Tuesday 18 December 2012

Christmas Bird Count


Bald Eagle reflected on thin ice on Sand Lake Westport



It looked as though three Chickadees and two White-breasted Nuthatches would be our dismal total for the Westport Christmas Bird Count  in our neck of the woods, because the thick layer of ice everywhere on the hilly roads prevented us driving.   But by  11 am the sand trucks had been around and two Pileated Woodpeckers began to call each other ... and things were looking up.  Dividing up our section with the rest of our group,  we covered the area in the limited time left till the next wave of freezing rain, and before darkness fell on nearly the shortest day of the year.  The final total for our area was 23 species,  with highlights being an adult Bald Eagle, reflected in the ice, on Sand Lake, and a flock of two hundred and ninety Canada Geese on the farmfields nearby. 


Tuesday 4 December 2012

December 3 2012

Mild weather again after a few days of below freezing temperatures prompted another visit to the lake. Cool, cloudy, calm. On the way in to the cottage  two Barred Owls chased each other across the lane through the woods, making soft, squeals as they interacted. An unusual sighting! Maybe a male and female playing ? Probably not a fight for territory or the noises would have been more bloodthirsty.
Three Commonand two Hooded Mergansers on Green Lake . A Bald Eagle(adult) flew towards Wolfe Lake at about 2 pm.
The otters have been using our dock again for fishing and eating, and leaving piles of scat, as they did last year during the winter. 



Sunday 2 December 2012

A cold day's birding

1.12.2012

In spite of a cold wind ( or maybe because we birded by car it wasn't too bad!) we found some interesting birds last weekend around Westport. 6 Ravens in total (4 at the Salem dump and 2 at Green Lake),  a late male American Kestrel on Mulville Rd , near Fermoy,  1 Common Loon on Wolfe Lake, 1 Pine Grosbeak near Salem dump, about 10 Common Goldeneye male and female at the north end of Canoe Lake, and hundreds of Hooded Mergansers in several places: Sand Lake Westport,  Canoe Lake (north end),  Dewitt's Rd (along withabout 20 Ring-necked ducks) and many Common Mergansers in the same locations.  At Green Lake, 3 female or juvenile male Common Mergansers were on the lake, and 3 Pileated Woodpeckers were drumming and then flying together.
Chickadees and White -breasted Nuthatches, and a  Downy Woodpecker continue to come to the feeders.
 
 Very cold birding, but productive!