Lise's Ramblings

Mid-twenties, sunshine and no big plans...a perfect summer weekend. Spent a morning at my favourite local birding spot. The ducklings are growing up quickly. The youngest ones that I could see were these wee little Ruddy Ducks. Hard to imagine that these families have such long flights ahead of them in the coming months. There were also some American Coots grunting (see right). Saw splotches of red and black in the reeds at one point, but if it was Common Moorhens, they chose not to come on out for a visit. There were a few shorebirds foraging about in the muck, and turkey vultures were circling a nearby field. It all made for a great break from the usual weekend chores.

Our vacation in Nova Scotia and Prince Edward Island gave me a chance to see lots of funky birds and some marine mammals too. The Atlantic puffins were by far the silliest looking creatures. They were much smaller than I had imagined them to be, but FUUUUUNNY. Many of the birds that we saw still had their young with them, but they are getting ready to fledge. Aaaaaaaaawwww. Believe it or not, even the gull chicks were cute. Our best birding sites were: Bird Islands (near Big Bras d'Or in Cape Breton, NS); Martinique Beach Provincial Park, NS; Greenwich National Park, PEI; Cape Bear, PEI; French River, PEI; and on the trip home...Cap Jourimain, NB. Our bird finds included: Piping Plovers, Black Guillemots, Razorbills, Northern Gannets, Great Cormorants, Double-Crested Cormorants, Common Eiders, Bald Eagles (adults and juveniles), Spotted Sandpipers, Ospreys, Black-Legged Kittiwakes, Great Black-Backed Gulls, Northern Harriers, a Black-Backed Woodpecker, Black Terns, Common Terns, Ye