First storm of the year

The snow started yesterday morning and continued through the day before turning to rain in early evening. The rain overnight took away most of yesterday's accumulation but switched back to snow again early this morning and has snowed steadily all day today. Winds last evening were pretty wild from the northeast with gusts approaching 100 kms/hr. I went out early this morning to check along the coast to see if any seabirds had got blown in overnight but the visibility was generally pretty poor and I saw nothing of note at Cap Bimet or at Point du Chene.

At the Caissie Cape wharf the snow let up for a while but there was nothing flying by except for a few Long-tailed Ducks and a couple of Common Eiders. There were still some pretty good waves breaking over the wharf (see above) and there were small numbers of Herring and Iceland Gulls sitting on the ice and slush in the basin formed by the wharf and breakwater (see below).

The Northern Mockingbird was at his usual post at the Acadie Optometry Clinic on Main Street this morning.

New Years Day Birds including SNOWY OWL and eider migration

I had only a short amount of time for birding today but ran into Richard Leger at the Point du Chene wharf who shared some bird news from this morning. He along with Julie Pellerin and Fred Leger spent the morning birding around Shediac and recorded 24 species inlcuding the Northern Mockingbird at the Acadie Optometry Clinic. They reported seeing two flocks of migrating Common Eiders - one numbering 400-500 flying southwest over Scoudouc and another in the order of 200 flying west past Cap Brule.

In late afternoon I checked along the shore at Cap Bimet and spotted an immature Snowy Owl on the ice close to shore in the cove just east of the new condominium development at the end of the Cap Bimet Road. It's very likely that this is one of the two Snowy Owls that have been on the ice off Point du Chene in recent days. At dusk I saw a flock of 12 Canada Geese heading west over Shediac.

Southbound migration continues! Hopefully in just a few short weeks we can look forward to the start of northbound migration!

Happy New Year to everyone!!

Ducks at mouth of Scoudouc River

Frigid overnight temperatures reduced the amount of open water at the mouth of the Scoudouc River to a very small area and this flock of ducks (below) were no doubt helping to keep that area from freezing over. If you click on the second image below and look carefully you can see that there are five species of ducks present: many Common Mergansers and Common Goldeneye, a small group of American Black Ducks on the far right, several Mallards on the near edge of the ice in the center, and a few Barrow's Goldeneye on the far left.

Most of these ducks will remain here through the winter and the numbers will vary daily depending on the amount of open water and tide levels.

A quick check today failed to find any Snowy Owls at Point du Chene nor could the Northern Mockingbird be located.

Robins, Waxwings, Great Blue Heron and more.....

Fifteen centimeters of fresh snow overnight has plunged us back into a winter landscape after several days of mild temperatures and ever increasing amounts of bare ground. Yesterday was a beautiful day and I was out birding and photographing for much of the day. Below are a few photos plus some updates on birds from yesterday. Click on any of the photos to see a larger version.

Only one SNOWY OWL could be found from the Point du Chene wharf at mid-day and it was on a piece of ice that drifted eastward and eventually disappeared down the coast. Most of the ice immediately around the wharf and between the wharf and Shediac Island disappeared overnight in the mild temps and southwest winds.

The NORTHERN MOCKINGBIRD (below) was still at its' post in the bushes lining the driveway at the Acadie Optometry Clinic on Main Street.

A lingering GREAT BLUE HERON (below) was hanging out along the shore below the giant lobster and then flew off toward Cornwall Point where is was later seen standing on the ice under the Route 15 bridge at the end of Cornwall Point Road. This heron was first noted on Christmas Day by Sam Pellerin in the first creek along the Cornwall Point Road - the first Great Blue Heron reported locally since November.

Berry-eating birds were very much in evidence along Greenwood Avenue and Stead Lane on Monday, including many AMERICAN ROBINS, CEDAR WAXWINGS and BOHEMIAN WAXWINGS. Here are two photos of some robins drinking from pools on Stead Lane:

Here's a flock of BOHEMIAN WAXWINGS with two Cedar Waxwings on the right. The Cedar Waxwings are smaller, less gray below and lack the rusty undertail coverts of the Bohemian Waxwings:

Here's a pure flock of CEDAR WAXWINGS:

While at the Point du Chene wharf at mid-day I photographed this GRAY SEAL that kept popping up for air just off the end of the wharf:

Finally, I took this photograph of several men out on the ice on the Scoudouc River from Cornwall Point looking toward Shediac's Hotel de Ville / Town Hall (in the background). They had cut holes through the ice with chainsaws and were raking the bottom, presumably for quahogs?? UPDATE - Thanks to Dwayne Biggar for correcting me. These men are actually using spears to catch American Eels.

SNOWY OWLS and N. MOCKINGBIRD Still Present

The two heavily-barred immature SNOWY OWLS were still present this afternoon on the ice off the wharf in Point du Chene. Both were quite far out, approximately half-way to Shediac Island, and required a telescope to see them well. From the wharf one was directly in line with the tip of the sand dune on the south end of Shediac Island while the other was further to the west in the direction of Shediac Cape.

The NORTHERN MOCKINGBIRD was still present this afternoon in bushes lining the driveway at the 'Acadie Optometry Clinic' opposite 452 Main Street.

Update on SNOWY OWLS and MERLIN

The MERLIN (above) continues to be seen near the intersection of the the Gould Beach Road and Honey Suckle Street at The Bluff (Parlee Beach) in Shediac. He continues to enjoy bathing and on Christmas Eve I captured this image of him wading in a pool of water on the shoulder of the Gould Beach Road.

The immature SNOWY OWL which has been present for several days on the ice off the Point du Chene wharf has been joined by a second immature SNOWY OWL today. Both birds were visible around mid-day today from the end of the wharf and were several hundred meters offshore, one in the direction of Skull Island and the other off to the northeast between Shediac Island and Parlee Beach.

NORTHERN MOCKINGBIRD / Moqueur polyglotte

This Northern Mockingbird has been present for several days in ornamental shrubs lining the driveway into the new optical clinic on Main Street in Shediac. I'm not sure about the civic number of this building but it is a yellow building with a sign in front that says 'ACADIE OPTOMETRY CLINIC' and is located directly across the street from 452 Main Street. The mockingbird has claimed these shrubs with their few remaining red berries and seems to be present almost continuously.

Northern Mockingbirds are rare nesters in the Shediac area and while most migrate further south in fall there often seems to be one or two that remain in the Shediac area through the winter subsisting on berries and apples and occasionally visiting bird feeders for fruit and suet.

This photo was taken on Christmas Day.

MERLIN / Faucon émerillon at Parlee Beach

I photographed this adult male Merlin sitting on power lines along Honey Suckle Street in Parlee Beach (Shediac) on Dececember 21st. There was a light drizzle falling at the time and the Merlin was constantly fanning its tail, seemingly in an attempt to take a shower!

Merlins are a small falcon that nest sparingly in the Shediac area. Most migrate further south for the winter but a few remain to pass the colder months with us, hunting small birds, often around bird feeders. We also spotted a Merlin perched atop a tree near the Rendez-vous Take-Out in Shediac Bridge the previous day on the Shediac Christmas Bird Count and others have been seen recently near St. Martins-in-the-Wood Church at Shediac Cape and along the Cap Brule Road.