2015 Year In Review - The Rarities

2015 provided me with 22 lifers, down from 36 last year. The rarest birds that I saw this year were the two Ross's Geese provided the second and third records for the province, the Apple River Fieldfare was the eighth record and the Little Egret that represented the seventh record.

The eighth ever Fieldfare in Nova Scotia. This one spent from Jan 31 to Apr 13 in Apple River, Cumberland County. 

Here is the list. Self found birds are annotated with an asterisk (*).

1. Hoary Redpoll*
2. Fieldfare
3. Mew Gull
4. Scarlet Tanager
5. Caspian Tern*
6. Little Egret
7. Tennessee Warbler*
8. Cory's Shearwater
9. Parasitic Jaeger
10. Black-billed Cukcoo
11. Say's Phoebe
12. Long-billed Dowitcher*
13. Clay-colored Sparrow
14. Marbled Godwit
15. Lark Sparrow*
16. Red-headed Woodpecker
17. Redhead
18. Mountain Bluebird
19. Greater White-fronted Goose
20. Sandhill Crane
21. Cackling Goose
22. Ruff

Below are photos of some of the interesing birds that I photographed during the year.

There has been no unanumous agreement on this gull, but most Europeans agree that it shows many Caspian Gull features (the yellow-legged white-headed gull) in Pubnico Jan 3

Eastern Towhee in Pubnico Jan 27.

Hoary Redpoll in Pubnico Feb 4

Cooper's Hawk in Yarmouth Feb 7

Northern Mockingbird in Yarmouth Feb 7

Cooper's Hawk in Tusket Feb 9

Fieldfare in Apple River Feb 27

Mew (Common) Gull in Dartmouth Feb 27

Eurasian Wigeon in Dartmouth Feb 28 

Ross's Geese at Mavilette Apr 5

Laughing Gull in Yarmouth Apr 15

Field Sparrow in Argyle Apr 23

Indigo Bunting in Argyle Apr 23

Purple Martin at Cape Sable Island May 5

Scarlet Tanager at Cape Sable Island May 5

Orchard Oriole in Pubnico May 8

Rose-breasted Grosbeak in Pubnico May 13

Baltimore Oriole in Pubnico May 13

Brown Thrasher in Pubnico May 13

Scarlet Tanager in Pubnico May 14

Great-crested Flycatcher in Pubnico May 14

Little Egret at Cape Sable Island May 15

Summer Tanager at Bear Pt May 21

Tricolored Heron at Pinkneys Pt May 22

Purple Martin at Chebogue Point May 23

Little Blue Heron in Pubnico June 6

Eastern Bluebird in Kemptville Jul 4

Cory's Shearwater Offshore of Sambro Jul 11

Manx Shearwater Offshore of Sambro Jul 11

Black-billed Cuckoo at Cape Sable Island Jul 25

Cory's Shearwater at Brier Island Aug 1

Yellow-crowned Night Heron at Grey Island Aug 16

Cory's Shearwater at German Bank Aug 28

Manx Shearwater at German Bank Aug 28

Buff-breasted Sandpiper at Cape Sable Sep 5

Stilt Sandpiper at Cape Sable Island Sep 5

Say's Phoebe at Cape Sable Island Sep 5

Western Kingbird at Melbourne Sep 14

Baird's Sanpiper at Peases Island Sep 17

Hooded Warbler at Johns Island Sept 17

Clay-coloured Sparrow at Cape Sable Oct 4

Field Sparrow at Cape Forchu Oct 11

Lark Sparrow at Chebogue Oct 11

Blue Grosbeak at Cape Sable Island Oct 11

Red-headed Woodpecker at Atwoods Brook Oct 16

Yellow-throated Warbler at Arcadia Oct 25

Long-billed Dowitcher at Pinkney's Point Nov 8

Female Redhead at Annapolis Nov 15

Western Kingbird at Salmon River Nov 22

Mountain Bluebird at Mavillette Nov 22

Greater White-fronted Goose at Shubenacadie Dec 5

Sandhill Cranes at near Shubenacadie Dec 5

Cackling Goose at Shubenacadie Dec 5

TWO Mountain Bluebirds at Cape Sable Island Dec 6

TWO American White-Pelicans in Pubnico Harbour Dec 7

Barrow's Goldeneye in Yarmouth Harbour Dec 8

Black-headed Gull at Pinkneys Point Dec 12

Short-eared Owl at The Cape Dec 26

Red-shouldered Hawk at Pleasant Lake Dec 30