New Brunswick who were both on the Island for the East Point Christmas Bird Count. They both concluded that 
     
     the bird was indeed a Brewer’s and not a Rusty Blackbird due to features already mentioned above. To get more 
     
     opinions on the bird Vernon showed the video to experienced birders on Martha’s Vineyard and Brian sent the still 
     
     images to well known birders in the Maritimes. Final confirmation came when the video was sent to Peter Burke 
     
     and the videographs to Alvaro Jaramillo who are the authors of New World Blackbirds: The Icterids. Between 
     
     them, they agreed the blackbird was a Brewer’s also. Alvaro in his May 6, 2003 E-mail mentioned the pretty 
     
     solidly black gloss on the back, wings and body, a pretty strong iridescence, and a change in strength of the 
     
     iridescence and colour between the head and the rest of the body was consistent with an October Brewer’s rather 
     
     than a Rusty. The slight amount of greyish tipping on the face and crown suggested that the bird was a male in its 
     
    
   
   
    
     first year. Thus it was concluded that this sighting was indeed Prince Edward Island’s first fully documented record 
     
     of the occurrence of Brewer’s Blackbird. 
     
    
   
   
    
       
     
    
   
   
    
     PLANTWATCH PEI adapted from BBEMA’s Newsletter 
     
    
   
   
    
     Have you ever kept a record of plant flowering times? If so, or if you are 
     
     interested in starting, then the Bedeque Bay Environmental Management Association 
     
     would like to hear from you. Plantwatch PEI is part of a national volunteer 
     
     monitoring program which tracks the flowering periods of certain key "indicator plant 
     
     species" including red maple, wild strawberry or Labrador tea. The seasonal 
     
     information gained from Plantwatch has many practical uses serving as an indicator 
     
     of long term changes in climate conditions. BBEMA can supply a Plantwatch booklet 
     
     and other information to assist you. To participate, please contact the BBEMA office 
     
     at 902-886-3288. 
     
    
   
   
    
       
     
    
   
   
    
       
     
    
   
   
    
     Illustration: Red maple flowers, seeds, & leaves 
     
    
   
   
    
     NEAR VICTORIA PARK: by Dave G. Stewart 
     
    
   
   
    
     This afternoon I heard a bird in distress noise in my backyard, and found a sharpie dispatching a European 
     
     Starling. A picture was taken through windows with the digital zoom on my camera. A short time later I heard 
     
     more noise, and found the sharpie on his back under a crow, and surrounded by more crows. Iran to get my 
     
     camera, but when I returned no birds were to be seen. 
     
    

    
     Yesterday, we put some food out for the crows in the small woods back of the house. While watching 
     
     through the binoculars, on crow walked over to another, and booted it with a foot, nearly knocking it over! 
     
    

    
     We live near Victoria Park, and sometimes have crows in great number spending the night in trees around 
     
     the house, rather than joining the rest in the Park. I haven’t figured what particular weather conditions initiate this. 
     
    
   
   
    
     BALD EAGLES DISPLAY: by Dan Kennedy 
     
    
   
   
    
     I went to Eamscliffe in the late afternoon on February 12th. Things were very quiet, lots of Horned Larks. 
     
     I saw about a dozen ravens on the ground near some woods and, when I stopped, I saw that just behind them were 
     
     two Bald Eagles feeding on something. The ravens were obviously waiting their turn. 
     
    

    
     I've seen eagles feeding in the same general area on over occasions so I suspect someone was dumping 
     
     some dead stock. The two eagles (one fully mature the other more juvenile) took off and flew in very close 
     
     formation for as long as I watched. They were probably never more than ten or 15 feet apart. They performed 
     
     some nice wheeling, soaring, and other aerial displays. I've seen pairs do much more spectacular displays but this 
     
     was still neat to see. 
     
    

    
     The reason that I was out driving around was because a neighbour of mine had told me that he saw a pair 
     
     of Short-cared Owls, in late December, hunting in the field one over from my place here in Vernon River. It never 
     
    
   
   
    
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