ATLANTIC PROVINCES & ST. PIERRE ET MIQUELON 
The "beard" on this Chipping Sparrow in East Montrose, Nova Scotia 25 May 2009 could 
be the result of some sort of mutation or tumor. Photograph by Father Joseph Christensen. 
The strong autumn and winter flight of Red-bellied Woodpeckers 
across the mainland provinces dissipated this spring, with only 8 in 
New Brunswick (including 3 on Grand Manan I, 23 May) and 15 
or so across mainland Nova Scotia, where none were noted in late 
May. There were no signs of any nesting activity. St. Pierre enjoyed 
several less-than-annual flycatchers: Eastern Wood-Pewee 22-23 
May (PH, PB); Least Flycatcher 24 (PHA) & 26 May (LJ); Eastern 
Phoebe 1 May (LJ); and several annual (though rare) Eastern King- 
birds, the first quite early 23 Apr, with 7 between 12 & 29 May. 
A singing Loggerhead Shrike at Sandy Cove, H.R.M., NS 10-16 
Apr (HT, Laura Elliot et al.) furnished just the 6th provincial record 
since 1980 for this formerly annually occurring species. It was a 
productive spring for White-eyed Vireos, which may yet nest in the 
Region. New Brunswick had one at Mispec, Saint John 4 May (MC) 
and up to 3 on Grand Manan 1. 20 (MC), 22 (MC, DI), & 26 May 
(DI). Singles in Nova Scotia were at Jeddore Oyster Ponds, H.R.M. 
28 Apr (LB, ph.) and Hartlen Pt., H.R.M. 2-4 May (Terry Paquet et 
al.). A singing Yellow-throated Vireo at Nichol’s L., H.R.M. 30 Apr 
(ph. BMy) was away from migrant traps, in suitable breeding habi- 
tat, and was only the 2nd singing individual of this species found 
in the province. An extralimital Purple Martin reached St. Pierre 
13-19 May (RE et al.), where there was also a rare Cliff Swallow 1- 
4 May (PH). The only Carolina Wren reported was in York, NB 15 
May (Beverley Schneider). A singing Sedge Wren was discovered 
31 May at the Tiddville Marsh, Digby Neck, NS (Becky Stewart, 
m.ob.); it persisted well into breeding season, though it did not ap- 
pear to attract a mate. There are two previous breeding records for 
the province. Blue-gray Gnatcatchers, all in May, were split 5/2 be- 
tween New Brunswick and Nova Scotia. 
Nearly all spring wheatear records in the Region are from May, 
so a Northern Wheatear at St. Pierre 6 Mar (FP) was remarkably 
early and made only the 2nd spring record for the department. Per- 
haps not coincidently, there was another early sighting, 18 Mar at 
Martinique Beach, NS (Bill McCormick). An Eastern Bluebird at 
St. Pierre 29 May (ph. PB) was but the 2nd local record, the previ- 
ous being in Dec 1994. Nova Scotia’s 9th Mountain Bluebird, at 
Oak Hill L., Dartmouth, H.R.M. 10 May (Earl MacDonald), lin- 
gered only five minutes, but during that time it was well studied 
and described. Wood Thrush continues its decline in the Region, 
Table 2. Fallout #1: Neotropical migrants recorded in the Atlantic Provinces, 4 April 2009 and later. 
Yellow-throated Warbler 
4-5 Apr 
Hartlen Pt., H.R.M. 
Liz 8( Shane Gidney 
Worm-eating Warbler 
4 Apr 
Jeddore Ponds, H.R.M. 
LB 
Kentucky Warbler, male 
6 Apr 
C.S.I., dead on beach 
JN 
Hooded Warbler, male 
5-6 Apr 
Hartlen Pt., H.R.M. 
MK, m.ob. 
SummerTanager, male 
5 Apr 
Cornwallis, NS 
Liz & Shane Gidney 
Summer Tanager, male 
5-17 Apr 
Grand Manan 1. 
DI 
SummerTanager, male 
6 Apr 
Bedford, NS 
m.ob. 
Rose-breasted Grosbeak, male 
6 Apr 
Saint John, NB 
Gwen 8( Clint Galley 
Rose-breasted Grosbeak, male 
7 Apr 
C.S.I. 
JN 
Blue Grosbeak, male 
5 Apr 
Little Lepreau, Charlotte, NB 
Louise Malloch 
Indigo Bunting, males 
4-5 Apr 
8 across Nova Scotia 
m.ob. 
Indigo Bunting, males 
4-7 Apr 
7 across New Brunswick 
m.ob. 
Table 3. Fallout #2: Neotropical migrants recorded in the Atlantic Provinces, 8-9 April 2009 and later. 
Yellow-throated Warbler 
16 Apr 
St. Pierre 7th SPM record 
FP 
Worm-eating Warbler 
9 Apr 
Hartlen Pt., H.R.M. 
Elizabeth Doull 
Common Yellowthroat 
8 Apr 
Hartlen Pt., H.R.M. 
LB 
SummerTanager, males 
8-11 Apr 
Nine birds across Nova 
Scotia: 2 later died, one 
taken into care 
m.ob. 
SummerTanager, male 
9-14 Apr 
St. Vincents, Avalon Pen., NL 
KK 
Scarlet Tanager, male 
8 Apr 
Hartlen Pt., H.R.M. 
MK 
Scarlet Tanager, male 
10 Apr 
Pictou, NS 
Tim Brennan 
Rose-breasted Grosbeak, male 
14-26 Apr 
Bay L'Argent, NL 
Freeman House 
Blue Grosbeak, male 
9 Apr 
Lewisporte, NL 
Warren Ball 
Indigo Bunting, males 
14-18 Apr 
3 in n. Nova Scotia 
m.ob. 
Table 4. Arrival of Neotropical migrants in the Atlantic Provinces 21-23 April 2009 and later. 
SummerTanager, male 
21 Apr 
Louisbourg, Cape Breton L, NS 
fideSM 
SummerTanager, male 
21 Apr 
Kilmuir, Kings, PEI 3rd 
provincial record 
Sid Watts 
SummerTanager, male 
23 Apr 
Brier L, NS 
June Swift 
SummerTanager, male 
24 Apr-2 May 
Tryon, Queens, PEI 4th 
provincial record 
Betty Howatt 
Scarlet Tanager, males 
23-24 Apr 
2 in Lunenburg, NS 
m.ob. 
Rose-breasted Grosbeak, male 
25-26 Apr 
Renews, NL 
Clara Dunne 
Rose-breasted Grosbeak 
23-30 Apr 
30-t- across Nova Scotia 
m.ob. 
Blue Grosbeak 
21-28 Apr 
8 (6 males) across mainland 
Nova Scotia 
m.ob. 
Blue Grosbeak, male 
24-25 Apr 
East Baltic, PEI 11th 
provincial record 
Sheila Eastman 
Indigo Bunting, male 
24 Apr 
St. Pierre, record early by 
one day 
Joseph Beaupertuis 
Indigo Bunting, males 
24-30 Apr 
20-t- in Nova Scotia, including 
5 males at one feeder in 
Granville Ferry 
m.ob. 
Indigo Bunting, male 
26 Apr 
Bay L'Argent, NL 
Freeman House 
Indigo Bunting, male 
30 Apr-3 May 
Port-aux-choix, NL 
m.ob. 
Bobolink, male 
24 Apr 
Beach Meadows, Queens, NS 
Don MacNeill 
VOLUME 63 (2009) • NUMBER 3 
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