Tuesday 11 November 2008

Bay of Fundy - late fall

In the fall, thousands - maybe millions - of waders funnel down the Bay of Fundy on their way south, with many staying to feed. Apparently. Presumably in early fall.

Because when we visited, there were just a few Sanderlings and things, which in some ways was a relief as North American waders are a nightmare to identify.

The trip was, however, worthwhile as it passed through the Acadian country which is good for raptors, including Bald Eagles. There were also plenty of Red-Tailed Hawks, helpfully showing themselves on wires and posts before languidly flapping away, exposing their distinguishing parts.

At the roadside, two Ravens displayed, bouncing around on the grass together.

6 comments:

Stewart said...

Hi KD,
Grey Squirrels in Northumberland. I hear that 20,000 have been culled in the SW of the county. I've lived in central / east/ NE Northumberland my whole life and not seen one. That is despite living in suitable woodland with a plethora of feeders out for 11 years recently. Plenty of Reds mind you...

S...

Anonymous said...

Just seen your pictures of the eagle and falcon - very impressive as were the ravens ( still need one of these for this year's list!). I think these re-inforce my point about going to the US/Canada to see US birds rather than spending a similar quantity of dosh and hoping a few turn up in the Scillies (even if your time was a little off for the waders!).
The mammals were equally impressive and I assume from the pictures not to worried by the presence of humans. Some must have only been a few feet away.

Kingsdowner said...

Thanks for the feedback on squirels Stuart. The team calls itself 'Red Squirrel Protectoion League' rather than the 'Grey Squirrel Annihilation League'.

Thanks also to SteveR, and I commend the idea of bird tourism against twitching - if only because you see more birds.

Mary said...

What great shots! The birds flying over the water is a beautiful photo. An eagle and hawks and ravens...sounds like a very good trip. Those ravens seem to be having a good time, too.

NW Nature Nut said...

Nice Raven photos. Do you think they were displaying to each other. Looks like they are competing or something.

Rambling Woods said...

Nice photos and I have never seen a raven...