Brier Island Bird Report

Richard Stern reports....
Bernard Forsythe, Rick Whitman and I went to Brier today. It was clear and sunny, but the SE wind was strong, and cold. The expected birds were seen, but of particular note were -

Common loons - many, including some in almost full breeding plumage.

D-C Cormorant - 1, although most of the Cormorants were Great.

Brant -- just a small rather distant flock in Pond Cove

Harlequin Duck - A pair in Peajack Cove, and several on the way down at Trout Cove, Digby Neck.

Black Scoter - 8, Peajack Cove

Am. Pipit - 4, Pond Cove

Am. Robin - As Eric Mills mentioned yesterday, there were hundreds, all over the place - often 10-20 on adjacent lawns, and even in the seaweed at Pond Cove.

Brown-headed Cowbird - 1 in Westport

Dark-eyed Junco - Many, all along the roadside on Digby Neck and Long Islands.

Fox Sparrow - 2 singing in Westport.

Song Sparrow -- Many, all over the place

Richard

Great Blue Heron

Christine from Freeport reports..
At 9:30 this morning a great blue heron flew over our house in Freeport, heading in a southerly direction

Bird Sightings

Eric and Anne Mills sightings...
Three Ipswich Sparrows today, one in Westport, the others near Whipple Point.
The Westport bird was feeding in the scanty roadside grass along the shore side
of the road, facing into a northerly gale and blowing spray - presumably just
like Sable Island at this time of year. One of the Whipple Point birds may have
been a nominate Savannah x Ipswich hybrid: gray backed, but with brownish wings
and coverts and breast streaking more well defined than the average Ipswich.

The bird of the weekend has been American Robin. Friday morning's stormy cold
front grounded many on the island. Anne and I saw perhaps 500 along the roads
during the storm yesterday and saw many more coming and going in the woods.
They appeared to be arriving all day. We believe that the numbers on the island
must number in the low thousands. With them were significant numbers of Juncos
and Song Sparrows, but nothing like the Robin spectacle.

This afternoon, a single adult Northern Shrike near Woodside Cemetery.

Tourism Showcase

Hello Everyone
Yesterday i want to Clementsport and participated in a Tourism Showcase for our areas. Many intersting booths that ranged from local history, public historical gardens, garden nurseries, theatre, tourism, experiential tourism operators and suppliers, parks,and much more....
Here is some pictures i took although they are a bit blurry due to camera difficulties (didn't have my canon) it shows some of the exhibits that was on display.
On my way home i noticed a large influx dark-eyed Junco's on side of the road, a male pheasant strutting in the road, two turkey vultures and a deer in Little River. IIn Brier Island there has been a large influx of dark-eyed junco's and Robins they seem to be everywhere. Going to try to get out for a hike this afternoon and see what else is around. The weather has been bitterly cold in our area.
June

Spring Peepers

Andy and Christine report hearing Spring peepers in Freeport.

Purple Sandpipers

A friend of mine Neil Green sent along some photos he took of these Purple Sandpipers at Northern Light. Neil keeps on the lookout for me for Purple Sandpipers at Northern Light and i try to do Pond Cove area as much as i can for the Canadian Wildlife Federation Purple Sandpiper surveys. Here is the pictures Neil sent me Enjoy! Thanks for sending them along Neil!

Signs of Spring!

Finally Spring is here! We have had great weather all week and signs of spring are everywhere! At peajack Coltsfoot are in bloom. Robins are hopping all over our lawns and fields looking for worms. Crows are flying with sticks in their beaks, many gulls are pairing up. The Muskrat was in its normal spot chewing on sticks.Large amounts of Black ducks and eider ducks have been sighted at pond cove and around Western Light. Yesterday in Freeport i sighted a Pileated woodpecker doing some house cleaning making her hole a bit bigger in the telephone pole close to my dads place. She has nested there for about three years now. Also sighted Skunk cabbage in bloom, lots of black-capped chickadees weaving in and out of the alders. Dark-eyed juncos are gathering along side the road along with Bluejays, grackles and starlings. A spruce Grouse flew out in front of me and two make pheasants were sighted along the roadside as i was driving through Long Island.

Pond Cove and Whipples point

Hi Everyone
Today was sunny but the wind was raw. So i bundled up with and went for a hike with a couple of friends and we decided to hike pond cove and around whipples point cut across the blueberry fields into a pthway through the woods that comes out to camp road and loop back to pond cove where our cars were. In pond cove we sighted about 80Brant, an immature Bald Eagle, a large group of cormorants,4 pipits, and 6 snowbuntings. On the beach we sighted some gooseberry jellies way up in the sand so i put them back into the water. Here is some pictures of today....

Possible Golden Eagle Sighting

Hi Everyone
I got a report from Carl Haycock about a possible Golden Eagle flying low over the village, so i grabbed my camera and binoculars and sighted it with Carl but by this time it was really high in the air. He said he got some good looks and it was a golden color on its head it had white underneath the wing tips and on the top. It was quite noticable. It was very large and dark and it glided off towards Northern Light.
I then decided to hike to Pond Cove and sighted an Adult Bald Eagle and an Immature Bald Eagle. At pond cove a baby seal was on the beach quite alive and it looked to be in good shape. Looked around for its mother but couldn't find her, sometimes they will leave their babies and return awhile later. WIll check on the seal a little later to see if he is gone.Along the beach i sighted 6 Snow Buntings, 2 American Pipits. I also sighted lots of Black Ducks in the lower end of Big POnd along with 2 Canada Geese.Then i went to peajack and found one Coltsfoot in bloom. Ahh spring is near!
Tonight i went to pond cove and the seal is still there. 5 Canada Geese in Big Pond.

Nova Scotia Blog platform

Hello everyone
Just got a wonderful e-mail from Cynthia who features some of Nova Scotia's blogs on her blog platform. Here is the link, enjoy
Nova Scotia Blogs

Orchid Show

Hi Everyone
Although these orchids do not grow on Brier Island, I had the pleasure of joining my friend Gini (who is instrumental in finding rare species on brier, long Island and Digby Neck) at the orchid show.The growers put on a beautiful show every year by displaying their beautiful orchids at K.C Irving herbarium at Acadia University. Gini also has a beuatiful orchid she is growing and it has lots of blooms.Thought you might enjoy some of these beautiful orchids.

Bird sightings

Hi Everyone
Got off school early and took advantage of the sunny weather. Went for a hike to Northern Light although it was a bit windy the sky and sea was crystal blue and the sun was bright. Along the way in the harbor i sighted a common loon, common goldeneye, 4 Turkey Vultures gliding over the harbor,and Black-capped chickadees singing in the thickets.

Wild and windy Night and Day on the Islands

Hi Everyone
What a crazy wild night. The wind reached up to 65 miles and hour last night and the 28 ft tides flew spray, seaweed and rocks into the road and flooded the water front with some water. Here is some pictures of the aftermath...didn't get power restored until 3 this afternoon because a tree had fallen on my power lines. In Tiverton trees toppled powerlines and they wrapped around the gas pumps at the store. No traffic was allowed in or out until the power trucks could come in to safely remoe them.