Partners Website Design and Content © by Eric Krause, Krause House Info-Research Solutions (© 1996)
All Images © Parks Canada Unless Otherwise Designated

  Researching the Fortress of Louisbourg National Historic Site of Canada
  Recherche sur la Forteresse-de-Louisbourg Lieu historique national du Canada

AROUND THE TOWN

• Frank Stacey called to report a Bay-breasted Warbler about 100 feet from where he sat in the front yard of his house on August 28 in the late afternoon. It was a lifer for him.
• Patsy MacDonald saw a Yellow-breasted Chat at Catalone on August 29.
• Ian Harte saw a Black-bellied Plover on Havenside Road at the harbour side August 25 and on the week of September 3 he saw a Barred Owl at the Fortress site and 3 Green-winged Teal.
• Pearl Magee saw a pair of Olive-sided Flycatchers in her yard the week of August 13.
• Sheila Fudge called September 2 to report a young male Ring-necked Pheasant in her driveway.
• Gary Peck reported Northern Flickers at the roadside and in a tree on his property at Catalone. He still had hummingbirds the week of September 3.
• Elaine Carter saw a Ruby-throated Hummingbird was eating at the feeder on her front porch around 1:30 a.m. on July 8. It was a bright night.
• Karen Pink had a Song Sparrow on her front porch the morning of June 26.
• Pearl Magee reported a Blue-throated Warbler and a Magnolia Warbler on June 10.
• John Samuel MacDonald’s roof was the perch of a Raven July 2.
• Bill Mullins has named a pair of birds nesting at the Playhouse "Romeo and Juliet". They were there during the month of August.

AT MY FEEDERS

Ruby-throated Hummingbirds have been at the feeders throughout the summer. The last sighting of "the regulars" was on September 1.

September 4 a Black-throated Green Warbler was at the hummingbird feeder. It might have been eating ants and flies attracted by the sugar water.

A dozen American Goldfinch, 4 Black-capped Chickadees, and several Juncos have been at the niger seed disselfink feeder for the past 2 weeks. A Purple Finch came September 6.

A Brown Creeper has been in several trees in the yard since early August.

June 21 a male Evening Grosbeak was in the yard.

A Song Sparrow has appeared regularly throughout the summer.

A Fox Sparrow showed up several times.

A Black and White Warbler and a Yellow Warbler were in maple tree on August 27.

UNUSUAL SIGHTINGS

On September 7 we heard a thump at the dining room window. A female American Goldfinch was lying stunned on the porch. The other goldfinch began to raise a ruckus from the nearby tree. We looked out the window and spotted the neighbour’s cat easing up the porch to nab lunch. After chasing it off we picked up the bird and placed it in a box on the porch. A pair of Blue Jays began squawking. We thought that they were the next predators so we covered "lunch" with a cloth. The noise continued. Five minutes later the Goldfinch was uncovered, and with a bit of urging flew off to a nearby tree. The Blue Jays continued their racket. Then a Sharp-shinned Hawk swooped in and perched briefly in our maple tree then flew to the neighbour’s yard. All was quiet.

June 27 we watched 5 Crows pecking at a still-fluttering young Starling on the road by the home of Greta and Everett Beaver.

AROUND THE HARBOUR

An Osprey has been hovering over the Fortress Barachois throughout August and September.

A pair of Northern Harriers course the Fortress Site, the Administration road and Route 22.

Northern Flickers are in yards throughout the town and around the service roads and roadsides in the Park and on Riverdale Street.

Mourning Doves have been seen eating grit in various gravel and dirt driveways.

Great Blue Herons are at the Fortress and Havenside Barachois.

A mature Bald Eagle has been seen at Black Rock, Havenside and flying over the Ball Field.

Bill O’Shea reported 6 Greater Yellowlegs on the Fortress site on August 29.

50 Whimbrels were in the bogs and flying over the Fortress site on August 7. 12 Double-crested Cormorants and 4 Common Terns were fishing off the fauxbourg. There were also numerous immature Great Black-backed Gulls. It was a foggy, windy day.

A pair of Red-winged Blackbirds and a Swamp Sparrow were near the Queen’s Gate Pond on August 1. That same day there were 2 dozen Whimbrels were on the bogs beyond Black Rock.

August 27 Susann Myers saw a Red-necked Grebe in breeding plumage at Kennington Cove and 8 Common Loons.

ALONG THE COAST

July 14—Northern Shrike, Cliff Swallows, Barn Swallows, Tree Swallows, American Redstart male, 2 Black Guillemots, Loon, Common Terns, White-throated Sparrow, Yellow-rumped Warbler, Northern Harrier, Magnolia Warbler, Canada Jay, male Hairy Woodpecker, Blue Jay, Greater Yellowlegs, Belted Kingfisher, Wood Thrush, Great Black-backed Gulls, Crows, male Red-winged Blackbird, male Purple Finch, 12 male American Goldfinch, 2 Cedar Waxwings and a Northern Flicker.

July 19—Homeville—A guard Willet in a treetop was calling to one along the shore and another on the other side of the Bridge. At Morien Bar we saw a Hudsonian Godwit, a Whimbrel, a Semi-palmated Plover, Terns, and Great Blue Herons. We had no luck in viewing the male Ruff seen by Susann Myers earlier in the week. However, we were looking for one in breeding plumage and it wasn’t.

August 25 we saw a pair of Common Loons in flight and another pair of Loons with their chick at Catalone Gut. On the other side of the gut we watched 3 Pine Grosbeaks, 6 Sanderlings, 6 Greater Yellowlegs and a male Belted Kingfisher. Past Mira Gut before Scottsdale Lane in a wooded area we saw Cedar Waxwing, a Wilson’s Warbler, a Philadelphia Vireo and a Ruby-crowned Kinglet. Black Brook Cemetery was alive with Juncos, a Pine Warbler, a Yellow Warbler, a female Bay-breasted Warbler, and Black-capped Chickadees. They were eating slow-moving flies.

Crows were everywhere gobbling down crane flies.

FALL WEBWORMS.

This has been a great summer for caterpillar webs. They are most often seen on alders, but can be found a variety of shrubs and trees. They are made by caterpillars that are a type of tiger moth. The "webs" enclose the foliage. This is very unlike the Tent Caterpillars that are usually seen in the early summer and build their "tent" or "web" in a crotch of a tree. (Christopher Majka of naturens.) http://www.ento.vt.edu/~sharov/insect/webworm.html 

Remember to keep out your Hummingbird feeders through the month of September to feed migrating hummingbirds. Have a great autumn and enjoy the migrating birds and changing leaves.

Helen O'Shea

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

Return to the Previous page

Retour à la  page précédente