For the birds

PLYMOUTH - With more than 100 species of birds counted over the past 15 years, participants in the annual Pictou Harbour Bird Count have seen it all.
But this year, organizers are hoping that at least one new species will be added to the list of birds spotted in the county.
"There's always that anticipation - that hope you'll get a new species out in the back field somewhere," says Ken McKenna.
This year, McKenna is crossing his fingers he'll be able to spot one new bird in particular. A brown thrasher has been hanging around the Hector Centre in Pictou for the past month, says McKenna, and he's hoping the bird will be spotted on New Year's Day, as nearly two dozen county residents head out, armed with pads of paper and binoculars, to count the feathered avians.
"The brown thrasher would be a new bird for the count if we were able to find it again - it is hard to get a good look at it, as it hides quite a bit," he explained. "The county is a bit of a hunting process, as many birds keep under cover to protect from predators."
Traditionally, water fowl make up the majority of the count - the count's 24-kilometer radius is centred in the water off Melmerby Beach and stretches from Pictou to the George Street Bridge and the Melmerby area.
The number of birds that are counted, however, will likely be determined by the weather. Right now, he said, the harbour is completely open, which could impede the counting process.
"Part of the reason we wait so late in the year to do the count is because we like to have things frozen," McKenna explained. "When you're looking way out in the harbour doing the count, it's hard to distinguish one from another, especially with the subtle differences between species."
The late fall means there's still plenty of berries and fruit around for birds to munch on, so it's possible a few species of birds that usually head further south by now may be spotted this year - and some of the species from further up north that tend to be in the area at this point haven't arrived yet. A few insect-eating birds have also been spotted in the past few days and seem to be staying in the area a bit later this year. McKenna says the weather in the coming days and a predicted cold snap may completely switch the picture, however.
"This count gives you a snapshot of what's around the area," he said. "Certain points in time influence what's here. And the presence of the causeway, the pulp mill and the power plant keep the water open, which means a lot of water fowl are seen here, even in winter."
A recent bird count in the Springville area, which has been running annually for the past 50 years, showed some of the changes in bird species that have been seen in the county over the years. That count doesn't include any coastline, so water fowl were in much lower numbers, McKenna said.
"We saw an interesting trend there - an increased number of mourning doves, which were practically non-existent 50 years ago, while the numbers of house sparrows are on the decline, they used to depend on the farms with the seed bins."
He's expecting to see some trends in the New Year's count as well.
"The number of geese is exploding, year after year," he said.
Usually, there are about 70 species identified annually in the Pictou Harbour count, and McKenna is hoping to have a similar number as well by the end of the day. However, there will likely be fewer people doing the counting this Jan. 1.
"There doesn't seem to be as many people signed up, and a few had other commitments," he said. "It's probably the thinnest group we've ever had."
More people are welcome to sign up for the count, particularly people with backyard feeders and some experience in identifying birds. For more info call 752-7644.