2023-06-07
Taking a warbler walk with the bird society
On May 27 I led a warbler walk for the Nova Scotia Bird Society that started in Conquerall Mills and went along the Fitch Road, out to Dagley Road, by Publicover Lake, and then through to the Watermills Road and out to New Cumberland and Mount Pleasant.
Nine people joined me for this field trip and we found 42 species. This is much lower than the normal average of 50-60 species. Highlights were a northern waterthrush, a black-throated blue warbler and a barred owl in the open and preening.
We heard an alder flycatcher, but only I got to see it. Bobolinks were definitely a highlight as most of the group had not heard or seen that species before. Two of our group saw an American bittern at Pubnicover Lake. A Canada warbler was also a top bird. We saw 14 species of warblers altogether.
On May 25, Lize Bell sighted a Baltimore oriole on Bush Island. She also reported seeing gray catbirds everywhere that she went. Anne Weeks of Lunenburg both heard and saw an eastern wood pewee on May 28.
On May 29 Lynette Barnes of Green Bay saw many ducklings. These consisted of mallards and four female common eiders with eight young. Marjorie Zwicker of Auburndale has had a female evening grosbeak coming to her yard every day.
Debbie Feener was pleased to see an adult, American woodcock with four young at Mill Village. Joan and Kevin Lantz both heard and saw a wood thrush at Front Centre. There had been another one at the residence of Darlene Kempton in Mill Village.
On May 21, Robert Keereweer found a yellow-throated vireo along the Rails to Trails in East River. He discovered four olive-sided flycatchers also. Logan Moore found five red knots at Crescent Beach and Eric Mills saw one at the Back Oler Farm Marsh in Garden Lots. These two sightings occurred on May 26 and May 27.
Scarlet tanagers were seen at many locations across the province. On May 27, Eric Mills discovered two laughing gulls on Brier Island. Tony Millard had a snow goose at Dayton Road in Yarmouth County and Zach Wile had a Caspian Tern at the Port Howe Bridge in Amherst.
On May 28, Zach sighted a willow flycatcher at the Amherst Point Bird Sanctuary. On May 29 Eric Mills reported about 1,100 raptors on Brier Island and he had a red-bellied woodpecker at Westport. On May 30 Steve McGrath saw an American oystercatcher at the Big Glace Bay Beach.
On May 31 a Philadelphia vireo was a great bird for Ray W in Halifax. The sedge wren still continues at Sunday Point in Yarmouth County. In Kings County and Annapolis County wonderful finds were of a willow flycatcher, three warbling vireos, scarlet tanagers, mourning warblers, a green heron, a red-shouldered hawk and a Virginia rail.
You may reach me at (902) 693-2174 or email jrhbirder@hotmail.com.
