Yesterday, the Boss and I took Highway 203 from Carleton in Yarmouth County
around to Shelburne. It forms part of the southern boundary of the Tobeatic
Wilderness Area. Passable with caution. Some of the potholes can damage
tires and low-slung cars can bottom out on some of the ridges!
We stopped at Bear Brook bridge, Clyde River Bridge, and the Indian Fields
"airstrip." Glimpsed one dragonfly on the Clyde Bridge, and on the
airstrip, the little red guys (Sympetrum?) were abundant. Additional
bonuses at Indian Fields were a pileated woodpecker and a bald eagle, who
seemed to like being near the airstrip.
This is November, isn't it?
Just to report that we saw a splendid Garter Snake sunning on the path, on the Lake William Trail yesterday morning. It was stretched out and immobile - cold air, and not much help from a cloud-obscured sun. Eventually it limbered up and headed back into the forest. Photos available.
This date is a little later than the latest reported in "Reptiles and Amphibians of Nova Scotia".
- - - Peter Payzant
A recent study tried to establish whether bird feeding assisted nesting
in bluebirds and chickadees. Bluebirds were provided mealworms and
chickadees a variety of foods. Results indicate that bluebirds nested
earlier but no increase in clutch size was evident in either. Bluebird
chicks were heavier but chickadees remained about the same.
Here is the Cornell write-up
https://nestwatch.org/connect/blog/does-supplemental-feeding-help-nesting-b…
Don
--
Don MacNeill donmacneill(a)bellaliant.net
Thank you all for your very helpful suggestions. I'll go back to the site tomorrow with the Flora of NS and try to sort out what I'm seeing. I'll let you know the results, if any.
- - - Peter Payzant
The Little Egret was in its classic low-tide location at the North pond at
the Antigonish Landing, access by Tony's Meats. This morning at low tide.
Randy
We had one of those big flocks of grackles passing through the area
today. They spent a half-hour or so turning over the leaves at our
house. This seems later than usual, but I don't have any data to back
that up.
Peter Payzant
Waverley
Dear All,
All going well I hope to get back to examining spores of e.g.
fleshy fungi, mosses etc., under a compound microscope, in a year or so
but my pad of absorbent paper was either entirely used or has gone missing.
This was the same pad, I think, which I bought in the early 50's
for course work and I can not remember what it was called. It was sold
as pads, ~4 mm thick, of thin coherent blotting paper nearly as wide as
a glass slide. And by snipping the wet end off, the same sheet can often
be used several times.
It was used mostly to draw a reagent, from one side of a square
cover slip to the other, without disturbing the spores or other small
objects being examined.
Does this ring any bells and if so what were these pads called ?
Dave, Kentville
Amongst a vocal group of Black-capped Chickadees were two Juncos, one GC
Kinglet and a Solitary Vireo, odd for this time of year.
I got a very clear look noting its white eye glasses, buffy orange on the
flanks and basic body colouration.
The siting was just south of Walsh Post Rd on Fairmont Rd., today.
There were also two Pileateds, making this a good stop overall.
Randy
