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Musings: West Hants Granchester Meadows

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There are snippets of lyrics floating in the still, early morning, chill air.  Let us snatch a few as they drift by.

Icy winds of night be gone, this is not your domain.“*

No, it was our domain, which we (myself, Nic, and his father David) were sharing with a few birds and fewer people.  It was early light on the cusp of 2104, as we participated in the annual West Hants Christmas Bird Count.  This is a near-annual ritual for me, and since moving to Nova Scotia in 1987 I have participated on 16 occasions, more than any other provincial C.B.C..  And for most of these counts I have been assigned the innermost section, and one of the largest, centered on Smiley’s Provincial Park.   Do you like maps?  You are in for a treat — here is the topo of our area.

West Hants Area 7

I will not go into the mechanics of Christmas Bird Counts — if you are unfamiliar with the concept, or need a refresher, click here.  Our goal was to census all the birdlife within our assigned area, by vehicle and on foot, for as many hours as we could manage, which in our case meant the roughly eight hours of daylight available to us.  I was very pleased (I could say chuffed) to have Nic along to assist for the second year in a row, with the additional support of his father David, on a Christmas visit from the U.K..

It has been a harsh winter, and the fields, forests, and villages of West Hants presented ample evidence of the cold and snow.  It was a leaden sky, not cheerful, but dramatic nevertheless.

Nova Scotia Winter Landscape - photo © 2013 by Blake Maybank.

Barn – Nova Scotia Winter Landscape – photo © 2013 by Blake Maybank.

Nova Scotia Winter Landscape - photo © 2013 by Blake Maybank.

Barn #2 – Nova Scotia Winter Landscape – photo © 2013 by Blake Maybank.

We began a pattern that we followed through the day. As we slowly drove the byways of West Hants we watched for signs of feeders, or any bird activity at all, and the discovery of one almost invariably led to the discovery of the other.

In the sky a bird was heard to cry.“*

It was at only our second stop, while we enjoyed a mixed flock of chickadees and goldfinches, that David alerted us to a large bird calling and flying in our direction. It alighted in a tree directly in front of us, and I managed a short video of the visitor.

I too-seldom encounter Pileated Woodpeckers, the largest species of woodpecker in Canada, one that is widespread but shy across Nova Scotia.  This seemed a wonderful start to our day.

We did finally reach Smiley’s Provincial Park, but before we reached the (closed) park gate we stopped on the bridge over the Meander River.  The swift current at this spot usually produces a patch of open water, and this year was no exception.  As we checked the river for signs of any ducks I noticed a flash of blue darting to the water, and we were gob-smacked to see a Belted Kingfisher confidently fishing in the river.

See the splashing of the kingfisher flashing to the water.“*

I was so entranced at this completely unexpected sighting that I forgot to try to take a picture — a pity, as this turned out to be the first time this species has ever been sighted on the West Hants count.  At least there were three witnesses to the event.

And so into the park, which lies in the sheltered narrow Meander River valley, offering a diverse array of habitats: field, (narrow) river, deciduous woods, coniferous forest.

And the river of green is sliding unseen beneath the trees.“*

When conditions permit we walk the length of this park, and are usually rewarded with a nice mix of forest birds, augmented by the birds patronizing the feeders at the house opposite the park entrance.  But this year our hike produced . . . nothing.  Silence.  Perhaps the birds had been driven away by the palpable irony to be found near the entrance kiosk.

Nova Scotia Winter Landscape - photo © 2013 by Blake Maybank.

Sales are Slow – Nova Scotia Winter Landscape – photo © 2013 by Blake Maybank.

In the absence of birds I turned my camera towards other photogenic scenes.  Winter scenes, to be sure, but still photogenic.

Nova Scotia Winter Landscape - photo © 2013 by Blake Maybank.

Waiting for Spring – Nova Scotia Winter Landscape – photo © 2013 by Blake Maybank.

This seemed poignant to me.  But not as poignant as this:

Nova Scotia Winter Landscape - photo © 2013 by Blake Maybank.

Standing on Guard – Nova Scotia Winter Landscape – photo © 2013 by Blake Maybank.

With the completion of our morning ramble we began to drive the roads in earnest, counting many chickadees and goldfinches, and gradually building our list of species. But the avian activity was never frenetic, which gave me adequate time to capture more snowy seasonal images. None so snowy as this one.

Nova Scotia Winter Landscape - photo © 2013 by Blake Maybank.

Nova Scotia Winter Landscape – photo © 2013 by Blake Maybank.

While we tallied Bald Eagles, pheasants, starlings, gulls, and sparrows, I kept cheating by documenting the lovely white pastoral landscape surrounding us.

Nova Scotia Winter Landscape - photo © 2013 by Blake Maybank.

Barred Barn – Nova Scotia Winter Landscape – photo © 2013 by Blake Maybank.

I never tire of weathered farm buildings. What stories they could tell!

Nova Scotia Winter Landscape - photo © 2013 by Blake Maybank.

Christmas Barn – Nova Scotia Winter Landscape – photo © 2013 by Blake Maybank.

As rural Nova Scotia depopulates so many buildings just crumble under the yoke of entropy.

Some buildings remain in use.

Nova Scotia Winter Landscape - photo © 2013 by Blake Maybank.

Smoke House – Nova Scotia Winter Landscape – photo © 2013 by Blake Maybank.

Smokin’.  But others are reminiscent of this song lyric snippet.

Misty morning whisperings and gentle stirring sounds
Belied the deathly silence that lay all around.“*

Nova Scotia Winter Landscape - photo © 2013 by Blake Maybank.

Loft for Rent – Nova Scotia Winter Landscape – photo © 2013 by Blake Maybank.

Some homes are still lived in, and look lovely.

Nova Scotia Winter Landscape - photo © 2013 by Blake Maybank.

Historic Home – Nova Scotia Winter Landscape – photo © 2013 by Blake Maybank.

We enjoyed a wonderful day exploring the dales of West Hants, despite the absence of any sunshine, adn we were pleased with our final species total, just breaking 30 species. The full list is at the end of this post, but I invite you first to listen to the song that was running through my head much of that day, and which inspired and help frame this post — “Granchester Meadows“, by Pink Floyd.

* All the lyric snippets are from the song “Granchester Meadows“, by Pink Floyd.

Here is our day’s bird species list.  My thanks again to Nic and David for a collegial outing.

West Hants CBC 2013 Region 8 Totals

West Hants CBC 2013 Region 7 Totals

 


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