Wild and Wooly Weekend

Lots of signs that spring is in the air. Warblers are showing up steadily in our area. Black-throated green warblers, yellow warblers, American Goldfinches and 2 Groups of Eider ducks sighted in Irishtown have ducklings in tow. Also 4 goslings have been sighted with 6 Canada Geese surrounding them. 2 Canada Geese have been flying back and forth in the harbor honking back and forth to each other. This weekend was the wild and woolly weekend at the lodge where i spoke to a group of rug hookers about the natural and cultural history of Brier Island. The next day the Cottswold sheep were sheared of their coats for the summer and the rug hookers learned how to clean, card and dye the wool to work their magic on their felting creations of Northern Lighthouse. Vicki Graham owns a business called: Hooking by the Sea Retreats and specializes in rug hooking and providing local talent to showcase Brier Island.

Humpback sighting off Western light

I just got a report from two fisherman from Brier Island that a humpback was sighted near Western Light very close to the shore. Hopefully it will not become entangled in fishing gear. The lobster fisherman are busy ending their spring season and taking up their gear. District 34 lobster season ends May 31.

Turkey Vultures

On May 22 i took a hike to pond cove and sighted three turkey vultures feeding on a seal carcass.
Also sighted that day 2 adult black ducks with 8 ducklings
3 Black-bellied plovers
1 Great Blue Heron
1 Northern Harrier
1 Eastern Kingbird
1 Northern Mockingbird
Gull Rock Road
1 Northern Harrier
American Goldfinches
1 Ring-necked Pheasant

Bird's eye Primrose

Went fo a walk the other day to Western Light to see if the primula laurentiana was in bloom and counted 151 flowering plants.

Minke Whales

On our whale watch yesterday we spotted two Minke whales along with
2 Common Murres
Phararopes
Northern Gannets
1 Puffin flying by

Bird Postings from NatureNS

Here is a picture of the female Summer Tanager on Gull Rock Road and a male Baltimore Oriole.
Don
Thanks Don!


Some other birds seen by our group on May 18 were

4 Brant with the Tricolored Heron in Pond Cove.

A female Summer Tanager on Gull Rock Road

An American Kestral

A Tennessee Warbler was heard only.


Don MacNeill
Dons group was also visiting Brier Island. Thanks for the report Don!

Tri-colored Heron sighted again!

Bernard and Sandra Forsythe were on Brier Is today.
Sightings of note: the adult Tri-coloured Heron - in breeding plumage and
now showing white plumes on top of the head - was in Pond Cove ( presumably
the same one reported earlier by Eric Mills?), as was a single Black-bellied
Plover.
They saw a female E Bluebird on the power lines west of the cemetery,
hunting for insects, and counted 20 Turkey Vultures.

GOMI's educational and fun trip to Halifax!

Just got back from a trip to Halifax with our GOMI- Gulf of Maine youth group. We fundraised money and decided to take a fun and education tour of the Natural History museum, Museum of the Atlantic and the bedford institute of oceanography, take in some music and absorb the atmosphere of the farmers market. We also went to the Imax and swimming and a tour of St. Mary's University at their apartment accomadations. Here is some of he fish we ID at the bedford institute and some of the exhibits at the museums. At the museum of the Atlantic we looked at the dug out canoe that was found sticking out of little pond wall after the ground hogs day storm. It is in a case to preserve it from deteriorating. It was carved out of one tree and was acadian built. We also met with Rob from the geological society and he put on a great display and animation pertaining to how our rocks formed. We also spoke with CPAWS-Canadian Parks and Wilderness Society and took some video of our visit.

Minke Whale, Dolphins,

My husband is one of the captains for Brier island Whale and Seabird Cruises. He went out on a whale watch on Tuesday and Sighted:
Minke Whale and Atlantic white-sided Dolphins. He also noted the high concentration of herring into huge bait balls, salps and copepods were abundant. Phalaropes and gannets were also in the area. Hopefuly they will have a good sightings this summer.

Minke whales, dolphins, seabirds

Monday May 18
Shelley Barnaby who works for Brier Island Whale and Seabird Cruises sightings from their first whale watch trip.
We had our first whale watch of the season and it was very productive. Our bird sightings were:

Puffins
Razorbill (1)
Common Murre (1)
Red Necked Phalaropes
Northern Gannets
Northern Fulmars
Black Legged Kittiwakes
Parasitic Jaegar (1)

Cetacean sightings:

minke whales (2)
White beaked dolphins
White sided dolphins

Bird Sightings

Richard Stern and a group from the Nova Scotia Bird Society was visiting Brier Island Over the weekend here is their report.
A group of us were on Brier yesterday and today, and some are staying for the whole long weekend. The birding yesterday was very good, but today everything was hunkered down in heavy rain and high wind. Between us all (and everyone saw nearly everything, including all the "good" birds) we saw 70+ species yesterday alone. Birding highlights included --


Turkey Vultures - ~13
Broad-winged Hawks - a small flight
Warbling Vireo - 1, Westport
Blue-headed Vireo, lots near N.Point
Red-bellied Woodpecker - 1
E.Kingbird - ~20, including some that had evidently just arrived - sitting on the rocks by the wharf etc.

E.Bluebird - 1F., catching insects around the cemetery
Brown Thrasher - 1 v. brief look
N.Mockingbird - 1
Gray Catbird - All over the Island
Warblers - ~13 species. Good numbers. No real rarities.
Scarlet Tanager - 1 ad. M.
Summer Tanager - 2 recognizably different birds
White-Crowned Sparrows - all over the place in Wesport
Indigo Bunting - 4 or 5, Westport
Blue Grosbeak - 1 imm. M.
Baltimore Oriole - 15+
Orchard Oriole - 1 ad. M


Nice sights included Summer Tanager, 2 species of Oriole and Indigo Buntings all together, Blue Grosbeak and Indigo Bunting side by side, and N.Harriers, Turkey Vultures, Sharpie and E.Bluebird all in view at the same time..

Bird Sightings

Hi Everyone
yesterday at pond cove in big pond was 12 GREATER YELLOWLEGS, 3 BLACK-BELLIED PLOVERS.
In the village
Baltimore Orioles, 1 Northern Mockingbird, Common Grackles, Rose-breasted Grosbeaks, White-crowned Sparrows, American Goldfinches, Purple Goldfinches, Black-capped Chickadees, Chipping Sparrows, White-crowned Sparrows. There might also be a Caspian Tern around the bridge by wally's store. Robbie Denton sighted a Summer Tanager.
Sighted 5 Turkey Vultures circling in east ferry along with 8 broad-winged hawks.

Tricolored Heron

Hi Everyone
While hiking at pond cove today i come across a Tricolored Heron. This is my first sighting of this type of heron so i was excited to see it. Murphy's law i had my camera with me but the battery was dead so i drove home and got a new battery and got these shots. It was sitting on a lobster trap at pond cove.

Baltimore orioles

Hi Everyone
Today i sighted 2 Baltimore Orioles eating the oranges i put out in my trees. Also 4 Kingbirds were hanging out catching bugs in my yard. I also sighted a yellow-rumped Warbler.

Spring Flowers

Hi Everyone
Went for a hike this morning and noticed some : Mountain Fly-honeysickle, Strawberry Blossoms,Small White Violets, Stitchwort, Forget-me-nots, Blue Violets and Coltsfoot in bloom. Also sighted 3 Broad-winged Hawks and 1 Northern Harrier. David Buckman sighted 1 Female and 1 Male Orchard Oriole
June Swift