FOR THE BIRDS

NOVEMBER 2000

By

Helen O'Shea

Snow Geese

It is incredible how easily we humans are not as impressed with a second sighting as a first one. When the Snow Geese appeared during September at the Fortress site everyone was excited. Then, when I saw 5 adult Snow Geese in a farmer’s field near St. Louis de Ha Ha, Quebec, I was merely pleased. From mid to late October there was a mature and an immature Snow Goose at the Fortress site near Black Rock. They were reported by Heidi Moses and seen by Bill, Sandy Balcom, Lee Anne Reeves and Susann Myers. You could drive your car to within 10 metres of them and they continued to eat. The storm the last week in October showed them even Cape Breton hospitality has limits and they moved off.

Canada Geese

The weekend of the first rain storm, before Halloween, we saw a vee of 18 Canada Geese flying over Glace Bay. While in Ontario on Thanksgiving, we saw small flocks of 50 to 100 Canada Geese. They flew overhead almost continuously during the sunny, crisp days. At the Upper Canada Migratory Bird Sanctuary, near Morrisburg, there were Gadwalls, Cormorants, Turkey Vultures, large flocks of Robins and several thousand Canada Geese. The geese were also visible in large flocks overhead as we drove through Quebec and New Brunswick. You could hear them honking at daybreak. Newly mown cornfields were areas where hundreds of Canada Geese were eating. If you see any Canada Geese around Louisbourg please let me know.

While In Cornwall

While in Cornwall, at Thanksgiving, we visited Patrick and Bill’s mother and sisters and I managed to squeeze in some bird watching. The Canada Geese as mentioned above were the most impressive. The most prevalent gull in the Cornwall area is the Ringbill. It was uncommon to see a Herring or Great Black-backed Gull. If you have the opportunity to go to eastern Ontario spent some time at Cooper’s Marsh just east of Cornwall. This was a great site to walk or bird. We saw Pied-billed Grebes, Red-winged Blackbirds, a Baltimore Oriole, Hairy and Downy Woodpeckers, a female Northern Harrier, a Marsh Wren out in the bullrushes beside the boardwalk, American Widgeon, Gadwalls, a Barrow’s Goldeneye, Northern Shovelers, a Wood Duck., Green-winged Teal, and scads of Mallards. In Ontario Mallards are replacing the Black Duck. At other points during the trip we saw a Horned Grebe in winter plumage, 500 Cowbirds in a cornfield, a Eurasian Widgeon, Yellow-crowned Warbler, Great Blue Herons, White-crowned Sparrows, a Short-eared Owl, a Broad-winged Hawk, and 5 Hooded Mergansers (my first sighting).

New Brunswick Birds

If you get to Chapters bookstore in Fredericton you will be amazed at the range of bird books available. I spent $100 on some books in very short order. While visiting Kevin in Miramichi , we watched Red-tailed Hawks, Common Goldeneye, Ring-necked Ducks, a Lark Sparrow, a Seaside Sparrow and three Horned Larks on part of the Trans-Canada Trail in Chatham. We saw our first Spruce Grouse in two years on a remote section of highway outside Chatham. As usual it stayed on the road until we almost shoved it off. The Sackville Waterfowl Park, another place that you should visit if you are travelling, had Pied-billed Grebes, 2 Common Snipe, a Pectoral Sandpiper. There were 5 American Coots and 2 Swamp Sparrows across the road at the Tantramar Rural High School.

Around the Town

The yard of Gary and Elaine Carter is a busy spot with Juncoes, Black-capped Chickadees, American Goldfinch and Canada Jays. The Canada Jays are coming on a regular basis. Glen Sheppard reported a Barred Owl in a tree near his deer blind on November 9 and a Great Gray Owl a week earlier. Lee Anne Reeves, park warden, saw 2 Spruce Grouse at Oceanview and one on the water tower road. Mary MacMullin called to report 2 male Ring-necked Pheasants at the Motorhome Park on October 28. They were grazing in the corner by the former Craft Workshop and wandered through the courtyard.

Around the Harbour and Along the Coast

Susann Myers reported an American Pipit at Simon’s Point and Red-necked Grebes at Kennington Cove. On November 12 she saw 2 Red-throated Loons, 96 Red-necked Grebes, 2 Razorbills, 15 Common Eider, 15 Red-breasted Mergansers and 20 White-winged Scoter at Kennington Cove. A Dovekie was below Havenside. 16 Buffleheads were in the Fortress Barachois as well as several White-winged Scoters. The last Great Blue Heron was seen past Mainadieu on November 3. It looked quite miserable in the rain. Large flocks of White-winged Scoters are at the Mira Gut area and as far as Port Morien. Bill and Sandy Balcom saw 75 Snow Buntings in winter plumage at Black Rock on October 26—before the rains. Donald and Margie Cameron have cornered the market on Blue Jays at their feeders.

The CHRISTMAS BIRD COUNT will be held on SATURDAY DECEMBER 16. Call Susann Myers if you are interested in participating.

REMEMBER TO KEEP YOU FEEDERS CLEAN AND FILLED. The birds learn their location and want to visit daily as long as they know they are filled with seed. Since Cardinals are now in Cape Breton you might have one drop by as a special treat.

THE RETURN OF GOOD WEATHER should herald clear skies and colder temperatures. It will also be a shock to the system of the birds that have spent the past couple of weeks in warm and wet conditions. They will rely on us. Hopefully, my feeders will be out by then.

MAKE YOUR BIRD FRIENDS A CHRISTMAS TREAT

Decorate a tree with strings of cranberries, balls of peanut butter and birdseed held in mesh bags. Hulled grapefruit halves can be made into feeders by threading thick thread or twine through four sides and hanging from a branch. You then place seed in this grapefruit feeder. If it is dry you can string popcorn but this can be tricky. You could drape a few grapes or slices of orange on some of the boughs. Use your imagination and replenish the goodies when necessary.

If you are wondering what to buy someone for Christmas drop by Coles bookstore in the mall and look at Roger Tory Peterson’s, Eastern Birds, ( Peterson Field Guides - Fourth Edition ). It is by far the best book as a beginning guide to identifying local birds.

Keep sending me information by calling me at home or stopping me on the street.

Helen O’Shea

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

Return to the Previous page

Retour à la  page précédente