Day 132 - 31st August 2018 - Downy Woodpecker, Red-Eyed Vireo and Black & White Warbler

Here we are at the last day of August, another month is closing up.Well we had no rain yesterday - but not really surprised. Late yesterday afternoon to the west the sky got very dark so I'm sure somewhere there was a rain drop or two. The heat and humidity was wicked yesterdays, reports had us a the hot spot in Canada. At least it's a little cooler this morning, hopefully it remains that way today. Didn't take Big B with me yesterday morning, but there were a few birds dashing back and forth through the trees and bushes. Can hear the Owls talking to one another this morning, much cooler and stars are in the sky. Hoping we are returning to more normal temperatures.

Downy Woodpecker

Red-Eyed Vireo - lots of them around now

Black & White Warbler - like an acrobat.




Enjoy your day!

Day 131- 30th August 2018 - Black & White Warbler, Palm Warbler and White-Breasted Nuthatch

A 60% chance of rain this afternoon with thunder and lightening - at 60% I may not be holding my breath waiting. It would be welcome that's for sure.  The lake and river are getting lower, along with wells. Have to get Larry to check ours, last week we were still holding our own -fingers crossed. Larry did managed to get some wood put away in the basement a couple nights, but then this heat wave hit again and that chore is too hot to do after working all day in the heat. I am so ready for fall! Had a good day at work, but not much accomplished last evening other than supper and dishes.

Black & White Warbler

Palm Warbler

White Breasted Nuthatch



Enjoy your day!

Day 130 - 29th August 2018 - Downy Woodpecker, Northern Parula and Red-Eyed Vireo

This morning I could have stayed in bed, but it's back to work and my early morning in with Larry. Groan! A few things done around the house early yesterday then a roam in the hood, once again I came across a small mixed flock of birds. Chickadees, Northern Parulas, Red Eyed Vireos, Nuthatches, Woodpecker Palm Warblers and Yellow Rumped Warblers. Seems once I locate a few Chickadees the others are right there. Nothing new or unusual to report. Then it was off for Thelma & Louise lunch. I did do up a batch of Chocolate Chip Cookies in payment for a favour a friend did for me. Dropped those off while I was in town. Been to hot to do much baking this summer. Humidex at 33 today, drink lots of water!

Downy Woodpecker

 Northern Parula

Red-Eyed Vireo



Enjoy your day!

Day 129 - 28th August 2018 - Black Throated Green Warbler, Red Maple Leaves and a Dragon Fly

Just a few more days and August will be gone. According to the weather sites we are having another heat warning - humidex 37-39 for the next couple of days. Thought that was over. No rain in sight for the rest of this week (except a 60% chance on Wednesday - I don't believe those odds). I had a pretty good day off on Monday, did some stuff around the house and roamed the hood. Even lucked in and found a few flocks of birds on my travels. Finally found a Black Throated Green Warbler in the hood -nearly at the end of the season, Northern Parulas, Swamp Sparrows, Chickadees, Nuthatches, Brown Creepers, Song Sparrows, Red-Eyed Vireos, Palm Warblers and American Redstarts.  So that really perked me up. Did up some lunches for Larry so I'm ahead of that for a few weeks again and of course muffins. I haven't seen a male Hummingbird since last week, females and young are busy fighting over the feeder - about 5 all together.  You have to be really careful sitting on the deck these days.Today is Thelma & Louise day and I should get a few things done before we take off as it will be too hot this afternoon for much I'm sure.

Black Throated Green Warbler

I walk by this Maple tree everyday and yesterday I noticed it's turned red!

Dragonfly



Enjoy your day!

Day 128 - 27th August 2018 - Grasses, Northern Parula and Fungi

Slept in, so must be caught up on my sleep. Off today - rah! Really need to get some work done around here  - the house is getting away from me. I should also spend a few hours doing up some extra lunches for Larry, I think they are starting to get low again too. So much to do, so little ambition to get it done. I'd rather be out chasing birds, but I'll check the hood out after the fog lifts. Humidity looks like it's going to be back up some today, ugh. Another good day at work yesterday, quiet morning but by lunch time people were starting to get around. Seems if you are on vacation sometimes visitors like to sleep in - me I want to get up and get going, see all that I can find.

 Grasses grow tall  along the shoreline of the lake

 Northern Parula

Fungi


Enjoy your day!

Day 127 - 26th August 2018 - Spiderweb, Fungi and a Red-Eyed Vireo

Lovely morning out there stars and moon are high in the sky. I'm up too early - nothing new. Maybe I'll sleep in some on my days off and catch up a bit on the rest. Larry has the Fireman's breakfast to work at this morning and I'm off to work. Saturday was a long and busy day, but a good one mostly. Finished the day off at a potluck with some work colleagues - a fun evening - laughs and great food. I've noticed that the only that the grows successfully without rain is dandelions. Our yard is full of them popping up high about the nubs of grass. But the other day as I looked and wondered whether or not it was worthwhile to mow they were alive with bees. No wind but they were swaying back and forth as hundred of bees went from flower to flower. I guess I've got my answer...think we'll leave them for a while.

 Spiderweb

Red-Eyed Vireo

Fungi are popping up everywhere



Enjoy your day!

Day 126 - 25th August 2018 -Northern Parula, Palm Warbler and Swamp Sparrow

Cool this morning, not many stars out and I don't see the moon so there must be clouds in the sky. Right now it's too dark to tell.  Had a good day off, although not sure how much I actually accomplished but that's ok. Started off with a roam in the hood without any expectations but did come across a Black & White Warbler, Palm Warblers, Song Sparrows, Red -Eyed Vireos, Northern Parulas and Swamp Sparrows. Not a lot but still nice to see a few around. Got a few (very few) things done around the house then it was off for our Thelma & Louise outing. Lunch, and a couple of errands. Put together a pasta salad for a pot luck this evening after supper. Larry said to make sure I tell everyone that he won at marbles last night. He seems to think I'm quick to tell when he loses but not when he wins. Going to be a busy day, I'm working but want to go to an auction viewing before I start, pot luck supper after work and lots of stuff in between.

Northern Parula

 Palm Warbler

Swamp Sparrow



Enjoy your day!

Day 125 - 24th August 2018 - Willets, Gull and Ruddy Turnstone

I'm off today and up too early! Ah well, that's how it goes ...too often. But it's a beautiful morning out there -stars fill the sky and the air is cool and crisp. I shouldn't say it feels like fall but it does although it won't be long and it will warm back up in a few hours. Need to get a few things done around here then I'll touch base with Thelma and see if it's going to be a Thelma and Louise lunch date. If she's not free I'll roam the hood some and do a little more housework or maybe just chill. Have to work on the weekend, a potluck supper Saturday night and Larry has to work the Fire Dept. breakfast on Sunday morning so it's going to be a busy couple of days.

 Willets

Herring Gull

Ruddy Turnstone and Semipalmated Plover



Enjoy your day!

Day 124 - 23rd August 2018 - Gull, Kelp and Ruddy Turnstone

Thursday morning, looks like we had a little more rain during the night but too dark yet to tell. Larry's rain  barrels for the garden are filled again. He checked the well a couple of nights ago and we are still in pretty good shape. So all is basically good with our world. I still stagger things like laundry and the dish washer during the week just to be on the safe side and am careful about what we use. Not planning to wash the car any time soon.  Looks like the humidity is creeping up there again after a nice fresh air week - hope it doesn't last too long. The cranberry ditch seems to have a good crop of berries in it this year. Will have to try to get Larry to go berry picking. Not my thing but he likes it and with a good hip again shouldn't be a problem for him any more. Probably this week he'll start putting wood in the basement...summer is almost gone. These are fall activities.

Gull coming in for a landing

Kelp

Ruddy Turnstone




Enjoy your day!

Day 123 - 22nd August 2018 - Dowitchers and Yellow Legs

Keeping it short this morning, power outage, overslept (5:45am) and it's my early morning in town since I go with Larry. Looks like we got some rain during the night and more on the way this afternoon. Every little bit helps!  Heard a couple of Owls the other morning hooting back and forth to one another - they are getting more vocal again. One was quite close to the house, the other a little to the north. The last few days have certainly been nice with the clearer air and sunny days. Time to get a few things done and get ready for work.

Dowitchers

Yellow Legs with a couple of peeps behind him




Enjoy your day!

Day 122 - 21st August 2018 - Wildflowers, Green-Wing Teals and Semipalmated Plovers

Beautiful morning, stars are all twinkling in the sky, air is cool and clear. That NE wind the last few days as made things so much better. Hoping we have seen the last of the humidity. Summer is racing by, the students will be done at the end of this week so they can get ready to return to University.  Seems like they just started last week!  It was a good day at work, with the end of August approaching we'll be seeing the last of the family visitors or mostly. September and August will bring retired, semi-retired or those without children on vacation. Best guess - numbers are down this year, maybe less USA and more Canadian. My morning walk has gotten much quieter, the last week I see a Song Sparrow or two but I'm not seeing any Warblers, can't believe it's time for them to go.

Wildflowers

Green-Wing Teals in flight

Semi-palmated Plovers


Enjoy your day!

Day 121 - 20th August 2018 - Semipalmated Plover, Black-Bellied Plover and Ruddy Turnstone

Here it is Monday morning once again, back to work time. Overall it was a good weekend. Sunday morning we headed down to Hemeon's Head, of course once we got there it was thick fog and drizzle. Big B. put on her rain jacket and off we went. Saw lots of shore birds (Dowitchers, Yellow Legs, Willets, Semipalmated Sandpipers, Plovers, Sanderlings, Least Sandpipers,Ruddy Turnstones and Black Bellied Plovers), a flock of Green Wing, Teals, Black Ducks, a few Gulls and three Gannets flying by. It was a good morning even though the weather wasn't great. Of course by the time we were back up to the car the fog had lifted but not the drizzle. Would like to get down one more time before the birds migrate but probably not likely. An afternoon at home - doing a few things around here, Larry replaced the side doorstep I did some inside work and went for a walk.

Semipalmated Plover

 Black-Bellied Plover and Willets

 Yellow Legs

Ruddy Turnstone





Enjoy your day!

Day 120 - 9th August 2018 - Chickadee, Common Yellowthroat and Palm Warbler

I can hear an Owl far in the distance, the only sound on this early Sunday morning. Days seem to be getting shorter, daylight is a little bit slower coming and dusk a tad earlier. Birding was a bit of a bust yesterday. We headed down to East Sable River as a slight detour but the fog and heavy drizzle deterred me from going to Hemeon's Head. Since it's a long walk down the beach and back decided it wasn't worth getting caught in a down pour. So we headed back to Shelburne, picked up some groceries and came home to do some work. We had some rain, hopefully it will do a little bit of good, at times it was a hard down pour but had fizzled out before supper. Evening was nothing but drizzle. A game of marbles gave each team a win.  Weather looks more favourable this morning so maybe we'll try again.

Chickadee

Common Yellowthroat

Palm Warbler hiding in the shadows





Enjoy your day!

Day 119 - 18th August 2018- Barn Swallow, Chickadee and Hermit Thrush

Friday was a nice day, good breeze on the waterfront, little to no humidity. That's the way it should be. A chance of rain for today, well we need it but they give out that forecast almost everyday and we don't see anything. Hopefully I can get some birding in before it starts, heading to Hemeon's Head this morning. Tide is right and there should be some shorebirds down there these days. Then if it rains later, I can do some grocery shopping and some work around the house, fingers crossed. It's a quiet morning except for what sounds like a porcupine wailing somewhere nearby. No stars in the sky. Heard the Canada Geese in the lake a few days ago, makes me think fall is on it's way.

Barn Swallows

Chickadee

Hermit Thrush




Enjoy your day!

Day 118 - 17th August 2018 - The Harbour, Dory and a Duck

No matter how warm it gets during the day, the temperature at night seems to be dropping some now. Mornings are lovely - cool and clear. Maybe the humidity will soon disappear. I hear people saying their wells are going, not surprising. I'm seeing more rocks in the river and lake almost every day as the water keeps dropping. Time to send Larry back out to check ours.  Good day at work on Thursday, spurts of visitors through the museums.  Busy weekend coming up in Town - Kayak Festival, Songs at Sea Level and Art Day. Sounds like something for everyone - so check it out. I'm off on the weekend so hopefully at bit of birding for me.

Some mornings are calm as glass on the harbour.

The 150 Dory

A Duck paddles along





Enjoy your day!

Day 187 - 16th August 2018 - Chickadee, Yellow Warbler and Shorebirds

Dark skies this morning, not seeing any stars out there. Up early but not because I want to be, had to make sure Larry was awake. He's off to Digby to take his metal. Yah, some junk out of the yard. Although last night when they were putting it on the trailer I couldn't see a lot of difference. He reminds me of the old sitcom "Sanford and Son".  Oh well it keeps him out of trouble. Few more visitors around at work Wednesday, the fog burned off by lunch time and got hot.Thankful there was a fairly good breeze off the water. But wearing the shroud makes you hot anyway.  It was nice to get home at the regular time and just chill out.  Watched a Hummingbird chase a Common Yellowthroat  in the yard last night - they are aggressive little birds.

Chickadee looks like he's put on his brakes

Yellow Warbler with breakfast

Shorebirds in flight




Enjoy your day!

Day 186 - 15th August 2018 - Cape Sable Island, Cape Light and a Yellow Rumped Warbler

Tuesdays rain forecast must have been for certain sections - about 6 rain drops in town, whereas up our way there were several hard showers during the day which only lasted a few minutes. The joy of one rain cloud. The humidity and heat hit again, making the day uncomfortable yet again.  Good day at work but visitor numbers seem to have declined again. Not sure what the answer to that is. Meeting after work, then we did a taco bar instead of a pot luck which was really fun. My walk yesterday morning was pretty quiet again, no birds for the second day in a row, not sure where they've all gone.

Cape Sable Island

Cape Light

Yellow Rumped Warbler





Enjoy your day!