Swainson•Hawk, andSported Redshank. four Great Egretsand three Yellow- New Brunswick had its first Mountain crownedNight-Herons. Nova Scotia had Atlantic Bluebird and second Sandwich Tern. New- two Great, one Cattle, and two Snowy foundland had its first Connecticut War- egrets,and three Little BlueHerons and blerand second Say's Phoebe. Good num- oneYellow-crowned Night-Heron. New- Provinces bersof Dickcissels,Lark Sparrows, and Yel- foundlandreported one Great Egret, while low-headedBlackbirds, plus a singleLark SaintPierre et Miquelonhad a flockof Bunting,added a westernflavor across the threeCattle Egrets. Region.It wasthe bestyear for Black- Region headedGulls in fiveyears in Newfound- Waterfowl land,and a Yellow-legged Gull returned. Out-of-rangegeese in e. Newfoundland included a Brant at Arnold's Cove Nov. Abbreviations: GMI (Grand Manan 9-30+(BMt et al.), and an elusiveif con- Island);SPM (St.Pierre et Miquelon). fusedSnow Goose with HerringGulls at BRUCE MACTAVISH the St.John's dump Aug. 25-Nov. 30+ (JS Birdwatching activity is escalatingin the Loons to Herons et al.). A strayWood Duck frequented St. Region.Each year new information isadded A pairof Red-throatedLoons with two small John•,NF Nov. 8-30+ (BMt et al.). The to a maturingfoundation of knowledge.Fif- youngwas observed at Miquelon,SPM, first"Eur." Green-winged Teals of the fall teenyears ago every Prairie Warbler and Yel- whereone-two pairs nest annually (PH). An weresingle males detected as molt revealed low-breastedChat was noteworth• In 1996 earlyHorned Grebe was at Pocologan,NB racial identitiesat Ferrylandand Cape it wasdifficult to keeptrack of theindividu- Aug.19 (MP,SM). SingleCory's Shearwa- Broyle,NF Nov. 2 (RF, BMt, JWe). Per- alsseen. Only rough totals by province were tersoff NovaScotia were seen on a pelagic hapsa record-highRegional count of 200 attainablefor this report.No longerare trip Aug.9 (fideSF) andoff EcumSecum Gadwall was tallied in the lower Tantra- Prairiesand chats chance encounters. They Aug.15 (JT).Greater Shearwater migration marR., NB Sept.1 (AB).The goodnum- aremore or lessbyproducts of birdingfor isdifficult to determineby landlubbing bird- bersof Eur. Wigeon in recentautumns rarersouthern warblers and other vagrants. ers.Observers working on fishing boats offs. continuedwith oneOct. 5 & 24 at Long Althoughsome complained of slow periods Nova Scotia noted decreases in Greater Pond, PEI (DM et aL); two at Mason duringthe season, the cumulative list of rar- Shearwaternumbers after August. On Ban- Pond and two at Dartmouth, NS, in late itieswas inspiring. quereauBank, 2500 GreaterShearwaters November(fide BMy); and a totalof nine There was one new speciesfor the July28-Aug. 23 decreasedto 1000by the at various locations on the Avalon Pen., Region--aDusky Flycatcher in Nova Sco- end of September(DS), andon George's NF, duringNovember (BMt, KK et al). tia! In the sameleague of exoticawas a Bankhundreds Aug. 17 haddecreased to Veryrare in the Region,a 9 Canvasback Groove-billedAni. The sameprovince also 200 byOct. 28 (RD).A lateGreater Shear- wasat New Minas,NS Nov. 26-29 (fide chalkedup its thirdLe Conte'sSparrow, a water was seen from Brier [., NS Nov. 13 BMy). The onlyTufted Ducks seen were (IM, EM). The largest individualsat BrierI., NS Nov. 12 (fide shearwater count was BMy) anda returningbird at Dartmouth, 3000 Greater and 5000 NS Nov. 24-30+ (m.ob.).The suggestion Sooty shearwatersoff by someobservers that LesserScaup may GMI, NB Sept.21 (DC be increasingin the Regionis backedby etal.). The largest concen- largeflocks of 20 Nov. 2 at LongPond, tration of Manx Shearwa- PEI (RP), and 23 in late Novemberat Bis- terswas near the suspect- set L., Dartmouth,NS (fideBMy). An ed breedingcolony on unseasonableHarlequin Duck lingered at Columbier I., SPM, with SouthwestHead, GMI, NB Aug.7-Sept. 50Aug. 16 and15 as late 3 (BD etal.). For the first time in a decade as Oct. 22 (RE et al). A therewas a significantflight of Ruddy reportof a Band-rumped Ducksinto the Region.New Brunswick Storm-Petrelon George's had 4 reports totaling 35 birds Oct. Bank,NS, in lateAugust 20-Nov. 1 (m.ob.); Nova Scotia'shigh wasapparently well seen, count was 26 Nov. 23 at Bisset L., Dart- but unfortunatelylacked mouth (m.ob.); PrinceEdward Island had details. Storm-driven 3 reportstotaling five birds Oct. 24-Nov. Leach• Storm-Petrels were 2 (m.ob.), and St. Pierre et Miquelon notedat Cap Bimet,NB, recordedits firstthree since 1980 (BB). :"' 'NEW•/'%• with 300 Sept.15 (ST) BRUNSWICK• and at Holyrood, NF, Raptors to Cranes with 500 Oct. 30 (BMt). Nova Scotia's 7th Black Vulture was at •'•,•Ft•ed•lon Sackville.•mher• A late Leach's Storm- BeaverDam, Shelbourne, Aug. 16-18 (fide Petrelflew past Cape St. MN). TurkeyVultures were widely report- Francis, NF, during a ed in New Brunswick.Numerous reports stormNov. 16 (BMt). fromw. NovaScotia were eclipsed by daily Vagrantherons num- counts of_<20 on Brier I., Oct. 12-Nov. berswere about average. 14 (MH etal.).Stragglers ranged to Crow- • New Brunswick had bush,PEI Aug.13 (RC) andCape Breton VOLUME 51, NUMBER I FIELD NOTES 17 I., NS Oct. 12 (fideBMy). An increasein countof 1400White-rumped Sandpipers only Mew Gullsfound were three adults the number of reports of Cooper's at Paul I. near Nain, Labrador, Oct. 20 in St. John's,NF, includinga returning Hawk--6 from Nova Scotia and 5 from waspossibly a groundingcaused by an bird which was banded in Iceland in 1990 New Brunswick--suggestan actual unseasonablesnowstorm Oct. 17 (BMt). (BMt et al.). increase in numbers. Red-shouldered The wellabove-average total of 13 Baird's Hawk sightingsin NovaScotia were one Sandpipersfound in New Brunswickwas Sept.5 at Harmony,Queens (SC et al.), not reflectedin the restof the Region; SA Anad. Yellow-legged Gull and one adult and two immatures Oct. 21 onlyfour werereported in NovaScotia. 4"• frequented farm fields on at Brier I. (MH). Kettlesof <125 Broad- Very rare but annual in the Region, the outskirtsof St. John's,NF Oct. wingedHawks were observed at BrierI., CurlewSandpiper was seen at Dominion 24-Nov. 30+ (BMt, KK,RF, PL etal.). Identification was based on mantle NS, in lateSeptember (MH etal.).An ad. Beach,Cape Breton I., NS Sept.20 (AL, color,slightly paler than Lesser light-morphSwainsons Hawk watched in CM). It wasa verypoor season for Stilt Black-backedGull Larusf. graellsii; a kettleof Broad-wingedHawks at Brier Sandpiper,with the only report being two legs,bright yellow; size, near that of I., NS Oct. 1 was well described(MH). at CapeSable I., NS Sept.21 (MN). Buff- HerringGull, bulky body build; head, Immature Golden Eagles were at breastedSandpipers were in lownumbers, large with fiat crownand steepfore- Langlade,SPM Sept. 28 (MB) and at with 5 of the 9 reportsRegionwide com- head;orbital ring brilliantvermilion; BrierI., NS Oct. 21 (MH). PeregrineFal- ing fromNova Scotia. The onlyRuff was and broadHerring Gull-like shaped conswere widely reported, with thehigh- at EasternShore, NS Sept. 15-22 (fide wingsin flight. The headstreaking estcount, typically at SealI., NS, being BMy). Long-billedDowitcher reports was confinedto a cap of fine pale eight Oct. 3 (BMy et al.). Gyrfalcons wereat parwith two at Sackville,NB Aug. gray dasheson the crownforehead reportedduring peak Peregrine migration 20 (RM), oneat Gray'sBrook Marsh, NB and ear covertsin October,which weresingles Sept. 29 at SealI., NS (BMy Sept.7-8 (AC, SN), and oneat Crescent had almost completelydisappeared et al.) and Oct. 11 at Cap de Cochene, Beach,NS Sept. 9 (SC). Are Wilson's by late November. Thisis thoughtto be the samebird NB (JE). Phalaropesbecoming rarer? The only seen on the same farm fields in Octo- A ClapperRail wascarefully identified reportwas one at BrierI., NS Sept.1 (fide ber 1995, and later identifiedas a Yel- at BearCove, NF Oct. 19 (PL, RF, JWe); BMy).The Bay of Fundyis the "Phalarope low-leggedGull when it appearedat a however,a large rail showingbright rusty Capital"of the Region.Whale-watching localcity lake after freezeup in De- epauletsflushed 3 timesat CapeRace, NF trips off Brier I., NS, produced10,000 cember 1995. PreviousYellow-legged Oct. 12 wasquite possibly the much rarer Red-neckedand 2000 Red phalaropes July Gullsin the Region,all fromSt. John's, KingRail (TB, KK, PL).An imm.Purple 26 (fideFS), and off Grand Manan I., NB, NF,are: Jan. 16-April 15, 1985 and Gallinulewas picked up in poorcondition "many hundreds" of Red-necked Dec.26, 1994-Feb. 16, 1995. in FundyN.P., NB Oct. 19 OqdeDC). PhalaropesAug. 27 (STet al.). SandhillCrane sightings were average, with two Sept.11-13 at Flatlands,NB (T. Jaegersto Alcids Lesser Black-backed Gull totals by Gray), one Oct. 18-Nov. 1 at Welch New Brunswick'sfirst "reallywell-docu- provincewere two in NewBrunswick, one Cove,NB (CJ),and one Aug. 28 at North mented"Great Skua was photographed, in Nova Scotia, and five in Newfound- R., NS (fideBMy). videotaped, and well seen by 20 observers land. A first-winter Sabine's Gull was a on ProprietorShoal, GMI, NB Sept.21 treat at Cap Bimet, NB Sept. 15 & 19 Shorebirds (m.ob.).No detailswere received for any (ST). New Brunswick's 2nd Sandwich High countsof Am. Golden-Ploverwere otherskua sightings. Other GreatSkua Ternwas a latebird Sept. 29-Oct. 1 in the 260 Sept.23 at Miquelon,SPM (LJ),and reportswere three Aug. 20 and oneOct. Cap Bimet,Northhumberland Strait (CC 200 Oct. 20 Earnscliffe, PEI (DM). A 26 at George'sBank, NS (RD), and a et al.). There is a belatedreport of an staggering2700 SemipalmatedPlovers probablefrom the Princess of Acadiaferry importantnew nestingsite for Roseate werecounted at CherryHill Beach,NS in the Bayof FundyAug. 31 (IC). South Tern foundat CountyI., Guysborough, Aug. 25 (SF). The American Avocet PolarSkua reports were one Aug. 9 off NS, with 45 pairspresent July 5 (SB).A found at Saint Rest Marsh, Saint John, Halifax,NS (fideSF) andnine probable Forster's Tern was at Cole Harbor, NS NB July30 remaineduntil Aug.