Atlantic Provinces & St. Pierre et Miquelon 
^Killinek I. 
^ Torngat Mtns. N. P 
•Hebron 
• Main 
LABRADOR 
SEA 
LABRADOR 
Cape Harrison 
Hopedale ^Cartwright 
*-•'1^ ^ Gannel Island 
Schefferviite (PQ) Meaty 
♦v Smallwood ^1^^- 
^ v'fte.?. • "N.P Red 
Esker^. - Goose Bay Bay 
•Churchill Falls ^ - < 
Ecological Reserve 
Srrait of Belle Isle 
Labrador City ^ 
I Wabush 
QUEBEC 
Gulf of 
SepMles*- ■ 
' Bathi 
/' /BRmmcH 
^ LAnse-aux-Meadows 
• St. Anthony 
Gander NEWFOUNDUND 
V 
Gras ? ■ •Bo"a»isla 
"Morne c, ifth«’e 
/y. p Nova bt. Johns 
Antpcosii/. Sr. •Corrter * Avalon 
Lawrence Brook Peninsula 
. Port-aux- 
' / r. , * Saint-Pierre \ 
Charlone- Cabot strait el Miquelon 
' pc iT'^fas/ ju Cape Breton Highlands N.P ' 
it '' ' X ^ • Sydney 
Monclon^- 
Saint B 
Cape Breton I. 
MAmE Brier I. _ 
Seall. 
iCanso 
NOVA SCOTIA 
Halifax-Dartmouth 
•lunenberg 
♦Yarmouth 
Cape Sable I. 
Sable I. 
Lettered Nova 
Scotia Sites: 
A Pictou 
B Amherst 
C Truro 
D Wolfvilie 
E Digby 
Blake Maybank 
A cross the Atlantic provinces, March 
was colder (-1° C) and wetter (+60%) 
than average, while April and May 
were warmer (+2.5° C and +2° C), April being 
wetter than normal (+60%) and May much 
drier (-30%). Ground snow cover persisted 
into early April, and the winter’s pattern of 
twice-weekly storms continued through mid- 
April, hut thereafter there were few signih- 
cant weather events to hinder migration. The 
island of Newfoundland had a rougher time 
of it, as the Avalon endured another winter 
and spring of heavy snow, though May was 
not especially harsh. Two early fallouts of 
Neotropical migrants made news in the Re- 
gion, and these are treated in depth in a paper 
included in this issue. 
Many rarities are still reported without any 
details and/or documentation. A few such re- 
ports are included herein, but only with the 
advice of the local compilers. Nevertheless, 
species of notable rarity and/or those difficult 
to identify are always excluded from this re- 
port if they lack documentation. 
Abbreviations' Brier (Brier I., NS); C.S.I. 
(Cape Sable 1., NS); Grand Manan (Grand 
Manan archipelago, NB); H.R.M. (Halifax Re- 
gional Municipality, NS); Newfoundland (the 
island of Newfoundland, part of the province 
of Newfoundland and Labrador); RE.l. 
(Prince Edward 1.); S.P.M. (Saint-Pierre et 
Miquelon, France). 
WATERFOWL THROUGH GROUSE 
The overwintering /lavirostris Greater White- 
fronted Goose in Halifax was last noted 12 
Mar. On 15 Apr, another was photographed at 
Isle Lameque, NB [fide ST). Most northbound 
Snow Geese in the Region pass through New 
Brunswick, where the peak count was 3500 at 
Atholville 30 Apr (RD), including 8 blue 
morphs. A group of 5 Snow Geese was at 
Wolfvilie, NS 8 Mar, and one at South Har- 
bour Beach, Cape Breton 1., NS 12-26 May 
was rare for the island (Fritz McEvoy). There 
was an unprecedented influx of Ross’s Geese 
into Prince Edward I., where the province en- 
joyed its 3rd through 5th records, generally 
within large flocks of Canada Geese: 21 Mar 
at Tryon (ph. DO); 3 & 11 Apr at Malpeque 
Bay (Les Holmans; DO, DM, ph.); and 11 Apr 
at Borden (DO, DM, ph.). Oddly, Nova Scotia 
remains the only one of the four Atlantic 
provinces without a record of Ross’s Goose. 
Two Cackling Geese within a flock of 11 
Snow Geese 24 May at Labrador City, NL 
were the first for the province (GP, Lome 
Slaney Steve Boone). The Avalon Pen. had a 
typical complement of a dozen or so Eurasian 
Wigeons, and 6 were noted in Nova Scotia 
and 4 in New Brunswick. Freshwater marsh 
duck numbers continue to increase in Nova 
Scotia due to ongoing marsh development. 
On 19 Apr, along the Fundy shore of Cumber- 
land, NS, there were 10 Gadwalls, 30 Ameri- 
can Wigeons, 31 Northern Shovelers, and 145 
Ring-necked Ducks (BMy). Two Gadwalls at 
Tamarack Cr., NL 9 May (m.ob.) were new to 
w. Labrador. A male Garganey at St. John’s, 
NL 15-17 May (KK et ah, ph.) was the 
province’s 3rd: the previous records were also 
in mid-May. Eurasian Teal may be increasing 
in the Region. Single males were at Canning, 
Kings, NS 28 Mar (EM), Fort Lawrence, Cum- 
berland, NS 15 May Qeff Og- 
den), Waterside, NB 10 Apr 
(Bill & Marguerite Winsor), 
andjemseg, NB 16 Apr QW). 
In addition, Marie Reed pho- 
tographed a large flock of mi- 
grant Green-winged Teal on 
frozen Cow Bay Pond, NS 2 
Apr and circulated a low-reso- 
lution copy of the photograph. 
When the original image was 
magnified and studied, it be- 
came apparent that the flock 
held at least one male Eurasian 
Teal and up to 5 male Eurasian 
X Green-winged intergrades. 
Another male intergrade teal 
was at Three Fathom Harbour, 
NS 11 May (Elizabeth Doull). 
Observers are encouraged to 
study spring Green-winged 
Teal more closely; currently, 
there is no way known to iden- 
tify females to subspecies in 
the field. A count of 61 Harle- 
quin Ducks at St. Pierre 17 
Mar is an encouraging sign. An 
this Ross's Goose at Tyron 21 March 2009; two others were 
also found in the province in spring 2009. Photograph by 
Dwaine Oakley. 
impressive flock of 75 Barrow’s Goldeneyes at 
Cap Brule, NB 26 Mar contained a Common 
Goldeneye x Barrow’s Goldeneye hybrid 
(Roger LeBlanc). A flock of 5 Hooded Mer- 
gansers at Labrador City, NL 18 May (GP) 
was notable so far n. in the Region. Spruce 
Grouse are usually elusive, especially when 
searched for, so 22 females near the Smoky 
Mountain Rd., Labrador City, NL 26 Mar 
(GP) was a superb count. 
TUBENOSES THROUGH RAPTORS 
A well-described Audubon’s Shearwater was 
reported on the offshore Scotian Shelf, NS in 
mid-Apr (Karel Allard), at a time of strong 
southerly winds that brought us several other 
Spring 2009 brought an unprecedented number of Eurasian Teal-as well as in- 
tergrades of Eurasian with Green-winged Teal-into the Atlantic Provinces. At top 
left is an intergrade among Green-wingeds, found 9 April 2009 near Canning, 
Nova Scotia. At top right is a pure Eurasian with a Green-winged, also 9 April, at 
Fort Lawrence. Below is a sample from a group of 26 largely drake teal noted 22 
March on the waning ice of Cow Bay Lake, near Dartmouth. Among them were a 
pure Eurasian (left) and several apparent intergrades. Photographs by Richard 
Stern (top left), Jeff Ogden (top right), and Marie Reid (below). 
384 
NORTH AMERICAN BIRDS 
