An observation of Semipalmated Sandpipers roosting on a cliff face in Shepody Bay, New Brunswick, suggests changes from “traditional” roosting sites. Sandpipers may be altering their roosting patterns due to pressures from avian predators such as the recent, and successful, re-introduction of the Peregrine Falcon.
were in the vicinity of shortwave communication towers. Of the 85 birds observed, 43 (51%) were found dead, 18 (21%) were found alive on the ground with undetermined injuries, 5 (6%) were found alive with broken wings, and 9 birds (11%) were found alive with no obvious external injuries and were released in water. A further 10 live birds (12%) were observed on small bodies of water and appeared unable to fly. Occurrences appear to be predominantly during fall migration, with most sightings recorded between 9 October and 21 December (99%, n = 73). The effects of cumulative mortality on Common Eiders should be considered if further infrastructure within the Tantramar Marsh or infrastructure involving other known overland routes used by Common Eiders during migration is proposed.
For over 50 years, Boot Island, Nova Scotia, has supported a significant mixed bird colony: Great Black-backed Gull (Larus marinus), Herring Gull (L. argentatus), Great Blue Heron (Ardea herodias), and Double-crested Cormorant (Phalacrocorax auritus). In 2002, the largest Great Black-backed Gull colony in Canada was located there. Over the last quarter century, the Herring Gull colony has shown a dramatic and near-linear decrease from 727 nests in 1986 to 67 in 2000; in 2010, only two nests remained. The number of Great Black-backed Gull nests has also declined by 44%, from 1467 nests in 1992 to 819 in 2010. These reductions may be partly attributed to factors external to the colony, such as changes in regional fisheries and better landfill management. However, a more immediate problem may be nest predation and disturbance by American Mink (Neovison vison), Raccoon (Procyon lotor), Coyote (Canis latrans), and Bald Eagle (Haliaeetus leucocephalus).
An observation of tracks made by Canada Lynx on the Chignecto Isthmus supports assumed use of this area between New Brunswick and Nova Scotia as a potential wildlife corridor. Use of the isthmus by lynx may facilitate gene flow between otherwise geographically separate populations in Nova Scotia and New Brunswick.
We detail field observations of Eastern Coyote eating Great Black-backed Gull eggs for the first time in the literature. Photographic evidence of the remaining egg shells allowed us to identify the Coyote as the predator.
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