6.

Ø Carol Corbin had 3 Fox Sparrows on April 13.

Ø Pearl Magee called to say she had 18 species in her yard on April 17, including a female Pine Grosbeak. She had 30 to 40 Fox Sparrows over the Easter weekend. She watched 8 Starlings inspect her birdhouse.

Ø Donald and Margie Cameron called to report a male Rose-breasted Grosbeak in their apple tree on April 20. We saw the female later that same afternoon.

Ø Peter Chiasson and Sandy Anthony saw a male Indigo Bunting in their yard that day. It was still visiting their feeder on April 27.

Ø Harry & Glenda Kennedy reported a pair of Indigo Buntings, a pair of Downy Woodpeckers, a Hairy Woodpecker at their home in Catalone. Harry saw 2 male Pine Grosbeak at the Fortress.

Ø Suzanne Kelly had a flock of Mourning Doves, Purple Finch, Goldfinch and Juncos at her feeders throughout April and May.

Ø Geneva Pond had Goldfinch, Purple Finch, Blue Jays, Black-capped Chickadees and a Raven in her yard on April 28.

Ø Bill O’Shea reported a Spruce Grouse on the Park Administration Service Road on April 30.

Ø Darryl Peck saw strings of Northern Gannets flying past Louisbourg harbour April 30.

Ø Judy and Manning Burke of Catalone had a Savannah Sparrow and a Red-winged Blackbird in their yard May 2 and a Chipping Sparrow on May 9.

Ø Mary Kay MacKinnon had a male Red-winged Blackbird, 100 Goldfinch and a male Purple Finch at her feeder. There are also a large number of Grackles visiting the yard.

Ø Joan MacKay had 5 Northern Flickers in her yard in Catalone May 2.

Ø Ambrose Campbell reported that his Gray Jays at the entrance to the back service road of the Fortress had been gone since the end of April. He thinks they are nesting.

Ø Gwen Lunn saw a Belted Kingfisher at the Havenside Barachois on May 2.

Ø Brian Harpell did not have 50 pink flamingos on his lawn on May 7.

Ø Bill O’Shea reported 4 pair of Barn Swallows in the hangard on the fortress site May 7.

Ø Ian Harte watched 5 Green-winged Teal, 24 Buffleheads, 6 Common Goldeneye (Whistlers), Scaup (Blue Bills), Black Ducks and Canada Geese on the Fortress site on May 2. May 7 he watched a Tree Swallow hawk for insects near the ballfield.

Ø Jean Harte and I watched a flock of 15 Cormorants flying in formation toward the harbour on May 9 as we walked along Main Street.

Ø Pearl Magee reported a Yellow-rumped Warbler and a Chipping Sparrow on May 9. In April she had 4 White-throated Sparrows and 6 Song Sparrows. April 17 she watched Blue Jays carrying twigs and straw for their nest. April 19 she had a female Blue Grosbeak, a male Indigo Bunting, 2 Great Blue Herons flying overhead toward the harbour. April 20 was the last day for her Fox Sparrow. May 1 she had a male Northern Flicker feeding on insects on the lawn and a male Yellow-rumped (Myrtle) Warbler.

Ø Susann Myers saw 2 Killdeer at Route 22 and the Park Service Road on April 12.

Around the Harbour

April 9, there were 28 Canada Geese in the harbour off the Havenside Barachois. There was a pair of Buffleheads below the home of Tommy and Louise Carter. April 12, there were 3 Common Loons off Lemoine’s Wharf. There were at least 300 Northern Gannets flying past Lighthouse Point and 300 Common Eiders. The Northern Gannets were still flying on Easter Sunday. May 3, there was a female Belted Kingfisher at the Havenside Barachois and a pair at the Fortress Barachois. That day there was a Greater Yellowlegs at the Havenside Barachois. The following weekend I watched 3. May 1, two Canada Geese were reported at the Fortress Barachois by Winston and Pearl Magee.

At My Feeders

It has been an exciting spring. On April 19 I had 9 Fox Sparrows in the yard. By April 25 we thought all our Fox Sparrows had flown off but five days later, one returned and stayed until May 2. It is possible that some Fox Sparrows will remain all summer since according to the Atlas of Breeding Birds there are confirmed records of them nesting on Cape Breton. A female Rose-breasted Grosbeak visited several times daily from April 23 to May 6. April 19 heralded the arrival of 2 brilliant blue male Indigo Buntings. They visited daily throughout the rest of the month. On April 20 a first year Blue Grosbeak arrived at the feeder. This bird is brown with royal blue patches on the rump, the wings, the top of the head. It tended to feed several times a day on the ground, often in the company of the Indigo Buntings. On several occasions another first year Blue Grosbeak would come - especially in the evenings. A male Cowbird arrived on April 22. Two Rusty Blackbirds appeared one morning in late April. A Golden-crowned Kinglet was here April 24, a Black and White Warbler was here on May 8. May 7 marked the arrival of 2 pairs of Chipping Sparrows in breeding plumage. Easter Sunday we had watched a Chipping Sparrow in winter plumage in the shrub in front of Rovie’s. April 29 a Lark Sparrow landed briefly and then flew off. A Gray Catbird has been here almost daily from April 19. Bill saw an almost albino female Purple Finch that visited on April 29. A pair of Northern Flickers have been searching for grubs or insects for most of May. John MacInnis and Al Mickey (Winnipeg, Manitoba) were here to see the Blue Grosbeak and Indigo Bunting the morning of May 1. Two Yellow-rumped Warblers visited daily during the last week of April.

Murder most foul! On the morning of April 23 there was a commotion in the back yard. I was on the front porch and able to watch a Merlin flying over the house with a White-throated Sparrow in its talons and being chased by a Crow. It landed in the trees across the street with lunch.

Around the Town

Gary and Elaine Carter’s lawn is the most attractive to American Robins. I see 9 Robins there frequently. Raymond and Diane Barter attract their share as well. 2 Killdeer were sitting Marjorie Macdonald’s driveway on May 5. A Black-backed Woodpecker was seen down the logging cut off the bypass on May 6 and 2 pair of Ring-necked Ducks were in a pond between the water tower and pumping station on the Park service road. A Red-tailed Hawk was soaring overhead. There must be 150 Common Grackles in flocks of about 50 throughout the town

Don’t forget the NORTH AMERICAN MIGRATORY BIRD COUNT taking place on May 12. This count takes place throughout North America and gives a one day photo of all the birds and their migratory patterns. Pearl Magee is the Louisbourg co-ordinator and Susann Myers will compile all the data for the area. If you see us prowling this will give you the explanation.

Hummingbirds should appear soon. I put out my feeder May 6 and await this sign of summer.

Call me with your sightings. I keep notes through the summer and the September Seagull will tell all.

Helen O’Shea

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

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