Monday, August 12, 2013

Nova Scotia - Day 1

I had meant to post an update before I left, but ended up being far too busy... Over the last week or so I've been finishing up at one job, preparing for the next, creating and entering >3600 checklists comprising ~12000 records for Algoma District Bird Records, and getting in some last bits of summer before fall hits. I arrived in Halifax last night, after three flights (via Toronto and Montreal), and minus one of my bags, which ended up in New Jersey somehow, but will be here tomorrow. I'm now in Wolfville, NS, and will be heading down to Bon Portage Island at some point this week, where I will be spending the next 2.5 months running the Atlantic Bird Observatory. I think it will be a great experience and I stand to add a few species to my life list (and Canada list) which is a bit of a bonus! This is also my first time in the Maritimes, so getting to see a new part of Canada is always nice.

As I had a bit of time today before and after work I wandered down to the Wolfville harbour, which at low tide was a giant mud pit loaded with shorebirds (this morning), and was a saltwater marsh with a few feet of rocky shoreline at high tide this afternoon. Fundy tides are crazy! The highlights were 9 White-rumped Sandpipers and an Eastern Willet, which I think is a new subspecies for me. I also had a male Ring-necked Pheasant wandering the street in front of the residence I'm staying at, which I thought was a bit odd but apparently they're pretty common around here.

If I have some time tomorrow I'll try to post a few photos. After that I am not sure when I'll have a solid internet connection again, but I will post in November when I'm off the island with some highlights and photos!

No comments: