Last week I mentioned it may be a good time to be out birding, as both rare birds and the normal seasonal visitors might be appearing. Well, for once I was right, every time I check emails there is another report of a new bird. With all this increased activity there are sure to be more birders on the prowl which will turn up more interesting birds and draw more birders and so on.
I’d like to think that last weeks column inspired folks to go birding and my readers discovered all these rarities, but neither of you made any of the reports.
Things kicked off last week with an influx of Redheads (better clarify, they’re ducks), the first reports were in the north of the province, then Saint John area, then Salisbury and a local birder thought he should scope out the Moncton area because of all the sightings and was successful.
The week was also marked with reports of Eastern Towhee, starting in Rothsay, then Blacks Harbour (at the feeder yard of a former Lower Coverdale resident, now keeping in touch on BirdingNewBrunswick, where there are great photos posted) and another in Albert County. A Northern Cardinal showed up at a feeder in Sainte-Marie-de-Kent.
There were several Cattle Egret, first in Hebron, Albert County, then three showed up at the Jones Farm in Upper Coverdale and another on Lameque Island. There were several Field Sparrow reports, as well as Bufflehead,
I also mentioned some species should be moving into our region for winter or still passing through on migration, Bohemian Waxwings , Lapland Longspur, Horned Lark, American Pipit, Dark-eyed Junco and Snow Bunting were all noted.
With lots of birds still passing through, like large numbers of American Robins, Double-crested Cormorants, Common Eider, some warblers and plenty of shore bird species, you hardly know where to look first.
Sound like a lot of birds? Well, I’m sure I missed, lost and forgot a few reports, and I didn’t even mention the birds that are here in normal numbers. With all the eyes out looking, I’ll bet next week brings even more interesting reports.
One constant for spotting birds is the local sewage treatment lagoon, many of the sightings mentioned were discovered in various lagoons, and when my friend went on his mission to spot a Redhead, that’s where he went. At least three different lagoons were mentioned in his travels (White Birch Estates being the winner). Talk to any birder and they’ll tell you they are a consistent draw for not only ducks but many other species as well. Think of me the next time your eating wild duck, I remember my father would alway try to describe the taste of each duck, it might be “fishy” or “muddy” or “wild”, we were young and never thought to ask why. But no matter where you shot the duck, remember they have wings and it’s highly likely he’s “been there, ate that”. Especially during hunting season; since they’ve stopped allowing hunting in our local lagoon it acts as a miniature sanctuary. Yeah, before my time here, people used to hunt in the lagoon, I bet the retriever didn’t sleep on the bed those nights.
One of the categories on BirdingNewBrunswick under HotSpots is: Sewage Lagoons of New Brunswick: A Birders Guide... because they’re not usually mentioned in the travel brochures. Used to be if you didn’t know any birders in the area you’d have to stop at local businesses and ask for directions, I’d recommend carrying a clipboard and wearing an official looking uniform cap. That way they’ll think you’re an inspector instead of a nut bar who’s going their on purpose... to look at birds.
Soon, when you’re traveling and have a spare hour, you’ll be able to login with your iBerry clone phone and find directions to the local hottest spot. (Then login to the weather network and find out which way the winds blowing.) Often you can scope these gems from higher ground as they are usually in the lowest lying areas of the town, remember the plumbers number one rule of thumb… poop flows downhill.
I’m always wondering what the draw is, for ducks it’s obvious, they’re in for the corn. I suppose grebes, cormorants and herons are there for the gold fish. Swallows, warblers and flycatchers must be there for the insects that are attracted to the warm water. Then the birds of prey are there for all of the above. None of this has any basis in science what so ever, it’s just the product of spending too much time alone with my thoughts.
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