tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7222860377188287332024-02-22T14:05:13.939-08:00Fur & Feathers 500 - a Canada Big Year for Birds and MammalsBrianhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01780391838994912434noreply@blogger.comBlogger94125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-722286037718828733.post-43931766654425156672013-01-28T08:23:00.000-08:002013-01-28T08:23:09.547-08:00Photo Book is DoneWe have finally finished the photo book - you can view it at: <a href="wlmailhtml:{31EC28D1-744B-4990-8632-8B2AF6282FEB}mid://00000057/!x-usc:http://www.blurb.ca/b/4027517-fur-and-feathers-500" title="http://www.blurb.ca/b/4027517-fur-and-feathers-500"><span style="color: blue;">http://www.blurb.ca/b/4027517-fur-and-feathers-500</span></a>. A free pdf version of the book can be downloaded at: <a href="http://www.mediafire.com/file/y113yn9h852kn5b/FurandFeathers500.pdf" title="http://www.mediafire.com/file/y113yn9h852kn5b/FurandFeathers500.pdf">http://www.mediafire.com/file/y113yn9h852kn5b/FurandFeathers500.pdf</a>. Note - this is a 72 MB file so the download might take a while. When viewing the file, under the View menu -> page display, check "two page view" and "show cover in two page view".<br />
<br />
Since posting the final draft version, we have found a surprisingly large number of errors; hopefully there aren't too many in our final version.<br />
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As mentioned previously, we made the book for ourselves but anyone can purchase a copy from Blurb. The FIN2012 promo code with a 15% discount expires today (Jan. 28) but KBWINTER with a 10% discount is good through the end of February.<br />
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Good birding<br />
<br />
Brian<br />
Blog: <a href="http://furandfeathers5000.blogspot.ca/">http://furandfeathers5000.blogspot.ca/</a><br />
Brianhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01780391838994912434noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-722286037718828733.post-51602912025097085382013-01-20T13:06:00.000-08:002013-01-27T14:52:22.858-08:00Fur and Feathers 500 Photo Book<br />
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">After working on our book for what seems like forever, we are
almost finished.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>You can view the book
at: <a href="http://www.blurb.ca/b/4027517-fur-and-feathers-500">http://www.blurb.ca/b/4027517-fur-and-feathers-500</a></span><span style="font-family: Calibri;">.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhei0G9nf9o1-jje-mgTEGo13-f1t_-XYBudhAIh_zISoIzc5qHBUy-DLU3AvCJh6HNSQMJU5fcEooGlT5JEKac4WUvUvjKRcTbSaclpyrgL1LbtRGOTr89UFqv_TXDVln93eOGBOMoPM/s1600/Big+Year+Front+Cover.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="586" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhei0G9nf9o1-jje-mgTEGo13-f1t_-XYBudhAIh_zISoIzc5qHBUy-DLU3AvCJh6HNSQMJU5fcEooGlT5JEKac4WUvUvjKRcTbSaclpyrgL1LbtRGOTr89UFqv_TXDVln93eOGBOMoPM/s640/Big+Year+Front+Cover.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">The book was prepared using Lightroom and then uploaded
directly to Blurb.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I did the layout work
and Ray and Phil did the proofing.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">The price is the same as what we pay (no markup). There are often promo codes that can save some money - FIN2012 is good until Jan. 28th for a 15% </span>
discount. I also plan to have a pdf version that you can download for free (from
a site to be determined – not from blurb.ca).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span><o:p></o:p></span><br />
<br />
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Thanks again for your comments throughout the year.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In a recent comment, someone
asked if we would be doing a presentation and the answer is yes – Wed. April 3
to the Bird Study Group of Nature Calgary.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Details will appear on the Nature Calgary website </span><a href="http://www.naturecalgary.com/"><span style="color: blue; font-family: Calibri;">http://www.naturecalgary.com/</span></a><span style="font-family: Calibri;"> in
March.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Good birding and mammaling!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
Brianhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01780391838994912434noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-722286037718828733.post-27538939953996387822013-01-09T12:18:00.001-08:002013-01-09T12:18:53.305-08:00Looking Back on a Great Year!
<br />
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<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;"><span style="color: blue;">Brian’s
recent posts have provided an excellent summary of our Fur and Feathers 500 adventures
in 2012, including some thoughtful advice for those who might wish to undertake
a Canada Big Year of their own one day. He quite rightly offered thanks to the
many people across Canada who were so happy to help us along the way and I
would like to add my own thanks. We would never have been successful without
their assistance but more than that, they made the whole experience a better one!<o:p></o:p></span></span></span></div>
<span style="color: blue;">
</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;"><span style="color: blue;">Our collective and individual goals
for this Canada Big Year were set out in our early posts. A central theme was to meet our team target of 500 species and visit all 13 provinces and
territories while doing so! For me, the geographic reach of our travels was
equal in importance to our species target. I’m delighted we were able to
accomplish both! <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></span></span></div>
<span style="color: blue;">
</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;"><span style="color: blue;">People often
ask us about highlights of the year. Which bird or mammal sighting was the most
special? Which part of the country did we enjoy the most? I usually answer that
it was the totality of the adventure that mattered more than anything else.
Every trip had its special moments and collectively they have left us with a thousand
good memories. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It’s true however that
one or two experiences inevitably come up more often that the rest when talking
to family and friends about our travels.<o:p></o:p></span></span></span></div>
<span style="color: blue;">
</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;"><span style="color: blue;">For me,
quietly gliding through the fragmented pack ice in Repulse Bay, Nunavut, was an
experience I will never forget and the close up encounter with a Polar Bear on
that trip was the icing on the cake! I had travelled extensively in Canada even
before this Big Year but I had never been to the Magdalene Islands or Haida
Gwaii. Both are magnificent places and I encourage any reader who hasn’t been
to these unique Canadian places to make the effort. You won’t be disappointed!
Maybe you’ll even see a Rustic Bunting as we did while on Haida Gwaii – not by
any means a particularly splendid looking bird but probably one of my most
memorable sightings of the year if only because a) it’s very rare and b) I
actually got a decent photo of it!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></span></span></div>
<span style="color: blue;">
</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;"><span style="color: blue;">I have always
enjoyed seabirds and we did quite a bit of pelagic birding during the course of
the year. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Indeed, we spent a lot more
time on boats than any of us expected. Phil kept count of our various boat
trips and I can’t recall the final count but it must have been close to 50! <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We made several trips out of Brier Island, NS
into the Bay of Fundy and here again is a place I would highly recommend to our
readers. Not only is the pelagic birding rewarding but so is the whaling! <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></span></span></div>
<span style="color: blue;">
</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;"><span style="color: blue;">One of my
personal goals last year was to bring my Canada Bird Life List up to a more
respectable 425 species. I’m delighted to report that I soared above this
target, reaching 442 by year end! Maybe I can edge that up to 450 during the
coming year? Another goal was to become a bit more knowledgeable about Canadian
mammals during the course of the year. I enjoyed the mammaling but I’d have to
say that all our mammal chasing really taught me was just how appallingly
little I know about them! Like Brian however, I’m hoping to bring my tally of
Canadian mammals seen up to a nice round 100 eventually.<o:p></o:p></span></span></span></div>
<span style="color: blue;">
</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;"><span style="color: blue;">This will be
my final posting on this site so what better time than now to thank Brian, Mike and Phil for a splendid year of good fellowship and shared adventures all
across this great country. We set out to do this Big Year as a team and that's exactly what we did! May we have many more birding experiences together
in the years to come! <o:p></o:p></span></span></span></div>
<span style="color: blue;">
</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;"><span style="color: blue;">And finally –
a big thank you to my wife Agnes. Agnes supported my participation
in this Canada Big Year 100% - right from the start! <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Whenever asked, Agnes declares with
considerable energy that she is most certainly NOT a “Birder”. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>She does however admit to being a “Birder’s
Companion”. In 2013 we’re hoping to do some international travelling together
and while such travels never focus exclusively on birding I’m sure that at one
point or another, she will once again be this Birder’s Companion!</span> <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> <span style="color: blue;">I'm a lucky birder indeed!</span></span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"></span><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><o:p><span style="color: blue;">Good birding everyone!</span></o:p></i></span></span></div>
Rayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13178687980944139805noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-722286037718828733.post-58352059606422195762013-01-09T10:56:00.000-08:002013-01-09T10:56:42.167-08:00Final thoughts from Phil
<span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Brian has posted
excellent summaries of Fur and Feathers 500, and there is not much more to be
said about our great adventure. I would be remiss, however, if I didn’t add my
own thanks to those who made it possible. <o:p></o:p></span></span><br />
<br />
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<span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">First, to
the many birders across the country who gave willingly of their time to help us
find regional specialties. Your companionship made for an extra dimension to
the year which was unexpected and highly appreciated. One moment among many stands
out: Anne Hughes perching precariously on the cliff top at Cape St. Mary to
find us Thick-billed Murres among the many seabirds nesting on the cliffs, and
the fog lifting just in time. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Secondly,
to my fellow fur and featherers, Brian, Mike and Ray. Most Big Years are
conceived as solo efforts. Ours was different, a team event, which made for a
year which was full of fun, both the long hours in the field and the brief periods
of relaxation. Eating chocolate-coated almonds to celebrate a success, mid-afternoon
ice cream cones as a pick-me up, and tasting local beers from across the
country became important rituals for our tribe. We ended the year having
enriched our friendship, with absolutely no friction along the way – remarkable!
</span></span><br />
<br />
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<span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">To the
readers of this blog, your interest was a great source of inspiration. Writing
the blog was not always the first thing we wanted to work on late in the evening,
but the discipline of keeping our readers up-to-date meant that we documented
our journey as we went along and provided us with a valuable record. It was
also a great showcase for many of Brian and Ray’s wonderful photos, and one of
mine, which I never stopped talking about!<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Finally, to
my wife Rae and our family, my heartfelt thanks for your love and support for
my participation in Fur and Feathers 500. It was a very eventful year for our
family, and I will never forget your generosity in allowing me to head off on all
those trips, sometimes at very difficult times. <o:p></o:p></span></span><br />
<br />
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<span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">A Happy New
Year to everyone: I hope you will be able to realize your own dreams.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<br />
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<span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Phil<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><o:p></o:p></i></span></span></div>
Phil Cramhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07964282485194339556noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-722286037718828733.post-33627934831470667732013-01-06T13:54:00.000-08:002013-01-28T08:30:20.177-08:00Thanks to all for a great year<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Our big year ended last Monday with a New Year’s Eve dinner
with our wives and a get-together at Phil’s to bring in the new year.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I observed carefully but still no wild humans
to add to the list!<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8-zcNwFlmN94NE3GhEf97tHrXa_cblrSbQFnjRpEGCTDVyOTAXDPM6ftlAq43Yi0_0_BVLU7rqQdlVHtoXZgMTouXyVeGeZU29aEUCTEudZdL1FL3ROZIgao0tUiCCaNzOaXaqqYhOog/s1600/the+team.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8-zcNwFlmN94NE3GhEf97tHrXa_cblrSbQFnjRpEGCTDVyOTAXDPM6ftlAq43Yi0_0_BVLU7rqQdlVHtoXZgMTouXyVeGeZU29aEUCTEudZdL1FL3ROZIgao0tUiCCaNzOaXaqqYhOog/s640/the+team.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Our team celebrating the year - back: Brian, Phil, Mike, Ray front: Jo, Barb, Rae, Agnes</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">The big year was a major undertaking and we couldn’t have
done it without a lot of help.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>First and
foremost on the list is our wives who put up with our many absences and looked
after the household while we were away.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>My wife Barb said to me afterwards, “I’m glad you did it but I don’t
want you ever to do it again!”<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEguQ3UnApzE9LFcO31v3yuNoXcn5U8UQBdMRimd67BA_E2EAChktw097OF14BqH_AfjY6C22Gut2rzMXhySxUhaiKS4fmzhvykhfRTK_wRWt9GeD2KsuChbDJRaKR3ec8JKtZfoA39DwJ4/s1600/Wives+in+tshirts.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEguQ3UnApzE9LFcO31v3yuNoXcn5U8UQBdMRimd67BA_E2EAChktw097OF14BqH_AfjY6C22Gut2rzMXhySxUhaiKS4fmzhvykhfRTK_wRWt9GeD2KsuChbDJRaKR3ec8JKtZfoA39DwJ4/s640/Wives+in+tshirts.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Our wives sporting their Fur & Feathers tshirts - Agnes (Ray), Barb (Brian), Rae (Phil) and Jo (Mike)</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">The four of us worked well as a team – I took the lead in
planning, Ray made most of the contacts with other birders, Phil handled travel
logistics and Mike chipped in with his extensive knowledge and experience.<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Planning was a big task and we used as many resources as we
could.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> J. </span>Cam Finlay’s 2000 revised edition, “A Bird-Finding Guide to Canada” helped in the initial planning stages and we also used
it occasionally on the road.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>One or more
of us belonged to 9 different provincial internet groups – these were a great
source of information about rarities in the areas we would be visiting.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Thanks to all of the contributors for making
these groups a success.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In particular, I’d
like to thank a couple of professionals whose regular contributions over the
years were very helpful in the planning process – Bruce Mactavish in
Newfoundland and Chris Charlesworth in the BC interior.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Russ Cannings’s BC Bird Alert and his personal
blogs were also very helpful and Russ also provided us with a fair bit of BC
bird finding info in person and by email.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">The four of us are competent birders but we found it very
helpful to enlist the help of experienced local birders whenever we could.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>James Hirtle in Nova Scotia, Anne Hughes in
Newfoundland, Dick Cannings and Rick Schortinghuis in BC all went out with us
on multiple days and helped find almost all of our target birds – thanks a lot,
guys.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We also had some help from Rob
Woods, Dorothy Poole and Johnny Nickerson in NS, Cameron Eckert in the Yukon, Ron Jensen
in SK, the two Jeremys – Gatten and Kimm – on our west coast pelagic and the
Masset gang – Margot Hearn, Peter Hamel and Martin Williams – on Haida Gwaii.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Along the way, we met many other friendly
birders who also were very helpful.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In
the Calgary area, our friends were aware of our big year and passed along
useful sighting information – thanks Bob, Ray, Dan, Bob, Malcolm and Joan.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We’ve had a lot of help from a lot of birders
so my apologies if I’ve missed a name or two.<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">I’d also like to thank the many feeder watchers across the
country that made their yards accessible to us and other birders.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>There are too many to list but some of our best
birds like Dickcissel, Yellow-throated Warbler, Hepatic Tanager, Costa’s
Hummingbird, Acorn Woodpecker and Northern Wheatear were seen in people’s
yards.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXpC2rtg-CbadFgBL9l15A2GnqaRlOpr_rtZtjzF7zPIpXB0CLDM68tM4NyBcLOjiG6w_UnXWOSh81BWBIPMXFYLb9OIJTNMuxVhoV1GmHr_RUMYbwkbN5nzgV0AGTZU4-DrYVCX453Jk/s1600/Hepatic+Tanager+-+Nov+-+SK.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXpC2rtg-CbadFgBL9l15A2GnqaRlOpr_rtZtjzF7zPIpXB0CLDM68tM4NyBcLOjiG6w_UnXWOSh81BWBIPMXFYLb9OIJTNMuxVhoV1GmHr_RUMYbwkbN5nzgV0AGTZU4-DrYVCX453Jk/s640/Hepatic+Tanager+-+Nov+-+SK.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Hepatic Tanager - Wadena, SK</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Blogging was new to us and turned out to be a lot of
fun.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Your comments made us feel
connected with our readers.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We even
experienced 30 seconds of fame when we were recognized in Point Pelee by a nice
group of ladies from Calgary (who teased us with their American Marten sighting
– we finally saw one a few weeks ago for our final mammal species of the year).<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">The blogging stats gave us some idea of how many people were
looking at the blog and how they found us.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Our 36,000 page views pales somewhat in comparison to the "eagle snatching
a kid" video but it was never our objective to go viral.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Thanks to all fellow bloggers had links to
our site (I was somewhat remiss in not posting reciprocal links); some of the
main traffic sources were Bob Lefebvre’s Calgary Birding blog: <a href="http://birdscalgary.wordpress.com/">http://birdscalgary.wordpress.com/</a>, the Prairie
Birder, Charlotte Wasylik: <a href="http://prairiebirder.wordpress.com/">http://prairiebirder.wordpress.com/</a> and Josh Vandermeulen in Ontario (congratulations Josh on setting the
Ontario big year record): <a href="http://joshvandermeulen.blogspot.ca/">http://joshvandermeulen.blogspot.ca/</a>.</span></div>
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">In August of 2011, I announced our big year intentions as
well as a number of personal goals.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I’m
happy to say that all but one were achieved.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
With 507 species, o</span>ur team surpassed our goal of 500 bird and mammal species in Canada (revised
upward from an initial 450 objective).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We
did get to all 13 provinces and territories and saw some special places along
the way.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>My favourite places – places I’d
like to take my wife – were les Iles de la Madeleine (thanks for suggesting it,
Blake), the Dempster highway in YT, the Arctic (of which Repulse Bay was a
great example) and Haida Gwaii.<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhv_JQ2IsTRBcc5FYd85t0438Ur4RwJKqPW7dGYQsSZ6fkHpTLcvjNllzWZbIQe7BNWTG6zyQO0mV6_MoiWt4kIkyxxTC0N0GK5ckWIMuqg2B7KHNvHu-8U5MDgRHNkuzpfrZWesblFk7k/s1600/Iles+de+la+Madeleine.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhv_JQ2IsTRBcc5FYd85t0438Ur4RwJKqPW7dGYQsSZ6fkHpTLcvjNllzWZbIQe7BNWTG6zyQO0mV6_MoiWt4kIkyxxTC0N0GK5ckWIMuqg2B7KHNvHu-8U5MDgRHNkuzpfrZWesblFk7k/s640/Iles+de+la+Madeleine.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Coastline near Old Harry, les Iles de la Madeleine</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfGuX-iGsy0XTYeXa76-KEC9QBw82Uh3ZAdRx3j-Ac5AegXZbZIJajupk6NLVoFu8UiXNAwQQqLWND-_rkrFyWtjvmX__0WJuvJMlv0QNmrWn0VCl2_ZMdv5AxBGB-Qg2m3CZS2Y5vAZg/s1600/Nunavut+on+the+boat.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfGuX-iGsy0XTYeXa76-KEC9QBw82Uh3ZAdRx3j-Ac5AegXZbZIJajupk6NLVoFu8UiXNAwQQqLWND-_rkrFyWtjvmX__0WJuvJMlv0QNmrWn0VCl2_ZMdv5AxBGB-Qg2m3CZS2Y5vAZg/s640/Nunavut+on+the+boat.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Cruising through the ice near Repulse Bay</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhpgWaA2Vpp4HYOLLRbXUbS7rUqsbAfUTXUI2DmXXOAmLd9ADmJwMCS2qR5IjqiyAnHqsrVtEtC4OzaZ6sjS-kI6cKpeTyRZqEmTfrFqh2CZpYPMf_b8l4HkilHrt6GK7mlEY1ssDH0HNs/s1600/Mountain+view+from+Queen+Charlotte+City.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhpgWaA2Vpp4HYOLLRbXUbS7rUqsbAfUTXUI2DmXXOAmLd9ADmJwMCS2qR5IjqiyAnHqsrVtEtC4OzaZ6sjS-kI6cKpeTyRZqEmTfrFqh2CZpYPMf_b8l4HkilHrt6GK7mlEY1ssDH0HNs/s640/Mountain+view+from+Queen+Charlotte+City.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Queen Charlotte City, Haida Gwaii</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">I think we were successful in doing a “relaxed” big year (if
one ignores the crazy 20 hour overnight trip to SK for the Hepatic
Tanager!).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We all have remained happily
married though our points balance is in need of replenishing.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Calibri;"><o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">My Canada bird list now stands at 460, 10 ahead of my 450
target.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I photographed 470 species or 93% of the
species we saw which surpassed my target of 90%. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>My missed target – the Yellow Rail was only
heard, not seen … maybe this year.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Although not a goal, we had some fun with ATPAT (all territories and
provinces added together).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>ATPAT
provided a secondary focus when there weren’t many new species around and Ray,
Phil and I all surpassed the old record for Canada “ticks” in a year.<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">We are in the final stages of preparing a photo book of our
big year.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This is not a commercial
endeavour but just for our own memories.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>However, when it is ready, I will post a link to the book so that you
can browse through it.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Where to from here?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>This will be my last post to this blog (other than posting the photo book link); the others may post their
reflections on the big year.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I have
started up my own blog:<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Fur and Feathers
5000 so perhaps some of you will follow my new adventures. Check it out at: <a href="http://furandfeathers5000.blogspot.ca/">http://furandfeathers5000.blogspot.ca/</a><o:p></o:p></span><br />
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Thanks again to all of you who have supported us and good
birding.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Brian<o:p></o:p></span>Brianhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01780391838994912434noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-722286037718828733.post-11417543064108644402012-12-30T12:18:00.001-08:002012-12-31T16:38:50.390-08:00A Look Back at the Mammals of our Big Year<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Mammals were a wonderful complement to birds while doing our
big year.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>They were the source of some of
our most memorable moments and also of some of our greatest
frustrations.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>With one day to go, we are
at 76 mammals … enough to help us reach our 500 target but a little below
expectations.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Calibri;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Our mammal highlight of the year was undoubtedly our Polar Bear sighting near Repulse Bay in Nunavut.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We were out in a boat and our guide, Steve, spotted the bear onshore on a hillside.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Steve said that a bear will normally disappear when they see humans but this one went down to the shore and swam toward us.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>When the bear got close, it jumped up onto the ice and gave us spectacular views.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Phil was feeling pretty smug as he took a wonderful shot with his compact camera while Ray and I had to do with close-ups of the bear’s head.<o:p></o:p><o:p></o:p></span><br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8n79qaT5QYGmZk1rKxe_L5r8ST9STGzZcqNZyS_srYvucvPph9o9cb_9CZVEGlf7tJsTyBn11gpgNuMfX-Q91JhxekV4Cz63QkCqBk5jB6g4XsFFc8fIYVYRFsvflbSge_3e4X4vb92M/s1600/Phil's+Polar+Bear.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="430" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8n79qaT5QYGmZk1rKxe_L5r8ST9STGzZcqNZyS_srYvucvPph9o9cb_9CZVEGlf7tJsTyBn11gpgNuMfX-Q91JhxekV4Cz63QkCqBk5jB6g4XsFFc8fIYVYRFsvflbSge_3e4X4vb92M/s640/Phil's+Polar+Bear.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Polar Bear</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjw1kRxG2FdF2ZYOp7Q6PnN-Q2lutie8NkYkwlLck-2dZs5vA5zRI8-VlJDF-ILBlmY3Er_hAFWk6wDahcWfoGvV-mCRzH4UrRFdIJxDfrilB-OCgbWlCYRcvfLNGmMeGBri7LVdHsWM0U/s1600/Polar+Bear.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjw1kRxG2FdF2ZYOp7Q6PnN-Q2lutie8NkYkwlLck-2dZs5vA5zRI8-VlJDF-ILBlmY3Er_hAFWk6wDahcWfoGvV-mCRzH4UrRFdIJxDfrilB-OCgbWlCYRcvfLNGmMeGBri7LVdHsWM0U/s640/Polar+Bear.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Polar Bear swimming along side the boat</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">The other mammal highlight that sticks out in my mind is
finding the Vancouver Island Marmot on the slopes of Mount Washington on
Vancouver Island.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This animal is one of
the world’s rarest and most endangered species though captive breeding programs
have had some success.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The ski hill was
a known location for the marmot but some knowledgeable experts gave us little
chance of seeing it.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>With four scopes
scanning the slopes, eventually one darted out from cover and gave us all
decent looks.</span></div>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzv8Egd911dA2fBIa8tVwG1M60egwFmNAmKL3tWWADxrUEcRc10FIu3BQf826TZGCgceQiXcUiARU9E3DENOmgR9I55xAef86H467zeVZJacMvggCeSDTcFf25Pw3Ej9SVviTHYMMC8V8/s1600/Red+Squirrel.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzv8Egd911dA2fBIa8tVwG1M60egwFmNAmKL3tWWADxrUEcRc10FIu3BQf826TZGCgceQiXcUiARU9E3DENOmgR9I55xAef86H467zeVZJacMvggCeSDTcFf25Pw3Ej9SVviTHYMMC8V8/s400/Red+Squirrel.jpg" width="266" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Red Squirrel - the most common mammal</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">The best provinces for mammals were Alberta with 36 species
and BC with 33.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Alberta could have been
even better had we driven the Banff-Jasper Highway as this is one of the best
places I know of for mammal viewing.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We
did see mammals in every province and territory; Newfoundland had the fewest
with just 2 species.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>46 species were
seen in only one province/territory – BC had 16 species and Alberta 13; New
Brunswick, Prince Edward Island, Newfoundland and the Northwest Territories did
not have any unique species.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The mammal
seen in the most regions was Red Squirrel (11/13) followed by Muskrat (8/13)
and Red Fox (6/13).<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">During the year, a couple of people commented upon hearing
our mammal total that they didn’t think there were that many mammals in
Canada.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> "</span>The Natural History of Canadian
Mammals" by Donna Naughton includes 215 species in 10 orders.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>If one were to do a mammal big year for
Canada, I think 100 species is possible without resorting to trapping
them.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>However, unless you are a
nocturnal and patient person, I don’t recommend doing just mammals.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;"><o:p></o:p></span> </div>
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Following is a brief rundown by order on the mammals we saw
and didn’t see this year.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Calibri;"><o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Calibri;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Order
Didelphimorphia: New World opossums (0/1)<br />
</b>We expected to see an opossum in southern Ontario but had no luck on a
pre-dawn walk nor on any night drives; we didn’t even see any road kill.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Calibri;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><o:p></o:p></b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Calibri;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Order Primates:
humans (0/1)<br />
</b>Of course we saw thousands of humans but all seemed to be of the
domesticated variety (though I know of a one or two with a wild streak!). If we
were one short of our target, we might have had to count this one!<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgl0u7vz9F-ajLu1Awq0Qe5dzoPwYUlUVq4jdH9diEBfTWfWSAq8d1NpSisUAuiefK1K-8BVQqnzb-0g95Q99vABwc6zfl8OYfmoJYmh6_cVL9ub3w_hF7YaU-jsS0QxapHN1mmhzPnwNU/s1600/Red-tailed+Chipmunk.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgl0u7vz9F-ajLu1Awq0Qe5dzoPwYUlUVq4jdH9diEBfTWfWSAq8d1NpSisUAuiefK1K-8BVQqnzb-0g95Q99vABwc6zfl8OYfmoJYmh6_cVL9ub3w_hF7YaU-jsS0QxapHN1mmhzPnwNU/s320/Red-tailed+Chipmunk.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Red-tailed Chipmunk showing off his red tail</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Order Rodentia:
rodents (29/70)</b><br />
We did very well with the squirrels and marmots family (22/23), missing only
the Southern Flying Squirrel.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>However,
we did poorly with voles and lemmings (2/24).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>The population of these small animals is cyclical and we appeared to
have done our big year at a low point in the cycle.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In Nunavut, we talked to a Peregrine Falcon
researcher who had been out in the field every day for three months and he had
seen only a couple voles and lemmings. </span></div>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvtjriiKZyrw0OvPm8Rr2085Jj3CfD8ijSMAmm5PREQDmpvF2qI1uGE16F00WU3nVW-A90U3KGHZmttCFUWGIIFH1KeO_sAQaCaC8qttVA7eYCy1Oo3aX2AlfShYWOfWlg0wCihAAj20A/s1600/American+Pika+-+Jun+-+AB.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvtjriiKZyrw0OvPm8Rr2085Jj3CfD8ijSMAmm5PREQDmpvF2qI1uGE16F00WU3nVW-A90U3KGHZmttCFUWGIIFH1KeO_sAQaCaC8qttVA7eYCy1Oo3aX2AlfShYWOfWlg0wCihAAj20A/s320/American+Pika+-+Jun+-+AB.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">American Pika</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: Calibri;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Order Lagomorphia:
pikas, hares and rabbits (7/9)</b><br />
We had expected to get most of the lagomorphs and missed only Arctic Hare and
European Hare.<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Order Soricomorpha:
shrews and moles (0/25)</b><br />
We knew these little guys would be tough but thought we might come across one
in some leaf litter.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We met a
mammologist who studied shrews and when we asked him how we could find one, he
replied, “you won’t”!</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;"><o:p></o:p></span> </div>
<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWabjWcz6NNKTuQK3Hoe9_H1DmpdAs9jUE4gZqEnsSK_y5mUjpiAmA_ru_GxIFpiv7zUKPPpIwUHgEtMkZHEu_rHYKbKqdApGRWAjkywrMaWCke8RALEHPseFuFTM4XGWYbfT6cQ5UO5I/s1600/Little+Brown+Bat+-+Jul+-+AB.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWabjWcz6NNKTuQK3Hoe9_H1DmpdAs9jUE4gZqEnsSK_y5mUjpiAmA_ru_GxIFpiv7zUKPPpIwUHgEtMkZHEu_rHYKbKqdApGRWAjkywrMaWCke8RALEHPseFuFTM4XGWYbfT6cQ5UO5I/s320/Little+Brown+Bat+-+Jul+-+AB.jpg" width="212" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Little Brown Myotis</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Order Chiroptera:
bats (2/20)</b><br />
The two bats that we did see, Big Brown Bat and Little Brown Myotis, were both at
known roosts in Alberta.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We did try for
some other species at known locations but came up empty.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>White-nose syndrome is a fungal disease that
is decimating bat populations and may have been the reason that there were no
bats in a cave that we explored in Nova Scotia.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Calibri;"><strong>Order Carnivora: cats, dogs, bears, seals, weasels, skunks and raccoons (19/39)</strong>This order had some of our most wanted mammals – Polar Bear was a success story but, apart from some Cougar tracks, didn’t see any of the wild cats.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We did see a feral cat which we aren’t counting but that is another species that we were keeping in our back pocket.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>If you’ve been following the blog, you know that we worked hard to see Striped Skunk and American Badger (i.e. many unsuccessful searches).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>As a team, we never did see Long-tailed Weasel or Gray Wolf though other family members did!<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7_ztw06jK1wPZRI9XqhxL77mka_0JSPRv_I99Awny0MANxGlHsPOV4xYW013sPxb3aUZzqw2KorKwRitYBNvQfKIpWdOT8Qg_ghHEuoF4oJeei6xdg3Exz3MWjHq2gaxPkhDEuaMLQMA/s1600/American+Mink.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7_ztw06jK1wPZRI9XqhxL77mka_0JSPRv_I99Awny0MANxGlHsPOV4xYW013sPxb3aUZzqw2KorKwRitYBNvQfKIpWdOT8Qg_ghHEuoF4oJeei6xdg3Exz3MWjHq2gaxPkhDEuaMLQMA/s640/American+Mink.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">American Mink</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Order Perissodactyla:
horses (1/1)</b><br />
We were pleased with ourselves when we tracked down some wild horses west of
Sundre (about <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>a 2 hour drive from Calgary)
on a full-day outing.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>A few weeks later,
we were quite surprised to see one on the roadside on the outskirts of
Penticton which got us wondering why we had gone after them in Alberta.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Calibri;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Order Artiodactyla:
deer, bison, sheep, and other even-toed ungulates (11/12)</b><br />
The animals in this order graze out in the open so we expected to get most, if
not all of them.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We missed Muskox,
mainly because we didn’t venture into its main territory.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We did fly over its range but cloud cover
negated any opportunity to see this Arctic mammals.<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzYHrpFgda66xj4o6NkgRCObshVPFieP4_l766WV6YB57A8mPk7cK_k5-k1QuRKPiQNVM8YXqyUPmAn-Vqg9UzRJqc-B5wcTbJdZRQEkLbFSDsWmyCMJoYy3qAp-gM-S89L0oYqaymFow/s1600/Fallow+Deer+-+Sep+-+BC.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzYHrpFgda66xj4o6NkgRCObshVPFieP4_l766WV6YB57A8mPk7cK_k5-k1QuRKPiQNVM8YXqyUPmAn-Vqg9UzRJqc-B5wcTbJdZRQEkLbFSDsWmyCMJoYy3qAp-gM-S89L0oYqaymFow/s640/Fallow+Deer+-+Sep+-+BC.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Fallow Deer</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: Calibri;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Order Cetacea: whales,
dolphins and porpoises (7/37)<br />
</b>We put a lot of effort into finding these sea mammals with only moderate
success.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Our trips included two off the
west coast of Vancouver Island, three from Brier Island, one in the St.
Lawrence River and numerous ferry trips on both coasts.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The biggest problem was the way whale
watching companies operate – once they find a whale, they tend to stay on it
and don’t care if they don’t see any other species.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This happened to us three times, first with a
Gray Whale sighting in the Pacific, next with a Humpback Whale in the Bay of
Fundy and finally with a pod of Minke Whales in the St. Lawrence River.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Our biggest miss was Killer Whale which we did
see but the ferry was in U.S. waters at the time. One other thing about whale watching, you very seldom see much of the whale, usually just the spout, the back and then the tail.</span><br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5gzdcPopZN8GhwWCgKadSW5c5ekb89vWaFaz58z0msE-VtaPzKvqWZ70ii-wT_LjXKVDk-rRnJ1w-LX9_OmkpkC9OezlavSiNBXIZRlyL8JopEKgicMUTNZ-K4Qww608EBddN6XTGHB0/s1600/Right+Whale.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="424" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5gzdcPopZN8GhwWCgKadSW5c5ekb89vWaFaz58z0msE-VtaPzKvqWZ70ii-wT_LjXKVDk-rRnJ1w-LX9_OmkpkC9OezlavSiNBXIZRlyL8JopEKgicMUTNZ-K4Qww608EBddN6XTGHB0/s640/Right+Whale.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Tail of a North Atlantic Right Whale</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">We had high hopes to see Narwhal and Bowhead Whale in the
Repulse Bay area but ice kept us from venturing more than three kilometres from
the village.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Walrus and Bearded Seal
were also good possibilities if not for the ice.<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">A final bit of advice before doing a mammal big year – do your
homework!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>There is not the same network
of amateur information as exists for the birding world so you would do well to
develop some contacts within academia.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We
went in cold not having done too much in the way of actively looking for
mammals – it would be well worth it to develop some expertise before jumping
into a big year.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">As for the best spots to view mammals in Canada, I suggest
the mountain national parks (Banff, Jasper, Waterton and Yoho), Vancouver
Island and southwestern BC, whale watching trips from Brier Island, the
Dempster Highway in the Yukon Territory and wherever you can afford to go in
Nunavut.<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Good mammaling everyone.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Brian<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;">
<o:p><span style="font-family: Calibri;"> </span></o:p></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;">
<o:p><span style="font-family: Calibri;"> </span></o:p></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;">
<o:p><span style="font-family: Calibri;"> </span></o:p></div>
Brianhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01780391838994912434noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-722286037718828733.post-44402369847170288832012-12-29T19:32:00.001-08:002012-12-29T19:32:29.540-08:00A Look Back at the Birds of our Big Year
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">The birds were pretty cooperative for us this year – at the
beginning of the year we were hoping to get about 420 species and we now have
431.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Our big year was different than
most as we worked as a team rather than individuals, we were looking for
mammals in addition to birds and we wanted to visit every province and
territory (some of which one would not likely visit if doing just a birding big
year).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Calibri;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"></span><o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Still, we ended up with a pretty good total and may have broken the Canada big year record.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I say“may” because we don’t know what the record is! <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"></span> <br />
<span style="font-family: Calibri;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"></span>We believe that Peter Hamel, whom we met on Haida Gwaii, set the record in 1988.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He didn’t say what his total was but he did indicate that it would be 436 using 2012 taxonomy. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Calibri;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"></span></span> <br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjq5dDANhyB2LMk8XqlZ73RnWuhmIgsThI-xqyswUC8MhVdfUmBvwXD3Jd2uIVzZGT6g9BbVsWOlS2YUtKmz6GcLNayvi33iL7xuPf6Zu3Ou42GOgdfroqYCxRTwtB3Rx4k4NmlNhde34w/s1600/Solitary+Vireos.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="238" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjq5dDANhyB2LMk8XqlZ73RnWuhmIgsThI-xqyswUC8MhVdfUmBvwXD3Jd2uIVzZGT6g9BbVsWOlS2YUtKmz6GcLNayvi33iL7xuPf6Zu3Ou42GOgdfroqYCxRTwtB3Rx4k4NmlNhde34w/s640/Solitary+Vireos.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Blue-headed Vireo (l) and Cassin's Vireo (r) - formerly subspecies of Solitary Vireo</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: Calibri;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"></span>There have been a number of splits since 1988 such as Baltimore/Bullock’s Oriole, Pacific/Winter Wren, Spotted/Eastern Towhee, Gray-cheeked/Bicknell’s Thrush, Canada/Cackling Goose, Dusky/Sooty Grouse, and Blue-headed/Cassin’s Vireo), perhaps a lump (Common Teal/Green-winged Teal?) and delisting of the Crested Myna. Regardless, his total seems quite amazing considering that internet birding groups didn't exist back then and email was in its infancy.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">We did see a lot of great birds (with the help of a lot of
great people!) including some life birds for each of us.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Certainly rarities rank among the highlights
and the rarest ones (from a Canadian perspective) were Citrine Wagtail, Hepatic
Tanager, Rustic Bunting, Brambling, Brown Pelican, Acorn Woodpecker and Costa’s
Hummingbird – all but the tanager were seen in B.C.<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivz1ZUT1dGx8vk6GYlzhckzc9Z8hN8T-g_4xi_NNQQFmvMNHqMSOX-iBoRG4mLZr9qRezFVpeN6szVglynJeR9c3hGwB2KqnlyGUQCjoCYwqGWl_2GcCYw0YrrdoyZZF80FCWzn6VQq-s/s1600/Rustic+Bunting.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivz1ZUT1dGx8vk6GYlzhckzc9Z8hN8T-g_4xi_NNQQFmvMNHqMSOX-iBoRG4mLZr9qRezFVpeN6szVglynJeR9c3hGwB2KqnlyGUQCjoCYwqGWl_2GcCYw0YrrdoyZZF80FCWzn6VQq-s/s640/Rustic+Bunting.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Rustic Bunting (BC)</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">We ended up with four “heard only” birds – Yellow Rail,
Boreal Owl, Chuck-will’s Widow and Bicknell’s Thrush.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>One of my goals was to see a Yellow Rail and
this was about the only personal goal that I did not achieve during the course of the year.<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Before starting the year, we constructed a spreadsheet with
Canada’s birds assigned to one of three categories: “should get”, “could be
tough”, and “not expected”.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We found 383
of the 391 “should get” birds and the ones we missed are:<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Flesh-footed Shearwater (which should have
been in the “could be tough” group) Leach’s Storm-Petrel, Ancient Murrelet,
Yellow-billed Cuckoo, Acadian Flycatcher, White-eyed Vireo, Golden-winged
Warbler and Louisiana Waterthrush.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Note
that the last five are all Ontario breeding birds – I’ll touch on that later.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">We found 40 of the 71 “could be tough” birds and found 8
birds that we had not expected: the seven rarities listed above and the Pacific
Golden-plover (which should have been in the “could be tough” group).<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKW3aRiAvjKsk463VqL5E2-Ht4Fa5VYR-NQYeB0PQSNms5kz9irfaumOSlgj2Y2u0krMbNgwC4rnPJkRzAWqjFRkHqyk5BwzOfIE9yXXa_D-kIFij8UiiWEiCT8VGmhDXsJK1D1JRjERk/s1600/Pacific+Golden-Plover+-+Oct+-+BC.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKW3aRiAvjKsk463VqL5E2-Ht4Fa5VYR-NQYeB0PQSNms5kz9irfaumOSlgj2Y2u0krMbNgwC4rnPJkRzAWqjFRkHqyk5BwzOfIE9yXXa_D-kIFij8UiiWEiCT8VGmhDXsJK1D1JRjERk/s640/Pacific+Golden-Plover+-+Oct+-+BC.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Pacific Golden-Plover (BC)</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">We did not keep track of “team” birds by province, so the
following statistics are based on my personal records.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The province/territory with the most birds
was B.C. (5 trips) with 265 species; Nunavut (1 trip) had the least with 25
species.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Out of 431 species, 126 were
seen in only one province.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The top 3
provinces in this category were B.C. with 63, Ontario with 32 and Nova Scotia
with 10.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Prince Edward Island, New
Brunswick, Northwest Territories and Nunavut did not have any unique species
for us and Quebec and Manitoba had just one each.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Only two species – Canada Goose and Common Raven – were seen in every
province/territory.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Seven other species
were seen in all but one province/territory:<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Mallard, Bald Eagle, Herring Gull, Northern Flicker, American Robin, Yellow
Warbler and Savannah Sparrow.</span><br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmkX5HQzvg3uTWAnl1XDK7VceWTSjJ4Vv7KsRyv22aSvGC48z_MAz07Aer6dhsmwbCOYX60azVCFXkKCD9XsM-MC9Dmzg7eLzc_uFfDRtgA8TG8VhwwFf1Bfi-YJtwXsK-_VHUBvXhVH0/s1600/Winter+-+Common+Raven.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmkX5HQzvg3uTWAnl1XDK7VceWTSjJ4Vv7KsRyv22aSvGC48z_MAz07Aer6dhsmwbCOYX60azVCFXkKCD9XsM-MC9Dmzg7eLzc_uFfDRtgA8TG8VhwwFf1Bfi-YJtwXsK-_VHUBvXhVH0/s640/Winter+-+Common+Raven.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Common Raven - one of 2 species seen in every province and territory</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">You’ve read about our adventures and how much fun we had
traveling throughout Canada so perhaps you’d like to do your own Canada big
year.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Well, all it takes is a bit of
research, some good contacts and lots of time and money! If you focus just on
birds, it should be possible to record <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">450+</b>
species in Canada in one year.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>To do so,
it would be helpful to be based in southern Ontario or southwestern B.C. or
perhaps Nova Scotia.<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">This year, over 500 bird species have been seen in Canada so
we missed more than 70 of them.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Of the
70+ missed species, over 30 were in Ontario, 20 in BC and 11 in Nova Scotia. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Canada is a very big country and unless one
has unlimited funds, our strategy of planned trips versus chasing rarities
worked pretty well.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Following is a
run-down of what worked well for us and what one might do differently for a
birding big year.</span></div>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3WtOH8EDBkn9aRDl9xN4z0NyoE3BDWivOxroTGXYbugE2rrOjXSbA-miL1M981pycyi6vOOxUy95KhJIx6GNMxcWp5aUckAg-gspSTJZfBbpErmcI5TYTXFXiozYSqJ14ZPgqHbd7c4s/s1600/Dovekie.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3WtOH8EDBkn9aRDl9xN4z0NyoE3BDWivOxroTGXYbugE2rrOjXSbA-miL1M981pycyi6vOOxUy95KhJIx6GNMxcWp5aUckAg-gspSTJZfBbpErmcI5TYTXFXiozYSqJ14ZPgqHbd7c4s/s320/Dovekie.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Dovekie (NL)</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Our first trip was to Nova Scotia and Newfoundland in
January.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>With lots of help, we recorded
some key species that would be difficult to get another time or place:<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Purple Sandpiper, Black-headed Gull,
Yellow-legged Gull, and Dovekie.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We
missed Thick-billed Murre (which we did get in the summer), Slaty-backed Gull and
a Blue Grosbeak that had been seen in St. John’s.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Dickcissel and Northern Mockingbird were
bonus birds for us which we did not get again (though both species have been
reported in various locations).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>A winter
stopover in Ontario could have added 2 or 3 species such as King Eider, Fish
Crow and Black Vulture.<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">We could have taken the next two months off but the
excitement of building our list kept us busy in Alberta.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Our late March trip to BC was timed to get
the wintering birds before they departed and to get some early nesting birds
with Hutton’s Vireo and Williamson’s Sapsucker as the primary targets.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This was a very successful trip including a
Costa’s Hummingbird in Vancouver.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We
missed Ancient Murrelet and I think there had been a Lesser Goldfinch reported
earlier in the year so a winter trip to the coast may have been worthwhile.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
</div>
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqr-LkbCyjCPZbmIX7S5JS6KPaVSYEhei_iUH8EszHzkBS6F37Vveqjg33kTIKI7PXb-LNSiCzy0DpALEDAMZjwxpxfRDOCD6Rw6Q18EFDMSHH3M4fU5DmNqCH4NL2o_NS3sdWYK1evu4/s1600/Summer+Tanager.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"></a><span style="font-family: Calibri;">We spent the first two weeks of May in the Point Pelee area and
recorded 190 species which was what we expected (and what one might get on a
commercial birding tour).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We picked the
first two weeks rather than the 2<sup><span style="font-size: x-small;">nd</span></sup> and 3<sup><span style="font-size: x-small;">rd</span></sup> weeks thinking
we might get some southern overshoots and also get some early arriving late
migrants.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We did get some southern birds
including Yellow-throated Warbler, Summer Tanager and Chuck-will's-widow (heard
only) but missed overshoots that were seen by others like Kentucky Warbler,
Worm-eating Warbler. Eastern Whip-poor-will, Golden-winged Warbler, Little Gull
also eluded us as did late arriving migrants such as Yellow-billed Cuckoo,
Acadian Flycatcher.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>There were also some rare breeders that we didn’t have enough local knowledge to track down:
King Rail, Northern Bobwhite.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Clearly,
one should spend more time in Ontario than a single two week visit.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> For us, a few days later in the spring should have picked up most of the breeding species that we missed.</span></span><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="425" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqr-LkbCyjCPZbmIX7S5JS6KPaVSYEhei_iUH8EszHzkBS6F37Vveqjg33kTIKI7PXb-LNSiCzy0DpALEDAMZjwxpxfRDOCD6Rw6Q18EFDMSHH3M4fU5DmNqCH4NL2o_NS3sdWYK1evu4/s640/Summer+Tanager.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="640" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Summer Tanager (ON)</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">We made our second trip to B.C. to finish up with the
breeding birds such as Gray Flycatcher, Common Poorwill and Flammulated Owl; our only miss was Sage Thrasher.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>There are also some rare breeders that we
didn’t go after: Horned Puffin and Spotted Owl.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">The prairies, our home turf, were good to us.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In April, May & June, some day trips and
a couple of overnight trips to eastern Alberta/western Saskatchewan got us prairie specialties such
as Greater Sage-Grouse, Burrowing Owl, Baird’s Sparrow, Grasshopper Sparrow and
McCown’s Longspur.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The only species that
we missed was the Mountain Plover – not surprising as we didn’t look for it at
the right time of year.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I have seen them
previously in the last week in April; others have reported success early in
June once the young have fledged.<o:p></o:p></span>
<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitAiBbi-I8dGvTUpFgFmIKjUlrTDkxvUARAzhHgd8hdqOg-R92k5kQ4vpjnV8i-MhI0aEz8K60I2GjHxZeoFhgeOAPKT6YX352mW_UIGcskayQZNLY2_evoONnpXTwqMb46f-HDgebPZE/s1600/Greater+Sage-Grouse+-+Apr+-+SK.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitAiBbi-I8dGvTUpFgFmIKjUlrTDkxvUARAzhHgd8hdqOg-R92k5kQ4vpjnV8i-MhI0aEz8K60I2GjHxZeoFhgeOAPKT6YX352mW_UIGcskayQZNLY2_evoONnpXTwqMb46f-HDgebPZE/s640/Greater+Sage-Grouse+-+Apr+-+SK.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Greater Sage-Grouse (SK)</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">We had originally planned to go to Churchill but dropped it
from our itinerary as the Yukon offered pretty much the same species and we were going to the Yukon regardless.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We were there the first week of
June.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Based on our experience, the last
week of May might have been better but we did see most of our targets including
Smith’s Longspur, Willow Ptarmigan, Rock Ptarmigan (world’s worst views of a
distant bird looking very much like a rock except for occasional movement),
Long-tailed Jaeger and Gyrfalcon.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We
went onto Inuvik and Tuktoyaktuk but didn’t add anything.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>A week earlier, one might get some migrants;
a little later one might find King Eider or Yellow-billed Loon (both of which
we missed).</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;"><o:p></o:p></span> </div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDwAdMQF0PsVCgPhyD6Za2A1OwOzJpOp2gl0k5uXPI84B0K8b8cOvLbWPt2PFB2FAy1_OkV6QXx8qAAjisvaPPVoNU8_nwpOWnwxF386ahdrSwLfJYW7QXi1951yzmdQsNiF9zf2RiB60/s1600/Smith's+Longspur.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDwAdMQF0PsVCgPhyD6Za2A1OwOzJpOp2gl0k5uXPI84B0K8b8cOvLbWPt2PFB2FAy1_OkV6QXx8qAAjisvaPPVoNU8_nwpOWnwxF386ahdrSwLfJYW7QXi1951yzmdQsNiF9zf2RiB60/s640/Smith's+Longspur.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Smith's Longspur (YT)</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">We did an east coast summer trip (Iles de la Madeleine, PEI,
New Brunswick, Nova Scotia and Newfoundland) at the end of June.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Once again, it was a successful trip
recording key species such as Roseate Tern, American Oystercatcher, Bicknell’s
Thrush (heard only) and Thick-billed Murre as well as nesting seabirds.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Our pelagic off of Brier Island was moderately
successful with Manx Shearwater and Wilson’s Storm-petrel but no Cory’s
Shearwater.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We also picked up some
common species that we missed elsewhere – Yellow-bellied Flycatcher,
Black-billed Woodpecker and Mourning Warbler. If we had been doing a birding only big year, we probably would have just focused on Nova Scotia and Newfoundland.</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMovHCCJTSxD2kXwIu6t5dUrm2In6CaUw1cT2TOFtJPkgMMqeWnEY6iIW7-lGZtyw3vtIvDk2NZhyphenhyphenFy3E25ALW_FTa1_g1XJsfqqjVQMOBEQlZuql9KpyxaYHOXSC_DY18Vo-5LcYnC38/s1600/Roseate+Tern.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMovHCCJTSxD2kXwIu6t5dUrm2In6CaUw1cT2TOFtJPkgMMqeWnEY6iIW7-lGZtyw3vtIvDk2NZhyphenhyphenFy3E25ALW_FTa1_g1XJsfqqjVQMOBEQlZuql9KpyxaYHOXSC_DY18Vo-5LcYnC38/s640/Roseate+Tern.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Roseate Tern (NS)</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">We took it easy from mid-July to mid-August – I highly
recommend a break now and then to recharge.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Besides, about the only birds one might go after in mid-summer are
Arctic birds such as King Eider (though they are regularly reported in Ontario
in winter), Ross’s Gull and Ivory Gull.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>The best way to see these birds is probably by cruise ship – this option
was way beyond our budget.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We did go to
Repulse Bay, Nunavut in late August which was not the best time for birds.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Calibri;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"></span><o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Fall gives you another crack at the migrants as they head
south and we made two trips to BC and one to Nova Scotia.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In BC, we made only one pelagic trip (apart
from ferries) and saw expected species such as Black-footed Albatross and Pink-footed Shearwater. A couple more pelagics might have been useful to find species such as
Flesh-footed Shearwater, Leach’s Storm-Petrel, Buller’s Shearwater and any
rarities wandering into the coastal waters.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span></span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgIzKPboWJGlK_6YEBrQ8DpH9pQkv6l5aUIIvvagWYiy2XmKOhJbF-zGE1mdkmFsumrj3kMkenGrrGFbhMIsvjNCQVizXfX8H8gPI0U6EzIDom1l9Ce8WtggrJjke36pZhaRxJAwJX83v4/s1600/Black-footed+Albatross.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgIzKPboWJGlK_6YEBrQ8DpH9pQkv6l5aUIIvvagWYiy2XmKOhJbF-zGE1mdkmFsumrj3kMkenGrrGFbhMIsvjNCQVizXfX8H8gPI0U6EzIDom1l9Ce8WtggrJjke36pZhaRxJAwJX83v4/s640/Black-footed+Albatross.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Black-footed Albatross (BC)</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">On the east coast, we did pick up a couple of species we missed in BC –
Red Phalarope and Pomarine Jaeger – and probably had a South Polar Skua but
couldn’t be sure.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We were hoping for
some less common species such as Yellow-crowned Night Heron that had been seen
earlier and Prairie Warbler which is regular in the fall but had no luck.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>A Northern Wheatear west of Truro was a nice
bonus bird.<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<br />
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">In October, we made a quick trip to Saskatchewan for the
Whooping Crane … easily done from Alberta but a long trip from most other
provinces for just a single bird.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Our last planned trip was to Haida Gwaii in
mid-October.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This trip offered the
chance for some uncommon birds that we still needed, a second try for some
pelagic birds and the chance of an Asian rarity or two.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We added Rock Sandpiper, Sharp-tailed
Sandpiper and Short-tailed Shearwater and also saw a couple of Asian vagrants –
Brambling and Rustic Bunting.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Anyone
doing a Canada big year would be well advised to spend a week or two on Haida
Gwaii.<o:p></o:p></span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKt3T6dqmd-EBCvItQ624_jankbxKwI5ipzGSPwaqdG8H6_OVvQR7gfvLNYN-t5U3L87i1oY7RBDdMzGmUrod-fhdxBLQ5hTjcwLsuXT-fEuvZgwc1Ui9u20a0kgdOX_UMoFpIv16pxGU/s1600/Rock+Sandpiper.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKt3T6dqmd-EBCvItQ624_jankbxKwI5ipzGSPwaqdG8H6_OVvQR7gfvLNYN-t5U3L87i1oY7RBDdMzGmUrod-fhdxBLQ5hTjcwLsuXT-fEuvZgwc1Ui9u20a0kgdOX_UMoFpIv16pxGU/s640/Rock+Sandpiper.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Rock Sandpiper (BC)</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Our last couple of trips were not planned far in advance but
undertaken due to a couple of mega-rarities – Hepatic Tanager in Saskatchewan
and Citrine Wagtail in BC.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The BC trip
also offered Brown Pelicans and a final (but unsuccessful) chance at Ancient
Murrelet and Tropical Kingbird.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Late fall is clearly the time for rarities with good birds
being reported in Ontario (thanks to Hurricane Sandy) and both coasts.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>If doing a big year, it would be worthwhile
to spend some October/November time in any or all of these locations.<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">One last thing, it helps to be young with good ears and eyes
but you can do a big year at any age.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Mike, who is now 81, was truly an inspiration to the rest of the
team.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He did miss our Arctic adventures
as well as a couple of fall trips but not because he was at home taking it easy
– instead he organized and led trips to Texas and Brazil and also made a solo
trip to Costa Rica!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I’ll be happy if I
can be half as active in 20 years’ time.</span></div>
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Good birding everyone,</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Brian<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;">
<o:p><span style="font-family: Calibri;"> </span></o:p></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;">
<o:p><span style="font-family: Calibri;"> </span></o:p></div>
</div>
Brianhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01780391838994912434noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-722286037718828733.post-64727154175241630492012-12-18T20:42:00.000-08:002012-12-18T20:42:13.910-08:00Christmas Bird Counts - a winter birding tradition
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">For birders, Christmas is sometimes more about what is
perched on the tree as opposed to what’s under it.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>However, one can be surprised – my wife once
gave me a pair of optically perfect 1x binoculars made with two empty toilet paper
rolls.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>As good as they were, she did
allow me to trade them in for the binoculars of my choice.<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Christmas means Christmas bird counts (CBC’s) and, for one
of our team, that means photo shoots and press interviews.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiOpSpW88XBIS1BGDVcySLFG6dxEpgA7edkO9wJGQVLvfKS1JuD-HiwgmWBfFVsJje1oE5cVMkNlObe5h5qhCoyO94yQ-lrtHC7cn0a5IGrDSo07RdF1QO8XuvgUTa99Xm2rsZgd-erEHw/s1600/Phil+-+Calgary+Herald.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="396" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiOpSpW88XBIS1BGDVcySLFG6dxEpgA7edkO9wJGQVLvfKS1JuD-HiwgmWBfFVsJje1oE5cVMkNlObe5h5qhCoyO94yQ-lrtHC7cn0a5IGrDSo07RdF1QO8XuvgUTa99Xm2rsZgd-erEHw/s640/Phil+-+Calgary+Herald.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Phil as he appeared in the Calgary Herald - photo by Ted Rhodes of the Herald</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Phil is the compiler of the Calgary CBC and recently was
featured in the Calgary Herald.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>You can
read the story at: </span><a href="http://www.calgaryherald.com/technology/Birders+eager+start+counting/7690925/story.html"><span style="color: blue; font-family: Calibri;">http://www.calgaryherald.com/technology/Birders+eager+start+counting/7690925/story.html</span></a><o:p></o:p><br />
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Prior to the counts, Ray and I did a couple of excursions to
bone up on the calls of the winter birds and to do a bit of scouting.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Of course, we are still looking for a couple
of mammals but they seem to have migrated south with the birds.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Our first trip was to the mountains and, as usual, the
scenery was fantastic.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>However, both
birds and mammals were rather scarce so it was a quick trip.<o:p></o:p></span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQ5DeSV31sRIQ3aUL9bJcNDwh_-wRf08QLS85XkVcjDQSUeF6HWfhoCe6W7fbYAFOQRBxIR92bZ7lK1H2KYo2yNKsTUlLHYvu2iMLaMM6JAHSB6nFxWQWmwNFmvqU7J6KDHg1HnutMui0/s1600/Spray+Lakes+Road.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQ5DeSV31sRIQ3aUL9bJcNDwh_-wRf08QLS85XkVcjDQSUeF6HWfhoCe6W7fbYAFOQRBxIR92bZ7lK1H2KYo2yNKsTUlLHYvu2iMLaMM6JAHSB6nFxWQWmwNFmvqU7J6KDHg1HnutMui0/s640/Spray+Lakes+Road.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Looking west from the Spray Lakes Road</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Last Friday, we did a scouting trip to the Weaselhead Environmental
Park in southwest Calgary.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Right in the
parking lot we were treated to close-up views of a male White-winged Crossbill.<o:p></o:p></span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhe-GAYW3injp98cUC55j_XyRo-8HIfPeDkoJ_4OHhV86y8rkg13Frbevj6gwF5dcbvmWobrLrQNs6JO87ufkyxRCpKtqmTrsZYiyuhEV_MKpwB7Bi-cw1Pe4E7_rlPokIsMxqsOg1bcg0/s1600/White-winged+Crossbill.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhe-GAYW3injp98cUC55j_XyRo-8HIfPeDkoJ_4OHhV86y8rkg13Frbevj6gwF5dcbvmWobrLrQNs6JO87ufkyxRCpKtqmTrsZYiyuhEV_MKpwB7Bi-cw1Pe4E7_rlPokIsMxqsOg1bcg0/s640/White-winged+Crossbill.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">White-winged Crossbill</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Walking through the park, we saw most of the expected winter
birds including two sightings of immature Northern Goshawks.</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghWQdblSIzSLAVU6x8ne1PAPrXmOyiYeV-JcHVHdW7KF92IJxHpGZh72gr4SABX8uKGoC1ZbMN0xrDQLrjxK4uxsEi8Ke0bLRi59ZjneGhIKw8MDS3cvgpIfENClbN5pdieTL6ZwJoHM8/s1600/Immature+goshawk.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghWQdblSIzSLAVU6x8ne1PAPrXmOyiYeV-JcHVHdW7KF92IJxHpGZh72gr4SABX8uKGoC1ZbMN0xrDQLrjxK4uxsEi8Ke0bLRi59ZjneGhIKw8MDS3cvgpIfENClbN5pdieTL6ZwJoHM8/s640/Immature+goshawk.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Northern Goshawk</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Finally, on Sunday the Calgary count day was upon us.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Six of us started pre-dawn on the ridge
overlooking the Weaselhead, diligently counting Black-billed Magpies as they
flew into the suburbs.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>After a short
walk to some feeders in the park, we split up into three groups to cover the
Weaselhead north of the River and the Tsuu Tìna lands to the west.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This count is done almost entirely on foot so
we were fortunate that the snow was not too deep and the weather was mild (for
Calgary!).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span><br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvxTGs0dMsNzD5gPDbTspOGO5lX36hyT8I16j-q6tCa-awkTl6qB4uYNDyisDthVhDMBRMlpXvlBWiEVeVz3zfwNEV7yaFCwq6X_az5gZeH5xiFlWepMWaG0mAoIyqsXa1Woya15uEDlI/s1600/Weaselhead.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvxTGs0dMsNzD5gPDbTspOGO5lX36hyT8I16j-q6tCa-awkTl6qB4uYNDyisDthVhDMBRMlpXvlBWiEVeVz3zfwNEV7yaFCwq6X_az5gZeH5xiFlWepMWaG0mAoIyqsXa1Woya15uEDlI/s640/Weaselhead.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Ray with the Elbow River below</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Ray and I had an okay day with all of 20 species but the six
of us combined had a fantastic day with 38 species.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We are expecting Phil to bestow great honours
on us when he presents his summary of the count in early January!<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Today, Ray and I participated in the High River CBC to the
south of Calgary.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This count has fewer
participants so the assigned areas can be quite large – we had the entire
northeast quadrant excluding the town itself.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Pat Diehl of Priddis joined us and we cruised the country roads in
search of birds.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Fortunately, it is a
good finch year so we had Common Redpolls at almost every stop.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKq4feYRDT4YE-zNV02YGgYi2z8Cs0wxpINemK57xqROmj6IHReTHRc5Wb4NV7VlCeIZNzixz28IgAXAU1H71VslFGv6N4fTKMeaazS9L6MP8BAjz5rvKgEaOnUnjvktygPHp8dO7bSyg/s1600/Common+Redpoll.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKq4feYRDT4YE-zNV02YGgYi2z8Cs0wxpINemK57xqROmj6IHReTHRc5Wb4NV7VlCeIZNzixz28IgAXAU1H71VslFGv6N4fTKMeaazS9L6MP8BAjz5rvKgEaOnUnjvktygPHp8dO7bSyg/s640/Common+Redpoll.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Common Redpoll</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">When doing the CBC`s, one must count every bird even if the
compiler might adjust the number later.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>For example, in Calgary the same Bald Eagle
might be sighted by 5 different parties so Phil has some secret algorithm that
he uses to come up with an official number.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Counting birds is an art in itself and my experience is that we tend to
undercount large flocks.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>At a glance,
can you estimate the number of House Sparrows in the photo below?<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4h4SVvQwguv0BHq_ApC1aPN8OFUWjlB76Xv53_IOZHoAYpEHg4i9ezLpbl4nxYnkuRPqtIMQp4t2lxAXJb9p77wlez5xJsK5pNbBjxKDgyUg1K3BOWq5ZlNA5qmuIvl4KXjRgCNuA3sU/s1600/Count+the+sparrows.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4h4SVvQwguv0BHq_ApC1aPN8OFUWjlB76Xv53_IOZHoAYpEHg4i9ezLpbl4nxYnkuRPqtIMQp4t2lxAXJb9p77wlez5xJsK5pNbBjxKDgyUg1K3BOWq5ZlNA5qmuIvl4KXjRgCNuA3sU/s640/Count+the+sparrows.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">How many House Sparrows?</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">By my count there are at least 30 in the photo. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>You can imagine the excitement we had today
recording 416 House Sparrows and 529 Common Redpolls.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I just don’t understand why Mike skipped the
CBC’s in favour of birding in Costa Rica!</span><br />
<br />
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">As a team, we have one more outing planned – the Snake' s Head
CBC near Sundre (northwest of Calgary) on December 31<sup><span style="font-size: x-small;">st</span></sup>.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>That evening, we will take our wives out to
dinner to celebrate what has been a great year for us.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Best wishes to you all for a happy and birdy holiday season.<o:p></o:p></span><br />
Brianhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01780391838994912434noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-722286037718828733.post-52940305944142992702012-12-04T13:57:00.000-08:002012-12-04T13:57:12.180-08:00Vancouver and Victoria
<br />
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Wednesday November 28 <o:p></o:p></span></span></b></div>
<br />
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">The weather
forecast for the next few days did not look too promising, with rain expected
to begin this afternoon. Our review of the forecasts suggested that today would
be our best bet for taking the ferry to Vancouver, so that’s what we did, after
a quick visit to Sidney pier.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<br />
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Leaving the ferry
terminal at Swartz Bay at 9:00 AM, we were pleased to see a good number of
birds offshore, mostly cormorants, gulls and ducks and a few Pacific Loons. In
Active Pass there was a big flurry of activity with at least twenty Bonaparte’s
Gulls very close to the ferry as well as three species of alcid: Common Murre,
Rhinoceros Auklet and Marbled Murrelet, but unfortunately no Ancient Murrelet. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<br />
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Our target in
Vancouver was a Tropical Kingbird which has been hanging around Boundary Bay
for a few weeks. In fact both Ray and Brian had seen it, but not together on a
team outing. We toured the various streets which terminate at Boundary Bay, 72<sup>nd</sup>,
96<sup>th</sup>, etc., checking out locations where the bird has been seen, but
eventually we had to admit defeat. Both Short-eared and Snowy Owls were visible
on the shore from the dyke. Rain began around 1 PM and continued on and off for
the next few days. There were fewer birds on the return ferry ride and we drove
back from Swartz Bay to the home of Mike and Joan Cowley in Victoria, who
kindly put us up for the rest of our stay. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<br />
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Thursday November 29 <o:p></o:p></span></span></b></div>
<br />
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">After yesterday’s
lack of success we were determined to get today off to a good start, so we
headed to Victoria’s Inner Harbour where Brown Pelicans have been seen
recently, an unusual species in Canada at any time, and especially this late in
the year. We were very pleased to see at least twelve of these impressive birds
feeding hungrily, and some of them came very close to our location by the
marina between Fisherman’s Wharf and the Laurel Point Inn [Species no. 507]. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhAC8WyHw0pP-I7ouCh4Xw6kM26OF6gz-VqJrmyk4iGa0_7a-sR5me97r4xFcgW6-nsyasAvYnx_op3SuCI2_EUZgEj9i3aXNjzdmkQPR7E58kvNxXRXzPWZWqU41-dGXjGQeC0uOoLcfIE/s1600/Feeding+frenzy.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhAC8WyHw0pP-I7ouCh4Xw6kM26OF6gz-VqJrmyk4iGa0_7a-sR5me97r4xFcgW6-nsyasAvYnx_op3SuCI2_EUZgEj9i3aXNjzdmkQPR7E58kvNxXRXzPWZWqU41-dGXjGQeC0uOoLcfIE/s640/Feeding+frenzy.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: purple; font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif; font-size: small;">Brown Pelicans and gulls in a feeding frenzy, Victoria</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><o:p><span style="font-family: Calibri;"> </span></o:p></span></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5-WBditlnsisFOeQlr3CVOayJq8wZxizIbEB9Kjw8x4oF7k9jxTSeLut_tdxIWvzQrT2s-sHa2lYvNjgTqmzWv0mEqh-dNAEewr0iHQqVrcW2YF7KAFlN0bAkn504sv4Y3uxujvICVFLR/s1600/Brown+Pelican+2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5-WBditlnsisFOeQlr3CVOayJq8wZxizIbEB9Kjw8x4oF7k9jxTSeLut_tdxIWvzQrT2s-sHa2lYvNjgTqmzWv0mEqh-dNAEewr0iHQqVrcW2YF7KAFlN0bAkn504sv4Y3uxujvICVFLR/s640/Brown+Pelican+2.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: purple; font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif; font-size: small;">Juvenile Brown Pelican</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><o:p><span style="font-family: Calibri;"> </span></o:p></span></div>
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Ogden Point was
our next port of call, but with the wind and pounding waves, not surprisingly
we found that access to the breakwater was padlocked off. During the rest of
the day we alternated between sea-watching from the several points and bays in
Victoria, and some inland birding at Panama Flats and Hyacinth Park. We soon
found the Harris’s Sparrow and two White-throated Sparrows recently reported at
Hyacinth Park, as well as a remarkable leucistic Fox Sparrow. <o:p></o:p></span></span><br />
<br />
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><o:p><span style="font-family: Calibri;"> </span></o:p></span><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiT6r5eBIF8qSCRLPP6ehZAywSGicoe67cG9zCM7lxdA99NpB-mV4a0NzjvxvIwzSH9CSipaWH8_nt15ey7nI3IsSTtmG3UdZ4rMcyihuvALSspw-0JmW6UFo0GdfDcU5XCGtXT9prJyDVd/s1600/leucistic+Fox+Sparrow.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiT6r5eBIF8qSCRLPP6ehZAywSGicoe67cG9zCM7lxdA99NpB-mV4a0NzjvxvIwzSH9CSipaWH8_nt15ey7nI3IsSTtmG3UdZ4rMcyihuvALSspw-0JmW6UFo0GdfDcU5XCGtXT9prJyDVd/s640/leucistic+Fox+Sparrow.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: purple; font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif; font-size: small;">Leucistic Fox Sparrow, Hyacinth Park, Victoria</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<br />
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Close by a Barred
Owl perched on a willow, our best look of the year at this bird. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7g2UJbuugVBuyxsqaUVXJlvovuS6C_7cf9A0KgUPbpm4cKVRYGs2WQPgnxLgu3oJweoaQqdX1Mao687LJ1MFh9nmMSy1jxLEiRC55sIW29DKcohDlleuB3u-UBw6VOc75s_eXbUVWGRRT/s1600/Barred+Owl.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7g2UJbuugVBuyxsqaUVXJlvovuS6C_7cf9A0KgUPbpm4cKVRYGs2WQPgnxLgu3oJweoaQqdX1Mao687LJ1MFh9nmMSy1jxLEiRC55sIW29DKcohDlleuB3u-UBw6VOc75s_eXbUVWGRRT/s640/Barred+Owl.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="background-color: #f3f3f3; color: purple; font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif; font-size: small;">Barred Owl, Hyacinth Park, Victoria</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">We concluded the
day scoping the offshore, enjoying a break in the rain and no doubt improving our skills at finding and
identifying birds bobbing up and down in the waves, but not finding an Ancient
Murrelet. </span></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="font-family: Calibri;"></span></span> </div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"></span></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvsrTtKlgKoJjYR5AFqcr944zl9eLyBZT7JKkuLKXRDBLxIxIrT9GmFtW75BT6_o-cNuKQTmvaP1j4M_bGFkJHnUrvzOYyBI7avYMkH9fGhO3uzq0hM_pn9_QrAT6T9XOAoxDNH2Euagbn/s1600/Scoping+from+Clover+Point.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvsrTtKlgKoJjYR5AFqcr944zl9eLyBZT7JKkuLKXRDBLxIxIrT9GmFtW75BT6_o-cNuKQTmvaP1j4M_bGFkJHnUrvzOYyBI7avYMkH9fGhO3uzq0hM_pn9_QrAT6T9XOAoxDNH2Euagbn/s640/Scoping+from+Clover+Point.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: purple; font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif; font-size: small;">Scoping from Clover Point, Victoria</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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</div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"></span><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"></span> </div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Friday November 30</span></span></b><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><o:p><span style="font-family: Calibri;"> </span></o:p></span></b></div>
<br />
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">If I were a poet
of Brian’s caliber I would try to come up with some verse channeling Coleridge
called <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">The Rime of the Ancient Murrelet</i>,
and containing the line “water, water, everywhere”. There was indeed no let-up in
the rain, and we spent much of the morning scoping the offshore waters for
signs of our nemesis, the Ancient Murrelet. We checked a few places we hadn’t
visited yesterday, and finished up at Clover Point. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<br />
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Unfortunately our
efforts were in vain, as the pesky alcid remained elusive. The best we could
come up with was a Marbled Murrelet at fairly close range. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<br />
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><o:p><span style="font-family: Calibri;"> </span></o:p></span></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwta_xUriZRQPsPAIa3BChYh2OuIDbZBBzRo02TEUgjlNwKOxMpzS60LkFRlw8DKTcV4CO3nydd_wo20xkkyr4EhsMtL19amLrZ2HCs5shI1xCTxq38qTFvg7Okg5M-e1qWnDwWdHXNJtB/s1600/Marbled+Murrelet.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwta_xUriZRQPsPAIa3BChYh2OuIDbZBBzRo02TEUgjlNwKOxMpzS60LkFRlw8DKTcV4CO3nydd_wo20xkkyr4EhsMtL19amLrZ2HCs5shI1xCTxq38qTFvg7Okg5M-e1qWnDwWdHXNJtB/s640/Marbled+Murrelet.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: purple; font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif; font-size: small;">Marbled Murrelet</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Phil had to fly
out after lunch, so after a quick visit to Swan Lake in hopes of adding Blue-Gray
Gnatcatcher to our BC lists (no luck there either), we headed to the airport.
We thus brought to a close what will probably be our last Fur and Feathers 500
out-of-province trip: “Not with a bang but a whimper… [T.S.Eliot]”<o:p></o:p></span></span><br />
</div>
Phil Cramhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07964282485194339556noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-722286037718828733.post-71015549065395716652012-11-27T22:12:00.000-08:002012-11-27T22:12:15.525-08:00From rare to rarer
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">In the first nine months of the year, we saw lots of birds
but very few of them would be considered rare.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>That all changed in October when we saw a Rustic Bunting in Haida Gwai
(about 10 records for Canada) followed in November by a Hepatic Tanager in Saskatchewan
(2<sup><span style="font-size: x-small;">nd</span></sup> record for Canada).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>What
could we do for an encore?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>How about a
Citrine Wagtail?<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">A couple of weeks ago, David and Adele Routledge found a
wagtail in Courtenay, BC.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This bird was
subsequently identified as a Citrine Wagtail – a first record for Canada and
only the second for North America.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>“Wouldn’t
that be a nice one for our list?” we thought but all of us had
commitments.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>However, we were working on
a trip to Vancouver Island for the end of November and optimistically thought
this bird might hang around.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Finally, Phil and I found a time slot where we could slip
over to the island – Nov. 27 to Nov. 30.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Now, we started watching the wagtail reports in earnest.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It was being seen daily at the same location
but there were also reports of numerous predators in the same area.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>One person reported seeing a Northern Shrike
go after the wagtail.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Hopefully, Asian
food wasn’t one of its favourites!</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Calibri;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Today, we finally made it to Courtenay and we arrived at the site at sunrise.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Nothing!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Oh well, we shrugged, the best time is supposedly 9:00 am so we can wait.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The only activity is a few Trumpeter Swans flying overhead and some Dark-eyed Juncos in the bushes.<o:p></o:p><o:p></o:p></span><br />
<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjek645x855e5rXzjoxmHTq1Gh0fGKNof-VVchzrrbPDdoFKI_ObZy_0PICSr4sC0uorJGha9dGKWzcA_mEd7OuACdsSO7i8bD33riz-8iVbeOPFuwasfZdaEd94mCWcabHNaCQneR9tjI/s1600/Trumpeter+Swan.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjek645x855e5rXzjoxmHTq1Gh0fGKNof-VVchzrrbPDdoFKI_ObZy_0PICSr4sC0uorJGha9dGKWzcA_mEd7OuACdsSO7i8bD33riz-8iVbeOPFuwasfZdaEd94mCWcabHNaCQneR9tjI/s640/Trumpeter+Swan.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Trumpeter Swans</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Nine o’clock comes and goes and still no wagtail.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In the meantime, a Northern Shrike, Northern
Harrier and a Cooper’s Hawk cruised through the area.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Were they looking for the same bird as us or
perhaps they knew something we didn’t?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiedWaeW-f_oErcbjMA3lQmo4jGyrP2S0HfCxf6tN7sYPb9rnhyphenhyphenDOmXPJKL-WCj7T0gqwHRYbCbyQGb4e711RvVhdt5VdWMYdPWD82AoyqfJ6rVlQkQ-AH8EvOTxE7bhITHcYJBTN-VHdY/s1600/Northern+Shrike.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiedWaeW-f_oErcbjMA3lQmo4jGyrP2S0HfCxf6tN7sYPb9rnhyphenhyphenDOmXPJKL-WCj7T0gqwHRYbCbyQGb4e711RvVhdt5VdWMYdPWD82AoyqfJ6rVlQkQ-AH8EvOTxE7bhITHcYJBTN-VHdY/s640/Northern+Shrike.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Immature Northern Shrike</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">There were a few other birders there and we were all looking
in the area where the bird had been seen the day before.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Shortly before 11:00 am Phil decides to make a Tim Horton’s run.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>While he was away, I went for a walk down the
track.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>After a couple hundred metres, I
turned around and saw a bird dive down into the field to the east.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It had a distinctive flight and the call
sounded like the wagtail recording I had listened to earlier – now to find the
bird.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span><br />
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">It was in a wet area behind some tall grass but was showing
well.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I called Phil on the phone and
then went to try for a photo.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>There were
some gaps in the grass and I managed a couple of okay shots (but nothing like
the gorgeous shots some people had taken a couple of days earlier).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Phil eventually showed up and saw the
bird.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>After about 45 minutes, we left
the bird and went to eat our now cold sandwiches.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiF-Ngx5Bc3NsTVI_n-i5X_SNAcwjJxGR4RkFCXAINS9yHdRLG5iUkgECWZarMcZ-8svVrC0ZrvS81T51nnG5BTe_FSIV5ZYN_dSLi8sNHaF-an7MNHi-uhMNlNpAhgy30m0apdH87HfWI/s1600/Citrine+Wagtail.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiF-Ngx5Bc3NsTVI_n-i5X_SNAcwjJxGR4RkFCXAINS9yHdRLG5iUkgECWZarMcZ-8svVrC0ZrvS81T51nnG5BTe_FSIV5ZYN_dSLi8sNHaF-an7MNHi-uhMNlNpAhgy30m0apdH87HfWI/s640/Citrine+Wagtail.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Citrine Wagtail</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Special thanks go out to the landowner who gave permission
for birders to walk the track on his land and to the birder who initiated and
made these arrangements.<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTFGkUpqWHLoDVnpRmWEdtWjl6ox8qIUx9Nxxt1eIeTWxX3qxRy1aoRVSKSdr1_dZ_QfYACswM5FtMEztAueVfZ2XhbE0GhO7H-RxHA1RRNrXyKGLl7oUT6Y_qZhqpgs8EPISqvhJvpow/s1600/Wagtail+field.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTFGkUpqWHLoDVnpRmWEdtWjl6ox8qIUx9Nxxt1eIeTWxX3qxRy1aoRVSKSdr1_dZ_QfYACswM5FtMEztAueVfZ2XhbE0GhO7H-RxHA1RRNrXyKGLl7oUT6Y_qZhqpgs8EPISqvhJvpow/s640/Wagtail+field.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Wagtail field - it had usually been seen in the field to the left but today was to the right of the path opposite the brush piles</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">If we were just chasing this bird, we would have hopped on a
plane and be back in Calgary now.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Instead,
we drove down to Victoria looking unsuccessfully for a Yellow-billed Loon.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>There are a few other species that we would
like to add to our big year list and we will spend the next couple of days
looking for them.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> For tonight though, we will just enjoy the memories of the rarest bird we have seen this year.</span></span><br />
<br />
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<o:p><span style="font-family: Calibri;"> </span></o:p></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;">
<o:p><span style="font-family: Calibri;"> </span></o:p></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;">
<o:p><span style="font-family: Calibri;"> </span></o:p></div>
Brianhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01780391838994912434noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-722286037718828733.post-47663752341428180092012-11-17T20:21:00.001-08:002012-11-17T20:21:12.467-08:00Water Valley Area<span style="color: blue;">This morning Brian, Phil and I set off for a little birding and mammaling northwest of Calgary. The circuit along Horse Creek Rd., Grand Valley Rd., Jack Eby Trail and Winchell Lake is one we make several times each year. This year however, with our rather hectic cross-Canada travels, we have not been in the area quite so often. It was a lovely morning to get back out there! </span><br />
<span style="color: blue;"></span><br />
<span style="color: blue;">While we were not quite as target-driven as usual today, we nevertheless had a number of possible species in mind . On the mammal side, we are ever-hopeful that an American Marten might show up. This is a mammal we fully expected to see this year, but to date - no luck! On the birding side, we had no expectation of a new year-bird but we hoped to come across a Short-eared Owl, or possibly a Spruce Grouse, or maybe an adult Northern Goshawk. Additionally, while new year-birds are unlikely in the area at this point, we're always on the look out for upgrades to our photo collection.</span><br />
<span style="color: blue;"></span><br />
<span style="color: blue;">For the most part, it was pretty quiet today but there are always a few active moments and today was no exception. The cone crop is looking good right now and we soon came across good numbers of Common Redpolls and White-winged Crossbills. At one stop we were surrounded by Red-breasted Nuthatches, Golden-crowned Kinglets, Chickadees, Gray Jays and Blue Jays. There were so many and they were so vocal we expected to see a raptor fly in at any moment but none appeared.</span><br />
<span style="color: blue;"></span><br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBTzPlOmcfPaZU5qiTHr3Etztqic0OMjAOd1Osn6Sv4VhoDl6FXZutGDtIGfeAk0YByMSgiH4tZjNyiHLj3vWnoxk5a1qUQ2cxJgRO46b6mU80b4OrIEYc-U4zU2MBZd2bXTeh685uU085/s1600/Gray+Jay.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBTzPlOmcfPaZU5qiTHr3Etztqic0OMjAOd1Osn6Sv4VhoDl6FXZutGDtIGfeAk0YByMSgiH4tZjNyiHLj3vWnoxk5a1qUQ2cxJgRO46b6mU80b4OrIEYc-U4zU2MBZd2bXTeh685uU085/s640/Gray+Jay.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: blue;">Gray Jays were fairly common.</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="color: blue;">Around mid-morning we stopped off to visit long-time birder friend Doug Collister and his wife, Barb, who have a wonderful acreage in the area. While enjoying a nice cup of coffee and some baking we added Pine Grosbeaks, White-breasted Nuthatch, Northern Flicker, Downy Woodpecker and Hairy Woodpecker to the day list. </span><span style="color: blue;">We also had a single Snow Bunting and a single Rough-legged Hawk this morning. </span><br />
<span style="color: blue;"></span><br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiV-cYUlwzKsRBrZvjo2D4hjtKk4C2_aGn26GXdd25MWCJuh7h-OdFq37WeW7uK5W3SBEAjR3NCyll6D5bO-Ih0XqSwkDX5M4mb_nN33drdIHFGKWZoNt1QfCmT9V2L2CZgUpMd8dgW31ga/s1600/Pine+Grosbeak.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiV-cYUlwzKsRBrZvjo2D4hjtKk4C2_aGn26GXdd25MWCJuh7h-OdFq37WeW7uK5W3SBEAjR3NCyll6D5bO-Ih0XqSwkDX5M4mb_nN33drdIHFGKWZoNt1QfCmT9V2L2CZgUpMd8dgW31ga/s640/Pine+Grosbeak.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: blue;">Pine Grosbeak in full colour!</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="color: blue;">The highlight of the morning however was that ever-hoped for American Marten! One ran across the road 100 yards or so ahead of us. Taking full advantage of his "spanking-brand-new" snow tires, Phil brought the car to a screeching halt and we managed to get fleeting binocular views of the Marten as it scurried away into the forest. Ironically, Phil and his wife Rae had seen an American Marten during a recent trip to Banff but since he had no Fur & Feathers team-mate at his side, it didn't add to our team tally. But this one did, bringing our mammal total to 76 and our combined species total to 505! We had no chance to get a photograph of this Marten but happily, Phil had managed to get a picture of the one he saw in Banff so for fun we have included it below. I don't think Phil is quite as proud of this picture as of the Polar Bear shot he captured in Nunavut this summer but what the heck.......it's better than nothing!</span><br />
<span style="color: blue;"></span><br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0KUAMV01Lyg-dIb0iIz-D-laROwfotimPSVnpt8_g4Imv6oAzec3BFOycyIs2buRT_FIzfZCeRx1PeZnJTW94d5OZBqLVEoA8q0QAniugvLG2OOW59esW4qaR_aW-XIftK7hjHDYosrDx/s1600/American+Marten+-+Phil.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0KUAMV01Lyg-dIb0iIz-D-laROwfotimPSVnpt8_g4Imv6oAzec3BFOycyIs2buRT_FIzfZCeRx1PeZnJTW94d5OZBqLVEoA8q0QAniugvLG2OOW59esW4qaR_aW-XIftK7hjHDYosrDx/s640/American+Marten+-+Phil.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: blue;">American Marten</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="color: blue;"></span><br />
<span style="color: blue;">We saw a few other mammals this morning too: White-tailed Deer, Mule Deer, White-tailed Jackrabbit and Red Squirrel. The Red Squirrel posed nicely for us in stunning morning sunlight. </span><br />
<span style="color: blue;"></span><br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDMUKrLpTFyqBBQbwoMAHpFc6VrqDrS8Vg6u2ZyB3kL1S7rqpJQUs0puIEcquMpxM-RW6TC8Z7Jw8C9GSkk0w4HTYNzzksxRPKAyPta9MCUNsrFkpigZZqL5JEA5x1xjKjEWmEw11AM6r-/s1600/RESQ+I-1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDMUKrLpTFyqBBQbwoMAHpFc6VrqDrS8Vg6u2ZyB3kL1S7rqpJQUs0puIEcquMpxM-RW6TC8Z7Jw8C9GSkk0w4HTYNzzksxRPKAyPta9MCUNsrFkpigZZqL5JEA5x1xjKjEWmEw11AM6r-/s640/RESQ+I-1.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: blue;">Red Squirrel</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="color: blue;"></span><br />
<span style="color: blue;">Mike couldn't join us today but next week we're all four going to be in town and undoubtedly we'll be out looking for species 506!</span><br />
<span style="color: blue;"></span><br />
<span style="color: blue;"></span><br />
<span style="color: blue;"></span><br />
<span style="color: blue;"></span><br />
<span style="color: blue;"></span>Rayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13178687980944139805noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-722286037718828733.post-18971066897022154612012-11-13T11:15:00.002-08:002012-11-13T11:15:45.117-08:00The Chase
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">On November 2, a Hepatic Tanager was found in Wadena,
SK.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This is a semi-tropical bird whose
northernmost breeding range is the southwestern U.S. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The tanager been recorded once previously in
Canada – in 1993 in Montreal.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>When I saw
the report, my reaction was … “hmm, interesting, could be a new team bird;
where is Wadena? Oh, a 10 hour drive” and then put it out of my mind.<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">At the beginning of our big year, we stated that, in pursuit
of our 500 species goal, we would schedule a number of trips to interesting
places and would not be going out of our way to chase rare birds.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>As you may know, we accomplished our goal in
October and didn’t do any chasing in the process.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Had the Haida Gwaii trip not been successful, we likely
would have made one more team trip.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Perhaps we would have met in Vancouver for the Tropical Kingbird.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Both Ray and I were lucky enough to see this
bird while on separate non-birding trips.<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzEuJzVq8jUE29MXz6nh5HyXBeeAfAPWoY87ePTpLuywqYzG-Zty4Ag5RKyLACsiRPSET3vZ6ioyxkn5P_Y_MnU1qZhGJEQafhSVEdf8BckIEw9DtOv7yRbWYE-Fm2l16WVOUx6GQjSMo/s1600/Tropical+Kingbird+-+Oct+-+BC.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzEuJzVq8jUE29MXz6nh5HyXBeeAfAPWoY87ePTpLuywqYzG-Zty4Ag5RKyLACsiRPSET3vZ6ioyxkn5P_Y_MnU1qZhGJEQafhSVEdf8BckIEw9DtOv7yRbWYE-Fm2l16WVOUx6GQjSMo/s640/Tropical+Kingbird+-+Oct+-+BC.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Tropical Kingbird</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Perhaps we would have headed to Vancouver Island for the
Elegant Tern and regular wintering Ancient Murrelets.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Ray was on the island when the tern was found
and saw it for himself the next day.<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgY2JunGH5Qp4I4Rdu2Bhqc2lxkd78-P8yLKegU-c_0x4W-SLi6E7uU3Bw2BoR8KRIPFHdy9mrSQvUXm3tQ-3T9cmi3xLYmqxc7WY4i6e1S6jFqk8CJW9TYaUcoXWuV8NDvDtymHmucgxc/s1600/Elegant+Tern+-+Ray.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgY2JunGH5Qp4I4Rdu2Bhqc2lxkd78-P8yLKegU-c_0x4W-SLi6E7uU3Bw2BoR8KRIPFHdy9mrSQvUXm3tQ-3T9cmi3xLYmqxc7WY4i6e1S6jFqk8CJW9TYaUcoXWuV8NDvDtymHmucgxc/s640/Elegant+Tern+-+Ray.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Elegant Tern (Mew Gull on left)</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">If we hadn’t done one of those trips, then we would have undoubtedly
headed to Wadena for the Hepatic Tanager.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>But we didn’t need to so none of us gave it much thought … except for
Mike.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Mike is the keenest lister of the
four of us and wanted to go see the bird.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>He sent out an email on Friday asking, “Anyone interested in a trip to
Wadena?”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>No takers - Ray and Phil were
both out of town with their wives and I was looking forward to a relaxing
weekend at home with my wife.<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Saskatchewan was hit by a snowstorm on Saturday but word
soon got out that the tanager was still in Wadena.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Mike wasn’t giving up and recruited fellow
big lister, Hank Vanderpol.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Both Mike
and Hank have seen over 750 ABA<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>area
birds (ABA stands for American Birding Association and ABA area is Canada, St. Pierre et Miquelon, and USA
except for Hawaii ) and you don`t get that big of a
list without doing a lot of chasing.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">On Sunday afternoon, Mike called to say that he and Hank
were going and did I want to come?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Hmm,
if I went along the tanager would be a new team bird and it would be a new
Canada bird for me.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I had nothing
planned for Monday so, in a weak moment, I said yes thinking it would be a
pleasant two day trip.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Mike’s next
statement was, “We’re leaving tonight!”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>The prospect of an overnight drive wasn’t too appealing but I figured if
Hank and Mike could handle it and they were 15 to 20 years older than me, I
should be able survive the drive.<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">While waiting for the departure hour, I overheard my wife
talking to her parents.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Based on her
responses, I could imagine their questions, “He’s doing what?” and “He’s going
where?”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I hope they didn’t hurt their
necks as they shook their heads in disbelief!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">As usual, Mike had done his homework and had spoken to the
homeowners whose feeder the tanager was visiting.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>They told him that the most reliable time to
see the bird was in the morning.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Mike
also knew that the overnight temperatures were going down to -22<sup><span style="font-size: x-small;">o</span></sup> C and,
regarding a semi-tropical bird, it would be best to see the bird as soon as
possible.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The
logical plan would be to leave Sunday afternoon, find a motel in SK and then
see the bird on Monday morning.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>However,
Mike had a family birthday dinner to attend (in his honour!) and <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>couldn’t
leave until 9:30 p.m.<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">We departed Calgary at 10 p.m. and headed east to Regina.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The fastest route was through Saskatoon but that route was only a 2 lane highway, we weren’t sure of the road conditions and we
didn’t know if there would be any gas stations open en route.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We took turns driving and our plan was that
the front seat passenger would converse with the driver while the person in the
rear slept.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">When Mike and Hank were in the front, they regaled each
other with stories of previous chases while I tried unsuccessfully to nap.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>During a break in their tales, I assumed Phil’s
role and did some quick internet research.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>“What does hepatic mean?” I asked and Mike responded that it had
something to do with colour.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He was
right – one of the dictionary meanings was “liver-coloured; dark reddish-brown”.<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">We rolled into Regina at 6 a.m. Calgary time (for the short
trip, we didn’t bother changing our watches) and had a quick breakfast.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>From there, it was a 215 km drive on good
secondary highways to reach Wadena.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>As we drove north, we tried not to speculate
as to the fate of the bird in the wintry conditions.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>However, with every raven flying by, I had
visions of seeing a liver-coloured bird dangling from its beak.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">We found the location easily enough and introduced ourselves
to John and Faye Sundholm.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This friendly
and hospitable couple invited us inside to view the bird from their front
window.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We were told that the bird had
been there early in the morning, arriving as soon as Faye put out a tray with
meal worms.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Faye then restocked the tray
and, sure enough, the bird arrived on cue.<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixk8tgO_9irqHnFlGKTYkjqLREgB9OukoRpK5z0SYWOjZfHdFQgWD2aN-qnUzff3LU7YjEZs2ariXGjbGMNFSr7yazxu1fZcU9p6H-BI5I5Ncv_0F3XEMX-n9UktsE0F-H2F0ylGLHo2k/s1600/Hepatic+Tanager+-+Nov+-+SK.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixk8tgO_9irqHnFlGKTYkjqLREgB9OukoRpK5z0SYWOjZfHdFQgWD2aN-qnUzff3LU7YjEZs2ariXGjbGMNFSr7yazxu1fZcU9p6H-BI5I5Ncv_0F3XEMX-n9UktsE0F-H2F0ylGLHo2k/s640/Hepatic+Tanager+-+Nov+-+SK.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Hepatic Tanager</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Whew - our overnight drive had a successful outcome!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The bird flew off after a few minutes but we
were all in a good mood as the Sundholms served some coffee.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Three other birders arrived, including some friends
from Calgary who had flown to Regina and rented a car.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Adding to the mix, were some non-birding
friends of the Sundholms making for a houseful of people.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>John and Fay were great hosts and couldn’t
have been more welcoming.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span><br />
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">While Mike and Hank chatted with the others, I did a bit of
neighbourhood birding and found some Bohemian Waxwings, Pine Grosbeaks and
White-winged Crossbills.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We stayed about
an hour but had to leave as we wanted to do most of the drive home in
daylight.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>As we were leaving, I saw the
bird fly towards the house but it didn’t go to the feeder.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Our friends indicated that the bird did come
back and great views were enjoyed by all.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">We drove back via Saskatoon and had an uneventful
drive.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The only birds of note on the way
back were a Snowy Owl in SK and a Short-eared Owl in AB.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>At the end of our 20 hour adventure, we all
felt pretty good – I suspect that we would have felt quite differently had the chase
been unsuccessful.</span><br />
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">I was teasing Mike and Hank about a Cave Swallow that was
reported at Iona near the Vancouver airport.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Mike wasn’t sure that the bird would be seen again and so wasn’t
interested in going after it.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The
swallow has been seen again so perhaps Mike and Hank are already on their
way.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>If not, some other bird will tempt
them down the road.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>So, will I do another big chase?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Never say never but I think I will politely
decline participation in their next crazy adventure!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
Brianhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01780391838994912434noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-722286037718828733.post-78338832393453109752012-10-25T12:03:00.000-07:002012-10-25T12:03:19.950-07:00Farewell to Haida Gwaii<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-size: 12pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Sunday October 21 – Rain, Rain, Rain<o:p></o:p></span></span></b></div>
<br />
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<span style="font-size: 12pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Showers were in
the forecast and we awoke to the sound of rain hitting the roof. We soon
convinced ourselves to linger over breakfast and take the 10:00 AM ferry across
to Sandspit. At the ferry line-up we met Peter, Margo and Martin, who had driven
down from Masset, undeterred by the weather. On the other side, we had a good
view of a Black Bear as we drove to Sandspit. With no signs of the rain easing
we made straight for Brady’s Bistro at the airport. As a walk along the
shoreline would be better after lunch, on a rising tide, Peter suggested we
check out the golf course first. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-size: 12pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Emerging from the
warmth of the terminal, Martin spotted and pointed out a “Black” Merlin (subspecies
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">suckleyi</i>) for us. Few passerines were
in evidence as we trudged in the rain around the Willows golf course, but we
did flush up three Wilson’s Snipe and a small flock of Green-winged Teal. The
best was at the end, as a wet and very dark Northern Goshawk (subspecies <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">laingi</i>) perched above us. </span></span><br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1iyf4M7x2EZrv00_DT8UW9dEd6ww3BP-6J1PUtwlSoorChMTx85_IU5PDPWoUmFMfAgGZtLrbHOBzmW_n3m2LbNotDPF2F7MpMf8lY81YX_jFDneVwAzSinmIxEANHqZfgS7dNKPVM20Z/s1600/Northern+Goshawk.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1iyf4M7x2EZrv00_DT8UW9dEd6ww3BP-6J1PUtwlSoorChMTx85_IU5PDPWoUmFMfAgGZtLrbHOBzmW_n3m2LbNotDPF2F7MpMf8lY81YX_jFDneVwAzSinmIxEANHqZfgS7dNKPVM20Z/s640/Northern+Goshawk.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: purple; font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif; font-size: small;">Northern Goshawk (ssp. <em>laingi</em>)</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-size: 12pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">With no let-up
in the rain, Peter and Margo took us to the Moresby Island Guesthouse, where
hostess Rae kindly invited us in for coffee and fresh baked goods. </span></span><span style="font-size: 12pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">The afternoon continued
blustery and rainy, and yet we had a very enjoyable time, walking the perimter of the
airport, checking out the shoreline as we went. In advance of the one scheduled
flight of the day, a pick-up drove up and down the runway to scare off the
Canada and Cackling Geese. A good variety of raptors were aloft: Osprey, Bald
Eagle, Northern Harrier, Peregrine Falcon and two more “Black” Merlins. The
highlight was definitely two Short-eared Owls hunting around the fringes of the
airport. </span></span></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKccMIrUpKF1dmyzCe6J59g2NzS5XjXMYEqukF_qwIwhGJtIVI9AHXhyphenhyphenmUIBiJKQM6vPqrVExeOn2fqaVVGggaoY06Iu73w3u8mWg9sCVDstKOAkH11lllQaV24emTrcGmzRz1NeMtbdKx/s1600/Short-eared+Owl.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKccMIrUpKF1dmyzCe6J59g2NzS5XjXMYEqukF_qwIwhGJtIVI9AHXhyphenhyphenmUIBiJKQM6vPqrVExeOn2fqaVVGggaoY06Iu73w3u8mWg9sCVDstKOAkH11lllQaV24emTrcGmzRz1NeMtbdKx/s640/Short-eared+Owl.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: purple; font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif; font-size: small;">A Short-eared Owl Observes the Team</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"></span><span style="font-size: 12pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="font-family: Calibri;"></span></span> <span style="font-size: 12pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Seven Snow Buntings and a dozen Lapland Longspurs foraged beside the runway, and
two Varied Thrushes inhabited the trees where we’d seen the Bramblings on
Friday. All the usual species of shorebirds were in evidence, including dozens
of Black Turnstones, at least 14 Rock Sandpipers and a lone Pacific
Golden-Plover, found for us by Margo.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiU_Sa-4jPm0y3l6Sm7qAAqxrGTVTr1lAv6uvamQhL57i0J_fABOPYECzQUzB2xi7AKSMLV4WtyyNAsmR0xYUq3TJREMN9SV2MyF7xr2cmTBbMSJ8Ot_k0NWh-2RtTtU3YRgMYPsy1BAYRp/s1600/Pacific+Golden-Plover.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiU_Sa-4jPm0y3l6Sm7qAAqxrGTVTr1lAv6uvamQhL57i0J_fABOPYECzQUzB2xi7AKSMLV4WtyyNAsmR0xYUq3TJREMN9SV2MyF7xr2cmTBbMSJ8Ot_k0NWh-2RtTtU3YRgMYPsy1BAYRp/s640/Pacific+Golden-Plover.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: purple; font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif; font-size: small;">Pacific Golden-Plover</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><o:p><span style="font-family: Calibri;"> </span></o:p></span><span style="font-size: 12pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">On our way back
to the ferry, Peter made a stop to take a look at a hundred or so gulls on a gravel
bar. He was excited to see over 30 Bonaparte’s Gulls among them, a rare sight
for Haida Gwaii apparently. Still, we dragged ourselves away, said hurried
goodbyes and thanks, and Brian sped us to the ferry terminal, where we arrived
with seconds to spare before the departure of the 5:30 PM ferry. Earlier Brian
had seen the <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">carlottae</i> subspecies of
Steller’s Jay, endemic to Haida Gwaii, and was able to point one out for the
rest of us as we eased into the village of Queen Charlotte, marking the
conclusion of three great days of birding on Haida Gwaii. </span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-size: 12pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="font-family: Calibri;"></span></span> </div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCyPEJeqTHGNFeFHvJdxhdrzWtwD0vLGWIuSg895uGUr5t5aMsGgEczTMpOn6gqjN6aouJUCSuhQVlU2DsAILix-uOa0vWcVmfSW7zN8M8bwJkwOhpDYhImWtAunYhKfqz8uEI9-rxBRwe/s1600/Mountain+view+from+Queen+Charlotte+City.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCyPEJeqTHGNFeFHvJdxhdrzWtwD0vLGWIuSg895uGUr5t5aMsGgEczTMpOn6gqjN6aouJUCSuhQVlU2DsAILix-uOa0vWcVmfSW7zN8M8bwJkwOhpDYhImWtAunYhKfqz8uEI9-rxBRwe/s640/Mountain+view+from+Queen+Charlotte+City.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: purple; font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif; font-size: small;">The village of Queen Charlotte (aka Queen Charlotte City), pop. 1045</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-size: 12pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"></span></b> <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-size: 12pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Monday October 22 – Shearwater Delight<o:p></o:p></span></span></b></div>
<br />
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<span style="font-size: 12pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Mike needed to
fly to Vancouver from Sandspit later today, so he said his goodbyes to the rest
of us as we set off for the ferry from Skidegate back to Prince Rupert. It was a bright sunny
morning, with snow much in evidence on the surrounding peaks, but fortunately not
down to sea level. As with the outbound voyage, we were lucky to make the
crossing of Hecate Strait in calm conditions. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixdy2P3V44zuCQZHnJDSYWqrCXg0h4R9ssUHiyK9rsBUI6zvLExss3a4vxDY8eUNDFJNt7ht7hbRDMdwJbHA6Hfer7vlLTyysCTJEw6TOynG11QsHI-VnT28YlRMkAZn-UYwD9v3fEJGAN/s1600/Skidegate+Inlet.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixdy2P3V44zuCQZHnJDSYWqrCXg0h4R9ssUHiyK9rsBUI6zvLExss3a4vxDY8eUNDFJNt7ht7hbRDMdwJbHA6Hfer7vlLTyysCTJEw6TOynG11QsHI-VnT28YlRMkAZn-UYwD9v3fEJGAN/s640/Skidegate+Inlet.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: purple; font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif; font-size: small;">Skidegate Inlet</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-size: 12pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Peter and Margo have
made the ferry crossing many times and had explained to us that the real seabird
action would not start until about 2 ½ hours into the voyage, as the ferry turns
north-east across the strait. Before then we looked in vain for Yellow-billed
Loon and Ancient Murrelet, and had to be content with large flocks of
Long-tailed Ducks and many Common Murres.<o:p></o:p></span></span><br />
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-size: 12pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><o:p><span style="font-family: Calibri;">T</span></o:p></span><span style="font-family: Calibri;"><span style="font-size: 12pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">oday it would be
3 ½ hours before the first shearwater sighting. Once they came on the scene, in
ones and twos and never more than four together, we devoted our attention to
them, as we hoped to see Short-tailed Shearwaters and, more importantly,
distinguish them from Sooty Shearwaters. An excellent reference is “</span><span style="font-size: 12pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;">Field Separation of Sooty and Short-tailed Shearwaters”
by Greg Gillson in the ABA journal “Birding” <a href="http://aba.org/birding/v40n2p34.pdf"><span style="color: blue;">http://aba.org/birding/v40n2p34.pdf</span></a>
and would that we had read it before the trip! Only about 60 shearwaters were
in evidence from the ferry, and none came as close as one would like. But,
based on our observation of the two distinctive flight styles, and a review of
Brian’s pictures in the evening, we are confident we saw both species, with the
Short-tailed being no. 503 for us. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKyOLj_vi1mlQMiL7_rnXsFysv9tla4SjmUvT4H00FGxnddBcUlVfUKkqmwPhJaNFp4y4F63dmUD0zve5UhAmVLbCm-5O_yGCixtEDo30l8DTkles5dmNrA8yDHSJKK9FlV8cfq2rX5yTB/s640/Short-tailed+Shearwater.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="640" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: purple; font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif; font-size: small;">Short-tailed Shearwater, juvenile</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKyOLj_vi1mlQMiL7_rnXsFysv9tla4SjmUvT4H00FGxnddBcUlVfUKkqmwPhJaNFp4y4F63dmUD0zve5UhAmVLbCm-5O_yGCixtEDo30l8DTkles5dmNrA8yDHSJKK9FlV8cfq2rX5yTB/s1600/Short-tailed+Shearwater.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"></span></a><br /></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">A disappointment on the westbound ferry
crossing was the lack of sea mammals. On the return, apart from brief sightings
of Harbour Porpoise and Humpback Whale, we saw none at all. Indeed, once the
shearwater show was over, there was little of interest to keep us motivated to
stay on deck, and we succumbed to the comforts of the seats in the lounge,
monitoring the seas through the windows.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<br />
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;"><span style="font-size: 12pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;">We flew out of Prince Rupert on Tuesday,
thus ending the final planned team excursion of the year. We will fit in some
local outings, hoping to find a mammal or two, and will update the blog if we
are able to add to our total. We will also make some posts reflecting on various
aspects of Fur and Feathers 500, a most memorable year in our lives, so if you’ve
been following us along, please stay tuned!</span><span style="font-size: 12pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
Phil Cramhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07964282485194339556noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-722286037718828733.post-12342413255650869172012-10-21T09:31:00.002-07:002012-10-21T09:38:45.188-07:00Haida Gwaii<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Friday, Oct. 19<o:p></o:p></span></b><br />
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Having arrived in the dark last night, today we get our
first looks at Haida Gwai.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Our
destination is Sandspit (on Moresby Island) to search for a Rock Sandpiper.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The forecast was for 40% chance of showers
and a high near 8 … we were to find out that 40% chance meant that it would
only rain 40% of the time!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We had
already learned that showers on the north coast of BC were different than
showers in Calgary … here, showers appears to mean heavy rain that doesn’t last
too long as opposed to a light rain.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQkBuAGXbs8X4mqP0OReJdjTXwavxJzMiRNL12xA6HW9-EmXZlj18IXGlJh1P_NVj7MHlMOl3f1waeTsMNgIpOevklY5tDk23uSgQXX1FdqM3zS_8-_eeu2PTgs8iRPNAUJl3d_XvTy30/s1600/View+from+Queen+Charlotte+City.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQkBuAGXbs8X4mqP0OReJdjTXwavxJzMiRNL12xA6HW9-EmXZlj18IXGlJh1P_NVj7MHlMOl3f1waeTsMNgIpOevklY5tDk23uSgQXX1FdqM3zS_8-_eeu2PTgs8iRPNAUJl3d_XvTy30/s640/View+from+Queen+Charlotte+City.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">View from our motel in Queen Charlotte City</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">After a hearty breakfast at the Ocean View Restaurant, we
took the ferry from Graham Island to Moresby Island.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>On the way to Sandspit, we stopped midway to
scan the waters … lots of Common Loons but no Yellow-billed Loons.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We were pleased to see many Black Scoters as
well as some other sea ducks.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Around 11 a.m., we arrived at the end of the road at the
entrance to the Sandspit airport.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>After
scanning the beach and finding nothing, we decided to walk to the point.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Ray and Phil took the grassy path just
outside the airport fence and Mike and I walked the beach.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The paths ran parallel for a while but diverged
just as we reach some isolated trees.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We
were about 200 metres apart when Mike and I heard a call that we didn’t
recognize.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We saw two birds in flight
and were delighted when they landed nearby – <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">BRAMBLING</b>!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7cUuHzpx_AQIEgfW9sFSeBuP4G_cE0o-Hz5eiE_IPQSwjScjXFO7JhrbSo7h9KT0Lr0a3skpPaj0WeyKND8-Sq_pzOvoDVMznDTR2yztKql0Tuf6DBJAZUAw9RRUZ6yBPeRq1gQccf6s/s1600/Brambling.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7cUuHzpx_AQIEgfW9sFSeBuP4G_cE0o-Hz5eiE_IPQSwjScjXFO7JhrbSo7h9KT0Lr0a3skpPaj0WeyKND8-Sq_pzOvoDVMznDTR2yztKql0Tuf6DBJAZUAw9RRUZ6yBPeRq1gQccf6s/s640/Brambling.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Brambling</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYyjA7h_EF0TKm7vMvms7mjNVSfi536ELGRITJRFxOw-wqJtpQYo5KUjDaY36AmpaV9U4ZkDltn-6t9il6tS0Qg7VR6tEfz-c1aZDk3qQSmtZc3F3VuHXURL2NhCDMGr5JhCSHqsF2_s0/s1600/Brambling+2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYyjA7h_EF0TKm7vMvms7mjNVSfi536ELGRITJRFxOw-wqJtpQYo5KUjDaY36AmpaV9U4ZkDltn-6t9il6tS0Qg7VR6tEfz-c1aZDk3qQSmtZc3F3VuHXURL2NhCDMGr5JhCSHqsF2_s0/s640/Brambling+2.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Brambling</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Rather than shouting (and perhaps scaring the birds), I used
the phone to contact Ray and Phil.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It
turns out, they were just about to call us with news of a <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Sharp-tailed Sandpiper</b>!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Ray
spotted this bird and Phil was looking for it when we called.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Phil saw the bird for team <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">#500</b> and then it flew off.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>While searching for the Sharp-tailed
Sandpiper, Phil found a <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Rock Sandpiper</b>
for #501!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Amazing, 3 new team birds
within 5 minutes!<o:p></o:p></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">We didn’t have any time to celebrate as we had to try to get
all four of us on the three birds.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Fortunately,
the two Bramblings were more cooperative and hung around for all of us to get
good looks.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The two sandpipers were not
so cooperative.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">After lunch at the only spot in town – a bistro at the
airport – we ventured out along Copper Bay Road.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Not too far along, we found hundreds of
shorebirds – mostly Dunlin, Sanderling, Black-bellied Plovers and Black
Turnstones – which included two Rock Sandpipers that we all saw.<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPsh1GdmxEgakfnHPLCrjseniimZSgU1JPdNGBVv_ko1SGG0l19Pnclmso2dH2IRiWh53m8aPZQYNh8fw2a_k2NZBijW-1MdH-OQODE2O5BVB82-eX6xX7_KrZgkBSMemRnNmmPHtBPQ8/s1600/Rock+Sandpiper.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPsh1GdmxEgakfnHPLCrjseniimZSgU1JPdNGBVv_ko1SGG0l19Pnclmso2dH2IRiWh53m8aPZQYNh8fw2a_k2NZBijW-1MdH-OQODE2O5BVB82-eX6xX7_KrZgkBSMemRnNmmPHtBPQ8/s640/Rock+Sandpiper.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Rock Sandpiper</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">We went back to the spit where the Sharp-tailed Sandpipers
had been seen but the spit had disappeared under the rising tide and all of the
birds had gone to points unknown.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We
headed back towards the ferry terminal, checking a few sites along the way but
didn’t find anything of interest.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">In anticipation of reaching 500, Phil and Ray had purchased
some champagne in Prince Rupert – Veuve Clicquot which they claimed was the
best available (not that I would notice any difference!) – and we had a
celebration back at the motel.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We also toasted
our wives, acknowledging the tremendous support they have given us this
year.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We are planning a proper
celebration with them later this year once we are all back in Calgary.<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEguM3y8y5CHk9T9RjOjSoFSMfnfWDBBYi5gjLgl5Ajk1qI1z-F8EbZE2k7cpd5TvqM_WRsBiVU8cR1kQPKQgEuu3HzN2KyMNC7ofUnjW9uRYyoeF_Fb0-nwK5lmC1oNJFwTFVvEqBjYyac/s1600/Champagne+celebration.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEguM3y8y5CHk9T9RjOjSoFSMfnfWDBBYi5gjLgl5Ajk1qI1z-F8EbZE2k7cpd5TvqM_WRsBiVU8cR1kQPKQgEuu3HzN2KyMNC7ofUnjW9uRYyoeF_Fb0-nwK5lmC1oNJFwTFVvEqBjYyac/s640/Champagne+celebration.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A toast to 500!</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Saturday<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Today, we were heading for Masset on the north end of Graham
Island (about 100 km away).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We were
surprised to find a thick coating of ice on the windshield and the passenger
door frozen.<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwUgfSFza3nKCrxy_fQOpP-ndw-t7iwF35XZv6fPVmXRMmgdY1Fv8tIUdwWiuAybvGZCrdy4FIfJnSvf5BhpnKa8ItIknqhT2QCswxZOa3u9QcKZA2dB6lsgezDZS1wiAGz1mJ7DEgocU/s1600/Scraping+ice.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwUgfSFza3nKCrxy_fQOpP-ndw-t7iwF35XZv6fPVmXRMmgdY1Fv8tIUdwWiuAybvGZCrdy4FIfJnSvf5BhpnKa8ItIknqhT2QCswxZOa3u9QcKZA2dB6lsgezDZS1wiAGz1mJ7DEgocU/s640/Scraping+ice.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Scraping ice of the windows using credit cards!</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">The road was also quite icy so Ray drove slower than usual (I
won’t specify what “usual” means!) and we headed north.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We had been in contact with some well-known local
birders – Margo Hearne and Peter Hamel – and they suggested that we stop at
Misty Meadows in Naikoon Provincial Park.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span><o:p></o:p></span><br />
<br />
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">The heavy frost persisted as we walked out onto the
beach.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Here there were many shorebirds
but of the same species we had seen the day before.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The views however were quite dramatic.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhosG3mN-CxDvmaMEL32XTw51wB8UzZU3xMjgNdt19sRgAspA7mNAz7oWYsw15MUr3m5mv1_IUaADUij1uDdHa5NrEsh6-Z3oV1ZSV4bMXCUypA8JRXBXQpAkzq_DWxrzMQ4lEWEzMgs3c/s1600/Frosty+beach.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhosG3mN-CxDvmaMEL32XTw51wB8UzZU3xMjgNdt19sRgAspA7mNAz7oWYsw15MUr3m5mv1_IUaADUij1uDdHa5NrEsh6-Z3oV1ZSV4bMXCUypA8JRXBXQpAkzq_DWxrzMQ4lEWEzMgs3c/s640/Frosty+beach.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Frosty beach</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYwxcYKWeLtIHFoldcEFmkNUHvx5hyphenhyphenRbkV9P1yalR-ObLFjUG6__63FOvdMGTm9fiEpIzkRkWWhBm5Tw1i9g27ArJkRIAgPmLIq_WhsLKDC_tjbFhY0M5RDnvtzhQEy1Iy-6oJDY5DBdY/s1600/Frosty+beach+2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="456" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYwxcYKWeLtIHFoldcEFmkNUHvx5hyphenhyphenRbkV9P1yalR-ObLFjUG6__63FOvdMGTm9fiEpIzkRkWWhBm5Tw1i9g27ArJkRIAgPmLIq_WhsLKDC_tjbFhY0M5RDnvtzhQEy1Iy-6oJDY5DBdY/s640/Frosty+beach+2.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Storm clouds looming offshore</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">At Masset, we tracked down Margo and Peter and they were
keen to show us some of the local birding spots.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Along with their birding friend, Martin
Williams (who is a Haida argillite carver) we went to Entry Point to scan for
Yellow-billed Loons.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We saw many birds
on the water but no Yellow-billed Loons.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>The bird that attracted the most attention for our new friends was a
Red-breasted Nuthatch which is unusual for the area.<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdlQzaRhjveLPZjx-gSrewtk1dGGwfOQ_VSGiSqLQTZDOembouTUglGlOX2JGOcE0Ahu8hfFQy2D1VHHIL0HUTjeTdr4pzHIrmD7tPcFN-FH6i7y50NSLiASl43pBgYwQf_AES08vW6X0/s1600/Peter,+Margo+and+Martin-1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdlQzaRhjveLPZjx-gSrewtk1dGGwfOQ_VSGiSqLQTZDOembouTUglGlOX2JGOcE0Ahu8hfFQy2D1VHHIL0HUTjeTdr4pzHIrmD7tPcFN-FH6i7y50NSLiASl43pBgYwQf_AES08vW6X0/s640/Peter,+Margo+and+Martin-1.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Peter, Margo and Martin</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">As we were about to leave, Margo spotted a flock of juncos near
the cemetery and we stopped to scan the flock.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>We were to learn later that day of the importance of scanning junco
flocks.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>After a pleasant lunch in town,
we went to the north coast to continue our loon search.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span><br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1B8eufhoPPkFxo_8A-pubY0CxVBZfFq1uEpEkDP7lHjgPqaftYU7Z9jWZW4uLXp2sAR21_gZvQdAvxOrghEr-ZQkgzDNdzxKEhPKSzO4PjOsAfimp62VYbFWmr2Nv1VwM370R169q9qU/s1600/Cemetery+totem.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1B8eufhoPPkFxo_8A-pubY0CxVBZfFq1uEpEkDP7lHjgPqaftYU7Z9jWZW4uLXp2sAR21_gZvQdAvxOrghEr-ZQkgzDNdzxKEhPKSzO4PjOsAfimp62VYbFWmr2Nv1VwM370R169q9qU/s640/Cemetery+totem.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Northern Flicker on cemetery totem</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Peter seems to have a photographic memory of all the rare
birds seen on Haida Gwaii and the dates that they were seen.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>As we were about to walk down to the beach,
we were informed that they had seen a Rustic Bunting on this trail … we said, “Great,
show us one!”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">While the group walked along the beach, Margo lagged behind
as she walked along the edge of the grass.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>As we were scoping some shorebirds, someone looked back to see Margo
waving her hands trying to catch our attention.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>She had spotted a different looking bird in with a flock of juncos.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The group converged on the flock and soon re-found
the bird feeding in the grass.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Peter
immediately called out <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">RUSTIC BUNTING</b>
and we all strove to get a good view of this rare bird.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Fortunately, it was very cooperative and
occasionally perched on small trees on the meadow.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjgbab4URE9RhAXgcz7qO2TnQdoRj4GN5poHGj7ExrnJZn3sGKIPVFDxFYKbLCMMjsN74SEwA2Q_pA3OUg6kpouU6Y6HC52rxJPkW3Mibx280oNTJYNPNUJheF6q1LusKjQwQ5fLEJyAA/s1600/Rustic+Bunting.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjgbab4URE9RhAXgcz7qO2TnQdoRj4GN5poHGj7ExrnJZn3sGKIPVFDxFYKbLCMMjsN74SEwA2Q_pA3OUg6kpouU6Y6HC52rxJPkW3Mibx280oNTJYNPNUJheF6q1LusKjQwQ5fLEJyAA/s640/Rustic+Bunting.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Rustic Bunting</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">During the year, many people have asked us, “What is the
rarest bird you have seen?” and we really didn’t have a clear cut answer.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Now we do as the Rustic Bunting (an Asian
bird) has been recorded less than 10 times in Canada.<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<br />
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">We said our good-byes to Martin and made arrangements to
meet up with Peter and Margo at Sandspit on Sunday, weather permitting.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>As I write this on Sunday morning, it is
cold, windy and wet but the forecast is for sunshine this afternoon.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Who knows what good birds might be waiting
for us? <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Note: our lists won’t be updated for a few days as the
internet connection is a bit slow here in Queen Charlotte City.<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<br />
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<o:p><span style="font-family: Calibri;"> </span></o:p></div>
Brianhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01780391838994912434noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-722286037718828733.post-39299303216812386212012-10-19T23:17:00.001-07:002012-10-19T23:17:10.940-07:00Calgary to Haida Gwaii<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;"><span style="color: blue;"><strong>Off to Haida Gwaii<o:p></o:p></strong></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;"><span style="color: blue;">As our readers will recall, a visit to Haida Gwaii has been on our itinerary since the beginning of this year. Well its moment has finally come and we’re all quite excited because it’s not only a very special place in Canada but also a place none of us has visited before. We decided on a three part route: drive from Calgary to Vancouver, fly to Prince Rupert and then take the ferry to Skidegate on Haida Gwaii. We could have flown from Calgary but we reasoned that a drive through the mountains to Hope might yield some new mammal sightings and some research by Brian identified a location near Hope where we should have a good chance of finding a Townsend’s Chipmunk. As we begin this trip, we are sitting at 496 species, just four short of our target. We have a good chance of reaching 500 by the time we return to Calgary and if we do, we will be celebrating!</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;"><span style="color: blue;"><strong>October 16<sup>th</sup> Calgary to Hope<o:p></o:p></strong></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;"><span style="color: blue;">We set off early and drove west all the way to the Sunshine Ski Resort turn-off. We had a lead suggesting Grey Wolves have been seen in this area recently and we would love to add wolf to our mammals list. No luck! Maybe it was the rain! Anyway we continued west from here with very few stops until we reached Salmon Arm where we seemed to be out of the rain at last. The Salmon Arm dock area is a great birding stop and we had good luck there back in our late May trip to BC. Today was a good day for birds too. The highlight was probably a distant juvenile Golden Eagle sitting on what appeared to be a Canada Goose it had taken. We also had knock out views of three Northern River Otters while we were there. From Salmon arm we drove a short distance west to Roderick Haig Brown Provincial Park well known for its salmon run. Apparently the salmon run here can be a real spectacle but, alas, timing is everything – and our timing was a bit out! It seems the salmon run here is every four years and we were there on an off year! On to Hope! We arrived early evening and topped off a pretty good day with a fine meal in a great restaurant we discovered there called “Joe’s” after which we watched a bit of the American Presidential debate before retiring for the night.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;"><span style="color: blue;"><strong>October 17<sup>th</sup> Hope to Vancouver and then to Prince Rupert<o:p></o:p></strong></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: blue; font-family: Calibri;">Today we edged a little closer to our target! We left Hope bright and early and drove directly to Skagit Provincial Park. This is where Brian’s research suggested we should find Townsend’s Chipmunk. There have been countless occasions this year when our Fur and Feathers team has pursued a good lead not just once but several times and all to no avail. Some species just don’t seem to want to be found! There are however other occasions when things fall nicely into place immediately. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Today was such a day. We drove 40 km to this park and then another ten km into the park to a kind of rest area. We decided to park and walk about for a while and within five minutes, Brian had our target chipmunk located and in plain view (species # 497). Amazing! It sat right out in the open for us and urgently chewed its way through some dried up leaves on a fall aspen affording us some great photo opportunities.</span></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDlgNf4SpNeOlvwFich3dBFdwVjgwknJRd7DL1ZwrjWZgzxoVg2m3beWw1kUXcieQ6ceV43YuNZaeSiQ2dgnjQ25WgtnOmK3zCFQ7nXKgSKKF26ix0S40oYaDs8XVN3aVJpXH9j41jMfll/s1600/TOCH+by+Ray-1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="426" nea="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDlgNf4SpNeOlvwFich3dBFdwVjgwknJRd7DL1ZwrjWZgzxoVg2m3beWw1kUXcieQ6ceV43YuNZaeSiQ2dgnjQ25WgtnOmK3zCFQ7nXKgSKKF26ix0S40oYaDs8XVN3aVJpXH9j41jMfll/s640/TOCH+by+Ray-1.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: blue;">Townsend's Chipmunk</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;"><span style="color: blue;">An added reward was the drive into and out of this park as the scenery was magnificent. </span></span></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMAeApQO_y-oJU4-i8nEobsP9morpedKOSgVVq4kOZ7fTWujQaZ48Gp3eBF_4y9yNA-VQPlQwoIQdrslhhsqjTfYjKCSKkvtgB4lE_yFV9APSlmcrxy0YkdDM4vltkYClV3tFqA733DLSQ/s1600/Skagit+PP+Scenery-1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="426" nea="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMAeApQO_y-oJU4-i8nEobsP9morpedKOSgVVq4kOZ7fTWujQaZ48Gp3eBF_4y9yNA-VQPlQwoIQdrslhhsqjTfYjKCSKkvtgB4lE_yFV9APSlmcrxy0YkdDM4vltkYClV3tFqA733DLSQ/s640/Skagit+PP+Scenery-1.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: blue;">Road to Skagit Park</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;"><span style="color: blue;">With this species behind us we drove straight to Vancouver, or more precisely, to New Westminster. There had been several sighting of a Western Scrub Jay in the area recently and we were optimistic about finding this bird before heading for the airport – and find it we did (species #498). We had to walk around the neighborhood for about 20 minutes before it showed up. Mike was the first to pick it out but eventually we all had good looks at it. This is a pretty rare bird in Canada and for Phil and I, a Canada first.</span></span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFlu88u8FHm9UPs15nca671PqXLNFnJ3Eox2dCMaB2kGdhhNOxyYIK-z-wmb2tE8kg2gK7sggd5iVU0DEihv5bunDvsFteik7o7WvnmkPcsoUPo_1rVt1DyRBEbGeb5qWX_ZIFpHbdbpJB/s1600/Western+Scrub-Jay.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="426" nea="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFlu88u8FHm9UPs15nca671PqXLNFnJ3Eox2dCMaB2kGdhhNOxyYIK-z-wmb2tE8kg2gK7sggd5iVU0DEihv5bunDvsFteik7o7WvnmkPcsoUPo_1rVt1DyRBEbGeb5qWX_ZIFpHbdbpJB/s640/Western+Scrub-Jay.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: blue;">Western Scrub-Jay</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;"><span style="color: blue;">We were delighted to get these two new species on the Calgary to Vancouver leg of our trip. As we relaxed aboard our flight to Prince Rupert later that day, we all realized that reaching 498 species before we even got to Haida Gwaii meant the chance of meeting our 500 species target was now very high indeed! In fact we thought there was a good chance we might reach our target whilst on the ferry to Haida Gwaii the next day.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;"><span style="color: blue;"><strong>October 18<sup>th</sup> <span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Prince Rupert and the Ferry to Haida Gwaii <o:p></o:p></strong></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;"><span style="color: blue;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Our ferry to Haida Gwaii was scheduled to depart at 2:30 pm and we needed to be checked in at 12:30 pm. This meant we had the morning to explore this area a little bit. We drove along the coastline for a couple of hours getting some good views of the local bird life. There were many gulls and we had a good view of a Thayer’s Gull at one point. There were also many Bald Eagles and we were able to get quite close to one of them.</span></span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYtKNifF4-c9X-vkb30kgaCQF5ntG51vl27G38sjn3n2SNfHP8b_IaxYePJM-MP3vjz7FRODgirJv6U52YK5Ir3oFu2qtSQNX3Rcf4rP-mvRUq0tGm534SGQiuRsivzYAGr4AE2psyrl3p/s1600/BAEA+by+Ray-1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="426" nea="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYtKNifF4-c9X-vkb30kgaCQF5ntG51vl27G38sjn3n2SNfHP8b_IaxYePJM-MP3vjz7FRODgirJv6U52YK5Ir3oFu2qtSQNX3Rcf4rP-mvRUq0tGm534SGQiuRsivzYAGr4AE2psyrl3p/s640/BAEA+by+Ray-1.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: blue;">Bald Eagle</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;"><span style="color: blue;">Prince Rupert is a city of just over 12,000 people and it’s located on an island. It has an interesting history which is well described and well-illustrated in a very nice local museum which we visited. But time passed quickly and after a<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>quick fish and chips lunch at Dolly’s (which was outstanding!) we drove to the ferry terminal and by 2:30 pm we were on our way at last!</span></span></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjk6Zix6osvVFxxSpiq3bV6kuWv3IHrNaNV0rQ56z7owHKROP7A12S9fhbQRvo0kvOqtVVlII2LKnsWGBh3MVbMVNFje0p4JmjJbyo1hsZkGlaYFm0a2pvNe6mzOFVRoeCX9XQikH7txj1/s1600/On+the+Ferry-1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="426" nea="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjk6Zix6osvVFxxSpiq3bV6kuWv3IHrNaNV0rQ56z7owHKROP7A12S9fhbQRvo0kvOqtVVlII2LKnsWGBh3MVbMVNFje0p4JmjJbyo1hsZkGlaYFm0a2pvNe6mzOFVRoeCX9XQikH7txj1/s640/On+the+Ferry-1.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: blue;">Aboard M/V Northern Expedition</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;"><span style="color: blue;">The ferry trip over to Skidegate on Haida Gwaii is quite a big deal. It takes six and a half hours and crosses a long stretch of open water called the Hecate Strait. It can be very rough and at this time of year, storms are not uncommon. We had been monitoring the weather for some days in advance of the journey and were cautiously optimistic that conditions would be manageable for four land lubbers from Calgary! We were in luck! The sea was almost unbelievably calm and the sun even came out for part of the journey! </span></span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjttZhyOLBu23ksIMTRgKP7dP5VpXwxf6f7y4h7hmKvDG5PSV9ArZGBNwr4PTkRFRbyM9yfnschWtP4YzKgPa96nGBKdm0Mglnf0sroKQqfbN_I0ylFq-tZREz4CFzlOhqhTnRm4UohYt38/s1600/View+from+ferry.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="360" nea="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjttZhyOLBu23ksIMTRgKP7dP5VpXwxf6f7y4h7hmKvDG5PSV9ArZGBNwr4PTkRFRbyM9yfnschWtP4YzKgPa96nGBKdm0Mglnf0sroKQqfbN_I0ylFq-tZREz4CFzlOhqhTnRm4UohYt38/s640/View+from+ferry.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: blue;">Fine Weather and Calm Seas!</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;"><span style="color: blue;">Once underway, we had daylight for about four hours so we stationed ourselves on the stern of the boat and diligently scanned the ocean for seabirds of note. Our target birds were Short-tailed Shearwater, Flesh-footed Shearwater, Buller’s Shearwater, Yellow-billed Loon, Horned Puffin, Ancient Murrelet and maybe even a Leach’s Storm-Petrel. All of these are uncommon but possible on this crossing. We saw none of them! We also thought we might see some interesting sea mammals such as Dall’s Porpoise, Pacific White-sided Dolphin, Orca and maybe a Fin Whale. No luck here either! Perhaps the penalty for fine weather is poor birding! We did, mind you, see a Humpback Whale early in the trip and then later, a possible Fin Whale (but not definite). We also saw some good birds including many loons (mostly Common Loons), Scoters, Common Murres, Sooty Shearwaters, two Sabine’s Gulls and perhaps best of all, a Northern Fulmar (dark phase). </span></span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg70ibNTNcNk4MNSiE9vLS0pD6p9w9MMCnVZfBGKT3w5UC5eKZCEySkyQuNYIlhxAq6Po93tiYKcbwrdpFRNZYck4QCXLsE4VE4NlwNbYwStzWNhOgCo5VBuDD9Ews5JFRwYc64NmQn35KU/s1600/Northern+Fulmar.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="426" nea="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg70ibNTNcNk4MNSiE9vLS0pD6p9w9MMCnVZfBGKT3w5UC5eKZCEySkyQuNYIlhxAq6Po93tiYKcbwrdpFRNZYck4QCXLsE4VE4NlwNbYwStzWNhOgCo5VBuDD9Ews5JFRwYc64NmQn35KU/s640/Northern+Fulmar.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: blue;">Northern Fulmar, Dark Phase</span></td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgC2Z3ncZYv4wnCOqRbHez1MLxJ9N9VbYEd-bN58gFRYPqiOdxWcSkO-A8YPggOvBCiw8Pw7NuMyrIinEL7SEZefz7oTAHH5SjhlXMuvBmIt5qTM3xCpvmenbr0WEvTjxslUGlEBzHTaqho/s1600/Common+Loon.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="426" nea="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgC2Z3ncZYv4wnCOqRbHez1MLxJ9N9VbYEd-bN58gFRYPqiOdxWcSkO-A8YPggOvBCiw8Pw7NuMyrIinEL7SEZefz7oTAHH5SjhlXMuvBmIt5qTM3xCpvmenbr0WEvTjxslUGlEBzHTaqho/s640/Common+Loon.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: blue;">Common Loon </span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;"><span style="color: blue;">When we reached the port of Skidegate we remained at 498 species! Two more species still to go but they will have to come during our time exploring Haida Gwaii over the next three days. Or maybe even on the ferry ride back to Prince Rupert next Monday? Read all about it in our next posting!<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
Rayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13178687980944139805noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-722286037718828733.post-87931241673338335222012-10-11T17:01:00.000-07:002012-10-11T17:01:51.952-07:00Between trips<span style="font-family: Calibri;">The final trip on our schedule will begin on Oct. 16<sup><span style="font-size: x-small;">th</span></sup>
– we will drive to Vancouver, fly to Prince Rupert and take the ferry across
Hecate Strait to Haida Gwaii.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>To give
you an idea of what goes on when we’re not on the road (and to dispel any
rumours that we are just sitting in our rocking chairs!), here are a few "between trips" activities.<o:p></o:p></span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTL55CVCAuB9BG4eQzRMD7smcToLGfRyd0UduPIqOvFqQ2UGQZBVyqMeTlCE1g4tboRLiokeGo6_jw1QulE1vGgZl_P3H3foku8BValHzbFBVplDZARdJb658IsQ0PyEPV7vqT6xGJ0ks/s1600/Haida+Gwaii+trip.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="358" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTL55CVCAuB9BG4eQzRMD7smcToLGfRyd0UduPIqOvFqQ2UGQZBVyqMeTlCE1g4tboRLiokeGo6_jw1QulE1vGgZl_P3H3foku8BValHzbFBVplDZARdJb658IsQ0PyEPV7vqT6xGJ0ks/s640/Haida+Gwaii+trip.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Planned route for our Haida Gwaii trip</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: Calibri;"><strong>Planning<o:p></o:p></strong></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Right from the beginning of our big year, we decided to travel
to Haida Gwaii in the fall.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Haida Gwaii
is almost a mythical spot which conjures up visions of old growth forests, the
Haida First Nations group and their culture and the possibility of seeing some
rare birds for Canada.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We felt that our
year would not be complete without a visit to these west coast islands.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span><br />
<br />
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Russ Cannings’ blogs (<a href="http://russellcannings.blogspot.ca/2011/11/haida-gwaii-episode-2-october-13-18.html">http://russellcannings.blogspot.ca/2011/11/haida-gwaii-episode-2-october-13-18.html</a>) were our main source of
information – with friends, he visited Haida Gwaii in November, 2010 and
October, 2011.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Good birds were seen on
both trips but we favoured October with birds of interest including Rock
Sandpiper, Yellow-billed Loon, Short-tailed Shearwater, Buller’s Shearwater and
Ancient Murrelet.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">With four of us on the team, scheduling is always tricky and
we have found it difficult to stay flexible. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Some ferry research by Phil narrowed down our
dates as the only daylight sailing from Prince Rupert is on Thursdays and, from
Haida Gwaii, on Mondays and Tuesdays.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Thus, we had a choice of Oct. 11 or 18 sailing and we chose the 18<sup><span style="font-size: x-small;">th</span></sup>
just in case we needed to move our Whooping Crane trip back a week (we didn’t).<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">From Calgary, Prince Rupert is a leisurely two day drive but
as the 4 days of driving did not offer much chance of a new species, we decided
instead to drive to Vancouver and fly to Prince Rupert. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We are hoping to find a Townsend’s Chipmunk in
SW BC and also have some time to chase down any rarities being reported; perhaps the Western Scrub-Jay that was in New Westminster at the end of Sept. will reappear.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Both Townsend’s and Yellow-pine Chipmunks occur in southwestern
BC and we have been searching for a good location for Townsend’s.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>While there is lots of info on where to find
birds, mammal finding info is rather scarce.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Manning Park is supposed to be good for Townsend’s but, on two occasions,
we have just found Yellow-pine.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>On this
upcoming trip, we will try Skagit Valley Provincial Park (to the southwest of
Manning).<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<br />
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Early on in the year, trip planning and organizing duties
were distributed among team members.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Ray
volunteered to take the lead on our BC trips and thus he researched and made
hotel and car rental reservations (this trip is easy, our west coast pelagic trip involved a lot more work for him).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>With this trip organized and no other
trips planned, we are all working on travel plans with our spouses for beyond the
big year.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Calibri;"><strong>Research<o:p></o:p></strong></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Apart from studying the birds and mammals and staying
abreast of rare bird sightings, the main research tasks are to learn about the area we will be visiting and to prepare a trip
checklist.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Rather than just using a
provincial or regional checklist, I like to have a good idea of what species we
might see and thus do quite a bit of research.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>For our most recent trip, I used a Saskatoon Nature Society fall
checklist and then adjusted the probability of seeing the birds based on our early
October timing.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The projected trip total
was 67 birds and we saw 67 … I get lucky once in a while!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>For the Haida Gwaii trip, I haven’t found
anything online so have compiled a checklist based on ebird reports (mostly by Russ
Cannings and his friends).<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<br />
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">In the course of learning about our destination, many
questions often pop up and Phil is our champion obscure facts researcher.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In <span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-style: italic; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">case you were wondering (and Phil thought you might be!)<b><i>:</i></b></span><i><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;"> Hecate Strait was named by Captain </span></i><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;"><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/George_Henry_Richards" title="George Henry Richards"><i><span style="color: blue;">George Henry Richards</span></i></a><i> in 1861 or
1862 after his surveying vessel, the </i><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/HMS_Hecate_(1839)" title="HMS Hecate (1839)"><i><span style="color: blue;">HMS
Hecate</span></i></a><i>. This vessel was a 4-gun paddle sloop launched on 30 March
1839 from the Chatham Dockyard. She was assigned to the Mediterranean Station
between 1840 and 1843, she participated during the Syrian War of 1840. After a
period of be laid in reserve she served as part of the West Africa Squadron off
Africa from 1845 until 1858. After being fitted out for survey operations, she
was assigned to the Pacific Station in 1860, undertaking surveys along the
British Columbia coast. The Hecate Strait, between the British Columbia
mainland and the islands of Haida Gwaii, is named for her. Arriving at the
Australia Station in 1863, where she undertook survey work in Botany Bay,
Moreton Bay, the Brisbane River and Torres Strait before leaving the Australia
Station in 1864. She was paid off and sold in 1865.<o:p></o:p></i></span></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Calibri;"><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-style: italic;">What about Mike?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Well he is
probably the busiest of us all.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>His
current project is to write up the trip report for a recent trip that he led
to Brazil.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He saw more birds there in 2 ½
weeks than the team will see in Canada for the whole year … did we pick the
wrong country or what?!</span><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;"><o:p></o:p></span></span><br />
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;"><strong>Birder’s Cup</strong></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">As mentioned a couple of months ago, Ray, Phil and I compete
against each other on the golf course for the prestigious Birders Cup and the
burgundy jacket that goes to the winner.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Last Tuesday, we played the 3<sup><span style="font-size: x-small;">rd</span></sup> (and final) round at
Bearspaw.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We started out in +5 C
temperatures but it turned out to be a nice day by the time we finished.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Congratulations to Ray who is the champion
this year (I’d like to say that he golfed well but the truth is, he just didn't golf as poorly as Phil and I
did!).</span></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPxz2Yu-Bv_jHI2BKTzwrEhVoGWirutheha0d_7PewUFWfRuStknwtacfSj4WI9N3waMac-eYgjeyQqdH8VwJINjThEl5liIkkiJazNoqbN-e-46fQYKTwjQoXYg6fgOenad4W0CwNZws/s1600/Super+Birder,+super+golfer.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPxz2Yu-Bv_jHI2BKTzwrEhVoGWirutheha0d_7PewUFWfRuStknwtacfSj4WI9N3waMac-eYgjeyQqdH8VwJINjThEl5liIkkiJazNoqbN-e-46fQYKTwjQoXYg6fgOenad4W0CwNZws/s640/Super+Birder,+super+golfer.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Birders Cup champion Ray wearing the burgundy jacket flanked by Phil and Brian</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: Calibri;"><strong>Bird records and photos</strong> <o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">While on a trip, we do a checklist each evening while
waiting for dinner.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Some of us also try
to enter our sightings into the computer while on the road; those that don’t have
to fit it in once back at home (which isn’t always easy as various household tasks
and family obligations invariably mount up while we are away).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span><br />
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Ray and I also take photos and these can take up all
remaining time if you let them.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>So far
this year, I have taken over 18,000 photos and of which I've deleted 10,000!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>As time permits, I probably should delete
another 5,000.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The Saskatchewan trip was
successful with 3 new species but was not so successful from a photographic
perspective – the Whooping Cranes were a long way away and my photos weren’t
sharp; the American Badger just showed us his rear end and the Ord’s Kangaroo
Rats didn’t stay around long enough for me to get out of the car.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We did go back a little later that evening for
another try at Ord’s but a young man and lady had chosen that very location for
a romantic encounter!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I did take one
interesting photo on the trip … sunrise in Leader.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhT5R3-L6yKHmM8Naxf3z6kjUuQpeW_9tjG2h3-8aat_TRk-SfQ1ug4EmmtLLT6DagEgDGrh7inzym6lnXYOxWYfbqSSIbac0ZZaqEuPcjlQ5GqALZjNUY8M93Coa65RhTCW2ZpQ_Wb7yw/s1600/Leader+sunrise.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhT5R3-L6yKHmM8Naxf3z6kjUuQpeW_9tjG2h3-8aat_TRk-SfQ1ug4EmmtLLT6DagEgDGrh7inzym6lnXYOxWYfbqSSIbac0ZZaqEuPcjlQ5GqALZjNUY8M93Coa65RhTCW2ZpQ_Wb7yw/s640/Leader+sunrise.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Sunrise - Leader, Saskatchewan</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Technology is always progressing and I recently updated my
version of Photoshop.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I tried out some
new sharpening techniques on some of the Whooping Crane photos and the results
were okay (but perhaps I just need a bigger, better lens … do you hear me
Santa?!).<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOT9SNIs0FTYatCi9eI9aRIv76wLtJSu2n2yM37n-lIYH43xSsnWMXPVvwZ2WXBY-1dYLvYo8kGR9Dz4z1sBOAqQOhXT16Da_9JA4UiN281-riclUTh8WhCHupYvPxLCApipzs2QKjwjM/s1600/young+whooper+-+uncropped.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOT9SNIs0FTYatCi9eI9aRIv76wLtJSu2n2yM37n-lIYH43xSsnWMXPVvwZ2WXBY-1dYLvYo8kGR9Dz4z1sBOAqQOhXT16Da_9JA4UiN281-riclUTh8WhCHupYvPxLCApipzs2QKjwjM/s640/young+whooper+-+uncropped.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Uncropped photo of juvenile Whooping Crane</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrqY3ht1rw_rCB4mX21PxwoDa3JbnBA6sfNDwJ9p9h8dHrqi9kDcOqVP_ipGwp1iiCRmYpisbLh8I8HRbzjjqaSBuocQ87E7VmaAgphUdhFKWTgNlzYZhTSemajHyJWgUEcoQSfRKYywU/s1600/Young+whooper+-+cropped.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrqY3ht1rw_rCB4mX21PxwoDa3JbnBA6sfNDwJ9p9h8dHrqi9kDcOqVP_ipGwp1iiCRmYpisbLh8I8HRbzjjqaSBuocQ87E7VmaAgphUdhFKWTgNlzYZhTSemajHyJWgUEcoQSfRKYywU/s640/Young+whooper+-+cropped.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">cropped and sharpened version of juvenile Whooping Crane photo</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">A new tool in Photoshop is called “content aware move” which
allows you to select something in a photo, move it somewhere else and Photoshop
fills in the space where the object was.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>This sounded useful for bird photos so I thought I’d give it a try:</span><br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikHDqOOahgO10PajQazKfukr-LuLdq0Iq2gLzR6GUqVXe3o-YX-nI4zDIJGLpTWgsTrkbmzQNNZY2NEy_r0pkGqgQ5_GK5_dywhxjX2VHdp0HShH3nNdsGCM-avYlrAuTXj7g27pRuP7A/s1600/Flicker+before+use+of+content+aware+tool.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikHDqOOahgO10PajQazKfukr-LuLdq0Iq2gLzR6GUqVXe3o-YX-nI4zDIJGLpTWgsTrkbmzQNNZY2NEy_r0pkGqgQ5_GK5_dywhxjX2VHdp0HShH3nNdsGCM-avYlrAuTXj7g27pRuP7A/s640/Flicker+before+use+of+content+aware+tool.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Northern Flicker with distracting bird on right</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEir7x1TllimekB5iAYfq5Rbw9O7XgPmQiB_XcLwD1b0Rxv1cxyfiXNzECFEKK2wIx7B4lOLjrfvW3KQ5ih7oJx0bI1oCsUiYOjE4UPlBA1hMvtfikTi4GwyUqlMaIHrVwVsisFhv4BJtbo/s1600/Flicker+after+use+of+content+aware+move+tool.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEir7x1TllimekB5iAYfq5Rbw9O7XgPmQiB_XcLwD1b0Rxv1cxyfiXNzECFEKK2wIx7B4lOLjrfvW3KQ5ih7oJx0bI1oCsUiYOjE4UPlBA1hMvtfikTi4GwyUqlMaIHrVwVsisFhv4BJtbo/s640/Flicker+after+use+of+content+aware+move+tool.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Voila! no distractions after using the "content aware move" tool </td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: Calibri;"><strong>Local outings<o:p></o:p></strong></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Usually we get out as a team once or twice between
trips.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>However, there are no new birds
likely for us in Alberta and looking for hard-to-see mammals in cold, windy
weather is not much fun so we haven’t been out yet … maybe on the weekend.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>That’s not to say we aren’t looking – as I
write this, I’m watching my backyard for a Long-tailed Weasel (last year, I saw
one quite a few times) which should be changing to its winter coat soon.<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhD6xve7u-TVBvWYiBcxBzrXCl0tpTgy22d9WcPrj2cvZPV6pSSSx0bD6AsXKj7QrvpWqJKiRP80Z34HDgb6coD0eiXPyTeSPLKHCrW3FQPC8k-te-3GIwnUKth3pW5hlWXYIL2_805AIk/s1600/Long-tailed+Weasel.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhD6xve7u-TVBvWYiBcxBzrXCl0tpTgy22d9WcPrj2cvZPV6pSSSx0bD6AsXKj7QrvpWqJKiRP80Z34HDgb6coD0eiXPyTeSPLKHCrW3FQPC8k-te-3GIwnUKth3pW5hlWXYIL2_805AIk/s640/Long-tailed+Weasel.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Long-tailed Weasel (photo taken in Calgary, Feb. 2009)</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Well, unless we find a new mammal locally, the next post
will be from somewhere in BC.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Until
then, good birding and mammaling!<o:p></o:p></span>Brianhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01780391838994912434noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-722286037718828733.post-6745979512653385242012-10-09T18:44:00.001-07:002012-10-09T18:44:53.849-07:00Whooping it up in Saskatchewan
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Fall in Saskatchewan:<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>this one has been on our schedule since our
first discussion of the “Year”, and we have three target species. Whooping
Crane (of course), American Badger and Ord’s Kangaroo Rat. None is guaranteed;
we could find them all or strike out.<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";">CrossIron Mills mall is a convenient
place to meet for eastern (or northern) outings, and we assemble there early on
October 4. Phil drives us toward the provincial border through intermittent
ground fog and a wintry zero temperature, and we manage to pick out several
“Alberta” Sandhill Cranes along the way. On the Saskatchewan side we continue
through Kindersley and Rosetown to Saskatoon where we meet local birder Ron
Jensen. He tells us the good news: Whooping Cranes are being seen. Ron and his
friend Ray lead us on an hour’s drive and we are treated to a marvelous view of
a large group of these endangered birds. Also in the area we find many
Sandhills, plus thousands of Snow, “Blue”, Greater White-fronted, Cackling and
Canada Geese. The sights and sounds as the flocks take off and land, always with
“greetings” to one another, make for a truly a magnificent waterfowl spectacle.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhA1vwcSh1It2SUOCpqde5pcR86KDtCzG3QihCkB7jV5-AHlXh8MaMX1bZZFraZLXeyZU8qKtpy_6l7UvlWp-3raRp_Bj86rf6EzpkN-Ya22yvvRZ7trZXepOUfuy5C9tJGxrwlxaI6HBQ/s1600/Cranes+from+a+distance.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhA1vwcSh1It2SUOCpqde5pcR86KDtCzG3QihCkB7jV5-AHlXh8MaMX1bZZFraZLXeyZU8qKtpy_6l7UvlWp-3raRp_Bj86rf6EzpkN-Ya22yvvRZ7trZXepOUfuy5C9tJGxrwlxaI6HBQ/s640/Cranes+from+a+distance.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">View of the cranes (those white specks!) from the car</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvHP6ezQBtYx0nRDiKPMdiuWHtetSVuU0l411cq0j8nhOb14iG5ZFdX7IU1WrlYP3BjGCnna49fJlvBn_qvJkMF1_BPg4JC6tiGpOC-rF-IBt8JJ35C6jSTTCLxkChKpwWh855DJxuYvc/s1600/Dancing+Cranes.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvHP6ezQBtYx0nRDiKPMdiuWHtetSVuU0l411cq0j8nhOb14iG5ZFdX7IU1WrlYP3BjGCnna49fJlvBn_qvJkMF1_BPg4JC6tiGpOC-rF-IBt8JJ35C6jSTTCLxkChKpwWh855DJxuYvc/s640/Dancing+Cranes.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Dancing Whooping Cranes with Sandhill Cranes looking on (with telephoto lens)</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Ron and Ray expertly guide us to a Saskatoon
pub where we toast our good fortune with fine locally-brewed refreshments.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5JnLbB-Np54uzP6G_Hr8lWBZ_O4EHiZvW0Gs7mi2Fsz7C0rBRPPoIUA2h83oK_w-bmiXtIESKGiTjD0SODyQVBfHtEx_tbQBzFEVG1ua-FB19o9B0ffb3djZhmzdj6_1QfI2RAWebmUg/s1600/Woods+Ale+House.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5JnLbB-Np54uzP6G_Hr8lWBZ_O4EHiZvW0Gs7mi2Fsz7C0rBRPPoIUA2h83oK_w-bmiXtIESKGiTjD0SODyQVBfHtEx_tbQBzFEVG1ua-FB19o9B0ffb3djZhmzdj6_1QfI2RAWebmUg/s640/Woods+Ale+House.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">from left to right: Ron, Mike, Ray, Phil, Brian, Ray</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Next day: it’s a relief to vacate our
too-warm motel rooms. Following breakfast Phil skillfully </span><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-size: small;">negotiates a series of detours and we
head south for Gardiner Dam. Once again we’re impressed by the sheer numbers of
geese and many Tundra Swans. Ross’s Goose is new for the trip and we note an
unexpected high count of “Blue” Geese.</span> <o:p></o:p></span></span><br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_cb67iO0UZTFyDUfPrgDRxBB7HWdPSTdkAgwob1jg5_LkpV_XNa0X_0tJO3gsoOjOWbJk8JicbBTXCEw54DevRfPfP5BaYZgrfP_UwjaA8K1IANRm2uG0C2HOn3bOEqWu-UcB7SpSFkU/s1600/Snow+Geese+in+flight.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_cb67iO0UZTFyDUfPrgDRxBB7HWdPSTdkAgwob1jg5_LkpV_XNa0X_0tJO3gsoOjOWbJk8JicbBTXCEw54DevRfPfP5BaYZgrfP_UwjaA8K1IANRm2uG0C2HOn3bOEqWu-UcB7SpSFkU/s640/Snow+Geese+in+flight.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Snow Geese</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Lake Diefenbaker, which is formed by
Gardiner Dam, appears devoid of birdlife. We pass on south to Luck Lake and
find yet another mass of geese, old stuff by now. As we drive the track across
the lake causeway the front-seat guys spot a mammal trotting ahead. I say “porcupine”
but am swiftly corrected. “It’s a badger!”, we whoop as we watch mammal #73,
our most-hunted (and most-missed) four-legged critter.<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdmxYF7wt-zhAjLg-pjB2O_A6GZTuOp65_0XpujUSKGvJ_LSHhQ3-mlArOZI2oX26pwyB70iLVIwAmUlgL4BeGaSdzylo3kCKzaEPAsbJ_k289G6MORKtCfdNdn7aDk8nRJY761QmSb5c/s1600/Badger+from+behind.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdmxYF7wt-zhAjLg-pjB2O_A6GZTuOp65_0XpujUSKGvJ_LSHhQ3-mlArOZI2oX26pwyB70iLVIwAmUlgL4BeGaSdzylo3kCKzaEPAsbJ_k289G6MORKtCfdNdn7aDk8nRJY761QmSb5c/s640/Badger+from+behind.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">American Badger running away from us</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-size: small;">On our way west to Leader a lovely Red
Fox poses for photos, but we’ve another mammal in mind. After supper and checking
into our mercifully cool rooms we head south and enter the Great Sand Hills
Ecological Reserve to search for Ord’s Kangaroo Rat, a small nocturnal rodent.
We had missed this one in June, patrolling prairie tracks at midnight near the
Empress cemetery on the Alberta – Saskatchewan border.</span> <o:p></o:p></span></span><br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiAadWlAMhmT_eUnBb41QeZl1tdTeetCqb6ufnNsA6JB2vmncWTBX0dZpLUIuYKFiFs25PwNFJ8yLqYyqUuYCL6Xu_CJtVoPFicXWqsl9_HCANhLR9i-UW1RiUL28YdZyyoYm-AmjFPr8E/s1600/Red+Fox.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiAadWlAMhmT_eUnBb41QeZl1tdTeetCqb6ufnNsA6JB2vmncWTBX0dZpLUIuYKFiFs25PwNFJ8yLqYyqUuYCL6Xu_CJtVoPFicXWqsl9_HCANhLR9i-UW1RiUL28YdZyyoYm-AmjFPr8E/s640/Red+Fox.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Red Fox</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";">It’s about 9pm, dark and moonless. In
the reserve Ray turns the car into a small parking area where several months
ago we spotted a Thirteen-lined Ground Squirrel. A tail-up kangaroo rat darts
across in the headlights – seen by all – and a moment later another scurries
by. <o:p></o:p></span><br />
<br />
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";">No one expected to hit the trifecta,
but it happened. Any or all – crane, badger, rat – could easily have been
missed. The drive home the following day is cushioned by memories of our
successful prairie visit, and we wonder what lies ahead at Haida Gwaii.</span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";"></span> </div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";">- Mike -<o:p></o:p></span></div>
Brianhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01780391838994912434noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-722286037718828733.post-44356198488135007002012-09-28T16:27:00.000-07:002012-09-28T16:27:50.518-07:00Fur and Feathers 10 Most Wanted List
<br />
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Our most recent trip to Nova Scotia, New Brunswick and
Quebec netted us 5 new species – Red Phalarope, Pomarine Jaeger, North Atlantic
Right Whale, Beluga Whale and Northern Wheatear bringing our total to 493 which
is tantalizing close to our target of 500.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>However, winter is looming in Canada and the opportunity for new species
is diminishing rapidly.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Our true most wanted list would include Cougar, Lynx and
Wolverine but I’ve left them off this list as we are unlikely to get them.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Other “most wanteds” such as the Narwhal and
Walrus have also not been included as they are no longer possible this year
(based on our travel schedule).<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHiwGQGIHSSK0YV095Vy-DVdZo6M-ULX62TbGbYxoYT7Eme3MtZ2pV_XNqKpiZyOlSW-F89-zA6FiTdcEhw80XOWMdayyBuU9JRgPkgZPVji4B69bqZklL_pVNqqFw9zNdM-jceIV7XNY/s1600/wanted+-+badger.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHiwGQGIHSSK0YV095Vy-DVdZo6M-ULX62TbGbYxoYT7Eme3MtZ2pV_XNqKpiZyOlSW-F89-zA6FiTdcEhw80XOWMdayyBuU9JRgPkgZPVji4B69bqZklL_pVNqqFw9zNdM-jceIV7XNY/s320/wanted+-+badger.jpg" width="248" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;"><strong>WANTED: American Badger<o:p></o:p></strong></span></div>
<br />
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Despite many local sightings, Bad Gerry has eluded us.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Now that the crops have been harvested, he
should be easier to spot in the fields.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Calibri;"><strong>WANTED: Northern Pocket Gopher<o:p></o:p></strong></span><br />
<br />
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">This species is nocturnal and lives underground – always a
tough combination for sightings.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It
announces its presences with large mounds of dirt.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Our strategy is to find one actively creating
the dirt mound and wait for it to pop its head out of the hole (this worked for
me a couple of years ago).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We have tried
dusk and dawn but may have to do a midnight stakeout.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtfiBLQQoflRWvYgY9ON7p2UU_-hemsNwOiPxiTigdN9C-_8kFJjvd8fAAUvFE9CKNvBWuLE1w-SL3PnO9oXKfce3giPjDqo08scygYYoqBWlstgmRM_Pi1joDef0NYU0kBYHntjN03sE/s1600/wanted-+mouse.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtfiBLQQoflRWvYgY9ON7p2UU_-hemsNwOiPxiTigdN9C-_8kFJjvd8fAAUvFE9CKNvBWuLE1w-SL3PnO9oXKfce3giPjDqo08scygYYoqBWlstgmRM_Pi1joDef0NYU0kBYHntjN03sE/s320/wanted-+mouse.jpg" width="248" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;"><strong>WANTED: House Mouse<o:p></o:p></strong></span></div>
<br />
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Mickey is well known to everybody but has been in hiding
this year.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This city dweller can be seen
at the base of feeders and occasionally has the audacity to move indoors (our
spouses would not be pleased if we encouraged the latter activity!).<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;"><strong>WANTED: Long-tailed Weasel<o:p></o:p></strong></span></div>
<br />
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Often seen near golf courses (I saw one today), we will
keep our eyes out for it while playing the final round of the Birders Cup next
week.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Normally quite common around
Calgary – perhaps its numbers are reduced due to a drop in the local rodent
population.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfxGg0uGX0tMtvp1khPwGYDKZJ-G7tpezOI3Uq6iEqrTDn-Vp8tHYoaTdB7YFxif4dHmEruJBIZD9hBYE2F6q03Eb6Xz7wuxhiUdF9EErvkc2O_J-7JuNiBuW8Rlb6UpqyfEkAFI-298g/s1600/wanted+-+wolf.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfxGg0uGX0tMtvp1khPwGYDKZJ-G7tpezOI3Uq6iEqrTDn-Vp8tHYoaTdB7YFxif4dHmEruJBIZD9hBYE2F6q03Eb6Xz7wuxhiUdF9EErvkc2O_J-7JuNiBuW8Rlb6UpqyfEkAFI-298g/s320/wanted+-+wolf.jpg" width="248" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;"><strong>WANTED: Wolf<o:p></o:p></strong></span></div>
<br />
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">This species often travels in packs though a lone wolf is
not uncommon.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Wally the Wolf is known to
frequent the valleys in Banff and Kannaskis Country in the winter.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Also known as a technology adopter and is
sometimes seen with a radio collar.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;"><strong>WANTED: Yellow-billed Loon<o:p></o:p></strong></span></div>
<br />
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">We missed this Arctic species on our two northern trips and
hope to see it from the Prince Rupert-Haida Gwaii ferry.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<span style="font-family: Calibri;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1Tg9EY5fDRzrUwLRjSNUfJ7xb12PubDIkhTTIlO6uZkGknlPgFCTfNos9Aqo59HjUI10OeuOhkCMnlH_yLDGlOHsh3-Z66aOX-P9BI7ELoZYBsWMBHKecmB_jC5MFPGWk6ttSmWhYChE/s1600/wanted+-+whooping+crane.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1Tg9EY5fDRzrUwLRjSNUfJ7xb12PubDIkhTTIlO6uZkGknlPgFCTfNos9Aqo59HjUI10OeuOhkCMnlH_yLDGlOHsh3-Z66aOX-P9BI7ELoZYBsWMBHKecmB_jC5MFPGWk6ttSmWhYChE/s320/wanted+-+whooping+crane.jpg" width="248" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;"><strong>WANTED: Whooping Crane<o:p></o:p></strong></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">This is one of Canada’s rarest and most endangered birds.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It nests in Wood Buffalo National Park in the far north of Alberta and winters in Texas.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Fortunately, it usually stops over for a few days in Saskatchewan on its way south.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;"><strong>WANTED: Short-tailed Shearwater<o:p></o:p></strong></span></div>
<br />
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">This shearwater looks remarkably like its more common
cousin, “Sooty”.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It has also been seen on
the Prince Rupert-Haida Gwaii ferry.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We
have been studying its field marks but will want photographic evidence to be
sure.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Calibri;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Calibri;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgn33yA4HzD06KSDUfRSyjKMcjpcOUmQIEvqcAUwjujZiTy4tnJj7zQfkCeAD0fMIfIlMgF82JoDvxJ86gd3_j404AVIECb4jNsMSPD3JPxnUHtFpDZ3Q_g_lwX5KL4F7Y2f2_6oVmpkFc/s1600/wanted+-+rock+sandpiper.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgn33yA4HzD06KSDUfRSyjKMcjpcOUmQIEvqcAUwjujZiTy4tnJj7zQfkCeAD0fMIfIlMgF82JoDvxJ86gd3_j404AVIECb4jNsMSPD3JPxnUHtFpDZ3Q_g_lwX5KL4F7Y2f2_6oVmpkFc/s320/wanted+-+rock+sandpiper.jpg" width="248" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;"><o:p></o:p></span><strong>WANTED: Rock Sandpiper</strong><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">“Rock” is known to hang around rocky shores on the west coast and is most reliably seen on Haida Gwaii.<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<br />
<strong>WANTED: Ancient Murrelet<o:p></o:p></strong></div>
</div>
</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">This murrelet is in Haida Gwaii waters year-round and we’re
hoping to nab this guy from the ferry. <o:p></o:p></span><br />
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;"><br />Other species on our wanted list are American Marten, Dall’s
Porpoise, Killer Whale, Ermine, Least Weasel, Norway Rat, South Polar Skua and
Buller’s Shearwater.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">With so many possibilities, reaching 500 should be easy but
we know it won’t be.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In October, we will
make trips to Saskatchewan and Haida Gwaii and look for some local Alberta mammals.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>With luck, this will get us to our goal; if
not, we will consider making one more trip in November or December. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">So, if you live in the west, be on the look out for some of these most wanted species - successful leads could make you famous through the recognition you'll get on our blog!</span></div>
Brianhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01780391838994912434noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-722286037718828733.post-38806380740280877792012-09-27T19:11:00.000-07:002012-09-27T19:11:00.807-07:00Of Whales and Wheatear<br />
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-size: 12pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Sunday September 23 – Into New Brunswick<o:p></o:p></span></span></b></div>
<br />
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<span style="font-size: 12pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Ray passed the
blog responsibilities to Phil onboard the ferry across the Bay of Fundy, as we
crossed the border (wherever it is!) into New Brunswick. At about that moment the
ship ran into a fog bank, and we took a short break from our lonely vigil on
the foredeck. The sun then shone for a brief period, during which time we saw a lone
Manx Shearwater as a break from all the Great Shearwaters. Soon afterwards the
ship re-entered the fog and remained there till we landed in Saint John. As we
faced a long journey to the Saint Lawrence River the next day, we elected to
drive as far as Fredericton, New Brunswick’s Provincial Capital, for the night.</span></span></div>
<br />
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-size: 12pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Monday September 24 – To the Saint Lawrence
River<o:p></o:p></span></span></b></div>
<br />
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<span style="font-size: 12pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">A crisp fall
morning greeted us, with sunny skies and a brisk 6 degrees. Despite the first
real sunshine we’d seen since arriving down east, a short walk in the
Fredericton Botanical Gardens yielded only a few birds – perhaps they too were
waiting for things to warm up – so we soon headed out. The Trans-Canada
Highway winds its way through beautiful countryside, hugging the border with
Maine. New Brunswick is 90% forested, and we noted the beginnings of the fall
colours for which this part of the world is famous.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We made our way steadily north, stopping for
short forays from time to time. The camping area at Woolastock was quite
productive, and north of Edmunston we stopped outside the New Brunswick
Botanical Gardens. It was quiet, but a Yellow-bellied Sapsucker put in an
appearance. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<br />
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<span style="font-size: 12pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Eventually we
reached Riviere-du-Loup, on the south shore of the Saint Lawrence. With a few
hours to spare before catching the ferry across the river, we explored the
vicinity of the town. On the waterfront we saw a flock of about 20 Snow Geese.
But the highlight of our brief time in this quaint town was a stroll in the
Parc de la Chute, one of the most beautiful city parks we’ve been in. Not too
birdy in the early afternoon and windy conditions, but a very pleasant walk. Brian got his first good picture of a Golden-crowned Kinglet, a ubiquitous but retiring species.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="font-family: Calibri;"></span></span> </div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgguesNqZjF_AEF2PlZQBetVtlcwl0QGvZozYYRQuxyBoQwFmEdfK853yU0PSulUMEpWF8wGsUyf0rrkkuVYOD9NiLFzKUaA7cbPWt-eSmt_L6VN77E49v8d1ZFw3eCxb-aZWLC0KOCokSR/s1600/Riviere-du-Loup.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgguesNqZjF_AEF2PlZQBetVtlcwl0QGvZozYYRQuxyBoQwFmEdfK853yU0PSulUMEpWF8wGsUyf0rrkkuVYOD9NiLFzKUaA7cbPWt-eSmt_L6VN77E49v8d1ZFw3eCxb-aZWLC0KOCokSR/s640/Riviere-du-Loup.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: purple; font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif; font-size: small;">Riviere-du-Loup on the Saint Lawrence</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"></span> </div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="font-family: Calibri;"></span></span> </div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2Y3Lr6XSBAyEIpSzwjAqYrNNgpwR3O7qjuAiIlGaOjHaDSd6PE96puByIT-BwoGWVA4WnKs3PjoCmm5RF52l1uP7bM9ZKH8n-Xf7sn9we6WZ_I_4dMjIxYOV35UXFfnbq9FyMkfEkRkCg/s1600/Golden-crowned+Kinglet.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2Y3Lr6XSBAyEIpSzwjAqYrNNgpwR3O7qjuAiIlGaOjHaDSd6PE96puByIT-BwoGWVA4WnKs3PjoCmm5RF52l1uP7bM9ZKH8n-Xf7sn9we6WZ_I_4dMjIxYOV35UXFfnbq9FyMkfEkRkCg/s640/Golden-crowned+Kinglet.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: purple; font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif; font-size: small;">Golden-crowned Kinglet</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"></span> </div>
<span style="font-size: 12pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">The ferry from
Riviere-du-Loup to the north shore at Saint-Simeon takes just over an hour. </span></span><span style="font-size: 12pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">We
stayed on deck in the hope of seeing Beluga Whales, and as we rounded Ile
Verte, which lies in the middle of the river, we saw two groups of them. They
were hard to count, but we thought there were about six of the shiny white
adults and one or two slate-coloured juveniles. After a lean day yesterday, we
were very happy to notch up species #492. </span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: 12pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="font-family: Calibri;"></span></span> </div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEieflJ8gZcBmOuj8vkM_SpM1zvc_KTx1-HzFqxI73I_RAXQkb2SwBm4AgZQXuVaxkjUYnUxZD-nCgJHL_pl_2ParU6rZh8RpKlJ33LjqmApuXi2bQ6_0j0L0fps09pClVhuSOoQnDDhasGN/s640/Belugas.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="640" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: purple; font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif; font-size: small;">Beluga Whales</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="font-family: Calibri;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEieflJ8gZcBmOuj8vkM_SpM1zvc_KTx1-HzFqxI73I_RAXQkb2SwBm4AgZQXuVaxkjUYnUxZD-nCgJHL_pl_2ParU6rZh8RpKlJ33LjqmApuXi2bQ6_0j0L0fps09pClVhuSOoQnDDhasGN/s1600/Belugas.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="color: purple; font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"></span></a><o:p></o:p></span></span> </div>
<span style="font-size: 12pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">It was then a
half-hour drive from Saint-Simeon to the Saguenay River, where we drove onto
the ferry for a ten-minute ride taking us to Tadoussac: Brian spotted a Minke
Whale on the river. Thirteen whale species have been recorded in the Saint
Lawrence, and we hoped to add a new species or two on a whale watching
cruise tomorrow. <o:p></o:p></span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: 12pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><o:p><span style="font-family: Calibri;"> </span></o:p></span><br />
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-size: 12pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Tuesday September 25 – Whale Watching on the
Saint Lawrence<o:p></o:p></span></span></b></div>
<br />
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<span style="font-size: 12pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Our hopes were
high as we boarded the 225-seat catamaran <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Katmar</i>
operated by Croisieres 2001 for a 3-hour morning cruise. There are three cruise
operators at work at this tail end of the whale watching season. We chose the
catamaran over a zodiac as it is good to be able to move around and also much
better for taking photographs. Watching two zodiacs plying their way through
the choppy waters, we definitely had made a more comfortable choice.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></span></div>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwsTAqhtr9AmHVq_0dXXfm3mK9VVWWhEAxs7pi6GFP19wLMNjY8A34Rp090arWI28i3Shv8Pd4iFyvROTzj9uqPkgGvLpbyc3xxYgtQgl8dlHvaAOAFPP8LQvMSb1eu7bPh1J7015-sBJg/s1600/Ferry+to+St+Simeon-1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwsTAqhtr9AmHVq_0dXXfm3mK9VVWWhEAxs7pi6GFP19wLMNjY8A34Rp090arWI28i3Shv8Pd4iFyvROTzj9uqPkgGvLpbyc3xxYgtQgl8dlHvaAOAFPP8LQvMSb1eu7bPh1J7015-sBJg/s640/Ferry+to+St+Simeon-1.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: purple; font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif; font-size: small;">On Board the <em>Katmar</em></span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-size: 12pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="font-family: Calibri;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"></span></span></span> </div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7-5yJ-54eWRikscvX4bAI5_LuGXTuFMKnirLGRVEGEG6_dJYqZWbVIuWYdh1gxBkcdPodGiy_nA-btfyGrEaQQY7Q3NBXIRBawa9RtHprH2VFE_vchbAvyXzXcUb5JS1fPxAe4DdhfGts/s1600/Tadoussac.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7-5yJ-54eWRikscvX4bAI5_LuGXTuFMKnirLGRVEGEG6_dJYqZWbVIuWYdh1gxBkcdPodGiy_nA-btfyGrEaQQY7Q3NBXIRBawa9RtHprH2VFE_vchbAvyXzXcUb5JS1fPxAe4DdhfGts/s640/Tadoussac.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: purple; font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif; font-size: small;">Tadoussac, Quebec</span><br />
<span style="color: purple; font-family: Trebuchet MS; font-size: small;"></span> </td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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A<span style="font-size: 12pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">fter leaving the
dock at Tadoussac the <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Katmar</i> went
across the Saguenay to pick up additional passengers at Baie-de-Sainte-Catherine
before heading out into the Saint Lawrence. There were about 50 passengers on
board. We soon ran into a pod of about 4 Beluga Whales, and then a Minke Whale.
All around us hundreds of Bonaparte’s Gulls and Black-legged Kittiwakes were
diving for fish. An even more impressive sight was a flock of many thousands of
White-winged Scoters. Further out into the river we hove to, beside a pod of
about six Minke Whales, to allow everyone to take pictures. </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="font-family: Calibri;"></span></span> </div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgauXCy-ldGmZJ8WRvmEP1-eExf-J71rgsTm5yplHwqjRwLUeogafPLQ99xqpHdIQJpY2n8DOKsOhssczABtsozHedsK38sEokRRND88muKDy3ICjOokb_5qxEo8LzQAF3CcpjQmOYdOIWz/s1600/Minke+Whale.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgauXCy-ldGmZJ8WRvmEP1-eExf-J71rgsTm5yplHwqjRwLUeogafPLQ99xqpHdIQJpY2n8DOKsOhssczABtsozHedsK38sEokRRND88muKDy3ICjOokb_5qxEo8LzQAF3CcpjQmOYdOIWz/s640/Minke+Whale.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: purple; font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif; font-size: small;">Minke Whale</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Going inside to
get a coffee, Ray talked to the woman who was making the announcements over the
loudspeaker. “Not good news”, he reported. “She says that they never bother to
chase Fin Whales because they dive for 25 minutes, and they haven’t seen a Blue
Whale for a week.” And indeed we did not see any of our hoped-for whale
species. In fact this last of six whale watching cruises for the year was the
only one not to add any new species of birds or mammals for us.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<br />
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<span style="font-size: 12pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">A highlight of
the journey back to Tadoussac, with a short diversion up the impressive
Saguenay Fjord, was watching a juvenile Parasitic Jaeger harassing a
Bonaparte’s Gull. In the afternoon we took the ferry back across the Saint
Lawrence to Riviere-du-Loup, then drove to Grand Falls, NB for our overnight
stop. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<br />
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<span style="font-size: 12pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><o:p><span style="font-family: Calibri;"> </span></o:p></span><span style="font-family: Calibri;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-size: 12pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Wednesday September 26 – Happy Ending</span></b><span style="font-size: 12pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"> <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<br />
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<span style="font-size: 12pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">We set off early on
the 600 km drive to Halifax. Ray skillfully skirted three skunks crossing
the road in the pre-dawn hours and our first stop was at Kouchibouguac National
Park where we hoped to see some shorebirds. There weren’t too many, but a
Whimbrel posed nicely on a log for us. </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="font-family: Calibri;"></span></span> </div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZXQjE6lg3hNffjmZOJJmnQHbhVYzYoLpJMyKpUbnodYgK7dkp_62HqNn4Nqk4XbsY7Nf4-w1vDZ4NXiybSwpKt7czN6JxjICKoQ4fR7pi4JbqHpA574uA4FsIc7Go6htWfLyGeJRHcB_G/s1600/Whimbrel.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZXQjE6lg3hNffjmZOJJmnQHbhVYzYoLpJMyKpUbnodYgK7dkp_62HqNn4Nqk4XbsY7Nf4-w1vDZ4NXiybSwpKt7czN6JxjICKoQ4fR7pi4JbqHpA574uA4FsIc7Go6htWfLyGeJRHcB_G/s640/Whimbrel.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: purple; font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif; font-size: small;">Whimbrel</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Three Spruce Grouse were encountered
next to the road – a catch-up bird for Ray, who was delighted he won’t have to
spend days looking for one in Alberta. They soon headed for the cover
of the forest.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="font-family: Calibri;"></span></span> </div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLlKXML62rvmDSISP6aAUkT3L1BNgF1pjkJRxCIU-ksVPNessCBJKsI2oSYibC7FVyDCnSQRsMuAgY7L5rPOmZ-kaMDa4-CxoJtQ7D_p1dGwtcDyqoLiVZDz9MLZfMgPYkbYE8N908Iiff/s1600/Foggy+drive+to+Mirmichi.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLlKXML62rvmDSISP6aAUkT3L1BNgF1pjkJRxCIU-ksVPNessCBJKsI2oSYibC7FVyDCnSQRsMuAgY7L5rPOmZ-kaMDa4-CxoJtQ7D_p1dGwtcDyqoLiVZDz9MLZfMgPYkbYE8N908Iiff/s640/Foggy+drive+to+Mirmichi.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: purple; font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif; font-size: small;">On the road in New Brunswick</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-size: 12pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">We had a quick
lunch in Sackville, NB and took a stroll in the Waterfowl Park where we saw
several species of ducks and some shorebirds before heading for Brule, Nova
Scotia. Our target was a Northern Wheatear which has been around for a few days
in the yard of John and Trish Rubin, beautifully located right on the north shore. They kindly invited us to come and have a
look and Trish was waiting for us when we arrived around 3 PM. She was pleased
to tell us that the bird had stayed around and we were very happy to see it
within a minute or two of our arrival, perched on a pile of dried kelp. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>After the disappointment of the whale watching
in Quebec, it was good to notch up species #493, a new bird for Canada for all
of us. Thanks, John and Trish!</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="font-family: Calibri;"></span></span> </div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgKvLdY_wDLppmnar0HxJCBPmMj_ZnLL3cUw6yKKsDLAoASIdIlCrsm92nWuEVZiG5QtfFBpuqbAWzQSHdaHh52QVLHmHQlLLokOanaS61-cUoK6j5d4SY5HaNUYT9rrBR-ax1g3jdbxmw/s1600/Northern+Wheatear.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgKvLdY_wDLppmnar0HxJCBPmMj_ZnLL3cUw6yKKsDLAoASIdIlCrsm92nWuEVZiG5QtfFBpuqbAWzQSHdaHh52QVLHmHQlLLokOanaS61-cUoK6j5d4SY5HaNUYT9rrBR-ax1g3jdbxmw/s640/Northern+Wheatear.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: purple; font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif; font-size: small;">Northern Wheatear</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">We had a pleasant
dinner in Truro with Ray’s son Rob and wife Caroline, and Ray drove the last
lap of a long day to end our trip back in Halifax. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Back home to Calgary in the morning.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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Phil Cramhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07964282485194339556noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-722286037718828733.post-61001580563624186872012-09-24T17:56:00.002-07:002012-09-24T18:32:03.450-07:00Fog, Rain, Birds and Whales<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;"><span style="color: blue;">September 20<sup>th</sup><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;"><span style="color: blue;">So here we go again, I thought, as we began our descent into Halifax. This is our third Fur and Feathers trip to Canada’s Atlantic Provinces this year and it’s good to be back! But it’s not quite the trip we had expected….<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;"><span style="color: blue;">Many of our readers will know that this is hurricane season in the Caribbean. Hurricanes and tropical storms often track their way northwards up the U.S. east coast and occasionally they make landfall on Canada’s eastern provinces. In the aftermath of these storms one frequently encounters a “fall out” of unusual birds that have been swept north by the bad weather. For this reason we have been calling this September trip to Nova Scotia our “East Coast Storm Chasing Trip”. The trouble is, one can’t predict when these storms will strike. In the end, the only time we could juggle this week into our itinerary was late September so here we are! As it turns out, there’s not a storm in sight – not one coming up from the south anyway! As a result, the focus of our trip has switched to whales and sea birds. As we begin our time here, our species tally stands at 488 so we have 12 more to go to meet our goal of 500. With 2 or 3 whales and 3 or 4 new bird species, we could make a pretty good dent in this number.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>There will be just three of us this time: Brian, Phil and myself. Mike has been away spotting exotic birds in South America recently and was unable to join us. He will be with us again on our next trip!<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;"><span style="color: blue;">We touched down in Halifax right on time, courtesy of WestJet on this occasion. After picking up our rental car we set off for Wolfville and the Annapolis Valley, one of Nova Scotia’s very special places. A Yellow-crowned Night Heron has been seen in Wolfville Harbour recently and we reckoned we could arrive here with an hour or two of daylight left and if fortune smiled upon us, get our trip off to a quick start. No such luck! Our consolation prize however was a Marbled Godwit which is not really that exciting for us because it’s quite common out west. However, it’s pretty rare here in Nova Scotia and has caused a bit of a stir amongst local birders. We were very pleased to add it to our Nova Scotia list.</span> <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQILzkncky3s_ONXs7rTkelAhjUWkL0T9sDGl5D97yh8LNuIMTsTTB8IH9StNYdydzotn8boXrlrhDIDhZtzI4e_ocd3-PLkd0bCD_wXdvSLAnw0AgqcedNbF9dKLNArFBh-IdOqX_PLwd/s1600/Marbled+Godwit.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" hea="true" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQILzkncky3s_ONXs7rTkelAhjUWkL0T9sDGl5D97yh8LNuIMTsTTB8IH9StNYdydzotn8boXrlrhDIDhZtzI4e_ocd3-PLkd0bCD_wXdvSLAnw0AgqcedNbF9dKLNArFBh-IdOqX_PLwd/s640/Marbled+Godwit.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
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<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;"><span style="color: blue;">Marbled Godwit<o:p></o:p></span></span></i></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;"><span style="color: blue;">We were pretty tired and very hungry by the time we found sustenance in Paddy’s Pub on Wolfville’s Main Street. A pint of locally brewed Chimney Swift Stout helped restore our good spirits. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;"><span style="color: blue;">September 21<sup>st</sup><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;"><span style="color: blue;">If you check out a map of Atlantic Canada you will see that New Brunswick and Nova Scotia are separated by the Bay of Fundy, a rather unique place in Canada, known for its extremely high tides. This same map will show a remarkable land feature called Digby Neck, a long spit of land which runs straight southwest from Digby, parallel to Nova Scotia’s “mainland”. At the tip of Digby Neck lies Brier Island, well out in the Bay of Fundy. It’s a great migrant trap at this time of year and it’s a popular place for seabird and whale watching trips. Our plan was to bird our way south to Brier Island today and join up with a good birding friend, James Hirtle, who is leading a Nova Scotia Bird Society Field Trip down there this weekend. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;"><span style="color: blue;">We began the day by checking once more for the Yellow-crowned Night Heron in Wolfville Harbour. Again no luck! </span></span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2Al0Jw5B7Y9wuE4zsLEMXF3zeTF2CXPuRC4Uf1uhPviNshNbl2pHqw9Z37DMJynLAEwylpesMCN2tJHeP2TDLu4LSmtSKLlfJiMLZL_oRU-LeqXey7iZgi0pr9RIhLPF8co3uZeR3p9Ih/s1600/Wolfville+Harbour.jpeg.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" hea="true" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2Al0Jw5B7Y9wuE4zsLEMXF3zeTF2CXPuRC4Uf1uhPviNshNbl2pHqw9Z37DMJynLAEwylpesMCN2tJHeP2TDLu4LSmtSKLlfJiMLZL_oRU-LeqXey7iZgi0pr9RIhLPF8co3uZeR3p9Ih/s640/Wolfville+Harbour.jpeg.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: blue;"><em>Brian and Phil at Wolfville Harbour</em></span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;"><span style="color: blue;">We decided to forego any further birding activity in the Annapolis Valley and drive directly down to Brier Island. The weather forecast looked pretty grim for the weekend and we were beginning to worry that our pelagic trip scheduled for the next day might be cancelled. We thought it might be wise to get to Brier Island early and try to get on today’s excursion. This proved to be a good decision! By 12:30 we were all aboard the <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Chad and Sisters II, </b>heading out into the reasonably calm waters of the Bay of Fundy. During the next three hours or so, we didn’t see any sunshine but nor did we get any rain – and we saw lots of seabirds! Almost immediately we saw Northern Gannets and Great Shearwaters, the latter in their hundreds. </span></span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXc3kYJyF28w2DaqVrcubAt_HMu6aPh-d4FTsCrK8A5FtJeMGPVRCi8fWgjsQijAXLUq0GbtI6Eo7xAsZWOXbd5EX8X29qTvzgl7fNYx33xRtNa8y9yKE1B1JhlI5c0pI2o5bXmiYg-smq/s1600/Great+Shearwater.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" hea="true" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXc3kYJyF28w2DaqVrcubAt_HMu6aPh-d4FTsCrK8A5FtJeMGPVRCi8fWgjsQijAXLUq0GbtI6Eo7xAsZWOXbd5EX8X29qTvzgl7fNYx33xRtNa8y9yKE1B1JhlI5c0pI2o5bXmiYg-smq/s640/Great+Shearwater.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: blue;"><em>Great Shearwater</em></span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;"><span style="color: blue;">There were also many cormorants and gulls and some puffins too. The first new species for the year however was<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"> Red Phalarope (species #489). </b>We saw about 60 of them by trip’s end. Next, and perhaps even more exciting, was an adult <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Pomarine Jaeger (species #490). <o:p></o:p></b></span></span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgEG-AJJsaB65a2dsmpV3qywKTIMXeefcAIxPG_rocNiZUufLFp9Sb241H9v9oX2uTXQuP-yrzf_iiH5TtoDNwyUsdJrPU1n6hrcnxwpza-Keb-GJYoaFWnRBQzUkOodzyWdlwTywz3svum/s1600/Red+Phalarope.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" hea="true" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgEG-AJJsaB65a2dsmpV3qywKTIMXeefcAIxPG_rocNiZUufLFp9Sb241H9v9oX2uTXQuP-yrzf_iiH5TtoDNwyUsdJrPU1n6hrcnxwpza-Keb-GJYoaFWnRBQzUkOodzyWdlwTywz3svum/s640/Red+Phalarope.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: blue;"><em>Red Phalarope</em></span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiSaXiTUJDNRG_vlykvTGtjYN7F9qYS0kUKXpR9PhwMG5WVAjx258FoU5eVEzML2SJXtfPDm4ofy8P7E3GZk9-W84yyHYok4lgbwzrux_9U0h4cTuwHf1gDM5IkyXK_G2Lvb4WRv51KjsdV/s1600/Pomerine+Jaeger+-+Sep+-+NS.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" hea="true" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiSaXiTUJDNRG_vlykvTGtjYN7F9qYS0kUKXpR9PhwMG5WVAjx258FoU5eVEzML2SJXtfPDm4ofy8P7E3GZk9-W84yyHYok4lgbwzrux_9U0h4cTuwHf1gDM5IkyXK_G2Lvb4WRv51KjsdV/s640/Pomerine+Jaeger+-+Sep+-+NS.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;"><span style="color: blue;"><em>Pomarine Jaeger<o:p></o:p></em></span></span></b></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><o:p><span style="color: blue; font-family: Calibri;"> </span></o:p></b><span style="font-family: Calibri;"><span style="color: blue;">Much to the disgust of Mariner Cruises, and their owner, Penny, we didn’t come across a single whale on this trip. This was all the more surprising given that 2012 has apparently been there best year ever for whales, especially Humpback Whales but also other species. (A few days earlier an ORCA was seen in these waters – a very rare occurrence here.) Mariner Cruises very generously hands out free passes for a future trip when this happens so Brian, Phil and I not only added two new bird species to our tally but we were set up to do the same trip again the next day for free! <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;"><span style="color: blue;">After returning to port, we drove out to Pond Cove, a good sea watching location. It’s a very scenic spot. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<o:p><span style="color: blue; font-family: Calibri;"> </span></o:p> <br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXxTaD9LUs2IaKjIKAILLRStmn-37e5UZgBGYD1LfvQExK1F3DZCpm4GB6uGh-8WTvU8-ijwi8QBf-1_RTemCI7n1pUBY0F7xsOnGouTh4h_4b8DZX7UtlZEYRS4-FbMZ2gE7g-ZJ13Ch4/s1600/Big+Pond+-+Brier+Island.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" hea="true" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXxTaD9LUs2IaKjIKAILLRStmn-37e5UZgBGYD1LfvQExK1F3DZCpm4GB6uGh-8WTvU8-ijwi8QBf-1_RTemCI7n1pUBY0F7xsOnGouTh4h_4b8DZX7UtlZEYRS4-FbMZ2gE7g-ZJ13Ch4/s640/Big+Pond+-+Brier+Island.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><em><span style="color: blue;">Pond Cove Area</span></em></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;"><span style="color: blue;">Phil got us onto a handful of shorebirds amongst all the rocks and kelp on the beach including Black-bellied Plovers (2), Semipalmated Plovers (2) and a single Least Sandpiper. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;"><span style="color: blue;">We returned to Brier Island Lodge where we met up with James Hirtle. James assisted our Fur and Feathers team on our two previous trips here in January and June. It was good to see him again and meet his partner Pat this time too. James explained his plans for the following day’s activities, after which we packed it in for the day.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;"><span style="color: blue;">September 22<sup>nd</sup><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;"><span style="color: blue;">Our seabird and whale watching trip today was set once again for 12:30 pm so we devoted the morning to onshore birding with James as our guide. Aside from James and Pat, the only attendees on this Nova Scotia Bird Society Field Trip were our Fur and Feathers threesome and a couple from North Bay Ontario! I guess the rainy forecast dissuaded others form coming out. Or perhaps they knew that despite this weekend being the very peak of passerine migration on Brier Island usually, it certainly wasn’t so today! We saw relatively few species as we explored the island, though we did encounter one warbler flock that included Magnolia Warbler, Black-throated Green Warbler, Palm Warbler, Blue-headed Vireo and Boreal Chickadee. We also saw about 12 Sharp-shinned Hawks including both males and females. We were all struck by the significant difference in size between the males (smaller) and the females (larger). <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;"><span style="color: blue;">Despite the rainy weather, the seas remained relatively calm and we were able to board the <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Chad and Sisters II</b> as planned for another afternoon of pelagic birding. Overall, the numbers of seabirds seemed to be lower than the previous day but we picked up several different species including Black-legged Kittiwakes (right in the harbour), Great Cormorants and Wilson’s Storm-petrels. None of these were new for the year but they’re all good birds to see for us land-locked Albertans!<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><strong><em><span style="color: blue; font-family: Calibri;">Great Cormorant</span></em></strong></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;"><span style="color: blue;">We were beginning to worry that we might go two days in a row without a whale sighting when suddenly someone yelled out “Whale on the starboard side!” It was quite close and was very large. It showed no dorsal fin and the experts quickly declared it to be either a Northern Right Whale or a Fin Whale. The Fin Whale is a very large whale which actually does have a dorsal fin but it's set so far back toward its tail it may not always be visible. Either whale would be a new one for us but we needed to know which it was! After a long wait it resurfaced and gave us rather fleeting views before disappearing once more. It repeated this several times until finally it surfaced a bit closer to the boat and showed itself to be the<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"> Northern Right Whale (species #491)</b> – the world’s most endangered species of whale and an absolute treasure of a sighting for everyone on board. Even better, there turned out to be two of them! <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikBamoHqVr-0aq3GhHrupIgqtJEban7_1SD9OAlkxSonkcQM_WbyII7tU8e04I7VS1Jy1QXmB2DDHr1rBZXqN-EC-9b9K52_8ZWJUccarSGhJeRTQJJ8R1N1m5kTilVeB1n7XyLvnk1frK/s1600/North+Atlantic+Right+Whale+-+Sep+-+NS.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" hea="true" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikBamoHqVr-0aq3GhHrupIgqtJEban7_1SD9OAlkxSonkcQM_WbyII7tU8e04I7VS1Jy1QXmB2DDHr1rBZXqN-EC-9b9K52_8ZWJUccarSGhJeRTQJJ8R1N1m5kTilVeB1n7XyLvnk1frK/s640/North+Atlantic+Right+Whale+-+Sep+-+NS.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;"><span style="color: blue;">Northern right Whale<o:p></o:p></span></span></i></b></div>
</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYOo4m3p6D1b5l_ass_vpj_Dx7-OA_-swx0SRr9lRWxX9LccNPR0oeVF-id6hC3iafYdKv5qL-iWpcGrwT6F9ymc2VHMyarSbjO7bkG5KST9xsl_tpp_78c1VXMe72S8v3iF98sYQMmSUG/s1600/Northern+Atlantic+Right+Whale+II.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" hea="true" height="424" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYOo4m3p6D1b5l_ass_vpj_Dx7-OA_-swx0SRr9lRWxX9LccNPR0oeVF-id6hC3iafYdKv5qL-iWpcGrwT6F9ymc2VHMyarSbjO7bkG5KST9xsl_tpp_78c1VXMe72S8v3iF98sYQMmSUG/s640/Northern+Atlantic+Right+Whale+II.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: blue;"><em>....and how lucky was this!</em></span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;"><span style="color: blue;">A boat load of camera shutters clicked away furiously for about ten minutes and then we turned for home. We were in for one more treat however. We came across about 20 Atlantic White-sided Dolphins which put on a great display all around us. This was not a new species for us because we saw some unidentified dolphins on our ferry ride from Cape Breton to Newfoundland back in July. This was the real thing however – dolphins behaving the way dolphins are supposed to behave and Brian got a fantastic shot of one of them.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<br /></div>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgoJyE4s902Ki5BlYHmVP9920ysNBz_S-mrCRWZ9qtmKYRvTD-eaj2WFbGLhNfTjQs1So3456rzBzelWXqEJNM2zPhFxs0olJsF0X9SSvSdqS-pavmAgYLu3TAs7SpXRFlFH1N67bcl22H0/s1600/Atlantic+White-sided+Dolphin+-+Sep+-+NS.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" hea="true" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgoJyE4s902Ki5BlYHmVP9920ysNBz_S-mrCRWZ9qtmKYRvTD-eaj2WFbGLhNfTjQs1So3456rzBzelWXqEJNM2zPhFxs0olJsF0X9SSvSdqS-pavmAgYLu3TAs7SpXRFlFH1N67bcl22H0/s640/Atlantic+White-sided+Dolphin+-+Sep+-+NS.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: blue;"><em>Atlantic White-sided Dolphin</em></span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<o:p><span style="color: blue; font-family: Calibri;"> </span></o:p><span style="font-family: Calibri;"><span style="color: blue;">Once back ashore, we wrapped up the day’s birding with a drive out to West Light, another very scenic part of the coastline here. </span></span><br />
<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-OmpXp8PcKTKZiL3Gdlsi3P_efPQUDx-Z_6xvsQc77b3FLaFdYvyqhbtMi34a-IubQXLZF8E09u4kGc68mhCadWnOEllJx88U1u4hi1kgtd5Bug_jotANECiPcmraW38XYY7JfxKbT6qg/s1600/Westlight+-+scenery.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" hea="true" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-OmpXp8PcKTKZiL3Gdlsi3P_efPQUDx-Z_6xvsQc77b3FLaFdYvyqhbtMi34a-IubQXLZF8E09u4kGc68mhCadWnOEllJx88U1u4hi1kgtd5Bug_jotANECiPcmraW38XYY7JfxKbT6qg/s640/Westlight+-+scenery.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: blue;">West Light</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: Calibri;"><span style="color: blue;">Things were still pretty quiet but we did see some American Kestrels and a Red-tailed Hawk. We also met friends of James here - Eric and Anne Mills. Eric is an experienced local birder and has actually written a comprehensive book on the birds of Brier Island. They were able to join us all for dinner back at the Brier Island Hotel Restaurant where we enjoyed trading stories about our various birding experiences.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;"><span style="color: blue;">September 23<sup>rd</sup><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;"><span style="color: blue;">Once again we were up at dawn and off to Northern Light to check for any overnight arrival of migrating passerines. Alas we struck out again! The weather continued to be damp and foggy and perhaps this was the problem.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>James couldn’t recall a year with so few birds on the island. Birders never really strike out completely mind you, though we often whine a lot! The truth is, there is always a bird or two of interest to be found and this was true today as well. We came across an Orange-crowned Warbler (only found in very small numbers in Nova Scotia) and then later on, a Northern Mockingbird found initially by Eric and Anne Mills. We also came across about 50 shorebirds, mostly Semipalmated Plovers but with a few Semipalmated Sandpipers amongst them. No new species this morning however!<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;"><span style="color: blue;">We said goodbye to Brier Island shortly after midday and drove north back to Digby. Here we took the ferry over to Saint John, New Brunswick. We came across quite a few seabirds on the crossing, mostly Great Shearwaters, but also Northern Gannets, Puffins and a single Sooty Shearwater. </span></span></div>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgaxa_Rt4qp7ZOfWOM34mWInsvM-HAwDFS7k_eJcRNSKRjBOU8qDpfV-PeLXV1Z5FZ0GN1gkCw9KAVruZT3UgFnJpbAojnQ5O2PVp0juaE2xYIHC_31MIzXxDb69Csllt4V664K1pWXf8wn/s1600/Ferry+ride+to+St+John.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" hea="true" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgaxa_Rt4qp7ZOfWOM34mWInsvM-HAwDFS7k_eJcRNSKRjBOU8qDpfV-PeLXV1Z5FZ0GN1gkCw9KAVruZT3UgFnJpbAojnQ5O2PVp0juaE2xYIHC_31MIzXxDb69Csllt4V664K1pWXf8wn/s640/Ferry+ride+to+St+John.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: blue;"><em>Ferry to Saint John</em></span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;"><span style="color: blue;">The crossing was smooth enough but we were in thick fog much of the time. Perhaps the weather will be kinder to us during our travels over the next few days – but that will be a story for Phil to tell in our next posting.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<strong></strong><br />
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Rayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13178687980944139805noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-722286037718828733.post-81316303468066792572012-09-13T20:40:00.001-07:002012-09-14T07:02:27.073-07:00Tofino - birding on the west coast of Vancouver Island<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Last Monday, Sep. 11, we travelled from Victoria to Tofino
with a slight diversion to Deep Bay.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We
spent the first couple of hours at Swan Lake.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>We enjoyed our walk around the lake but didn’t see anything too
interesting (we weren’t expecting any new birds) and then drove up island.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>A large number of jaegers had been reported
from Deep Bay the previous day so we figured it was worth a couple of hours to
check it out.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>There were a large number
of Bonaparte’s Gulls in the bay along with Surf Scoters, White-winged Scoters,
Common Loons and Red-necked Grebes.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We
did see one jaeger harassing a gull but it was too far away to identify it.<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjsY5swXK2nKqQn2zvrO-GbBWtulbqJ06833HTxVJ1WKnhmV1jLgiPfdH5c_p9zKnOTd_xzTdxhQaXfhKi8Q_mLekeB8z7LRFOpVFzTufgVP1uV8rAeOWKcaaDp0YOXcIgVNJMFIVi7OhA/s1600/Bonaparte's+Gull+-+Sep+-+BC.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjsY5swXK2nKqQn2zvrO-GbBWtulbqJ06833HTxVJ1WKnhmV1jLgiPfdH5c_p9zKnOTd_xzTdxhQaXfhKi8Q_mLekeB8z7LRFOpVFzTufgVP1uV8rAeOWKcaaDp0YOXcIgVNJMFIVi7OhA/s640/Bonaparte's+Gull+-+Sep+-+BC.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Bonaparte's Gull</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Tuesday was a free day to bird the Tofino area as our
scheduled pelagic had been moved to Wednesday.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>We were focused on shorebirds and gulls and visited most of the
accessible shoreline.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span><br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNmsfTwydEdjaDFjsWCzCzfnWXhbbxX_Tc8EPpedpwjtxeWYCmutIwjzK12o4_juSkj-90pi0yRgIobTTYuKLIxvej0p3coNdFq5VIFfxpp-H0cjDWZhGnCmqgVGNAqtfDp-xi_Bfyg1E/s1600/birding+along+the+beach.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNmsfTwydEdjaDFjsWCzCzfnWXhbbxX_Tc8EPpedpwjtxeWYCmutIwjzK12o4_juSkj-90pi0yRgIobTTYuKLIxvej0p3coNdFq5VIFfxpp-H0cjDWZhGnCmqgVGNAqtfDp-xi_Bfyg1E/s640/birding+along+the+beach.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Ray and Phil looking for shorebirds</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: Calibri;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Our highlight was
a <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Western Gull</b> (#480)which was
visible from our motel.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We went down to
the harbour for closer looks and the gull was cooperative enough to hang
around.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>On the BC coast, Western Gulls
hybridize with Glaucous-winged Gulls and most “Westerns” are considered by some
to be of dubious lineage.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We carefully
checked out our gull – yellow-orange orbital ring, smudge-free head, dark
mantle, deep black wing tips – and felt this was as good as we were going to
get!<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhcW1UnaNY4z0temYMJV8_J74FJuw_GkzgeT8rMDwZ0OLEJ6sS3kZFIpYMo9fDZTd9jnsggGXt2OVbkjbzS2xkENRHypmgL5eACZYFD8xFVKylgxn8DeWKrqdkhnVKlShGQ205FezhYDP8/s1600/Western+Gull+-+Sep+-+BC.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhcW1UnaNY4z0temYMJV8_J74FJuw_GkzgeT8rMDwZ0OLEJ6sS3kZFIpYMo9fDZTd9jnsggGXt2OVbkjbzS2xkENRHypmgL5eACZYFD8xFVKylgxn8DeWKrqdkhnVKlShGQ205FezhYDP8/s640/Western+Gull+-+Sep+-+BC.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Western Gull</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">On Wednesday, we went on our much anticipated pelagic
trip.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Ray had spent a great deal of time
organizing it and we were relieved that the weather and surf conditions looked
good.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Along with us for the trip were
three keen Victoria birders – Rick Shortinghuis, Jeremy Kimm and Jeremy Gatten
as well as Charles Smith from Toronto.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The
Tofino Whale Centre, with Captain Mike and spotter Artie, dressed us up in
red survival suits and we departed about 7:15 am.<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhaOB5Out6iz2HLe_Con1RtL9kVpXTAtoRieXcW9aWZZm7OatdXYfc4P_vhpatSBWD04T6FWBvk8Z-UdZ-MuhtugfQZMWM-OctLBnegK9fiMLlt20dysvG1_yVOaa2CKejxtDXRAzDGnhc/s1600/Heading+out+from+Tofino.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhaOB5Out6iz2HLe_Con1RtL9kVpXTAtoRieXcW9aWZZm7OatdXYfc4P_vhpatSBWD04T6FWBvk8Z-UdZ-MuhtugfQZMWM-OctLBnegK9fiMLlt20dysvG1_yVOaa2CKejxtDXRAzDGnhc/s640/Heading+out+from+Tofino.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Heading out from Tofino</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">As we headed out to sea, our first sea birds were Sooty
Shearwaters.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Soon we had our first new
bird – <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Pink-footed Shearwater</b> (#481)
– which was soon followed by <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Cassin’s
Auklet</b> (#482).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span><br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvYm7ybAIGRNMyvzFU0eB16wcYuF3HBklWhJ0aMZWsVwXok7WO1C1nRc99tzIadD18YCrwlMDenElR_Msh__s7NV8FkFH9ocmuvU5bd-V7nbuSaP-lFM1Cz26MldE6K198AfUjGVKRJdE/s1600/Pink-footed+Shearwater+-+Sep+-+BC.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvYm7ybAIGRNMyvzFU0eB16wcYuF3HBklWhJ0aMZWsVwXok7WO1C1nRc99tzIadD18YCrwlMDenElR_Msh__s7NV8FkFH9ocmuvU5bd-V7nbuSaP-lFM1Cz26MldE6K198AfUjGVKRJdE/s640/Pink-footed+Shearwater+-+Sep+-+BC.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Pink-footed Shearwater</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3JpDcXjnIbFBr6GXdS7vBOY7ivBD8ClZnr0t_GrL0NtC_BpH91xnK7rKbzJJ3WRU6d6qkhQbUWHXIIucFb1FFL4sigfwEDDgNwa6K1cmeoospL5J2lQfPVlA8MlRdDYrs2bdpE6G0Xs4/s1600/Cassin's+Auklet+-+Sep+-+BC.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3JpDcXjnIbFBr6GXdS7vBOY7ivBD8ClZnr0t_GrL0NtC_BpH91xnK7rKbzJJ3WRU6d6qkhQbUWHXIIucFb1FFL4sigfwEDDgNwa6K1cmeoospL5J2lQfPVlA8MlRdDYrs2bdpE6G0Xs4/s640/Cassin's+Auklet+-+Sep+-+BC.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Cassin's Auklet</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Birds were rather
sparse but we did spot Red-necked Phalaropes (we checked them all out as we
were looking for Red Phalaropes) as well as some Rhinoceros Auklets.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Further out, we began seeing <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Sabine’s Gulls </b>(#483).<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2ZlsytHbbMBvzLHrcKCMy9upJCh0nQdP4OMVJQGiI0a1z6w3miZ-t2tdYa5JPwmptadH8O61QIoG1uwf6Af4CNpICB61WqMiBOrg4kI-0RMeNgxnqq9PZzDW-FsPLsIlHyR_SV8sC0H0/s1600/Sabine's+Gull+-+Sep+-+BC.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2ZlsytHbbMBvzLHrcKCMy9upJCh0nQdP4OMVJQGiI0a1z6w3miZ-t2tdYa5JPwmptadH8O61QIoG1uwf6Af4CNpICB61WqMiBOrg4kI-0RMeNgxnqq9PZzDW-FsPLsIlHyR_SV8sC0H0/s640/Sabine's+Gull+-+Sep+-+BC.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Sabine's Gull</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">After about 50 kilometres, we reached an underwater canyon
which was supposed to be good for birds.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>There wasn’t much around but we travelled along the canyon for a while
and eventually a <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Black-footed Albatross</b>
(#484) found us.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We continued out to
almost 70 kilometres from shore where the water was over 300 metres deep.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We dropped some “chum” (fish guts and pieces
of fish) hoping the birds would find it.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
While waiting for the birds to find the chum, we saw a distant but distinctive <strong>Fork-tailed Storm-Petrel</strong> (#485). </span>We were just about to leave when an albatross flew in followed by a <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Parasitic Jaeger</b> (#486).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Eventually, a few other albatrosses joined in
along with a four shearwaters.<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHWEGYrBS7ODelk76alLZEVm5zys5qzvZGKj7AgFLB-FYIuBrGmRmM40zURFF_i7QVnjmQpBa-RR0ay9rh6SsA5o4jnlZJ5be0l7jZjzii-Iqb-tF2uNnwRFKUKLFV2DAO2kongpli0gs/s1600/Black-footed+Albatross+-+Sep+-+BC.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHWEGYrBS7ODelk76alLZEVm5zys5qzvZGKj7AgFLB-FYIuBrGmRmM40zURFF_i7QVnjmQpBa-RR0ay9rh6SsA5o4jnlZJ5be0l7jZjzii-Iqb-tF2uNnwRFKUKLFV2DAO2kongpli0gs/s640/Black-footed+Albatross+-+Sep+-+BC.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Black-footed Albatross</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhq2j5sArbkQqdT5X0UvAD9XTBWmbAuDAslR8f_MFVEzZCenQujo9lDFPbqiTbmSjru7ntDmqnh2draL4a9wL6ZXPdl7ZWXT1M8_srSDrIfT2Kicqi_kp727xCAAj7i2R-1XQSnAKtemUI/s1600/Parasitic+Jaeger+-+Sep+-+BC.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhq2j5sArbkQqdT5X0UvAD9XTBWmbAuDAslR8f_MFVEzZCenQujo9lDFPbqiTbmSjru7ntDmqnh2draL4a9wL6ZXPdl7ZWXT1M8_srSDrIfT2Kicqi_kp727xCAAj7i2R-1XQSnAKtemUI/s640/Parasitic+Jaeger+-+Sep+-+BC.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Parasitic Jaeger</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">The ride back was fairly quiet but we did come across 3 <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Tufted Puffins</b> (#487) swimming with a
group of Cassin’s Auklets.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span><br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhEc6KQcko1QwDXUZZLtuGjctKEoTEEz-tdsaoNxMhnwlPmzlNGxa6ALKxzuI_CMS9Ea5SAZxsV3VYNcPrQ2ANv-g8rtbG7772r34mYGeNP2glAY-3oaJJUrO2D1B6hDV7JjQcQIwJ0Org/s1600/Tufted+Puffin+-+Sep+-+BC.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhEc6KQcko1QwDXUZZLtuGjctKEoTEEz-tdsaoNxMhnwlPmzlNGxa6ALKxzuI_CMS9Ea5SAZxsV3VYNcPrQ2ANv-g8rtbG7772r34mYGeNP2glAY-3oaJJUrO2D1B6hDV7JjQcQIwJ0Org/s640/Tufted+Puffin+-+Sep+-+BC.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Tufted Puffin</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">About ten miles from shore, we spotted our first (and only)
whales – a large group of Humpback Whales.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>The whales were surface feeding and we spent some time in the midst of a
group of eight of them.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The other mammal
highlight was seeing Sea Otters resting on their backs in the kelp beds nearer
shore.<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPKAjfwrICmNMgkMX1ZV_mHrEfU_GZ4k8bbHYlJsew8BJXnhkJcaz64ZGQsZnBSsV1mYvEkm_l9s954rr9NEP7Tu8QjCfsWTTJVzpIzNjFqxmowbEUO3lz8npAlQjfeWBqfjsG9MiTANg/s1600/Sea+Otter+-+Sep+-+BC.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPKAjfwrICmNMgkMX1ZV_mHrEfU_GZ4k8bbHYlJsew8BJXnhkJcaz64ZGQsZnBSsV1mYvEkm_l9s954rr9NEP7Tu8QjCfsWTTJVzpIzNjFqxmowbEUO3lz8npAlQjfeWBqfjsG9MiTANg/s640/Sea+Otter+-+Sep+-+BC.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Sea Otter</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">After 7 ½ hours on the boat, it was a strange feeling coming
back to shore.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We had enjoyed great
weather, calm seas, and great views of a few new birds as well as a very
memorable Humpback experience; on the other hand, we hadn’t seen as many new
birds as we had hoped for.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This trip was
kind of a “make it or break it” outing – if we had a great day, we would have
no problems meeting our goal of 500 species; if we didn’t do the trip (because
of weather which happens often with pelagics), we would have great difficulty
making our goal.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We certainly didn’t “make
it” but we didn’t “break it” either though we have our work cut out to find 12
more species.<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEic6NcwHQhzMoqX_PrO0ui3hS3ZOQZsCThKee7eH988R9vx8WqGShcgA7L2lTiAWC2qcYxPzaQcqdvG66TBSwC8nk-Ozz0mGnh__BZCVwNIDjBsOx2ZTXYJP833IJq2u0khKL1BZyMDNmo/s1600/Tofino+pelagic.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="282" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEic6NcwHQhzMoqX_PrO0ui3hS3ZOQZsCThKee7eH988R9vx8WqGShcgA7L2lTiAWC2qcYxPzaQcqdvG66TBSwC8nk-Ozz0mGnh__BZCVwNIDjBsOx2ZTXYJP833IJq2u0khKL1BZyMDNmo/s640/Tofino+pelagic.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Our route on the pelagic</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">With that in mind (and after an ice cream to refresh us), we
went out in search of a new bird.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I had
asked Jeremy Kimm where we were most likely to find a Pacific Golden-Plover and
he suggested the airport.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Shortly after
arriving at the airport, we found two <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Pacific
Golden-Plovers</b> (#488).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I forgot my
camera at the motel so no photos but we did spend quite a while checking out
all the field marks.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>One was a classic
juvenile (as described by Sibley) while the other was a bit different but
definitely a Pacific Golden-Plover.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Next week, we will head to the East Coast for the third (and
hopefully final time).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We will spend
most of our time in Nova Scotia as we have a couple of whales to get and it is
also a good time for vagrant species.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>With luck, we will be in position to accomplish our goal with a Whooping
Crane expedition to Saskatchewan and a ferry trip to Haida Gwaii in
mid-October.<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<br />
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<o:p><span style="font-family: Calibri;"> </span></o:p></div>
<br />
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<o:p><span style="font-family: Calibri;"> </span></o:p></div>
<br />
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<o:p><span style="font-family: Calibri;"> </span></o:p></div>
Brianhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01780391838994912434noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-722286037718828733.post-7569716835407522842012-09-10T07:35:00.000-07:002012-09-10T07:41:11.213-07:00Third Trip to British Columbia<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-size: 12pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Thursday September 6 – Starting the Final
Stretch<o:p></o:p></span></span></b></div>
<br />
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<span style="font-size: 12pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><o:p><span style="font-family: Calibri;"> </span></o:p></span></div>
<br />
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<span style="font-size: 12pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">We need 25
species to achieve our goal of 500 bird and mammal species, and our trip to the
west coast is critical to success. On the eve of our departure from Calgary,
Brian and Phil head into the Weaselhead natural area to look for Northern
Flying Squirrel and Northern Pocket Gopher.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<br />
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<span style="font-size: 12pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><o:p><span style="font-family: Calibri;"> </span></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">It is a fine
evening and when we arrive 20 minutes before sunset the trail is packed with
walkers, cyclists and skateboarders as well as a small troop of Boy Scouts.
Fresh mounds of soil thrown up by Northern Pocket Gophers are in evidence
beside the paved trail, but we see no signs of activity this evening. Among the
songbirds near the Elbow River, we hear Veery and White-throated Sparrow.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Eventually the other folks enjoying the
evening head for home and we wait for the Northern Flying Squirrel near some
unofficial feeders. It is an hour after sunset when one finally glides across
the path to one of the feeders, but it leaves the scene pretty quickly upon
discovering the feeder empty. No matter, we both see it and it is #476 on our
list.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<br />
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<span style="font-size: 12pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><o:p><span style="font-family: Calibri;"> </span></o:p></span></div>
<br />
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-size: 12pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Friday September 7 – Back to the Okanagan<o:p></o:p></span></span></b></div>
<br />
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-size: 12pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><o:p><span style="font-family: Calibri;"> </span></o:p></span></b></div>
<br />
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<span style="font-size: 12pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Brian and Phil
set off for the long drive to the south Okanagan. There is little to stop for
along the way and we reach Penticton in the late afternoon. Before heading to
our overnight stop at Osoyoos, we drive some of the roads which were productive
earlier in the year, but by now many birds have migrated. A stop at Vaseux
Cliffs is Phil’s last cha-chance to see a Chu-Chukar, which was seen by the team in March; we are encouraged by a
recent report of a hen with 12 chicks at this location but alas we are out of
luck.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<br />
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<span style="font-size: 12pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><o:p><span style="font-family: Calibri;"></span></o:p></span><br /></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-size: 12pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Saturday September 8 -- Squirrel Chase<o:p></o:p></span></span></b></div>
<br />
<br />
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<span style="font-size: 12pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">The main reason
for taking the southern route across BC to the coast is to look for a
ground-squirrel and a chipmunk in Manning Provincial Park. On our way out of
Osoyoos, we make a short detour to the US border to look for Sage Thrasher, but
there are none to be found. Indeed, there seems to be very little bird life of
any kind.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>On arrival in Manning Park, we
head up a road to Cascade Lookout which had not been open when we came in May
due to lingering snow. </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="font-family: Calibri;"></span></span> </div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="font-family: Calibri;"></span></span> </div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="font-family: Calibri;"></span></span> </div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjYLdzAx5SCVCR-XEi0P28-IYCyXLLaUlP2MzBeaDbt8wVHKDGs8wXwcWXSRjBCSJTjfRf3pVRgcSyCgJd_pcNZAES4Dnt2lDKg6EeNp8-xpfWBYLReQAX7il3klmDj_vCMkdzEhsMRpMW/s1600/View+from+Cascade+lookout.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjYLdzAx5SCVCR-XEi0P28-IYCyXLLaUlP2MzBeaDbt8wVHKDGs8wXwcWXSRjBCSJTjfRf3pVRgcSyCgJd_pcNZAES4Dnt2lDKg6EeNp8-xpfWBYLReQAX7il3klmDj_vCMkdzEhsMRpMW/s640/View+from+Cascade+lookout.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: purple; font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif; font-size: small;">View from Cascade Lookout, Manning Provincial Park</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-size: 12pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">We are the only car on the road and upon arrival at the
parking area at the lookout we are pleased to see several Cascade
Golden-mantled Ground Squirrels scampering around [species #477]. </span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-size: 12pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="font-family: Calibri;"></span></span> </div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNp5b1MS26HtlM8wPwzUXlPWkV_jJQ5T_fq8OnQQBfqp6o5BwuDJqSx3ZpBy0Grx7dlxne9tf_nDLj0VI3SxLB8uj7xd7uxulMc5eMhHF6xtBwt6kxBtI63UTcDvAzhy-JjxyP7duaBw2v/s1600/Cascade+Golden-mantled+Ground+Squirrel+-+Sep+-+BC.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNp5b1MS26HtlM8wPwzUXlPWkV_jJQ5T_fq8OnQQBfqp6o5BwuDJqSx3ZpBy0Grx7dlxne9tf_nDLj0VI3SxLB8uj7xd7uxulMc5eMhHF6xtBwt6kxBtI63UTcDvAzhy-JjxyP7duaBw2v/s640/Cascade+Golden-mantled+Ground+Squirrel+-+Sep+-+BC.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: purple; font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif; font-size: small;">Cascade Golden-mantled Ground Squirrel</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="font-family: Calibri;"></span></span> </div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-size: 12pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">On our way
back down the twisty road we encounter three small family groups of Dusky
and/or Sooty Grouse – hard to say which they were, but having seen both this
year we are not too perturbed.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-size: 12pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">The next few
hours are taken up with a search for Townsend’s Chipmunk. We check out various
trailheads, camping and picnic areas, during which time we see three chipmunks which
we take to be Yellow-Pine. (However, the two species are not strikingly
different and we plan further review of Brian’s photos before ruling out the
possibility that we actually did see Townsend’s.)</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-size: 12pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="font-family: Calibri;"></span></span> </div>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjkoqe5PdmLL-SoN9jTh-eu3lKooC79bPh9h8-IfxI8LFTwvV5UR-zT-qbIDdlP-dI8N8WRtosiKRojkPbXawpGqS4r9zElZzx8LzSZPNwfbfPizlpCICc8MeHX5RaHLw8DnI85xlTOyTV/s1600/Yellow-pine+Chipmunk.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjkoqe5PdmLL-SoN9jTh-eu3lKooC79bPh9h8-IfxI8LFTwvV5UR-zT-qbIDdlP-dI8N8WRtosiKRojkPbXawpGqS4r9zElZzx8LzSZPNwfbfPizlpCICc8MeHX5RaHLw8DnI85xlTOyTV/s640/Yellow-pine+Chipmunk.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: purple; font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif; font-size: small;">Yellow-pine Chipmunk</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="font-family: Calibri;"><o:p></o:p></span></span> </div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWUOxalmByJNajPUIAwJ3kB4LTTxuXXvSVkn3Lb-X06c8K1NtVUD6UrEdYZPyIOiqLkkeG5ZXG2JbyVHSGBkNysJWz0KG-qJ-AiQT5kFd6H4xinAJvfH7OCj6LvEE64SuxcsethQ0Qdw24/s1600/Manning+Park+chipmunk.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWUOxalmByJNajPUIAwJ3kB4LTTxuXXvSVkn3Lb-X06c8K1NtVUD6UrEdYZPyIOiqLkkeG5ZXG2JbyVHSGBkNysJWz0KG-qJ-AiQT5kFd6H4xinAJvfH7OCj6LvEE64SuxcsethQ0Qdw24/s640/Manning+Park+chipmunk.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: purple; font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif; font-size: small;">Another Yellow-pine Chipmunk .. or is it a Townsend's Chipmunk?</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
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<span style="font-size: 12pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><o:p><span style="font-family: Calibri;"> B</span></o:p></span><span style="font-size: 12pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">y the time we
reach the coast, there is little time to look for shorebirds at Boundary Bay,
and in any event the tide is way out. The ferry ride from Tsawassen to Swartz
Bay is uneventful, and after checking into our motel in Sidney we meet up for
dinner with Ray, who flew in a couple of hours earlier.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: 12pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><o:p><span style="font-family: Calibri;"> </span></o:p></span><br />
<br />
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-size: 12pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Sunday September 9 – Sidney Island </span></b><span style="font-size: 12pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<br />
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<span style="font-size: 12pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><o:p><span style="font-family: Calibri;"> </span></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Sidney Island is
reached by a short ferry ride from Sidney Pier – in the summer. As the ferry
has shut down for the season, we travel to the island at 7:00 AM in comfort by
water taxi. Our target on the island is Fallow Deer, a species introduced from
Europe which has adapted so well that a culling program began three years ago.
This year’s cull won’t be until November so we are optimistic in finding the
deer. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<br />
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<span style="font-size: 12pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Shortly after
running across a female Black-tailed Deer (a sub-species of Mule Deer) with two
fawns, we encounter a group of students who are on a weekend field trip to the
island. Their leader gives us some very helpful directions on where to look for
the Fallow Deer, which they had seen from their campground at around 6:00 AM
but had then dispersed. After walking another 1 km, we spot a herd of three
young males, which look at us warily for a few seconds before running off
[Species # 478].<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="font-family: Calibri;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"></span></span></span> </div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiah14j1J8AKl5Qfz_nwDXJnNRqwc53gT4IrE8nI-1UFXBdHGUXsoC_mPSOnVUTgZpvnweZt46Vktq5NxJJUmJmpDXR_eFSRCvccnZDyzsynfciQMDctBQ2Grk-9gLKS31tEFoqA2Sy7W_J/s1600/Fallow+Deer+-+Sep+-+BC.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiah14j1J8AKl5Qfz_nwDXJnNRqwc53gT4IrE8nI-1UFXBdHGUXsoC_mPSOnVUTgZpvnweZt46Vktq5NxJJUmJmpDXR_eFSRCvccnZDyzsynfciQMDctBQ2Grk-9gLKS31tEFoqA2Sy7W_J/s640/Fallow+Deer+-+Sep+-+BC.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: purple; font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif; font-size: small;">Fallow Deer</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Although an introduced
population of Townsend’s Chipmunks may still remain on the island, we are
unable to find any, despite an encouraging report from the fellow who had
helped us find the Fallow Deer.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<br />
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<span style="font-size: 12pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">On the trip back
on the water taxi, our driver stops to let us have good looks at Heermann’s
Gulls, one of the most striking of Canada’s gulls [Species #479].</span></span></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBWbC3hGlxB8n7e340I3X65X8xBnXITzqDB5kvndYaNdRZjO1UeWli3-LTFgtE2I1jniOGpDlsJme67vJA7KMzBgQ9Ovhc7I3yXx40Jmj2JVtOR4XWhcFpFBqjgb15P9i7wXYw9Iq6hAin/s1600/Heerman's+Gull+-+Sep+-+BC.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBWbC3hGlxB8n7e340I3X65X8xBnXITzqDB5kvndYaNdRZjO1UeWli3-LTFgtE2I1jniOGpDlsJme67vJA7KMzBgQ9Ovhc7I3yXx40Jmj2JVtOR4XWhcFpFBqjgb15P9i7wXYw9Iq6hAin/s640/Heerman's+Gull+-+Sep+-+BC.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: purple; font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif; font-size: small;">Heermann's Gull</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="font-family: Calibri;"></span></span> </div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Ray has lined
up a whale-watching tour for the afternoon, but we discover that although the
tour expects to find Orca Whales, they are in U.S waters which will not suit
our needs. Instead we head to Clover Point, where we encounter a small flock of
Western Sandpipers, a catch-up bird for Phil, and a lot more Heermann’s Gulls. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-size: 12pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="font-family: Calibri;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"></span></span></span> </div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDT9_FpqzEhLCvhKQQCDrgK7Yl-l_wEFzJfJAD-LdpKicgLbeSCN1s01H-SKBRP7TUpDRVmv2FTFy9yzkXb391vSaHIa2wm__t52jfeOlr-RpcMozk791fcaxFi7b706eSN2eUdEcnjusw/s1600/Western+Sandpiper+-+Sep+-+BC.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDT9_FpqzEhLCvhKQQCDrgK7Yl-l_wEFzJfJAD-LdpKicgLbeSCN1s01H-SKBRP7TUpDRVmv2FTFy9yzkXb391vSaHIa2wm__t52jfeOlr-RpcMozk791fcaxFi7b706eSN2eUdEcnjusw/s640/Western+Sandpiper+-+Sep+-+BC.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: purple; font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif; font-size: small;">Western Sandpiper at Clover Point, Victoria</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="font-family: Calibri;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"></span></span></span> </div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-size: 12pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="font-family: Calibri;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"></span>A young man comes up to us and introduces
himself as Jeremy Gatten, who’ll be joining us on our pelagic tour out of
Tofino on Wednesday. We check out some other shoreline areas before returning
to Sidney for an enjoyable pizza meal at Ray’s condo. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
Phil Cramhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07964282485194339556noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-722286037718828733.post-5413141018371774962012-08-30T11:44:00.000-07:002012-08-30T11:44:29.985-07:00Manitoba and Nunavut trip wrap-up
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Last Monday, our flight from Rankin Inlet to Winnipeg was
cancelled so we spent a day in Rankin Inlet courtesy of First Air.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We arrived in Winnipeg late Tuesday afternoon
and went looking for the Buff-breasted Sandpiper that we missed earlier.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Ray spotted two of them quite a distance away
in amongst Black-bellied and American Golden Plovers at the sod farm.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Too far away for pictures but we were happy to
reach species #475.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Calibri;"><o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Phil flew home while Ray and I drove the 1330 kms to
Calgary.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We had originally planned to
look for Ord’s Kangaroo Rat in the Great Sandhills of Saskatchewan but no
longer had time to do this.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>After spending
Tuesday evening in Brandon, we drove the rest of the way on Wednesday making a
few birding stops along the way.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Our
highlight was … Buff-breasted Sandpiper!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>We found 5 of them at Reed Lake in SK and they approached to within a
few metres of us for a much better look than the day before.<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjrjiYBzTLO8uasduBMvKfkcmW-70V8cUVpf0s2ziatAZ2NjWWlem1TYrKGtpVM6bguhCU2Qu25v3mBsZCmN8mC5zWk7WZloBBfp-jdNYsLpFPhDfC1hR82mEi37_VpXFKyj18E69v8BI4/s1600/Buff-breasted+Sandpiper+-+Aug+-+SK.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjrjiYBzTLO8uasduBMvKfkcmW-70V8cUVpf0s2ziatAZ2NjWWlem1TYrKGtpVM6bguhCU2Qu25v3mBsZCmN8mC5zWk7WZloBBfp-jdNYsLpFPhDfC1hR82mEi37_VpXFKyj18E69v8BI4/s640/Buff-breasted+Sandpiper+-+Aug+-+SK.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Buff-breasted Sandpiper</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Southern Prairies
recap<o:p></o:p></span></b><br />
<br />
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">We had a delightful time in southern Canadian prairies as we
picked up 6 new team birds and 2 new mammals.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>We started off the trip on a successful note as we watched Big Brown
Bats leave their roost in a Medicine Hat school.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>As we travelled across the prairies, our
focus was on shorebirds and water birds but we occasionally stopped in a small
town to check out the passerines (or for our now traditional ice cream break!).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We were impressed with how neat and tidy the
towns were, particularly in southern Manitoba.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>We found 3 of our main target birds - Cattle Egret, Green Heron and
Buff-breasted Sandpiper – but couldn’t track down a Golden-winged Warbler.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-vc5arvlcwLmJl7PeE-JpDpN4Vuy-M1m9imOPJwQ_jQxINgHee9uhzKfAcr0IWVOFB_Lff3TfH_toTaDI4ljJmIv_T4qlK2Q7S-_xWPZckmnb0KwSgfmdFzTFXQy_uATtdRZujng_SgA/s1600/Cattle+Egret.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-vc5arvlcwLmJl7PeE-JpDpN4Vuy-M1m9imOPJwQ_jQxINgHee9uhzKfAcr0IWVOFB_Lff3TfH_toTaDI4ljJmIv_T4qlK2Q7S-_xWPZckmnb0KwSgfmdFzTFXQy_uATtdRZujng_SgA/s640/Cattle+Egret.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Cattle Egret</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">However, we did find an unanticipated mammal
at Oak Hammock Marsh - Gray Fox. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We
didn’t expect to see this mammal because of its nocturnal habits but, in the
early evening, we observed a pair (young ones?) on the road to the North
Observation point.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Nunavut <o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgs6WVGFrsqVEkwomnagHXnBXqJZFV2gtS4mXMgnGdbrtxa-tD4ZkMpOq6bnbqI0JSY6jJmpKTiIj5tU2w12x5qQFJO4mizkYytSqchYtf4kgUIlkpGlz0lET6-bniO94tkx4N-TmvIT08/s1600/nunavut_map.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgs6WVGFrsqVEkwomnagHXnBXqJZFV2gtS4mXMgnGdbrtxa-tD4ZkMpOq6bnbqI0JSY6jJmpKTiIj5tU2w12x5qQFJO4mizkYytSqchYtf4kgUIlkpGlz0lET6-bniO94tkx4N-TmvIT08/s640/nunavut_map.jpg" width="630" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Nunavut</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Nunavut (“our land” in Inuktitut) makes up almost a fifth of
Canada’s area but has a population of just over 31,000.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We visited Rankin Inlet (due to flight
cancellations) and Repulse Bay.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Nunavut
was not particularly productive – no new birds, 3 new mammals – but will be one
of our most memorable trips.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span><br />
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">We spent a day and a half in Rankin Inlet en route to
Repulse Bay.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It is a small town by
southern standards but the second largest in Nunavut.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We were put in touch with a local outfitter –
Harry Htinaur – and after a brief phone call, he came to the hotel and gave us
the keys to his Hummer!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We enjoyed
visiting the territorial park and exploring the other roads in the area.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Of the 22 bird species, my personal highlight
was seeing 5 Pacific Loons still in breeding plumage.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEio4e7EggUfqROUKV8YC5EGzYdr-eQyR6kMtnLA_gQs_acIvl2qsI0vJvOJcUD-AZzJ-D51fhQEqkgP3lwKpGAhI6ICwkMk5-XR-mRDDZKUgluNIB2p5pAswDJUGSrrk-UsQlOs5xOVdL8/s1600/Pacific+Loons.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEio4e7EggUfqROUKV8YC5EGzYdr-eQyR6kMtnLA_gQs_acIvl2qsI0vJvOJcUD-AZzJ-D51fhQEqkgP3lwKpGAhI6ICwkMk5-XR-mRDDZKUgluNIB2p5pAswDJUGSrrk-UsQlOs5xOVdL8/s640/Pacific+Loons.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Pacific Loons</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">The Arctic Ground Squirrel (Sik-sik) and Arctic Fox were the
only mammals we saw.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We talked to a
couple of guys doing Peregrine Falcon research and they indicated that they had
only seen 1 lemming in 3 months in the field and no Arctic Hares … we didn’t
spend too much time looking for mammals after talking to them!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The low mammal population undoubtedly
contributed to the high failure rate of the Peregrine nests this year.<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5rvbQqcBkbX-dmFtV9C1LS0J07YHnGH01FRUZLGi9Jq3gaB7LeYUlPrvqHM5SDtr5yfA-cQfJkUhffql-hQ62x6QIOe273DvHBPwHLi6ceI3vwauuI3txw3euvVTD5bZ20gPp3ZuTBAs/s1600/Repulse+Bay+sign.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="198" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5rvbQqcBkbX-dmFtV9C1LS0J07YHnGH01FRUZLGi9Jq3gaB7LeYUlPrvqHM5SDtr5yfA-cQfJkUhffql-hQ62x6QIOe273DvHBPwHLi6ceI3vwauuI3txw3euvVTD5bZ20gPp3ZuTBAs/s640/Repulse+Bay+sign.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEglYNiP7XG8tpy361hungq9COh7OrxaeqCHDni6kBdl8Dsw9F4Tg-Rd5V01q6y0tbcm2dyio1eed9XmE35YQiL8nhCBHHsHsJTGkNauhRoForNI1E1nfjTmOTKX_dCEvgI7XH14SNFrV5k/s1600/traditional+dress.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEglYNiP7XG8tpy361hungq9COh7OrxaeqCHDni6kBdl8Dsw9F4Tg-Rd5V01q6y0tbcm2dyio1eed9XmE35YQiL8nhCBHHsHsJTGkNauhRoForNI1E1nfjTmOTKX_dCEvgI7XH14SNFrV5k/s320/traditional+dress.jpg" width="213" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Our primary destination was Repulse Bay, a place we chose
for its mammal possibilities and remote location … we wanted to experience the
Arctic.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Repulse Bay is located on the
Arctic Circle (actually 2 miles south according to our GPS!).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>As with Rankin Inlet, the hamlet has modern
facilities … no more igloos or sod houses!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Inuktitut is their language but most also speak English.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Western clothing predominates though we
occasionally saw some more traditional dress.<o:p></o:p></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">For the most part, snowmobiles have replaced dog sleds but
we saw many dog teams in both communities.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>I asked what the dogs were used for and was told that they were still
used for tourists (in the right season), racing and some freight hauling.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiuEbLGlHclwgk-Pq-drxzm78R6paQZeLXJAB0x6lzKz2X22vInE43aU1-6KHwl2gKyXRWIODF3Mwcr9CvEM-RUaHYPA_geDddLb8PTCPux3Pn0vfnAHS5nYcVVThxtdvlYLi3A5vB2d08/s1600/Huskies.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiuEbLGlHclwgk-Pq-drxzm78R6paQZeLXJAB0x6lzKz2X22vInE43aU1-6KHwl2gKyXRWIODF3Mwcr9CvEM-RUaHYPA_geDddLb8PTCPux3Pn0vfnAHS5nYcVVThxtdvlYLi3A5vB2d08/s640/Huskies.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Huskies</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Though the communities were modern in many ways with cable
TV, cell phone coverage (unless you have Telus like we do!) and internet
(albeit very, very slow), it was like a step back in time for us.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We could arrive at the airport a ½ hour
before the flight and there was no airport security to delay the departure
process.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In the streets, there were kids
wandering all over town without a parent in sight. <o:p></o:p></span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="256" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhiA-9TbZRnIvyFLRejCAtrVFblEXChFKNglPZsi2pCvphwTj-OGm6To-3lvbsHO1bnQwaey54sf79Us383dMJUHjfWfFiRZGC9tjB6gi23cU9Coq9BWnFoSa9ubCDowxenTvTG32WWoHo/s320/Steve.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="320" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Our guide, Steve Mapsalak</td></tr>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhiA-9TbZRnIvyFLRejCAtrVFblEXChFKNglPZsi2pCvphwTj-OGm6To-3lvbsHO1bnQwaey54sf79Us383dMJUHjfWfFiRZGC9tjB6gi23cU9Coq9BWnFoSa9ubCDowxenTvTG32WWoHo/s1600/Steve.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Our contact was Steve Mapsalak and we had arranged to spend 3
days exploring the area by boat.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>About a
week before we arrived, Steve warned me that the bay was full of old pack ice
that had been blown in by the southerly winds and that we might not be able to
go boating.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Fortunately, we did get out
but the ice limited our outings to within a mile or two of shore.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> We saw a few Ringed Seals but they were very leery of us ... perhaps because they were actively being hunted.</span><o:p></o:p></span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgoDQS3JKnNAj6OyiaTN8FJYPzLE0tV5e8HnPQWOuTk0M3QgpFufdYfmUhMf60B8XCYZrZwXDm1S-wvjtNtr75QsOCcAk0PVcDJCvef6ZJgvYzuQPSTdsh-rI_psUIuRQqynfllxtn1N3g/s320/Nathaniel.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="320" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Nathaniel with harpoon</td></tr>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgoDQS3JKnNAj6OyiaTN8FJYPzLE0tV5e8HnPQWOuTk0M3QgpFufdYfmUhMf60B8XCYZrZwXDm1S-wvjtNtr75QsOCcAk0PVcDJCvef6ZJgvYzuQPSTdsh-rI_psUIuRQqynfllxtn1N3g/s1600/Nathaniel.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"></a><span style="font-family: Calibri;">The Inuit have always been hunters and that is still true
today.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>While we were there, many were
hunting Caribou and seals.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We spotted 2
Caribou from the boat and Steve reported the location on the radio.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>One of his sons went out and shot one of the
Caribou … with quads (ATV’s), high-powered rifles and nowhere to hide, the
Caribou don’t have much of a chance. </span><span style="font-family: Calibri;">The Inuit have traditionally hunted Narwhal and Bowhead
Whales and still are permitted to do so under a quota system.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Narwhals must be hunted with a hand thrown
harpoon such as the one Steve’s son Nathaniel is holding.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">According to Steve, Narwhal, Bearded Seal, Bowhead Whale and
Walrus were all in the area but we just couldn’t get far enough out into the
bay to find them.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>While the ice hindered
our mammal search, it certainly added to the Arctic experience.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I never had imagined that one day I would be
standing on some floating ice in the Arctic!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZ6NkvQDEKE0gj-hSNMYzcZ_JpeGPZHISqihYjMddR2jsH4H1J726VA7sIS_6uRlKyIemmotXJm6jRMtyFAsQJ-_ZqgoLuX7ydGZCI9KE4OXur_rY4OzsmCHNChEguxuk-QSDwwajL2X8/s1600/Brian+on+Ice+Floe.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZ6NkvQDEKE0gj-hSNMYzcZ_JpeGPZHISqihYjMddR2jsH4H1J726VA7sIS_6uRlKyIemmotXJm6jRMtyFAsQJ-_ZqgoLuX7ydGZCI9KE4OXur_rY4OzsmCHNChEguxuk-QSDwwajL2X8/s640/Brian+on+Ice+Floe.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Brian on floating ice</td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Our Polar Bear sighting was certainly the highlight of the
trip.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Steve said that the bears usually
“head for the hills” when they see a boat but this one came toward us and was
swimming to an island when we caught up with it.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6_R6niPvMSt6HQk1Su6ez6So6xzOQhB9jpLFOIMNRlN_9ENIu-h-ia6lKCFhpDuU7AWWvs0KqZT8ZHMgitAO_dC-JRrWKipuaJX8VVp5pAU9X7kDuEbchqBiD9h52LOBLdOaVr2R3Hc4/s1600/Polar+Bear.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6_R6niPvMSt6HQk1Su6ez6So6xzOQhB9jpLFOIMNRlN_9ENIu-h-ia6lKCFhpDuU7AWWvs0KqZT8ZHMgitAO_dC-JRrWKipuaJX8VVp5pAU9X7kDuEbchqBiD9h52LOBLdOaVr2R3Hc4/s640/Polar+Bear.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Polar Bear</td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">The Arctic – be it Nunavut, NWT or Yukon – is quite unlike
southern Canada and is well worth a visit.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Unfortunately, it is very expensive (this trip cost more than any of our other trips) and there is not much information available.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Also, as we found out, the weather can play a
big influence.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Calibri;"><o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">We are now at 475 species – 408 birds and 67 mammals – and
still think we have a shot at our 500 target.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Not much time to rest before we head west for a pelagic trip out of
Tofino.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We’ve got our fingers crossed
for decent weather as there are about 10 species that we hope to get along with
a mammal or two.<o:p></o:p></span><br />
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<o:p><span style="font-family: Calibri;"> </span></o:p></div>
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Brianhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01780391838994912434noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-722286037718828733.post-18283870371451193642012-08-27T14:55:00.002-07:002012-08-30T12:15:29.467-07:00Magical Nunavut<div class="MsoNormal" style="border: currentColor; margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;"><span style="color: blue;">Magical Nunavut<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;"><span style="color: blue;">Very early in our planning for this Canada Big Year we agreed that an important “geographic” objective would be to visit all ten provinces and all three territories during the course of our travels. Mission accomplished! And what a way to finish this geographic circuit of Canada! <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Nunavut, Canada’s newest territory, has not disappointed! But our trip here has not been without its challenges.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;"><span style="color: blue;">Early Thursday morning we said our goodbyes to Mike and Milt who were beginning their drive back to Alberta. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Since the first leg of our flight north from Winnipeg was not departing until late morning, Phil, Brian and I had time for a quick birding walk around <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Quarry Park</b> in Stonewall before driving to James Richardson International Airport. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Quarry Park proved to be quite “birdy” and we managed to pick up two new trip birds: Rose-breasted Grosbeak and Purple Finch. We also had some stellar views of Blue-headed, Warbling and Red-eyed Vireos. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;"><span style="color: blue;">Our drive south to the airport was without incident. Things changed once we reached the First Air check-in counter however. Our chosen destination in Nunavut was the small community of Repulse Bay, located right on the Arctic Circle way up at the top of Hudson Bay for those of our readers not overly familiar with Canada’s northern geography. We were booked on a Boeing 737 to Rankin Inlet and there we were supposed to catch a smaller plan (an Aerospatiale ATR-42) which would take us first to Baker Lake and then to Repulse Bay. It turned out however that our connecting flight at Rankin Inlet was cancelled! After much confusion, we determined that our best option was to travel as far as Rankin Inlet and make bookings to continue to Repulse Bay late the next day. Fortunately we were able to book some accommodation in Rankin Inlet for the night so without further ado, we set off for the north!<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<tr><td style="border: currentColor; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiq5WliVk8eKvK_iaZf_O9KsVlgxn7kvk92TXulGz14iOkFYuMM4U-46agDQt0SFomm9-cLFXK23FpLrk_r8qMDWlAGshRCjof1agxQtdQb2hhPJLSjJAbrspen2dYfz1eY2481jS73ladn/s1600/1-Inuksuk-1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="424" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiq5WliVk8eKvK_iaZf_O9KsVlgxn7kvk92TXulGz14iOkFYuMM4U-46agDQt0SFomm9-cLFXK23FpLrk_r8qMDWlAGshRCjof1agxQtdQb2hhPJLSjJAbrspen2dYfz1eY2481jS73ladn/s640/1-Inuksuk-1.jpg" width="640" yda="true" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: blue;">Welcome to Rankin Inlet!</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;"><span style="color: blue;">Even though this late change in our itinerary meant a day less in Repulse Bay, I think all three of us would agree that it proved to be rather fortuitous. It meant a full day and a half in a second Nunavut community, thereby providing us with two different windows on this huge territory. It didn’t take us long upon arrival at our “Inns North” hotel to learn of the nearby <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Iqalugaarjuup Nunanga Territorial Park. </b>This park and the area surrounding it proved to be a fine example of arctic tundra landscape. We needed transportation to see it of course but we got in touch with a local guide (Harry) who was too busy to join us but who was more than willing to rent us a “small” vehicle for our driving pleasure:<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0L763O-a4AK6Ad0xghbQxBLgH4p9Cm9zWBNrVlTpxCXQFNx9_I9UG7DHSTMOivBYY1lJke59-ntjFsTDpRQ8Peo0agsgxIk__z8CeyXydw245ZVS_JN5HuwEGEWN_pknNNafB18qsdqW0/s1600/2-Hummer.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0L763O-a4AK6Ad0xghbQxBLgH4p9Cm9zWBNrVlTpxCXQFNx9_I9UG7DHSTMOivBYY1lJke59-ntjFsTDpRQ8Peo0agsgxIk__z8CeyXydw245ZVS_JN5HuwEGEWN_pknNNafB18qsdqW0/s640/2-Hummer.jpg" width="640" yda="true" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: blue;">Our Hummer for the Day!</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;"><span style="color: blue;">We spent three hours that afternoon driving to and through this Nunanga T. P. picking up 11 bird species, none of them new for the year but many of them exciting to see none-the-less! There were Sandhill Cranes, Pacific Loons, Tundra Swans, Greater White-fronted Geese, a couple of Long-tailed Ducks and even a lone Rough-legged Hawk. Passerines included American Pipits, Savannah Sparrows and a single White-crowned Sparrow. In the following pictures the vastness of the tundra landscape is striking.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEios8NoW7eoZFA_pNmqkAwGzTbY0yI2_SVv_DUhMzc2VyvvE4wK0gqkW7Shrryc04qsoIh9weCl1jNulRWspo2IWaddPiiCVsYlEmjBuzgN2an899yBDTXrbqOU4aEx5tKBLJp0Zooa2kkD/s1600/3-Rankin+tundra.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEios8NoW7eoZFA_pNmqkAwGzTbY0yI2_SVv_DUhMzc2VyvvE4wK0gqkW7Shrryc04qsoIh9weCl1jNulRWspo2IWaddPiiCVsYlEmjBuzgN2an899yBDTXrbqOU4aEx5tKBLJp0Zooa2kkD/s640/3-Rankin+tundra.jpg" width="640" yda="true" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: blue;">The Arctic Tundra Landscape</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCgocQIJReB4ovtvfmi-zFfsjTmbWNqiSvjzVGth93eoOBszjmXQtcKZIB9HFej5T_olY7GVYNf0G8WRJCyTJ2gRqMZ88jrODfyTsstQz5kJPl1GJBD80avBjgVo9kSXJQSoIBZP2b04yO/s1600/4-Sandhill+Crane.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCgocQIJReB4ovtvfmi-zFfsjTmbWNqiSvjzVGth93eoOBszjmXQtcKZIB9HFej5T_olY7GVYNf0G8WRJCyTJ2gRqMZ88jrODfyTsstQz5kJPl1GJBD80avBjgVo9kSXJQSoIBZP2b04yO/s640/4-Sandhill+Crane.jpg" width="640" yda="true" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: blue;">Sandhill Cranes were quite common!</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvZbkv4xUSc1oZ7rNmpgSQZKbPO0wUTLoBTWqTL_ZLEh5BQH7YMmfEDxIf6xoZ5jBg2ZVppk-Xaz0MrMxBBKHHscI8TYh0-5x2KWPCsxQCGK8k0KJ0wZ_GAL1S2594Xt7az1uN04yODFMY/s1600/5-American+Pipit.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvZbkv4xUSc1oZ7rNmpgSQZKbPO0wUTLoBTWqTL_ZLEh5BQH7YMmfEDxIf6xoZ5jBg2ZVppk-Xaz0MrMxBBKHHscI8TYh0-5x2KWPCsxQCGK8k0KJ0wZ_GAL1S2594Xt7az1uN04yODFMY/s640/5-American+Pipit.jpg" width="640" yda="true" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: blue;">American Pipit</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;"><span style="color: blue;">The most common mammal in attendance seemed to be our old friend the <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Arctic Ground Squirrel</b>, seen previously on our Fur & Feathers trip to the Yukon and the NWT. They were abundant here and posed splendidly for us. The highlight of the afternoon however was the sighting of a distant Arctic Fox, picked out by Brian’s keen eyes as he panned the landscape for something other than these ground squirrels. This was a new mammal species for the year - our 65th. Can you find it in the photograph?<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4c2FH2U8FSb3uajskSNSJSqaU01nFxNNacHwu6GGfnas54_i-dDRO1y3Kh6bYn0QU_B5PbjBRzospPAMUQTPQlQCkFG3fJc9LAZLy5E1VqpjVWWAJY5RVFpAWXMe7BHCwFT7_vqYZJ2gQ/s1600/6-Arctic+Fox.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4c2FH2U8FSb3uajskSNSJSqaU01nFxNNacHwu6GGfnas54_i-dDRO1y3Kh6bYn0QU_B5PbjBRzospPAMUQTPQlQCkFG3fJc9LAZLy5E1VqpjVWWAJY5RVFpAWXMe7BHCwFT7_vqYZJ2gQ/s640/6-Arctic+Fox.jpg" width="640" yda="true" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: blue;">Arctic Fox</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGzoU0wa1-czFvkt8yANSDOupZd5v0wNtiPWNHY1A260vo_M2LdIa0tfmT9TOfQFO1FXJnJK4tLob3QLulgGYPO5jb_qHU7H0LxRrFH4O5ysWA-xYBNql9hxrMa2u-_aUNhLT3mOikI2MA/s1600/7-ARGS.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="424" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGzoU0wa1-czFvkt8yANSDOupZd5v0wNtiPWNHY1A260vo_M2LdIa0tfmT9TOfQFO1FXJnJK4tLob3QLulgGYPO5jb_qHU7H0LxRrFH4O5ysWA-xYBNql9hxrMa2u-_aUNhLT3mOikI2MA/s640/7-ARGS.jpg" width="640" yda="true" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: blue;">Arctic Ground Squirrel</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;"><span style="color: blue;">We returned to Rankin Inlet where we dined on Arctic Char before retiring to our rooms for a well-deserved early night!<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;"><span style="color: blue;">August 24<sup>th</sup>; Driving to the Meliadine River and more of Nunanga T.P. <o:p></o:p></span></span></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;"><span style="color: blue;">We initially hoped that Harry the Guide would be able to take us on a boat ride to Marble Island but this proved not to be possible. Instead we set off once again with Harry’s Hummer along a 17 km gravel road to the Meliadine River. The weather was sunny and clear with mild temperatures and just the lightest of winds. Insects by the way were not an issue for the most part. Black Flies were present but only rarely were they more than a bit tedious! We enjoyed being out on this impressive, rugged landscape all day despite the relatively small diversity of species. We didn’t see any more foxes or any other new mammals but we saw most of the previous day’s bird species plus several new ones bringing our Nunavut total up to 22 by day’s end. We had spectacular views of Pacific Loons and also saw one Common Loon. Horned Larks and Lapland Longspurs were plentiful and we found a handful of Snow Buntings as well. Peregrine Falcons nest in the area and we found a pair of these as well as a lone Bald Eagle. Canada Geese were present but more rewarding than this was a flock of Cackling Geese which surprised us, though it seems these are expected here in migration. Later in the afternoon, we returned to Rankin Inlet to explore the shoreline where we hoped we might sight some shorebirds but if there were any, they eluded us completely. We did however find Common Eider and Black Guillemots, both of which were new trip birds.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7rPZeOmwkOlxncTkDI2U9ZoGButx19_qSGwjUCdtS1cE9du60KRKGiqTlieliw7evemSxNzv6LlrocFryjGuEKuMqZmnqLl2Sl6Z39Jl9NybqPgBzFqWiK-uuvyKxq21VPqUKjalhQUEB/s1600/8-Paciifc+Loon.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7rPZeOmwkOlxncTkDI2U9ZoGButx19_qSGwjUCdtS1cE9du60KRKGiqTlieliw7evemSxNzv6LlrocFryjGuEKuMqZmnqLl2Sl6Z39Jl9NybqPgBzFqWiK-uuvyKxq21VPqUKjalhQUEB/s640/8-Paciifc+Loon.jpg" width="640" yda="true" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: blue;">Pacific Loons</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKAc_ZnYQYktc9k6rVpLIyKRx8SNFFNFoKSdWD3WyqPT5zYSrqmNDl4ZY8Z5uY7shPb2iyGNFFD_6nb3gUT5LoTAsDbNTQQ5JJ7sG-k3cmFW3jIsz8xw4X-Qxw5joYVvlpUEZ0TQ1GqGy6/s1600/9-Horned+Lark.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKAc_ZnYQYktc9k6rVpLIyKRx8SNFFNFoKSdWD3WyqPT5zYSrqmNDl4ZY8Z5uY7shPb2iyGNFFD_6nb3gUT5LoTAsDbNTQQ5JJ7sG-k3cmFW3jIsz8xw4X-Qxw5joYVvlpUEZ0TQ1GqGy6/s640/9-Horned+Lark.jpg" width="640" yda="true" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: blue;">Horned Lark</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhuefjl4fuiISIkw4-gBi6tNquNkyrKTos_Apc9XPtOjpCMbM3Mi8dwQoRHnr2xSdqIlDdUQhUulLHjGxUsdUxKZ4imSZcFB-keBqXOY5oRiB9pu489I2sCcr_6xzOFiewM8-ag5Uw6nIzy/s1600/10-Snow+Bunting.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhuefjl4fuiISIkw4-gBi6tNquNkyrKTos_Apc9XPtOjpCMbM3Mi8dwQoRHnr2xSdqIlDdUQhUulLHjGxUsdUxKZ4imSZcFB-keBqXOY5oRiB9pu489I2sCcr_6xzOFiewM8-ag5Uw6nIzy/s640/10-Snow+Bunting.jpg" width="640" yda="true" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: blue;">Snow Buntings</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZqirhYHpxWaGM4v8O9XFHBPhEWuJTy1Rzyge3STuTs6NYJxl_MYRl2-EXdwn-DUcvXQw7-C2sulgPLEAOTYd-Mp5ndz26ZiyG_LcbbjIPipUEH30LLPn2ENvgGgmSNZoJCq4Jrx59TQEP/s1600/10-zBulldozer.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZqirhYHpxWaGM4v8O9XFHBPhEWuJTy1Rzyge3STuTs6NYJxl_MYRl2-EXdwn-DUcvXQw7-C2sulgPLEAOTYd-Mp5ndz26ZiyG_LcbbjIPipUEH30LLPn2ENvgGgmSNZoJCq4Jrx59TQEP/s640/10-zBulldozer.jpg" width="640" yda="true" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: blue;">Phil Misbehaving</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;"><span style="color: blue;">By late afternoon we were back at the airport and ready to bid Rankin Inlet farewell. Our plane made an on-time departure and we were able to look down and see the gravel roads we had traversed during the past day and a half. Next stop, Repulse Bay!<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCmhyphenhyphenfgEwlCczTOxm6b5lr2sS8B8_H3LYkPLJ4rEccCIquf9zCW-LrJTomkivXwtYA_vWSWmUXnatqYDpxfDQUg7XVdbTFtUzHN2ykAHbOfOoba-O2vhwbtTGZvbj45hp5Ws1GaOHqfi_l/s1600/10-zzRankin+Inlet+from+air.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCmhyphenhyphenfgEwlCczTOxm6b5lr2sS8B8_H3LYkPLJ4rEccCIquf9zCW-LrJTomkivXwtYA_vWSWmUXnatqYDpxfDQUg7XVdbTFtUzHN2ykAHbOfOoba-O2vhwbtTGZvbj45hp5Ws1GaOHqfi_l/s640/10-zzRankin+Inlet+from+air.jpg" width="640" yda="true" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: blue;">Goodbye to Rankin Inlet and Nunanga T.P.</span></td></tr>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;"><span style="color: blue;">August 25<sup>th </sup>and 26<sup>th</sup>: Repulse Bay<o:p></o:p></span></span></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;"><span style="color: blue;">While Rankin Inlet and nearby Nunanga Territorial Park proved to be<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"> a </b>very pleasant introduction to Nunavut, I think we all found Repulse Bay to be the Nunavut experience we will remember best! It may be summer time but we very quickly realized that in Repulse Bay we were truly in the Arctic! <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEglxBw2h4olxzdeSmaA3lAXAQpcVA_j0wbXkfy5hF5-q1btFaGP7NLIzzbqTOmgkFqDyuYpEapaPjcU_m3T2lvG62Cxwci06DoMrYm5sKVvueqAl6u_VMdl0GIqRFnvI-qu_kHuWz3eKl0R/s1600/11-Repulse+Bay+from+graveyard.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEglxBw2h4olxzdeSmaA3lAXAQpcVA_j0wbXkfy5hF5-q1btFaGP7NLIzzbqTOmgkFqDyuYpEapaPjcU_m3T2lvG62Cxwci06DoMrYm5sKVvueqAl6u_VMdl0GIqRFnvI-qu_kHuWz3eKl0R/s640/11-Repulse+Bay+from+graveyard.jpg" width="640" yda="true" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: blue;">Repulse Bay and Icy Harbour</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;"><span style="color: blue;">We had arranged in advance for a guide to look after us during our stay here and in particular to take us out onto the waters of Hudson Bay to find some mammals. Steve warned us in advance that due to unusual wind conditions, the harbour and adjacent coastline were almost completely blocked by broken pack ice. He wasn’t sure he would be able to get us out in his boat. In the end however, we ventured forth on both days and enjoyed the most magical of experiences! Just imagine the clear, cold, dark waters of Repulse Bay, dead calm and littered with a million fragments of ice of all sizes. These fragments of pack ice varied from very small to the size of a house and in some cases the size of a football field. Steve and his oldest son Nathaniel expertly steered us between and around the ice as we sought out new species. Quite often his 22 foot fiberglass open boat careened off the ice debris giving the three of us a bit of a fright. For the most part however, the only sound was that of his 225 HP outboard motor quietly propelling us slowly and carefully on our way. Occasionally, huge flocks of Snow Geese flew high overhead winging their way south and chattering loudly as they went! Sometimes Steve would stop the engine and we would just sit there and marvel at the silence. Magical is the right word for it!<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhkdkEFZPDzeRz_lL8h1l5785Ohu_3v84loVMOz91296XDxsUFMyZzbTSoK4ye66l1hEj3vUebcoxfFFj1U40YlOaSM-dssUq-Ybnwn8Q_2ilLWThBO1aEXbGb3RFAixGxQsTFEBhyphenhyphenZ4xT0/s1600/11-zBOAT.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhkdkEFZPDzeRz_lL8h1l5785Ohu_3v84loVMOz91296XDxsUFMyZzbTSoK4ye66l1hEj3vUebcoxfFFj1U40YlOaSM-dssUq-Ybnwn8Q_2ilLWThBO1aEXbGb3RFAixGxQsTFEBhyphenhyphenZ4xT0/s640/11-zBOAT.jpg" width="640" yda="true" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: blue;">Nathaniel Bringing Our Boat</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOFMxXMNJlVsFEtzjPk8Z5_-Bv7tY3tQvli_SX6ZZyJMNGjCnpRvs4dr4i6ZRZ0_O1vXeLT0rMKImv2GGrufkAQis09tk5ank8PG3YGGhnY3lAP3VdPdfGISW0eOAYdXrzywdjwsFsWynh/s1600/11-zzSNGO.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="424" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOFMxXMNJlVsFEtzjPk8Z5_-Bv7tY3tQvli_SX6ZZyJMNGjCnpRvs4dr4i6ZRZ0_O1vXeLT0rMKImv2GGrufkAQis09tk5ank8PG3YGGhnY3lAP3VdPdfGISW0eOAYdXrzywdjwsFsWynh/s640/11-zzSNGO.jpg" width="640" yda="true" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: blue;">One of Many Snow Geese Flights</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;"><span style="color: blue;">But enough about magical moments! What we really wanted was some new mammal species and in particular, a Polar Bear! We saw Ringed Seals fairly frequently as we motored along but these creatures would never allow close approach – possibly because the local Inuit shoot them! But we did also come across a Polar Bear! Steve saw him first as just a distant speck on the mainland. It was our lucky day however. This magnificent bear made its way down to the shoreline and swam across to an offshore island. We entered the strait between mainland and island just as he was half way across and had a phenomenal opportunity to see him up close and get some amazing photographs. Brian and I put our powerful telephoto lenses to work but ironically, at its closest approach our lenses were too powerful and it was Phil who much to his delight captured the snap of the day with his little old cheap camera! We feature it here to honour him appropriately.<o:p></o:p></span></span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwy9NnfZnlgDarsjOrfT3a1KO6f4Mq4tqKwMYuzAu0pyPBnu9i6M3wvYHyM3_0KGpkMEz1DDiqg2mVio5QFWDV3_0rAFfYc3vCxEMGs05dq6vCrChcEqyTD-mBlZh4B_v0P4ere0IKafvU/s1600/12-POBE+by+Phil.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="430" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwy9NnfZnlgDarsjOrfT3a1KO6f4Mq4tqKwMYuzAu0pyPBnu9i6M3wvYHyM3_0KGpkMEz1DDiqg2mVio5QFWDV3_0rAFfYc3vCxEMGs05dq6vCrChcEqyTD-mBlZh4B_v0P4ere0IKafvU/s640/12-POBE+by+Phil.jpg" width="640" yda="true" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: blue;">Polar Bear by Phil!</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbPavYOjxSn31ICiEk0GCOnF2leCKgKIlFqNpho8EQbxpvqZtMrM0ESLB-dQ8hlGHFdDsaYnEpczgtG3BWICwFqQwIoWQMx5jTbdmLT053seJU3bNhCOk7qejcJ6CUXOt6-WU4osXYcPIX/s1600/13-POBE.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="424" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbPavYOjxSn31ICiEk0GCOnF2leCKgKIlFqNpho8EQbxpvqZtMrM0ESLB-dQ8hlGHFdDsaYnEpczgtG3BWICwFqQwIoWQMx5jTbdmLT053seJU3bNhCOk7qejcJ6CUXOt6-WU4osXYcPIX/s640/13-POBE.jpg" width="640" yda="true" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: blue;">............and then he was closer!</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhsCFcOnOT644kSggQmb16HaPLTXzCbGYu_ChBkWJ9fDUVBf-CCY8BeOiYhaC0yh45dAPcbKFkPaiMis6IvVT20Fpk3TfS0A2TMRJ4LvFkN3por3NxO3pfnFgowq53K91Q8bNaqi5Uadzs_/s1600/14-Ringed+Seal.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhsCFcOnOT644kSggQmb16HaPLTXzCbGYu_ChBkWJ9fDUVBf-CCY8BeOiYhaC0yh45dAPcbKFkPaiMis6IvVT20Fpk3TfS0A2TMRJ4LvFkN3por3NxO3pfnFgowq53K91Q8bNaqi5Uadzs_/s640/14-Ringed+Seal.jpg" width="640" yda="true" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: blue;">Ringed Seal</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;"><span style="color: blue;">Repulse Bay is a very photogenic place. Here are some of our pictures showing the vastness and the natural beauty of the region.</span></span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvdiXLjh3NndoSvrpqRfQBryJYZo0IErFXFLzm_3YKrXVusOqOnrfqhr08ZRhvQCqR6gunCmtyPir6ljFgCZAkKFiitlulHL5yQx7DbsKCuUz2gsVbDTarzIDlO6Vqsw6IdQ-AbD2Ku_k0/s1600/15-Sky+and+Water.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvdiXLjh3NndoSvrpqRfQBryJYZo0IErFXFLzm_3YKrXVusOqOnrfqhr08ZRhvQCqR6gunCmtyPir6ljFgCZAkKFiitlulHL5yQx7DbsKCuUz2gsVbDTarzIDlO6Vqsw6IdQ-AbD2Ku_k0/s640/15-Sky+and+Water.jpg" width="640" yda="true" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: blue;">Amazing Seascape Views While Boating</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBb9Grjd4ueFWFEdif_Lgtj2aXVRCXyDj4cbbsykhldm3mzVlY2eNt_si-6cmaTHvXnPF-8lheFP0lxXpPcorBApHl5GOnnFRKZI1k-ohgsIysEC0J37y8oXCTUha-0lEVh6wb13guMsEk/s1600/16-Repulse+Bay+from+the+water.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBb9Grjd4ueFWFEdif_Lgtj2aXVRCXyDj4cbbsykhldm3mzVlY2eNt_si-6cmaTHvXnPF-8lheFP0lxXpPcorBApHl5GOnnFRKZI1k-ohgsIysEC0J37y8oXCTUha-0lEVh6wb13guMsEk/s640/16-Repulse+Bay+from+the+water.jpg" width="640" yda="true" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: blue;">Repulse Bay from the Water</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;"><span style="color: blue;">We added three more bird species to our Nunavut list: Red-throated Loon, Snow Goose and Glaucous Gull, bringing our Nunavut birding total to 25 species.</span></span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_1HRN4VkcB4hlQDOKOt3HnsP-Ehvl4K5Kvv6LN3ZeF-bjR1lqYnyZuYvQT0K0IjQGcYzymAlAttKwt9_4kFZ1DyYlNVPrghcK80qVrad-w7Jf3b9MmTWOJ7LBzpWvFfLcAwperukE59AJ/s1600/17-Glaucous+Gull.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; cssfloat: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_1HRN4VkcB4hlQDOKOt3HnsP-Ehvl4K5Kvv6LN3ZeF-bjR1lqYnyZuYvQT0K0IjQGcYzymAlAttKwt9_4kFZ1DyYlNVPrghcK80qVrad-w7Jf3b9MmTWOJ7LBzpWvFfLcAwperukE59AJ/s640/17-Glaucous+Gull.jpg" width="640" yda="true" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: blue;">Glaucous Gull</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;"><span style="color: blue;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Tomorrow, it’s back to Winnipeg! But maybe that's easier said than done.........!<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><o:p></o:p></b></span></span></div>
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Rayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13178687980944139805noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-722286037718828733.post-58300133815600497952012-08-23T19:33:00.000-07:002012-08-27T06:21:05.072-07:00Across the Prairies<br />
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-size: 12pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Sunday August 19 – Off to Bat in The Hat <o:p></o:p></span></span></b></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-size: 12pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><o:p><span style="font-family: Calibri;"> </span></o:p></span></b></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">It has been six
weeks since we returned from the Atlantic Provinces and our Fur and Feathers
activities have been limited to day trips from Calgary.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>During that time we’ve added three species of
birds and three mammals to bring our total to 464 species. The next few weeks
we’ll be on the road quite a bit, going after the 36 species we need to reach
our goal of 500.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">At the outset we
had established that we would look for birds and mammals in all of Canada’s ten
provinces and territories. The current trip will allow us to achieve that
ambition, and hopefully bring us closer to the magic 500 number. We are
visiting Saskatchewan and Manitoba, and then flying up to Nunavut for four days
on the Arctic Circle.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: 12pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><o:p><span style="font-family: Calibri;"></span></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-size: 12pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">We leave Calgary
on Sunday afternoon, Mike and Phil in Mike’s van and Ray and Brian in Ray’s
SUV, bound for Medicine Hat where we will hook up with our birding friend Milt Spitzer and hopefully
locate a Big Brown Bat colony.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We had
been put on to this colony by Joanna Chapman who has researched bats at the
University of Calgary. Meeting Milt an hour before dusk we visited the two
locations – Connaught School and Elm Street School -- where the bats roost; a
lady living across the road from Connaught School confirms that the bats can be
seen regularly. Soon after dusk we enjoy the sight of perhaps 40-50 bats flying
away from the building and at times right over our heads. Taking photos proves
rather challenging however. Mike and Phil appreciate the hospitality of Milt
and Elaine for the night while Ray and Brian stay in a nearby motel.<o:p></o:p></span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: 12pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><o:p><span style="font-family: Calibri;"> </span></o:p></span><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-size: 12pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Monday August 20 – Sashaying across
Saskatchewan<o:p></o:p></span></span></b></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Our goal today is
to drive most of the way across Saskatchewan, stopping at some well-known
sloughs along the way. After a couple of hours driving along the Trans-Canada
Highway we pull up at Reed Lake where we encounter large numbers of gulls,
ducks and shorebirds.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Amongst a flock of
Semipalmated and Baird’s Sandpipers, Brian spots a juvenile Western Sandpiper,
a new year bird which unfortunately is not seen by all before the flock takes
off. However, this species should be common on the west coast next month.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">As the day
progresses we add to our Saskatchewan bird list while driving steadily
eastwards, through places such as Rouleau, made famous as “Dog River” in the TV
show Corner Gas. Other small farm communities boast their lesser claim to fame
as the birthplace of NHL players. By the time we reach the south-east corner of
the province, the temperature has risen to 34 degrees and we take in the sight
of oil pump jacks rocking away in the middle of golden wheat fields. In contrast
to poor yields in much of the US Midwest due to the drought, Canadian farmers
will harvest bumper crops this year, and enjoy high prices as well.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Brian’s diligent
study of recent postings on Saskbirds has indicated that Hwy 705 could prove
productive, and we are delighted to see a flock of 40 Cattle Egrets – our
second new year bird today -- appropriately accompanying a herd of cows. Great
Egrets are also in evidence, as well as a noisy rookery of herons and
cormorants.</span></span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9jlQ6uycieF-_yCjVIDvJu8P4iIbtVmmhBjZ3Fw8Aq5u1yVtAOlL8S6ExweetoMpTJiP98ERFGQ6P-IdrtK8T6zOa6JM8hUpmGTCpoGBlf2zFTMpqPcmYwi_q05DoUN8-8frnTrRud1vb/s1600/Cattle+Egret.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9jlQ6uycieF-_yCjVIDvJu8P4iIbtVmmhBjZ3Fw8Aq5u1yVtAOlL8S6ExweetoMpTJiP98ERFGQ6P-IdrtK8T6zOa6JM8hUpmGTCpoGBlf2zFTMpqPcmYwi_q05DoUN8-8frnTrRud1vb/s640/Cattle+Egret.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: purple; font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif; font-size: small;">Cattle with accompanying Cattle Egrets</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZHTcSS17hTsrAi8qEfAoiKz9OJonAWT-DWmEtRR-_LPeyhLKs6zUSbxg3fSoNAQfYmsWk6_7kaPvb1I9ggsClgWazRQFq5uhyhyH8I6aflQU1W4vrqzHs7AKtrBwPe5iHjTQp1UylfZsO/s1600/Great+Egret.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZHTcSS17hTsrAi8qEfAoiKz9OJonAWT-DWmEtRR-_LPeyhLKs6zUSbxg3fSoNAQfYmsWk6_7kaPvb1I9ggsClgWazRQFq5uhyhyH8I6aflQU1W4vrqzHs7AKtrBwPe5iHjTQp1UylfZsO/s640/Great+Egret.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: purple; font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif; font-size: small;">Great Egret</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">After twelve
hours on the road, we arrive in Carlyle, SK, to discover that the town’s hotels
are fully-booked. The receptionist at the Ramada kindly helps us find rooms at
the Bear Claw Resort and Casino, 10 km away, and we spend the night there.
Purple Martins twittering above as we arrive at the resort provide a fine
conclusion to the day.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-size: 12pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Tuesday August 21 -- Moseying through Manitoba<o:p></o:p></span></span></b></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Today we work our
way to the south-east corner of Manitoba, the tenth and final province we’ve
visited. In less than an hour we make a stop at the border to take a ceremonial
picture. </span></span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_r8Q39DGTawud4_NhXcfcx5ZnBGKeFjga1L_muB1KxOCZqIEwENASFwKaJg2XS8UM0CFMNP9GkdaKkKivxVjBRnHYQtvOb3vcKfLRaMT-NOFcUIfAwLVRGV0oi8pKZmfHnDSXZfUM4FU3/s1600/Manitoba+welcome.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_r8Q39DGTawud4_NhXcfcx5ZnBGKeFjga1L_muB1KxOCZqIEwENASFwKaJg2XS8UM0CFMNP9GkdaKkKivxVjBRnHYQtvOb3vcKfLRaMT-NOFcUIfAwLVRGV0oi8pKZmfHnDSXZfUM4FU3/s640/Manitoba+welcome.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: purple; font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif; font-size: small;">Eight months into the year, we reach our tenth province</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="font-family: Calibri;"></span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: 12pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Birds are actively flying around the marsh there, and get our Manitoba
list off to a great start. A half hour spent in the small community of Reston
is also very productive as we run across 20 bird species including a Common
Nighthawk and a flock of Red Crossbills.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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yesterday, it heats up rapidly as we make our way through some prairie habitat
and much farmland towards Whitewater Lake. Wetlands near the lake afford close
looks at American Bittern and White-faced Ibis, and more Cattle and Great
Egrets as well as a variety of shorebirds and ducks.</span></span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPtC3WX19glbgrKVMra3VP4nO3-_Tf_ojBVz9eoqQGhE7KCIEAKs-gzfLjNZvdIy3KiTdcYvE1XsIdrKq1F5XWDQvmsucE_w2VoNLLfs2mHqlxUlVqXVSbCbtL38LWqziMZykx1LJSkZVO/s1600/American+Bittern.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPtC3WX19glbgrKVMra3VP4nO3-_Tf_ojBVz9eoqQGhE7KCIEAKs-gzfLjNZvdIy3KiTdcYvE1XsIdrKq1F5XWDQvmsucE_w2VoNLLfs2mHqlxUlVqXVSbCbtL38LWqziMZykx1LJSkZVO/s640/American+Bittern.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: purple; font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif; font-size: small;">American Bittern</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgaOoeOh0qzGi1TlrIDmQZAmOCynUseMeMcmCEotgsWxUcqsXvW2M3I0X-oHU-7HLO8tyGlhqd_eyQhw9odMQkE_2W05FtdugpYwsxyX-cnZNFiMohM_kokK1laGa6duI2fQV_HnbsHfU6X/s1600/White-faced+Ibis.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgaOoeOh0qzGi1TlrIDmQZAmOCynUseMeMcmCEotgsWxUcqsXvW2M3I0X-oHU-7HLO8tyGlhqd_eyQhw9odMQkE_2W05FtdugpYwsxyX-cnZNFiMohM_kokK1laGa6duI2fQV_HnbsHfU6X/s640/White-faced+Ibis.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: purple; font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif; font-size: small;">White-faced Ibis</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="font-family: Calibri;"><span style="font-size: 12pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Insects, amhibians and reptiles also provide some interesting photo opportunities.</span></span></span></span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiSVVe8Zf-D0KZ4OMaC_bk5UTlQ0FuEBA65Jr-8foNndIhU_UDrgpwAYik4CJHOD48MvdCViRi45uO2Ke4VbML7N9ey2SWjRUBO_XiD12TyqtjrfQZnZe659g6orS9ougnL2TOhLa-i7thP/s640/Grasshopper.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="640" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: purple; font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif; font-size: small;">The curious grasshopper</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">The lake itself proves
difficult to access and on occasion we encounter some gigantic farm equipment
on narrow gravel roads. We finally find a good road to the south side of the
lake, with an observation lookout at the end. From here we see a good variety
of birds including many Western Grebes among which Brian skillfully picked out
a Clark’s Grebe.</span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: 12pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="font-family: Calibri;"></span></span> </div>
<span style="font-size: 12pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">In the heat of
the afternoon we make our way eastwards, eventually reaching Morris, MB where
we spend the night in a motel next to the Stampede Grounds. The countryside
around here is unremittingly flat, but there’s a bountiful harvest of wheat,
corn and canola being brought to the many granaries. Morris must be a really
exciting place to be when the rodeo’s in town during four days in July; this
evening, not so much. We enjoy a pleasant dinner washed down with local Fort
Garry Ale – continuing our tradition of sampling beers from across the country
at the end of each birding day.</span></span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqXNt31e8VOMRPaMrdngxBvTFvoo-CbLNAzpyb1LFw8ZE2F6oYTMpXExP7upH6vsxDKMyCSL84AQw4gRr8C0b6N6mkC9vY0T0Vt7gXsnyhjnCfjMPd6N4D0cXK9Gz0FGQY0Mr3ETVPIa-S/s1600/Fort+Garry+Beer-1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqXNt31e8VOMRPaMrdngxBvTFvoo-CbLNAzpyb1LFw8ZE2F6oYTMpXExP7upH6vsxDKMyCSL84AQw4gRr8C0b6N6mkC9vY0T0Vt7gXsnyhjnCfjMPd6N4D0cXK9Gz0FGQY0Mr3ETVPIa-S/s640/Fort+Garry+Beer-1.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: purple; font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif; font-size: small;">The perfect antidote to dusty roads</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="font-family: Calibri;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-size: 12pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Wednesday August 22 -- Winding our way to
Winnipeg<o:p></o:p></span></span></b></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Up at dawn as
usual, and our first target is the Plains Pocket Gopher. Sadly we see no signs
of this dirt-throwing critter as we drive along some rural roads in SE
Manitoba. But in the early-morning hours we see the first of many pairs of
Sandhill Cranes. Excellent looks at Red-headed and Pileated Woodpeckers, Merlin
and American Kestrel give us heart that this will be a fine day’s birding, and
indeed it proves to be so. Stops on Mattern Road (a birding hotspot for Winnipeg
birders) and elsewhere net us seven species of warbler including Connecticut,
Nashville, Black-and-White and Chestnut-sided, along with several other good
birds such as Eastern Bluebird and Sedge Wren, a “catch-up” bird for Phil. </span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: 12pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="font-family: Calibri;"></span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: 12pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">An unexpected bonus is a Northern Goshawk cruising over the tree tops. Although there have been sightings during the year by individual members of the team, it is a new team bird, seen by all. A
Blue-headed Vireo perches quietly allowing for super views, but our target
Golden-winged Warbler is elusive. </span></span><span style="font-size: 12pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="font-family: Calibri;"></span></span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMw2V6CgVnj-RU6cRwYcHmAzHh7FbvaU1FNDo2ip1MDAgU9FsA2iRQd8TmNZGM9smO8P0NtcKX8OvDq2PynRe7Vrd0y6YTHm33ZxhxYpL5g_mX68Yg5enGvaeGYySHohxyyTYiFO8hnKZl/s1600/Blue-headed+Vireo.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMw2V6CgVnj-RU6cRwYcHmAzHh7FbvaU1FNDo2ip1MDAgU9FsA2iRQd8TmNZGM9smO8P0NtcKX8OvDq2PynRe7Vrd0y6YTHm33ZxhxYpL5g_mX68Yg5enGvaeGYySHohxyyTYiFO8hnKZl/s640/Blue-headed+Vireo.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: purple; font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif; font-size: small;">Blue-headed Vireo</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="font-family: Calibri;"><o:p></o:p></span></span> </div>
<span style="font-size: 12pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">For lunch we
repair to the golf course at Steinbach, not only for sustenance but also for
another of our targets, Green Heron. A stroll by a pond right next to the
course allows us to finally catch up with this species which we have sought in
various places during the year. </span></span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHyUU2nHFD7Mkef61DyA-8GUM0Na7r6OclDJjcfqFYEqlhI60yHG1eQvcXvwHbIm3Q7LYuqZMLSQMKeT3-rxh1Zvap0lJo6liDEIaY-VqVp96qN34Sjb3WcB8wIXDR9afzvlPCznwSQPfy/s1600/Green+Heron.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHyUU2nHFD7Mkef61DyA-8GUM0Na7r6OclDJjcfqFYEqlhI60yHG1eQvcXvwHbIm3Q7LYuqZMLSQMKeT3-rxh1Zvap0lJo6liDEIaY-VqVp96qN34Sjb3WcB8wIXDR9afzvlPCznwSQPfy/s640/Green+Heron.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: purple; font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif; font-size: small;">Green Heron</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><o:p><span style="font-family: Calibri;">I</span></o:p></span><span style="font-size: 12pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">t is now time to
head to famed Oak Hammock Marsh, just north of Winnipeg. After checking into a
motel at Stonewall, MB we drive to the marsh and tour the surrounding area in
search of Buff-breatsed Sandpiper and Short-eared Owl. Nearby sod farms have
recently been visited by the sandpipers, but today they are not in evidence, and we
content ourselves with picking out three American Golden-Plovers in a flock of
40 Black-bellied Plovers. We spend a couple of hours visiting different parts
of the huge marsh complex. Along the way, Brian and Ray in the lead vehicle
encounter two foxes with black tips to their tails – Grey Fox, a new mammal
for us. We all get good looks at a Striped Skunk from a safe distance.</span></span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNtwTVTNLun02lvaErhql0LiBT_M2S8ZQbqGzxma8GrbbnwdIJM-XymAVTB-hTY-eulfHhPqJZx3Lz0T3hWJz2yk9h3qt1K7RwZtxrpS_9v8dJ6na8HTSfJ8wmDpJ7gZs5jF1mhiyV96cS/s1600/Striped+Skunk.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNtwTVTNLun02lvaErhql0LiBT_M2S8ZQbqGzxma8GrbbnwdIJM-XymAVTB-hTY-eulfHhPqJZx3Lz0T3hWJz2yk9h3qt1K7RwZtxrpS_9v8dJ6na8HTSfJ8wmDpJ7gZs5jF1mhiyV96cS/s640/Striped+Skunk.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: purple; font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif; font-size: small;">Striped Skunk</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">It is almost dusk
before a Short-eared Owl lifts off from the long-grass prairie and we are happy
to get our third new bird species of the day. </span></span><span style="font-size: 12pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Fifteen hours
since we set out this morning we make our way back to Stonewall for a delicious
pizza and a couple of glasses of Fort Garry. In the morning we say goodbye
to Mike and Milt who will head home to Alberta while Brian, Ray and Phil fly up
to Nunavut. Thanks to Milt for sharing this part of the Fur and Feathers
adventure with us!</span></span></div>
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Phil Cramhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07964282485194339556noreply@blogger.com1