NS Provincial Bird Osprey
Nova Scotia Specialties
429 species in 47 families
- Osprey
- American golden plover
- Double-crested cormorant
- Black-headed gull
- Dovekie
- American crow
One of Canada’s Maritime Provinces, Nova Scotia is located on its southeastern coast. The province’s 580 kilometre peninsula is surrounded by four bodies of water – the Atlantic Ocean, with Newfoundland to the north and east; the Bay of Fundy, with New Brunswick across the bay to the east; the Northumberland Strait, the Gulf of St. Lawrence, and Prince Edward Island to the north; and the Gulf of Maine and the United States to the south and west.
With an area of 55,491 square kilometres, its average width of 128 km means that no part of the province is far from the sea. Nova Scotia is a montage of craggy headlands, quiet harbours and beautiful ocean beaches.
Cape Breton Island, a large island to the northeast of the Nova Scotia mainland, is also part of the province, as is Sable Island, a small island notorious for its shipwrecks, approximately 175 km (95 nautical miles) from the province’s southern coast.
Nova Scotia is framed by the rocky Atlantic Uplands, the Cape Breton Highlands and the wooded Cobequid Hills. The agricultural areas are predominantly lowlands. When the glacial ice withdrew from coastal Nova Scotia 15,000 years ago, the ocean flooded ancient river valleys and carved out hundreds of small protected harbours which became fishing ports.
Nova Scotia Web Links
Federation of Nova Scotia Naturalists
Where Do You Want To Go Birding in NS?
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These birds are apparently making their way north on a regular basis. They are being reported more often from all provinces, and I think they have become permanent residents across southern Canada. We don’t have our own vulture species so they’re filling the northern niche!
During a walk in my brother,s field I noticed what appeared to me to be a turkey vulture, it was feeding on a dead raccoon. As it made no move to fly away given how close I was to it, I figured it was to full of dead raccoon to move. Are they regular visitors here or have they become permanent residents?
On March 9, 2016, while driving back to NB from. Halifax, I’ve come to learn that the 6 or 7 large birds I saw all majestically posed on the limbs of a near dead deciduous tree were osprey. I believe I was near Stewiacke. They were awesome to find, but sadly I couldn’t stop on the highway to photograph them.
Although it seems a bit far north for it, I suspect your bird is a cattle egret. Nova Scotia is just a bit north of what is shown on their range maps, so maybe you have a wanderer. You can read more about them on http://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/cattle_egret/id
I saw a large white bird the size of an owl . Yellow beak and legs. Follows cows and the cows chase it away . When it flies it looks like a blue herin . What might it be ?
I doubt you could remove the nest with babies in it without them dying. If there are currently babies in the nest, they should be gone in a short time when you could then remove the nest. If possible, you should also try and block the area so they can’t nest there again. You should probably contact the folks at the Nova Scotia Bird Society – http://www.nsbirdsociety.ca/ as they will be more aware of the laws in that province.
Sorry, I have no idea. You might want to contact the Nova Scotia Bird Society – http://www.nsbirdsociety.ca/ or the Birds of PEI blog – http://naturepei.ca/birds/
I am having problems with woodpeckers. There are 2 adults and a few babies. My wife has a home office and the noise is preventing her from getting work done so we would like to remove them. I am having problems finding resources and was hoping you could give me information regarding any laws in place protecting them as well as tested methods of removal. I would like to keep them safe. Any information would be greatly appreciated. Thank you
My husband and I are visiting Nova Scotia and PEI in the last week of August (from the UK). Could you please advise us of a couple of good birding spots that we might visit.
Thanking you so much.
Hi Bernice, you can send the photo to me and I can take a look. My email address is: cnafarm@gmail.com
Happy birding,
Charlotte
I have a picture of a bird I took. It was on my feeder, I would like to know who I can send the picture to so they can tell me what the name of this bird is? Please & Thank You