(down by / on the beach)

Sanderlings, Snow Buntings, unidentified shorebird (Willet or yellowleg - too far and little light), Bohemian Waxwings

December, 1999 (To Dec 19) at our feeders: Blue Jays, Bohemian Waxwings, Black-capped Chickadees, Goldfmches, Tree Sparrows, Evening Grosbeaks, Common Redpolls, Hoary Redpolls (2), Purple Finch, Rusty Blackbird (1), Common Grackles

ANIMAL AND PLANT SIGHTINGS: Compiled by J. Dan McAskill [reports received up to Jan. 10th]

PLANTS: Dandelion as well as wild strawberry in flower at Mont Carmel on Oct. 31 (M&BLB). Tremendous growth of clover (12 to 16 inches) tall this autumn in many grain stubble fields (JDM).

Red-throated Loon - 2 during two hours (1000 - 1200) at East Point on Nov. 6 (BD); Red-necked Grebe - 4 at Little Sands on Nov. 6 (EMa), 1 at East Point on Nov. 8, 1 at Murray Head on Nov. 16 1 at Red Point Provincial Park on Nov. 29 (EMa); Horned Grebe - 1 at East Point on Nov. 6; Pied-billed Grebe - 1 at Indian River on Oct. 20 (EMa); Leach's Storm Petrel- l at Cape Bear on Oct. 25 (EMa); Wilson's Storm Petrel - 1 at Cape Bear on Oct. 23 (EMa); Great Cormorant 25 lone birds seen rounding the tip during two hours (1000 - 1200) at East Point on Nov. 6 (BD); Double-crested Cormorant - at North Cape on Nov. 14 (M&BLB); Cormorant - small flight at Stanhope on Dec. 6 (FC, JC); Great Blue Heron - 1 at Carleton on Nov. 14 (M&BLB), 1 at Stanhope on Dec. 6 (JC); Canada Geese - 750 at DeSable River mouth on Nov. 6 (BD), 100 at Miminegash on Nov. 14 (M&BLB), 4 at Ellen's Creek on Dec. 16 (JDM), M&BLB reported a lot less Canada Geese in the Mont Carmel area 10,000 at a time last year compared to 1,000 at a time in October this year but they noted large number off west side of Summerside Harbour (November?), 35 in Belfast area in late Dec. (CR0), 1,000 plus in the air over the east end of Summerside on Dec. 23 (JDM), at Covehead Harbour until Dec. 24 (F&JC), 2,000 in grain field near Bedeque on Jan. 3 (BH); White-fronted Goose - 1 at Moore's Sanctuary on Sept. 2 (RC), 2 at Summerside on Oct. 3 (DET); American Black Duck - 3000 to 4000 off Riverside Drive in Charlottetown on Dec. 13 plus 600 to 800 at east end of Hillsborough Bridge (JDM), 1,500 off Riverside Drive on Dec. 24 (IBM, RPh), 200 at Wood Islands on Nov. 6 (BD), 1200 at Lord Selkirk Provincial Park (EMa); Gadwell - 130 at Indian River on Nov. 27 (LH), 7 at Indian River on Oct. 20 & 1 at Long Pond on Nov. 2 (EMa); Northern Pintail - 1 at National Park on Dec. 15 (EMa); Green-winged Teal - 4 at Andrew's Pond in East Royalty on Dec. 15 (EMa); Northern Shoveller - 1 at Indian River on Oct. 20 (EMa), 1 on Dec. 15 in National Park (EMa); American Wigeon - 1 at Long Pond on Nov. 2 (EMa); Common Goldeneye - 6 at Indian River on Oct. 20 (EMa); Bufflehead - 3 at Black Pond on Nov. 1 and 25 on Nov. 2 at Long Pond (EMa), 2 males & 3 females at Indian River on Nov. 27 (LH), Oldsquaw - 50 seen diving about 1 mile of tip during two hours (100 - 1200) at East Point on Nov. 6 (BD); Common Eider - 50 just offshore mostly hatch-year birds during two hours (1000 - 1200) at East Point on Nov. 6 (BD), lots at North Cape on Nov. 14 (M&BLB); Black Scoter - 300 Black and Surf Scoter off Union Corner Provincial Park in early Oct (M&BLB), 25 immature female types seen during two hours (1000 - 1200) at East Point on Nov. 6 (BD); Ruddy Duck - l at Long Pond on Nov. 2 (EMa); Hooded Merganser - 11 at Indian River on Oct. 20 (LB) & 5 at Long Pond on Nov. 2 (EMa), 31 (16 males and 15 females) at Indian River on Nov. 15 (LI-I); Red-breasted Merganser - 50 at Miminegash on Nov. 14 (M&BLB); Northern Goshawk - l flew cross the road at Cap-Egmont on Oct. 21 (M&BLB); Sharp-shinned Hawk - 1 Nov. 8, 11, 12, & 21, Dec. 22, 23 & Jan. 1 at Crossroads overlooking feeder (DO), 1 on Jan. 4 at East Royalty feeder site (EMa); Red-tailed Hawk - 1 adult & 2 immatures at seen at same time (1035) during two hours (1000 - 1200) at East Point on Nov. 6 (BD), 1 at Rollo Bay on Oct. 25 (EMa); 1 near East Point on Nov. 8 (EMa); Rough-legged Hawk - l at Hampton took a meadow vole from the grain stubble on Nov. 19 (JDM), 1 at Hampton on Dec. 18 (BH), 1 at St. Raphael on Dec. 18th and l at Wellington on Dec. 19 (M&BLB), 1 dark phase at Spring Valley on Dec. 23 (JDM), 1 at Fullerton's Marsh on Dec. 29 (DO); Bald Eagle - 2 adults eating dead seals on Nov. 16 (F RC), 1 put gulls at East Point on Nov. 6th out to sea (BD), adult at Mont Carmel on Oct. 21 & a lst year eagle at Richmond on Nov. 14 (M&BLB), 2 adults on ground on Dec.