ANIMAL AND PLANT SIGHTINGS

a light blanket of snow. The strong winds which accompanied it caused whiteouts and small snow banks but conditions ameliorated by the following weekend. Pond icing caused the concentration of Black Ducks on certain ponds. Conditions ameliorated in early December but winter closed in in late December with extreme cold from Boxing Day through to January 18th when a rain storm temporarily broke the cold. It returned quickly on the 19th and continued through until late January.

The first winter snowstorm struck on Nov. 24th covering the Island with .

Dandelions and Devil's Paintbrush still in flower on Sept. 19 on Brackley Beach (AS). However, the most surprising flower sightings was a Lupin in flower at Point Prim on November lst (DW). Needle fall in the Eastern Larch was very heavy on Nov. 7th at Donagh (JDM).

A live Little Brown Bat was found on Nov. 22 on the sidewalk on Kent Street in Charlottetown (DMo).

Northern Gannet - many during all of October at Lakeside (AM); Canada Geese ~ over 300 passed over the Jenkin's Natural Area calling loudly and heading SOuth on Dec. 29 (HJ); Eurasian Widgeon - 1 male at Rochford Pond on Jun. 21 (DET); Wood Ducks - 1 at Vernon River on Jan. 1 & 3 (GS); Turkey Vulture - 1 seen near Orwell in Oct. (CS), 1 at Primrose on Nov. 11 (BiD); Northern Goshawk - 1 attacking birds at Indian River feeder in early Dec. (TC); Sharp-shinned Hawk - 1 at Charlottetown on Dec. 24 (DMacL), 1 at Heartz Road feeder (C&MW); Red-tailed Hawk — 1 at Desable on Jan. 24 & 30 at Desable (BP); Broad~winged Hawk - 1 at Sailor's Hope on Aug. 27 (FRC); Rough-legged Hawk - 1 at Millview . on Nov. 8 (JDM, BB), 1 at Desable on Jan. 12 (BP); Bald Eagle — 2 adults at North River on Nov. 5 (BG), 1 immature seen at Savage Harbour on Nov. 11 (BB, JDM), 1 adult put up 300 geese at Savage Harbour on Nov. 12 (JDM, BB), 1 took a muskrat on an Indian River lawn (TC), immature on Jan. 5 on Charlottetown Harbour ice and in garden on Jan. 11 in Bunbury (C&MW); Northern Harrier - 1 at Millview on Nov. 8 (BB, JDM); Ruffed Grouse — sighting reports suggest that their population is quite high this year in the area east of Charlottetown (MF, BB, JDM, HJ, WMac); Gray Partridge — 9 at Research Station in Charlottetown on Jan. 12 (JDM); Whimbrel — approx. 20 at Hermitage blueberry field on Nov. 10 (MR); Glaucous Gull — 1 at Cherry Valley on Sept. 22 (FRC); Black—headed Gull - 1 at Parkdale on Oct. 4 (PRO); Bonaparte's Gull — still common at Canavoy on Nov. 12 (JDM, BB); Mourning Dove — 12 to 28 at feeder in St. Eleanors in Oct.-Nov. (WB), 32 at Indian River feeder in early Dec. (TC), 1 to 22 at Heartz Road feeder in January (C&MW), 2 - 10 at New Dominion feeder in Jan. (LD); Snowy Owl - a wing injured bird was found at Naufrage Harbour on Nov. 29 by Albert Cheverie and was reported to GM who picked it up and advised Fish & Wildlife staff, 1 at Brackley on Nov. 22 (JtR), 1 was reported to have been on the K-Mart sign in Charlottetown on the evening of Nov. 29 (BrH), 1 emaciated Snowy Owl captured on North River Road and placed at the recovery centre at AVC, 1 seen at Meadowbank on Dec. 4 (NN), 1 seen at Mermaid Mini Farms on Dec. 6 at 1645 hrs (WMac), 1 on Kinlock Road on Dec. 21 (S&NS), 1 at Victoria in Jan. (BH), 1 on Jan. 5 at Cherry Valley (P&AW); Northern Saw~whet Owl — 1 seen around 1645 hrs at Mermaid Mini-Farms on Dec. 6 (WMac), 1 struck car on outside Morell just after dusk on Dec. 7 (DMu), 1 struck truck in

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