Daniel_Williams

My mother is an avid birdwatcher and we'll be visiting Halifax in June. She asked me if there were any birds that one might see in the Halifax region that she wouldn't be able to see in Mid-atlantic USA. Considering that I think a robin and a sparrow look pretty similar, I'm not sure why my Mom thought I might have insight on this one . Maybe since I live in Quebec, which is somewhat closer to Nova Scotia. I looked in my guidebooks but didn't find much on birdwatching. Any Nova Scotians (or others) with knowledge of birds out there?

Gavin

My first thought is to look for non-migratory northern forest birds (Boreal Chickadee, Gray Jay, Black-backed Woodpecker and Spruce Grouse).

One specialty that might be of interest is Bicknell's Thrush. This bird has a limited breeding range that includes Cape Breton Highlands National Park. Finding this inconspicuous forest bird will require some knowledge and effort.

If we can broaden the scope to include Newfoundland there are spectacular seabird colonies there. There are much smaller seabird colonies in Nova Scotia.

hdm

My best friend is a birder and arranged for a guide when we were in NS (near Halifax) last summer. I'll ask her his name and post it for you.

Also, I got her a gift of the book Birds of the Atlantic Provinces which your mom might find useful. I'll try to get back with that name within the next couple of days.

gannetmusic

How far afield will you be able to go? The boreal songbirds idea is a good one and there are puffins etc that can be seen from Cape Breton.

Tanya

Check out this site
http://museum.gov.ns.ca/mnh/nature/nsbirds/bons.htm

If you have specific questions, I am sure someone at the Museum can help or direct you to the source.

NorthwestMale

Birds? No, but I can tell you that the "McLobster" sandwich is unique to Nova Scotia McDonalds (*when in-season).

... and even birders have to eat (LOL)

hdm

Daniel,
The birding guide my friend liked so much is named James Hirtle. He was recommended to her by the Nova Scotia Birding Society (http://nsbs.chebucto.org/). Unfortunately, she didn't have any contact information for him but the NSBS can give it to you. Mr. Hirtle works in the Mahone Bay area but she says they'll recommend someone who's in your area. On the other hand, Mahone Bay and Lunenburg aren't far from Halifax and they're very charming, so maybe you could make a day of it.

hdm

P.S. If you see something interesting, let us know so I can tell my birding friend!

Daniel_Williams

Thanks for all the great information. I left a message with my Mom about some of the birds mentioned (Boreal Chickadee, Gray Jay, Black-backed Woodpecker and Spruce Grouse) and have yet to hear if that would get her excited. She quite enjoyed seeing a banana quit on a recent Bahama trip.

Originally birdwatching started out more of an interest of my Mom's, but my Dad I've noticed who would I think originally just go along to please Mom now prides himself on being able to spot birds quickly and recognizes some by their call. I'm much more of a cat person (probably not the most popular animal with the bird-loving crowd ), as I find them more interactive (I'm the type to stop and say hello to the neighbourhood kitties). Nevertheless, I will enjoy watching the parents' enthusiasm if we spot a new bird in Nouvelle Ecosse.

Thanks everyone for their help, will mention websites and guides to Mom and Dad too. Best wishes, DAN

mtjt

An endangered bird, the Piping Plover, is known to nest on some Nova Scotia beaches - some research would be needed to find out where in proximity of Halifax. There are probably a number of Warbler species nesting in the woodlands and wetlands which would not be easily seen in the Mid-atlantic region. Bald eagles are abundant in some areas (I've seen many around Cape Breton Island - but that is a good distance from Halifax). I like birdwatching, and June is generally a good month, but I usually visit Nova Scotia in late summer when the migration of shore-birds is underway.
Depending on how much time she has for travel, there is a famous "birding" destination off the coast of New Brunswick called Grand Manan Island. Several operators offer boat tours to a seabird colony with Puffins and other species.

Here are a few Nova Scotia birding links:
http://www.camacdonald.com/birding/canovascotia.htm
http://museum.gov.ns.ca/mnh/nature/nsbirds/bons.htm
http://www.fatbirder.com/links_geo/a...va_scotia.html

Daniel_Williams

My mother phoned a certain Fulton Lavender at the Nova Scotia Bird Society (an organization recommended by Fodor's and independently to my mother). He apparently phoned her back and spoke with her for 7 minutes, giving her contact information and ideas of some of the best places in the Halifax Regional Municipality for birdwatching. Apparently the many lakes in Dartmouth are a real draw for birders-in-the-know as ideal nesting ground for some of the boreal warblers. She was delighted with the amount of time he spent on the phone with her and told me that this was a good first impression of Halifax citizens.

She's starting to get quite excited as she realizes that the Nova Scotian peninsula, perched in the Atlantic is held on to the North American continent only by a small land bridge from New Brunswick. This geographic singularity (nearly "island" quality) makes Nova Scotia apparently ideal to birds for reasons that I could probably guess but won't since real birders would likely recognize that I'm BSing. Anyhow, long story short, my Mom's thrilled and thanks to everyone for their help in getting her excited.

Best wishes, DAN