FOR THE BIRDS ~ MAY 1998

Friday, April 17 there were Eagle reports galore from Havenside. Sylvia Trimm called me to say that she saw a pair of mature Bald Eagles on the way back from her mother’s house. Florence Miron called next to report the two eagles in Enoch’s Pond below their home. Later Dana Boudreau reported the eagles on the shore below Bobby Burke’s house. Dana said they had watched the eagles for quite a while through binoculars. Bill told me that Tommy Hardy reported seeing the eagles as well. On Saturday, May 9, Ian MacIntyre met us on Main Street and talked about the eagles. ( Mature Eagle: Length 34-43 inches, Wingspread 6-7 ½ feet, Weight male 8-9 lbs, female 10-14 lbs, Lifespan in captivity in the National Zoo, Washington, D.C. 30 years, 5 months, Flight speed 30-45 miles per hour.)

Sylvia and Joe Trimm have a pair of Red Crossbills coming to their feeder. I suspect that the pair is nesting somewhere nearby. The latest report was May 5.

I saw my first Double Crested Cormorant of the season at the Fortress Barachois. On April 19, Pearl Magee told me that there are now three of them.

On Sunday evening, April 19, Bill & I went for a walk to the Visitor Centre. We saw two Ruffed Grouse. Philip, Lynda and Amy Burke were bicycling in the area and told us they had seen at least 10 hare. We walked around a bit and saw at least 10 in various stages of turning from white to brown. On the way home we stopped at the National Sea Plant lawn to watch 2 Canada Geese. Eugene Magee was on hand to photograph them. Sonny Gray told us that they had been around all day. Pearl Magee was there and told me that she had a female Cowbird at her feeder. She had 2 Fox Sparrows on April 18.

Cyneth and Gordon Hutt called about a hawk in a tree across from their house on Havenside. It was hanging, dead in a tree. It seems to have broken its neck. We examined the body and discovered it to be a Red-tailed Hawk. We got several measurements and photos before burying the body. It had a wingspan of 46 inches and was 23 inches long from beak to the tip of its tail.

(Mature Red Tailed Hawk: Length 19-23 inches, Wingspread 46-58 inches, Weight male 2-2 ½ lobs, female 3-3 ½ lbs, Flight speed 20-40 miles per hour)

Pearl Magee has a Flicker coming to her feeder. She called to report a male Indigo Bunting at her feeder the morning of May 6. On May 9, she had 2 male Indigo Buntings, a Merlin, and a Black and White Warbler. She is nursing a Common Snipe that Joe and Eugene brought back from Angus Riles’ driveway.

John Spawn reports a Saw-whet Owl on the Fortress site on late shift last month. Saw-whets are small birds, measuring between 7 and 8 inches long.

Hummingbirds will be here soon after all the mild weather we’ve been experiencing. So get your feeders ready.

A Fox Sparrow was around on April 18 and 3 male and 1 female Purple Finch. The Chipping Sparrow, White-throated Sparrow, 2 Song Sparrows and numerous American Goldfinch are around as well as many Juncos and Mourning Doves. A pair of Red-breasted Nuthatch come daily as well as a pair of Black-capped Chickadees. A Yellow-rumped Warbler showed up on May 1. On May 2 there were 3 pairs of White-throated Sparrows.

My Mother’s Day sightings included: 3 Crows, 20 Juncos, 2 Song Sparrows, 3 White-throated Sparrows, 2 Black-capped Chickadees, 1 Red-breasted Nuthatch, 2 Mourning Doves, 1 Blue Jay, 2 Purple Finches, 1 Yellow-Rumped Warbler, 1 Robin, 1 Goldfinch ( it has been around all winter and is easily identified because it seems to have been scalped ) and 1 as-yet-unidentified finch.

I was on a brief visit to Annapolis Royal a couple of weekends ago. On the way down the most common sighting, aside from Crows, was Ring Necked Ducks. We saw these at Mira, Chapel Island, Louisdale, Antigonish and Belleisle near Annapolis.

In the Historic Gardens at Annapolis I watched a pair of Northern Cardinals for over an hour. There was also an active pair of Belted Kingfishers and Great Blue Heron off the dykes behind the Gardens. At Grand Pre there was a Grey Partridge dead on the roadside. In Dartmouth at Sullivan’s Pond I saw Mute Swans and a female Ruby-crowned Kinglet.

Gwen and Carlo Lunn saw a Tricoloured Heron early May 2 on Havenside Road near the Barachois. It was flying overhead and appeared to be a dark, rich, blue colour. It flew up the harbour and disappeared into the trees.

The Tricoloured Heron has a white belly and foreneck which contrast with mainly dark blue upperparts. The white throat is tinged with chestnut: bill long and slender. It is a common inhabitant of salt marshes and mangrove swamps of the east and Gulf coasts. Generally rare inland. Formerly known as the Louisiana Heron. (p. 50 National Geographic Birds of North America) According to Robie Tufts this bird is a rare visitant. It is increasing in numbers and spreading northward. There were 14 individuals reported by 1986 and can be expected to be seen more often in the province.

Gwen also saw a Merlin chasing a junco and reported the two Bald Eagles at Enoch’s Pond. From a certain angle it looks like one huge Bald Eagle since you see the head of one and the two bodies appear as one.

North America Migratory Bird Count

The North America Migratory Bird Count took place on Saturday, May 9. Co-ordinator for the town of Louisbourg is Pearl Magee and area co-ordinator is Susann Myers.

Keep a record of your summer sightings so I can include them in the September edition of the Seagull. Until then, relax, wear sunscreen and ignore the black flies and mosquitoes. Call me anytime so I can dash out and observe a unique bird in your yard. Keep your binoculars and bird books ready while hiking, traveling, and puttering in your yard.