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2 Sep Upcoming Blomidon Naturalists events, plus cancellation [Patrick Kelly ] 2 Sep Pectoral Sandpiper and Juvenile Baird's Sandpiper [James Hirtle ] 2 Sep Tree Swallow [James Hirtle ] 1 Sep Re: Migrating Common Nighthawks? [Brian Dalzell ] 01 Sep Lesser Yellowlegs with different colour bill? [Sydney Penner ] 1 Sep A few recent birds [Kathleen MacAulay ] 01 Sep Northern Gannet ["Paul S. Boyer" ] 1 Sep Brier Island Birds - Aug. 31/10 [Brian Dalzell ] 1 Sep Three Solitary Sandpipers, Pt Pleasant Park, Halifax ["Elizabeth Doull" ] 1 Sep Solitary Sandpipers, Pt Pleasant Park, Halifax [Andrew Horn ] 1 Sep Solitary Sandpipers, Pt Pleasant Park, Halifax [Andrew Horn ] 31 Aug Re: Re: Common Reed in N.S.? ["Frederick W. Schueler" ] 31 Aug Apparent White-chinned petrel off Bar Harbour ["Wayne P. Neily" ] 31 Aug Re: N. Mockingbird ["Sterling Levy" ] 31 Aug "OCEANS" doc', Wed., Sept 15, 7 pm (?), Whittle Thtr., Wolfville ["James W. Wolford" ] 31 Aug courting cross spiders, 28 d-cr cormorants ["James W. Wolford" ] 31 Aug Caspian Tern ["John Kearney" ] 31 Aug Bon Portage Birds - Notes ["Lucas Berrigan" ] 31 Aug Birds on the BLT trail, HRM [Blake Maybank ] 31 Aug Seabright area ["Paul S. Boyer" ] 31 Aug Jewelweed for Poison Ivy ["Paul S. Boyer" ] 30 Aug Yellow-headed blackbirds ["Stephen Hawboldt" ] 30 Aug Fw: eBird Canada Report - Big Island , 28/08/10 [Ken McKenna ] 30 Aug Re: Re: Poison Ivy ["Paul S. Boyer" ] 30 Aug Brier Island Migration Monitoring - Aug. 30/10 [Brian Dalzell ] 30 Aug Sable I. exhibit [Ulli ] 30 Aug Re: hawk guide again. [Marg Millard ] 30 Aug Re: hawk guide again. [Angela Joudrey* ] 30 Aug FW: hawk guide again. [Fritz McEvoy ] 30 Aug hawk guide again. [Fritz McEvoy ] 30 Aug Hawk Id chart [Fritz McEvoy ] 30 Aug Re: unknown spider, odd chickadee ["Sandy Hiltz" ] 30 Aug unknown spider, odd chickadee ["James W. Wolford" ] 30 Aug Re: unknown spider, odd chickadee [Ulli ] 30 Aug unknown spider, odd chickadee [Randy Lauff ] 30 Aug Re: Re: Poison Ivy [David & Alison Webster ] 30 Aug Recent post [James Hirtle ] 29 Aug origin of the annapolis reeds [nhungjohn ] 29 Aug Little Blue Heron, Three Fathom Harbour [Susann Myers ] 30 Aug Conrad's Island - Lower Rose Bay today. [James Hirtle ] 29 Aug Little Blue Heron, Three Fathom Harbour [Susann Myers ] 29 Aug Re: Re: Common Reed in N.S.? [David & Alison Webster ] 29 Aug Nighthawks ["andy dean" ] 29 Aug Re: Ruby-throated Hummingbirds [Eleanor Lindsay ] 29 Aug Snowy Egret, Peregrine - Antigonish [Randy Lauff ] 29 Aug Snowy Egret, Peregrine - Antigonish [Randy Lauff ] 29 Aug spruce grouse [Pat ] 29 Aug Re: Ruby-throated Hummingbirds [Annabelle Thiebaux ] 29 Aug Re: Migrating Common Nighthawks? [Angus MacLean ] 29 Aug Re: name of river near Brooklyn, Hants County [Blake Maybank ] 29 Aug Re: Re: shorebird/toponomic conundrum ["Frederick W. Schueler" ] 29 Aug Re: Re: shorebird conundrum [Don MacNeill ] 29 Aug RE: shorebird conundrum [Lynne Perry ] 29 Aug Ruby-throated Hummingbirds [Gayle MacLean ] 29 Aug Re: shorebird conundrum [Blake Maybank ] 29 Aug Re: Western Sandpiper and others at Grand Pre [Sydney Penner ] 29 Aug Re: Western Sandpiper and others at Grand Pre [Sydney Penner ] 29 Aug Re: shorebird conundrum [Gayle MacLean ] 29 Aug Re: shorebird conundrum [Don MacNeill ] 28 Aug shorebird conundrum [Randy Lauff ] 28 Aug Re: Owl Carnage on the TCH 104 [Ken McKenna ] 28 Aug Re: Owl Carnage on the TCH 104 [Angela Joudrey* ] 28 Aug Owl Carnage on the TCH 104 [Ken McKenna ] 28 Aug RE: spotted touch-me-not, and more ["David&Jane Schlosberg" ] 28 Aug Re: Re: Poison Ivy [Nancy Roberts ] 28 Aug Re: Re: Common Reed in N.S.? ["Dusan Soudek" ] 28 Aug Re: Common Reed in N.S.? ["Frederick W. Schueler" ] 28 Aug Forgotten Post [James Hirtle ] 27 Aug RE: Re: Poison Ivy ["David&Jane Schlosberg" ] 27 Aug banded bay breasted warbler [Chris Pepper ] 27 Aug Re: Re: Poison Ivy [David & Alison Webster ] 27 Aug Re: Re: Poison Ivy [David & Alison Webster ] 27 Aug RE: Re: Poison Ivy ["David&Jane Schlosberg" ] 27 Aug Fwd: Gannet injuries and deaths. [Randy Lauff ] 27 Aug Re: Re: Poison Ivy [Marg Millard ] 27 Aug RE: Re: Poison Ivy [Anne Woolaver ] Subject: Upcoming Blomidon Naturalists events, plus cancellation From: Patrick Kelly <patrick.kelly AT Dal.Ca> Date: Thu, 2 Sep 2010 13:04:33 -0300 Hi everyone: NOVA EAST CANCELLED: Due to the approach of Hurricane Earl, the Nova East star party has been cancelled. It was to have been held this weekend in Smileys Provincial Park BNS FIELD TRIP Kingsport Mudflat Critters Saturday, September 11 at 8:15 am Kingsport Mudflat Critters (shells, snails, clams, worms, crabs, mud shrimps, sand shrimps, etc.) Jim Wolford (902-542-9204) will lead us on a hike to the bottom of the Minas Basin at low tide to see the incredible diversity of life on the mudflats. Rubber boots or old washable shoes are a must. Meet at the Wolfville Waterfront at 7:45 a.m. or the Kingsport Wharfat 8:15 a.m. This will be a very low, low tide, so that the high tide at 15:38 in the afternoon should be very impressive and possibly even a bit damaging to some dykes. BNS FIELD TRIP Four Mile and Two Mile Lakes Canoe Trip Saturday, September 11 at 8:15 am Larry Bogan (902 678-0446, larry AT bogan.ca) will lead a trip to this beautiful area of the southwest end of the Gaspereau Lake complex of flooded area. It has many interesting islands and a beautiful inlet stillwater to explore for wildlife. This will be a half-day paddle so bring a lunch and we will find a nice spot to eat. Meet at the Park and Ride lot at Exit 13 off Highway 101 (Route 12 exit) at 8:30 AM. Access is via a woods road south running between Aylesford and Gaspereau Lake. I have driven this road with my Toyota Matrix - there are some uneven areas but it is passable with care. A high clearance vehicle is better of course. There is abundant parking at the put-in spot which is about 75 metres from the shore (carry in). The access point is shown on BNS webpages (click on Local Trails/ Waterways then on Lakes and Stillwater Access). If there is rain and/ or heavy wind then the trip will be take place on Sunday the 12th. BNS REGULAR MONTHLY MEETING Floodplain Hotspots for Southern Hardwood Herbs Monday, September 20 at 7:30 pm Nick Hill trained in botany at Acadia with Sam VanderKloet (BSc/MSc) and received his Ph.D in microbial ecology at Dalhousie University. His post-doctoral work was done with Paul Keddy in 1988 looking for the reasons for rarity in plant species in 47 lakes in southwest Nova Scotia. That began his interest in rare plants and conservation biology. Taught at Mount St. Vincent 1989-2003. I continued research into the rare elements of the coastal plain flora in NS. This period also included three and a half years in Kentucky where he did sabbaticals and fell in love with their deciduous forest flora and found a new bible: Lucy Braun's Deciduous Forest of Eastern North America. Now working as a wetland consultant and part-time lecturer at Dalhousie's College of Sustainability and at St. Francis Xavier (field course) and he is developing a native plant nurery at his farm in South Berwick. He will be comparing two very different wetland systems: the acid, infertile coastal plain lake shores, and the fertile floodplains of eastern Nova Scotia. = = ======================================================================== Patrick Kelly Director of Computer Facilities = = ======================================================================== Faculty of Architecture and Planning Dalhousie University = = ======================================================================== PO Box 1000 Stn Central 5410 Spring Garden Road Halifax, Nova Scotia B3J 2X4 Halifax, Nova Scotia B3J 2X4 Canada Canada = = ======================================================================== Phone:(902) 494-3294 FAX:(902) 423-6672 E-mail:patrick.kelly AT dal.ca = = ======================================================================== Subject: Pectoral Sandpiper and Juvenile Baird's Sandpiper From: James Hirtle <jrhbirder AT hotmail.com> Date: Thu, 2 Sep 2010 02:34:06 +0000 Hi all: The other day on Aug. 27, David Walmark and I had a shorebird, which puzzled me. I took photos after noting the legs were light colored. Thanks to Ian we were able to determine that it was a pectoral sandpiper. I should have known as it was one like we had on the Brier Island Trip a number of years ago and it took much debate for us to come to a decision about that bird in a group of about 30. On Aug. 29 with Kevin Lantz, we again found a shorebird which puzzled me. Kevin took some great photos and we thus were able to determine that it was a juvenile Baird's Sandpiper. Ian again assisted me with the id, but Kevin had already determined that it was a Baird's. I've only ever seen an adult Baird's before, so this is why I was confused. I also am not great with photo ids so I would like to thank Ian and all of you others who have helped me resently and in the past when I've required an assist. James R. Hirtle Bayport Subject: Tree Swallow From: James Hirtle <jrhbirder AT hotmail.com> Date: Thu, 2 Sep 2010 02:14:17 +0000 David Walmark had a tree swallow in Kingsburg today. I took a bird outing to many of my favourite haunts and it was very quiet. Out of three locations I could ony find 11 species. Overall, I just hit a little over 30 species. Clearland, the Fauxburg Trail and Garden Lots were all but vacant of birds. For warblers I had only a few yellow-rumped, and one black-throated green warbler from the three locations. The Back Harbour Trail in Lunenburg provided the best groups of birds. I counted nine common yellowthroats there and one yellow warbler. One song sparrow still had enough fuzz on it that I suspect it could not fly yet. A juvenile red-eyed vireo was begging for food and the adult took a jab at it in the stomach to make it move away. There were two gray catbirds, lots of American robins and cedar waxwings. Mountain ash berries and other fruiting bushes were abundant so there is a plentiful food supply there. James R. Hirtle Bayport Subject: Re: Migrating Common Nighthawks? From: Brian Dalzell <aythya AT nb.sympatico.ca> Date: Wed, 1 Sep 2010 21:44:12 -0300 I don't think they had flown vary far. I'm busy as a beaver right now with several projects on the go. It will likely be November or December before I get a chance to enter all my atlas data. So the nighthawks will get added to that square, eventually. Also found a few other good things around Aylesford Lake/George area, including Scarlet Tanager, Great-crested Flycatcher, Pine Warbler, Indigo Bunting, etc. ============================= ---- Angus MacLean wrote: > Hi Brian: > > Were you intending to post the sighting of the young Nighthawks to > the Bird Atlas or did you feel they were able to fly a distance? > > Cheers, > Angus > > At 07:53 PM 30/07/2010, you wrote: > >About 1 pm this afternoon I counted 14 COMMON NIGHTHAWKS along the > >101 just east of Windsor, between the km 175-177 markers. They were > >not trending in any particular direction, just milling about. There > >is a lot of clear cut forest along this stretch, so they may have > >been local birds getting together prior to migrating. I found two > >juveniles perched on a boulder near Aylesford Lake this morning, > >just barely able to fly. Also had a TURKEY VULTURE over the 101 at > >exit 10 near Grand Pre. > Subject: Lesser Yellowlegs with different colour bill? From: Sydney Penner <sfp AT sydneypenner.ca> Date: Wed, 01 Sep 2010 21:17:40 -0300 Just to ease my mind: a bird that looks like a Lesser Yellowlegs but has a beak whose tip (for close to an inch) is coloured bright cream instead of black is still a Lesser Yellowlegs, right? There isn't some other similar species of bird that I'm just failing to think of, is there? I was able to observe the bird from quite close and it looked like the bill itself was that colour, i.e., it didn't look like it had just failed to clean its beak after finding some cream-coloured mud. I didn't notice anything else unusual about the bird. But the bill definitely caught my attention. I haven't seen a great many Lesser Yellowlegs either, though, so perhaps this is not all that unusual. Best wishes, Sydney Subject: A few recent birds From: Kathleen MacAulay <roughlegged_hawk AT yahoo.ca> Date: Wed, 1 Sep 2010 16:09:46 -0700 (PDT) I took a trip to the Wallace Bay National Wildlife Area today around noon. The breeze was nice and cool, but it made it much harder to see the few migrant songbirds flitting through the trees overhead. Of what I could see, most were Yellow-rumped warblers, a few were Common Yellowthroats and one was a Yellow Warbler - nothing rare by any means. I did enjoy seeing so many Blue-winged Teal (40+)and a pair of Northern Shovelers, along with a number of Pied-billed Grebes, Hooded Mergansers and many other ducks that were too far out on the bright water for me to see well, much less identify. I also saw the first American Bittern I've actually seen in some time, and watched a young eagle attempt to catch something in one of the ponds. Other recent sightings include four Common Nighthawks foraging in Enfield on Saturday, and a woodcock in my yard (seen by my mother, Barb) on August 21. Kathleen MacAulay Milford Station, NS Subject: Northern Gannet From: "Paul S. Boyer" <psboyer AT eastlink.ca> Date: Wed, 01 Sep 2010 19:52:17 -0300 1 Sep. A single adult Northern Gannet was seen in St. Margaret's Bay east of Wedge Island. This is the second one (or the second time for the same one) in the last few weeks. I am not sure whether this is uncommon or not at this time of year. Perhaps someone will tell me. Subject: Brier Island Birds - Aug. 31/10 From: Brian Dalzell <aythya AT nb.sympatico.ca> Date: Wed, 1 Sep 2010 19:07:43 -0300 Here is a list of the birds we banded yesterday near North Point. I left the island early this morning, and it was much quieter than Tuesday. Still lots of birds in the (mainland) woods, so perhaps Earl will get them into migration mode. Brier Island - Aug. 31 (49 birds) ------------------------------------ 10 Red-eyed Vireo 8 Black-throated Green Warbler 4 American Redstart 4 Magnolia Warbler 3 Alder Flycatcher 2 Canada Warbler 2 Least Flycatcher 2 Blackburnian Warbler 2 Swainson’s Thrush 2 Golden-crowned Kinglet 1 Philadephia Vireo 1 Bay-breasted Warbler 1 Black-thoated Blue Warbler 1 Black-and-white Warbler 1 Yellow-Warbler 1 Yellow-bellied Flycatcher 1 Nashville Warbler 1 Northern Parula 1 Northern Waterthrush Thanks again to Lance Laviolette, Bander-in-charge, Brier Island Migration Monitoring Station. Subject: Three Solitary Sandpipers, Pt Pleasant Park, Halifax From: "Elizabeth Doull" <edoull AT ns.sympatico.ca> Date: Wed, 1 Sep 2010 18:33:09 -0300 Many thanks to Andy Horn who reported two Solitary sandpipers in PPP today, I went down to see if I was lucky. Yes, I was, and there was one more, bringing up to a total of THREE! Clear directions... The time of the sighting was 5:20 pm Cheers, liz Subject: Solitary Sandpipers, Pt Pleasant Park, Halifax From: Andrew Horn <aghorn AT dal.ca> Date: Wed, 1 Sep 2010 16:44:32 -0300 Hi all, Two Solitary Sandpipers are in the muddy pond that's just down Birch Road from the Young Ave entrance (i.e., enter the park on the left side of the fountain, walk a little downhill, and the pond will be on your right). Cheers, Andy Horn Halifax Subject: Solitary Sandpipers, Pt Pleasant Park, Halifax From: Andrew Horn <aghorn AT dal.ca> Date: Wed, 1 Sep 2010 16:44:32 -0300 Hi all, Two Solitary Sandpipers are in the muddy pond that's just down Birch Road from the Young Ave entrance (i.e., enter the park on the left side of the fountain, walk a little downhill, and the pond will be on your right). Cheers, Andy Horn Halifax Subject: Re: Re: Common Reed in N.S.? From: "Frederick W. Schueler" <bckcdb AT istar.ca> Date: Tue, 31 Aug 2010 22:34:40 -0300 On 8/29/2010 8:27 PM, David & Alison Webster wrote: > Hi Fred & All, Aug 29, 2010 * I'll reply to more of this later, but I'll just relay some preliminary results now. We've been catapulted by other obligations to Prospect, west of Halifax, where John & Karen Gilhen have taken us under their wings. What I have to report are a few stands along Hwy 101 (3 collections at stands we'd previously waypointed, which made it possible to slow down and sample them, and three other stands documented as drive-by waypoints), a sample from the big stand in Annapolis Royal, and a very strange stand down here along Hwy 333. > I have long admired the stand at Annapolis (on the left as one goes west > out of Annapolis) which, so far as I am aware, is no larger or smaller > than it was when I first saw it about 1946. Some assume this stand to be > Acadian in origin, based on location I suspect. I have a clone of this > stand in the yard (planted 1991) and the base of the culm (with dead > sheaths removed) is green but smooth. > > So based on culm base color and surface texture the answer to the > question "is this stand European in origin ?" is yes and no. * this is also my assessment of the stem of this stand that Adam Zieleman collected, before our flight SE from Round Hill. The colour of the lower stem was mingled red and green, and the texture of the internodes were what I call "micro-rough" - intermediate between the smooth condition of the natives, and the rough yellow or green stems of the pure European stands. Two of the stands sampled along Hwy 101 west of Windsor were also intermediate-like and the other was native-like. As Ontarians we were astonished to see no Phragmites along Hwy 101 between Windsor and Halifax. Along Hwy 333, last evening, we saw an amazingly low grey-headed stand SE of the road. Today we collected a sample of this, and found it to be two uniform stands extended for about 100m along the road. These are short stems (though the initial impression that they were only a foot high was due to their growing along a raised road) The stems are nonetheless short, and narrow but microrough and green. The heads were big and open, with big parts. The specimens emitted lots of little Aphids. This is also a mosaic of native/European features, rather than a clear-cut identification, so our plan is to collect samples for botanists to examine. While no hybrids have been *documented,* Paul Catling and I both have a few Ontario stand which we suspect to be hybrids, but neither of us have time or funds to properly work on their status. Part of the problem is that the DNA work was done on chloroplast DNA, which is maternally inherited, so the DNA can't directly assess interbreeding. We also don't know for certain that the native kinds are all one uniform taxon across the different lineages. >> We'd be very glad to hear of the location of suspected native or >> invasive stands, and as soon as we have better internet connections >> we're going to put up a page for reporting the location of Phragmites >> stands, which we'll communicate to Paul Catling's national registry of >> such stands. fred schueler ------------------------------------------------------------ Frederick W. Schueler & Aleta Karstad Bishops Mills Natural History Centre - http://pinicola.ca/bmnhc.htm now in the field on the Thirty Years Later Expedition - http://fragileinheritance.org/projects/thirty/thirtyintro.htm Daily Paintings - http://karstaddailypaintings.blogspot.com/ RR#2 Bishops Mills, Ontario, Canada K0G 1T0 on the Smiths Falls Limestone Plain 44* 52'N 75* 42'W (613)258-3107 http://pinicola.ca/ ------------------------------------------------------------ ------------------------------------------------------------ Subject: Apparent White-chinned petrel off Bar Harbour From: "Wayne P. Neily" <neilyornis AT hotmail.com> Date: Tue, 31 Aug 2010 18:09:33 -0300 Hello all, Perhaps I missed it, but I haven"t seen this mentioned on the NB and NS lists, but it was on Ornitho-QC a few days ago, and would be of interest to both of ours. With all the strays this summer and potential hurricanes, any planning to go on the NSBS Brier Island weekend should not only register well in advance, but check field guides for more southerly oceans! Check the photos at: http://maineoutdoorjournal.mainetoday.com/blogentry.html?id=20846 Wayne P. Neily Tremont, Kings Co., Nova Scotia "Hast thou named all the birds without a gun? Loved the wood-rose, and left it on its stalk?" - Ralph Waldo Emerson, 1847 [Poems: Forbearance] Subject: Re: N. Mockingbird From: "Sterling Levy" <levystr AT ns.sympatico.ca> Date: Tue, 31 Aug 2010 17:28:39 -0300 There were 2 N. Mockingbirds foraging on the grass at the Bedford Lawn Bowls Club around 1:00 p.m. today. The Lawn Bowling Club is next door (behind) the Bedford Legion. S.L. Subject: "OCEANS" doc', Wed., Sept 15, 7 pm (?), Whittle Thtr., Wolfville From: "James W. Wolford" <jimwolford AT eastlink.ca> Date: Tue, 31 Aug 2010 13:20:35 -0300 Begin forwarded message: > From: "James W. Wolford" > Date: August 31, 2010 1:14:51 PM ADT > To: Nature BNS , Sadie Beaton > , Glenys Gibson , > Alexandra Curtis , Trevor Avery > , Mike Dadswell > , Anna Redden , > Jon Percy , Susan Hauer > > Subject: [ValleyNature] "OCEANS" doc', Wed., Sept 15, 7 pm (?), > Whittle Thtr., Wolfville > > Take the time to view the three TRAILERS below -- they are amazing! > > I will check the listed time of 7 pm to see if that is right, and > will get back to everyone if it is an error. Jim in Wolfville > > From the Fundy Film Web site: > > Oceans > > Autumn 2010 Documentary > > Wednesday,September 15, 2010 at 7pm > > Acadia Cinema's Al Whittle Theatre > 450 Main Street, Wolfville, NS > > Directed by Jacques Perrin and Jaques Cluzaud > > Written by Jacques Cluzaud and Christophe Cheysson > > Starring Pierce Brosnan (narrator) and Lancelot Perrin > > Rated G · 84 minutes > France, Switzerland and Spain > English > > View trailer > > Oceans (Océans) > > Nearly three-quarters of the Earth’s surface is covered by water > and Oceans boldly chronicles the mysteries that lie beneath. > Directors Jacques Perrin and Jacques Cluzaud dive deep into the > very waters that sustain all of mankind—exploring the playful > splendor and the harsh reality of the weird and wonderful creatures > that live within. Featuring spectacular never-before-seen imagery > captured by the latest underwater technologies, Oceans offers an > unprecedented look beneath the sea in a powerful yet enchanting > motion picture. An ecological drama/documentary, filmed throughout > the globe, Oceans is part thriller, part meditation on the > vanishing wonders of the sub-aquatic world. > > _______________________________________________ > Nature mailing list > Nature AT blomidonnaturalists.ca > http://blomidonnaturalists.ca/mailman/listinfo/ > nature_blomidonnaturalists.ca Subject: courting cross spiders, 28 d-cr cormorants From: "James W. Wolford" <jimwolford AT eastlink.ca> Date: Tue, 31 Aug 2010 12:37:39 -0300 AUG. 30/10 - 4 film photos of a male and female courting? pair of cross spiders or garden spiders (Araneus diadematus), on our house's lower back deck. The male is nearly as large as the female, but its abdomen is narrow and unswollen; his swollen pedipalps show his maturity and readiness to mate, if accepted. The female has a swollen abdomen, also a sign that she is full of eggs and possibly ready for mating? This species is extremely common and abundant in residential yards and especially around the outside of houses. Brenda and Bill Thexton checked on the power line that crosses the Gaspereau River just north of Highway 101 (Hortonville) at high tide and counted 28 double-crested cormorants perched on the wire. This contrasts with the very few cormorants I have seen lately (only 2 singles) from Evangeline Beach on my recent shorebird checks. Cheers from Jim in Wolfville Subject: Caspian Tern From: "John Kearney" <john.kearney AT ns.sympatico.ca> Date: Tue, 31 Aug 2010 12:33:57 -0300 A flock of four Caspian Terns were seen flying west, close to shore over the Northumberland Strait adjacent to Doctor's Brook, Antigonish County today. Subject: Bon Portage Birds - Notes From: "Lucas Berrigan" <coppersmithbarbet AT yahoo.ca> Date: Tue, 31 Aug 2010 15:09:28 +0000 I forgot to mention I actually had two Buff-breasted Sandpipers and Kier had two Dickcissels on those days. For those who are interested, I saw the Prairie Warbler on August 21st. For today and yesterday (30th and 31st) there has been very little activity and we've seen nothing much of the rarities of the days before. The sandpiper numbers have gone way down and we are catching very few birds - about ten a day. All we've seen of interest have been Baltimore Orioles, Rusty Blackbirds, Bobolinks, and Kingbirds. I should have said in my previous email that the Atlantic Bird Observatory is open once again this fall. Last year there wasn't enough funding/interested people to have the station running, but this year there are two graduate students who are helping keep the station alive. I will be running the station for a week, leaving on August 3rd, Becky Stewart having left on the 27th. Cheers, Lucas -------------------------------------- Sent from my Blackberry. -------------------------------------- Subject: Birds on the BLT trail, HRM From: Blake Maybank <maybank AT ns.sympatico.ca> Date: Tue, 31 Aug 2010 11:06:01 -0300 Hi Everyone; Martine and I cycled the length (and back) of the BLT trail outside Halifax, starting at the Coke Plant. http://www.halifax.ca/rec/documents/BLT_000.pdf It was a lovely, hot day, and we were on a bit of a deadline, so I could only stop to investigate three groups of birds, each located by Black-capped Chickadee calls. The flocks were small, but I eventually saw 10 species of warbler, in ones and twos, the only surprise a Cape May Warbler, found because it was singing. There were also three different singing Red-eyed Vireos, not unprecedented for late August. It's a great time of year for "bike birding". Cheers, Blake ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- Blake Maybank maybank AT ns.sympatico.ca 902-852-2077 Editor, "Nova Scotia Birds" http://nsbs.chebucto.org Organiser, Maritimes Nature Travel Club http://tinyurl.com/naturetravel author, "Birding Sites of Nova Scotia" http://tinyurl.com/birdingns Downloadable Nova Scotia Maps for inside front and back covers: http://tinyurl.com/mr627d White's Lake, Nova Scotia, Canada Subject: Seabright area From: "Paul S. Boyer" <psboyer AT eastlink.ca> Date: Tue, 31 Aug 2010 08:27:26 -0300 Yesterday a flock of Starlings flew into our yard, oddly accompanied by several woodpeckers. The woodpeckers were mostly Flickers, who investigated an old power pole (probably disappointing to them because it is treated wood). There also was a pair of Hairy Woodpeckers, each almost as large as the Flickers. Wedge Island. This is the nesting ground for Herring Gulls and Great Black-back Gulls, and this year also the Common Tern. It has been for the last five years or so invaded by Double-crested Cormorants, who have killed all the spruce trees in which they were nesting (which is all of them). Cormorant numbers increase each year, and this year they have started nesting also on the ground, and have obliterated all vegetation in those areas. I roughly estimate that the number of nests increases by about a third each year. Although the cormorants are apparently unstoppable, they do have some natural enemies. The gulls (particularly the Great Black-backed Gull) harass the young, causing them to panic in large mobs, and regurgitate their food. The gulls then eat up the resulting delicacies. And then at this time in the season, for the second year, the Bald Eagles have arrived. They apparently eat young cormorants and gulls. I don't know whether they actually kill them, or just scavenge the dead from other causes; but when the Eagles arrive, the cormorants and gulls who are able disappear from the island. Only a few Herring Gulls remain to dive occasionally (and ineffectually) at the Eagles. Quite a large number of eaten cormorants can be found (wings and large bones left behind), and also remains of young gulls. It is impossible to tell if the hunters were Eagles or Great Black-backed Gulls in each case, but there is a considerable mortality from the predators. No potential mammalian predators have been seen on the island by me, except about eight years ago (one muskrat). Subject: Jewelweed for Poison Ivy From: "Paul S. Boyer" <psboyer AT eastlink.ca> Date: Tue, 31 Aug 2010 07:54:56 -0300 I should have seen this: the references gives in the Wikipedia article on urushiol cite several studies showing that juice of the jewelwood does not help with poison-ivy rash caused by urushiol. On Aug 30, 2010, at 8:59 PM, Paul S. Boyer wrote: > Yes, I have heard this about jewel-weed, but have never tried it. It puzzles me that such a common belief would not be tested, but I know that I never tried it just because I suffer badly from poison ivy, and don't wish to try a poorly controlled test. > > What we do know is that poison ivy and some of its relatives have an oil called urushiol (see article in the great Wikipedia). This oil chemically attaches to skin and other tissue, and causes them to appear to the immune system to be alien material. The poison-ivy reaction is thus an auto-immune allergic reaction. It tends to get more violent with more exposure: you do not build up a resistance, rather you build up an increasing sensitivity. Thus having small exposures to poison ivy sensitizes you for an eventual larger exposure, which could put you out of commission for a week, and could be painful and messy. > > As for habitat, poison ivy can grow almost anywhere: woods, clearings, sandy soil, or loam. It is very hard to fight, and in some places, the battle is hopeless. However, for some reason there is not too much poison ivy in Nova Scotia. This just means that we have a chance to kill it off in small patches before it spreads. > > Once it is established, you will not be able to go into a wild area except on wide, mowed trails — and people will have to be employed in keeping those trails clear, and they will be exposed in so doing. You will never again be able to walk on you property in bare feet. Whenever you work out doors, you will have to be almost paranoid in alertness, in order to avoid exposure. You will have to control children from being exposed, and teach them not to roam outdoors. What kind of life is that? Pets will carry the oil on their fur, so just by petting you dog, you will be exposed. > > I tell you, poison ivy is one of nature's little mistakes, at least from our point-of-view. Though not as deadly, it is like malaria, or botulism: the world would be better off without it. > > Some books say birds eat the seeds of poison ivy, and deer enjoy eating the leaves. Well, birds can eat other seeds, and not help spread seeds of poison ivy. As for deer, they will eat most anything (except Andromeda), so chances are they can eat whatever else grows after the poison ivy is eliminated. > > I was exaggerating just a little about using atomic weapons on poison ivy, but if it were possible, I would go for it! ;-) > > > On Aug 27, 2010, at 4:31 PM, Anne Woolaver wrote: > >> Hi all, >> >> I was told years ago (by someone who I imagine would know) that a useful remedy plant for poison ivy is jewelweed, which -- I was also told -- may often be found growing conveniently close by poison ivy stands. Not sure whether you squeeze the leaf juice onto affected parts or ?? Has anybody else heard this? >> >> A. Woolaver >> >> > From: soudekd AT ns.sympatico.ca >> > To: naturens AT chebucto.ns.ca >> > Subject: [NatureNS] Re: Poison Ivy >> > Date: Fri, 27 Aug 2010 16:18:26 -0300 >> > >> > >> > Nuke Poison Ivy (PI)? That may be a slight over-reaction. What surprises >> > me is that PI (Toxicodendron radicans) is included in the Atlantic Coastal >> > Plain Flora, as per the N.S. Nature Trust's "Guide to the Atlantic Coastal >> > Plain Flora of Nova Scotia" (2005), in spite of its wide range in Eastern >> > Canada and U.S. Could someone comment? >> > I continue to be surprised by how many outdoorsy people cannot identify >> > it in the field, in spite of having spent years in the out of doors. >> > In a recent medical article I've read that 80 % of the population is >> > allergic to the above species. Sadly, there was no indication of the source >> > of this tidbit of information. Which population? I suspect that the >> > percentage refers to the fraction of the population who become allergic >> > following repeated physical contact with the plant. >> > Dusan Soudek >> > > Subject: Yellow-headed blackbirds From: "Stephen Hawboldt" <s.hawboldt AT ns.sympatico.ca> Date: Mon, 30 Aug 2010 21:33:10 -0300 Valerie Mount of Deep Brook, Anna. Co., has asked me to post this information. She had a report from Cornwallis yesterday of a flock of about 30-50 blackbirds many of which the observer believed to be yellow-headed blackbirds. They were curious to know if anybody else had seen any as they realize it would be unusual to see so many. Sharon Hawboldt Subject: Fw: eBird Canada Report - Big Island , 28/08/10 From: Ken McKenna <kenmcken AT eastlink.ca> Date: Mon, 30 Aug 2010 21:26:30 -0300 Ken McKenna Box 218 Stellarton NS B0K 1S0 902 752-7644 Hi all A little catch-up on some sightings. Here is Sat. trip to Big I. by myself and Rick Ferguson. As mentioned previously we we a little later getting ot the island after we saw the dead Great Horned Owls on the TCH104. Nothing spectacular, but nice to get a Northern Shoveler with the ducks at the east end of the causeway. There was a lot of boating activity and people on beaches and bars (sand!) so we missed some of the Gulls and terns which flew off before a count. cheers Ken Subject: eBird Canada Report - Big Island , 28/08/10 > > > Location: Big Island > Observation date: 28/08/10 > Notes: Bobolinks were in air and possibly migrating > Number of species: 61 > > American Black Duck 19 > Mallard 1 > Blue-winged Teal 3 > Northern Shoveler 1 > Surf Scoter 14 > Ruffed Grouse 10 > Common Loon 1 > Northern Gannet 9 > Double-crested Cormorant 25 > Great Blue Heron 6 > Bald Eagle 1 > Northern Harrier 2 > Black-bellied Plover 18 > Semipalmated Plover 50 > Killdeer 1 > Greater Yellowlegs 6 > Lesser Yellowlegs 8 > Whimbrel 2 > Ruddy Turnstone 4 > Sanderling 1 > Semipalmated Sandpiper 60 > Least Sandpiper 10 > Short-billed Dowitcher 3 > Bonaparte's Gull 20 > Ring-billed Gull 50 > Herring Gull 8 > Great Black-backed Gull 5 > Common Tern 11 > Mourning Dove 8 > Ruby-throated Hummingbird 1 > Belted Kingfisher 2 > Downy Woodpecker 1 > Northern Flicker 6 > Least Flycatcher 1 > Red-eyed Vireo 1 > Blue Jay 4 > American Crow 12 > Common Raven 4 > Black-capped Chickadee 15 > Golden-crowned Kinglet 1 > American Robin 2 > Gray Catbird 1 > European Starling 120 > Cedar Waxwing 8 > Northern Parula 2 > Yellow Warbler 3 > Magnolia Warbler 1 > Yellow-rumped Warbler 28 > Black-throated Green Warbler 2 > Palm Warbler 2 > Black-and-white Warbler 3 > Common Yellowthroat 3 > Chipping Sparrow 2 > Savannah Sparrow 4 > Nelson's Sparrow 1 > Song Sparrow 4 > White-throated Sparrow 11 > Dark-eyed Junco 1 > Bobolink 30 > Purple Finch 1 > American Goldfinch 8 > > This report was generated automatically by eBird > v2(http://ebird.org/canada) Subject: Re: Re: Poison Ivy From: "Paul S. Boyer" <psboyer AT eastlink.ca> Date: Mon, 30 Aug 2010 20:59:30 -0300 Yes, I have heard this about jewel-weed, but have never tried it. It puzzles me that such a common belief would not be tested, but I know that I never tried it just because I suffer badly from poison ivy, and don't wish to try a poorly controlled test. What we do know is that poison ivy and some of its relatives have an oil called urushiol (see article in the great Wikipedia). This oil chemically attaches to skin and other tissue, and causes them to appear to the immune system to be alien material. The poison-ivy reaction is thus an auto-immune allergic reaction. It tends to get more violent with more exposure: you do not build up a resistance, rather you build up an increasing sensitivity. Thus having small exposures to poison ivy sensitizes you for an eventual larger exposure, which could put you out of commission for a week, and could be painful and messy. As for habitat, poison ivy can grow almost anywhere: woods, clearings, sandy soil, or loam. It is very hard to fight, and in some places, the battle is hopeless. However, for some reason there is not too much poison ivy in Nova Scotia. This just means that we have a chance to kill it off in small patches before it spreads. Once it is established, you will not be able to go into a wild area except on wide, mowed trails — and people will have to be employed in keeping those trails clear, and they will be exposed in so doing. You will never again be able to walk on you property in bare feet. Whenever you work out doors, you will have to be almost paranoid in alertness, in order to avoid exposure. You will have to control children from being exposed, and teach them not to roam outdoors. What kind of life is that? Pets will carry the oil on their fur, so just by petting you dog, you will be exposed. I tell you, poison ivy is one of nature's little mistakes, at least from our point-of-view. Though not as deadly, it is like malaria, or botulism: the world would be better off without it. Some books say birds eat the seeds of poison ivy, and deer enjoy eating the leaves. Well, birds can eat other seeds, and not help spread seeds of poison ivy. As for deer, they will eat most anything (except Andromeda), so chances are they can eat whatever else grows after the poison ivy is eliminated. I was exaggerating just a little about using atomic weapons on poison ivy, but if it were possible, I would go for it! ;-) On Aug 27, 2010, at 4:31 PM, Anne Woolaver wrote: > Hi all, > > I was told years ago (by someone who I imagine would know) that a useful remedy plant for poison ivy is jewelweed, which -- I was also told -- may often be found growing conveniently close by poison ivy stands. Not sure whether you squeeze the leaf juice onto affected parts or ?? Has anybody else heard this? > > A. Woolaver > > > From: soudekd AT ns.sympatico.ca > > To: naturens AT chebucto.ns.ca > > Subject: [NatureNS] Re: Poison Ivy > > Date: Fri, 27 Aug 2010 16:18:26 -0300 > > > > > > Nuke Poison Ivy (PI)? That may be a slight over-reaction. What surprises > > me is that PI (Toxicodendron radicans) is included in the Atlantic Coastal > > Plain Flora, as per the N.S. Nature Trust's "Guide to the Atlantic Coastal > > Plain Flora of Nova Scotia" (2005), in spite of its wide range in Eastern > > Canada and U.S. Could someone comment? > > I continue to be surprised by how many outdoorsy people cannot identify > > it in the field, in spite of having spent years in the out of doors. > > In a recent medical article I've read that 80 % of the population is > > allergic to the above species. Sadly, there was no indication of the source > > of this tidbit of information. Which population? I suspect that the > > percentage refers to the fraction of the population who become allergic > > following repeated physical contact with the plant. > > Dusan Soudek > > Subject: Brier Island Migration Monitoring - Aug. 30/10 From: Brian Dalzell <aythya AT nb.sympatico.ca> Date: Mon, 30 Aug 2010 20:46:32 -0300 After reading Lucas Berrigan’s report from Bon Portage, I decided to make the effort to compile similar data from Brier Island. It took a couple of hours, but I managed to tweak out banding data for the past four days (Aug. 27-30). Migration has been slow and steady, as one would expect with the benign weather conditions. August 27 (27 birds). 8 Black-throated Green Warbler 2 Magnolia Warbler 6 Golden-crowned Kinglet 1 American Redstart 1 Wilson’s Warbler 1 Swainson’s Thrush 3 Northern Waterthrush 5 Red-eyed Vireo August 28 (68 birds). 6 Red-breasted Nuthatch 1 Cape May Warbler 3 Black-and-white Warbler 4 Yellow Warbler 1 Myrtle Warbler 2 Common Yellowthroat 1 Bay-breasted Warbler 2 Common Yellowthroat 2 American Goldfinch 2 Alder Flycatcher 1 Philadelphia Vireo 10 Red-eyed Vireo 6 Northern Waterthrush 2 Ovenbird 4 Magnolia Warbler 5 American Redstart 4 Golden-crowned Kinglet 5 Black-throated Green Warbler 1 Chestnut-sided Warbler 3 Purple Finch 2 White-throated Sparrow 1 Yellow-breasted Chat (hatch-year, female). August 29 (53 birds). 6 Alder Flycatcher 3 Common Yellowthroat 1 Mourning Warbler 1 Least Flycatcher 1 Black-throated Blue Warbler 2 Yellow Warbler 1 Red-breasted Nuthatch 1 Blackburnian Warbler 1 Yellow-bellied Flycatcher 1 Boreal Chickadee 1 Philadelphia Vireo 4 Black-throated Green Warbler 4 Golden-crowned Kinglet 3 Magnolia Warbler 1 American Redstart 1 Wilson’s Warbler 2 Northern Parula 1 Purple Finch 1 Baltimore Oriole 1 Swainson’s Thrush 7 Northern Waterthrush 2 Ovenbird 7 Red-eyed Vireo August 30 (69 birds). 2 Bay-breasted Warbler 6 Red-breasted Nuthatch 3 Least Flycatcher 2 Blackburnian Warbler 3 Canada Warbler 7 Common Yellowthroat 2 Blackpoll Warbler 4 Black-and-white Warbler 1 Palm Warbler 1 Myrtle Warbler 1 Philadelphia Vireo 1 Alder Flycatcher 2 Wilson’s Warbler 1 Chestnut-sided Warbler 15 Black-throated Green Warbler 3 Magnolia Warbler 1 Brown Creeper 1 Northern Parula 1 Golden-crowned Kinglet 1 American Redstart 1 Baltimore Oriole 1 White-throated Sparrow 1 Yellow-breasted Chat (hatch-year, female). 7 Red-breasted Nuthatch 3 Northern Waterthrush I missed a couple things, which is why the totals don’t add up for today. Also seen today but not banded were a male Prairie Warbler and a male Blue-winged Warbler. Maybe tomorrow! Last evening about 7 PM a nice little troupe of hatch-year swallows went through Westport, heading south and west down the island. I estimated 50+ Tree Swallows and 15+ Barn Swallows. Too hot to go shore-birding today. My thanks to Lance Laviolette, for permission to post the results of our work. Subject: Sable I. exhibit From: Ulli <uhoeger AT dal.ca> Date: Mon, 30 Aug 2010 18:11:29 -0300 Hi Folks, Just got word of this and want to pass it on as one or the other may be interested to check it out: Harris and Company Art Gallery Sable Island: A Photographic Journey Saturday, September 04 – Monday, October 11, 2010 Sable Island’s stewardship is presently in question creating debate on all sides of the issue. However, one thing is clear – Sable Island is a place of amazing splendour offering a unique and diverse ecosystem. Whatever the final decision, it is hoped that Sable Island remains a place of continued protection resulting in the preservation of Nova Scotia’s ‘Gem of the Atlantic’. Harris and Company Art Gallery, located at 1104 West Jeddore Road, Head Jeddore, is excited to present its long awaited exhibitionSable Island: A Photographic Journey. It will showcase images of Sable Island by six artists exploring, as Ewa Dunlap says, “a place of the greatest beauty in spite of the harsh living conditions.” The Opening Reception will take place from 12:00pm – 4:00pm on Saturday, September 04th, 2010. For more information about the gallery’s latest art exhibition and gallery hours contact Randy Bullerwell at 430-2135 or by email at randy AT harrisandcogallery.ca . Subject: Re: hawk guide again. From: Marg Millard <mmillard AT eastlink.ca> Date: Mon, 30 Aug 2010 15:22:05 -0300 I found it too, thank you very much. We were just looking for something like that to take in the car. Marg Millard, White Point, Queens newly updated website http://MargMillard.ca ........... found it, but I had to peruse the site a bit. Great info, I've always looked for such a resource. Thanks! Angela in Windsor On 08/30/10, Fritz McEvoy wrote: Hi All, Lets try that one more time; hopfully spelling silhouette corectly. www.hmana.org/silhouette_guide Fritz McEvoy -- When one tugs at a single thing in nature, he finds it attached to the rest of the world. John Muir Subject: Re: hawk guide again. From: Angela Joudrey* <aljoudrey AT eastlink.ca> Date: Mon, 30 Aug 2010 14:55:46 -0300 Subject: FW: hawk guide again. From: Fritz McEvoy <fritzmcevoy AT hotmail.com> Date: Mon, 30 Aug 2010 14:59:15 -0300 Hi All, Lets try that one more time; hopfully spelling silhouette corectly. www.hmana.org/silhouette_guide Fritz McEvoy ^^^^ hopfully> hopefully; corectly>correctly That's just embarrassing! Sheesh FM Subject: hawk guide again. From: Fritz McEvoy <fritzmcevoy AT hotmail.com> Date: Mon, 30 Aug 2010 14:49:33 -0300 Hi All, Lets try that one more time; hopfully spelling silhouette corectly. www.hmana.org/silhouette_guide Fritz McEvoy Subject: Hawk Id chart From: Fritz McEvoy <fritzmcevoy AT hotmail.com> Date: Mon, 30 Aug 2010 14:42:14 -0300 Hi All, This months Birder's World had a nifty hawk ID chart for identifying hawks in flight. It came from the Hawk Migration Association of North America (HMANA) and can be downloaded from their web page. www.hmana.org/silouette_guide It's only two pages in pdf format and can be easily downloaded on a single page which you can fold up and put in your field guide as a bookmark. All the best. Fritz McEvoy Sunrise Valley, CB Subject: Re: unknown spider, odd chickadee From: "Sandy Hiltz" <birddog AT ns.sympatico.ca> Date: Mon, 30 Aug 2010 12:06:22 -0300 This spider looks very much like the Yellow Sac spider that we found in a bunch of grapes several years ago. BEWARE of its bite if this is fact a Yellow Sac Spider Sandy ----- Original Message ----- From: Ulli To: naturens AT chebucto.ns.ca Sent: Monday, August 30, 2010 11:48 AM Subject: Re: [NatureNS] unknown spider, odd chickadee Well, It's a male spider. Already a bit more elaborate than just "a spider". Based on his "jizz" I would investigate further in direction of Clubionidae. A more frontal head shot showing the arrangement of his eyes would be helpful, and a scale bar in the picture would be an asset as well. Ulli On 30-Aug-10, at 10:24 AM, Randy Lauff wrote: All, At this link http://people.stfx.ca/rlauff/photos/unknownspider.jpg there are two pictures. A local photographer (serious hobbiest who sells his stuff at our farmers' market) brought in the spider to me for ID. I told him, "It's a spider." :) Can anyone elaborate? I include his business card in the shot because it shows an oddly coloured chickadee that a number of folks have seen around our correctional facility this year. Must be a jailbird. Randy _________________________________ RF Lauff Way in the boonies of Antigonish County, NS. Subject: unknown spider, odd chickadee From: "James W. Wolford" <jimwolford AT eastlink.ca> Date: Mon, 30 Aug 2010 11:58:47 -0300 Re the unknown spider, I don't know the identity, but its short swollen pedipalps sticking out from the front indicate it's a male, which might look very different from its female. Maybe the photographer could be on the lookout in the area for other spiders that might be compatible with the male? Cheers from Jim in Wolfville Begin forwarded message: > From: Randy Lauff > Date: August 30, 2010 10:24:38 AM ADT > To: NatureNS > Subject: [NatureNS] unknown spider, odd chickadee > Reply-To: naturens AT chebucto.ns.ca > > All, > > At this link http://people.stfx.ca/rlauff/photos/unknownspider.jpg > there are two pictures. A local photographer (serious hobbiest who > sells his stuff at our farmers' market) brought in the spider to me > for ID. I told him, "It's a spider." :) > > Can anyone elaborate? > > I include his business card in the shot because it shows an oddly > coloured chickadee that a number of folks have seen around our > correctional facility this year. Must be a jailbird. > > Randy > _________________________________ > RF Lauff > Way in the boonies of > Antigonish County, NS. Subject: Re: unknown spider, odd chickadee From: Ulli <uhoeger AT dal.ca> Date: Mon, 30 Aug 2010 11:48:43 -0300 Well, It's a male spider. Already a bit more elaborate than just "a spider". Based on his "jizz" I would investigate further in direction of Clubionidae. A more frontal head shot showing the arrangement of his eyes would be helpful, and a scale bar in the picture would be an asset as well. Ulli On 30-Aug-10, at 10:24 AM, Randy Lauff wrote: > All, > > At this link http://people.stfx.ca/rlauff/photos/unknownspider.jpg > there are two pictures. A local photographer (serious hobbiest who > sells his stuff at our farmers' market) brought in the spider to me > for ID. I told him, "It's a spider." :) > > Can anyone elaborate? > > I include his business card in the shot because it shows an oddly > coloured chickadee that a number of folks have seen around our > correctional facility this year. Must be a jailbird. > > Randy > _________________________________ > RF Lauff > Way in the boonies of > Antigonish County, NS. Subject: unknown spider, odd chickadee From: Randy Lauff <randy.lauff AT gmail.com> Date: Mon, 30 Aug 2010 10:24:38 -0300 All, At this link http://people.stfx.ca/rlauff/photos/unknownspider.jpg there are two pictures. A local photographer (serious hobbiest who sells his stuff at our farmers' market) brought in the spider to me for ID. I told him, "It's a spider." :) Can anyone elaborate? I include his business card in the shot because it shows an oddly coloured chickadee that a number of folks have seen around our correctional facility this year. Must be a jailbird. Randy _________________________________ RF Lauff Way in the boonies of Antigonish County, NS. Subject: Re: Re: Poison Ivy From: David & Alison Webster <dwebster AT glinx.com> Date: Mon, 30 Aug 2010 09:48:46 -0300 Hi Again, Aug 30, 2010 Since I became sensitive to Poison Ivy I have carefully avoided direct skin contact but 0 to n times a year get zapped by secondary contact after working in PI (via tools, work gloves, boots, pant legs, firewood...) so blisters constitute my first hint that contact was effected. Yt, DW ----- Original Message ----- From: David&Jane Schlosberg To: naturens AT chebucto.ns.ca Sent: Friday, August 27, 2010 10:12 PM Subject: RE: [NatureNS] Re: Poison Ivy I think the folksy name for jewelweed comes from the fact that the blossoms are so delicate. Also, one is supposed to rub it on just after the poison ivy contact. When the blisters appear would be way too late. I have seen them in the same vicinity farther south, where both grow in more abundance. I've never personally tried the remedy, because I am quite careful of poison ivy; but I do remember people telling me that it does work. -----Original Message----- From: naturens-owner AT chebucto.ns.ca [mailto:naturens-owner AT chebucto.ns.ca]On Behalf Of David & Alison Webster Sent: Friday, August 27, 2010 8:36 PM To: naturens AT chebucto.ns.ca Subject: Re: [NatureNS] Re: Poison Ivy Hi All, Aug 27, 2010 The gelatinous sap from a healthy Aloe vera leaf is better even than Calomine. The notion that Touch-me-not (Jewelweed) and Poison Ivy grow conveniently close together strikes me as folksy un-wisdom. I can't think of one instance where they are close and, even if they were, one would likely be inconveniently distant when Poison Ivy rash appeared several days after exposure. Also, would not Touch-me-not be a better name for Poison Ivy ? Yt, Dave Webster, Kentville ----- Original Message ----- From: David&Jane Schlosberg To: naturens AT chebucto.ns.ca Sent: Friday, August 27, 2010 6:22 PM Subject: RE: [NatureNS] Re: Poison Ivy Yes. Many times. It's in the Euell Gibbons book, Stalking the Wild Asparagus. I believe you are supposed to rub the flowers and leaves on your skin. -----Original Message----- From: naturens-owner AT chebucto.ns.ca [mailto:naturens-owner AT chebucto.ns.ca]On Behalf Of Anne Woolaver Sent: Friday, August 27, 2010 4:32 PM To: Nature Nova Scotia Subject: RE: [NatureNS] Re: Poison Ivy Hi all, I was told years ago (by someone who I imagine would know) that a useful remedy plant for poison ivy is jewelweed, which -- I was also told -- may often be found growing conveniently close by poison ivy stands. Not sure whether you squeeze the leaf juice onto affected parts or ?? Has anybody else heard this? A. Woolaver > From: soudekd AT ns.sympatico.ca > To: naturens AT chebucto.ns.ca > Subject: [NatureNS] Re: Poison Ivy > Date: Fri, 27 Aug 2010 16:18:26 -0300 > > > Nuke Poison Ivy (PI)? That may be a slight over-reaction. What surprises > me is that PI (Toxicodendron radicans) is included in the Atlantic Coastal > Plain Flora, as per the N.S. Nature Trust's "Guide to the Atlantic Coastal > Plain Flora of Nova Scotia" (2005), in spite of its wide range in Eastern > Canada and U.S. Could someone comment? > I continue to be surprised by how many outdoorsy people cannot identify > it in the field, in spite of having spent years in the out of doors. > In a recent medical article I've read that 80 % of the population is > allergic to the above species. Sadly, there was no indication of the source > of this tidbit of information. Which population? I suspect that the > percentage refers to the fraction of the population who become allergic > following repeated physical contact with the plant. > Dusan Soudek > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- No virus found in this incoming message. Checked by AVG - www.avg.com Version: 9.0.851 / Virus Database: 271.1.1/3096 - Release Date: 08/26/10 15:34:00 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ No virus found in this incoming message. Checked by AVG - www.avg.com Version: 9.0.851 / Virus Database: 271.1.1/3096 - Release Date: 08/26/10 15:34:00 Subject: Recent post From: James Hirtle <jrhbirder AT hotmail.com> Date: Mon, 30 Aug 2010 02:10:55 +0000 Hi all: Hopefully my latest post did not make it through on naturens. It was a photo of a shorebird with four pictures that I'm not sure of. I've been having issues with uploading photos to the email due to Active X with internet explorer. It is a real pain as it worked great before they changed their security and put that in place. It blocks the upload. Before I could check the pictures I wanted to attach and hit upload and it would put them all into the email. Due to the Active X thing I now have to put the attachments in place individually. I once was able to deactivate the item with active x that was blocking me, but have not been able to figure it out since. My photos by the way were meant for Ian. Sincerely, James R. Hirtle Bayport Subject: origin of the annapolis reeds From: nhungjohn <nhungjohn AT eastlink.ca> Date: Sun, 29 Aug 2010 22:17:29 -0300 An old Yarmouth buddy of mine (b 1878, d 1971) told me those reeds by the former railway track in Annapolis resulted from a circus train derailment there. Should have asked him when that happened. Too late now! > Hi Fred & All, Aug 29, 2010 > It is interesting that, based on the last URL, decline of stands in > Europe is a greater worry than expansion. And some here worry about > expansion. Is there, lurking in the background at both locations, an > underlying human desire for things to remain the same as they were when > first seen ? > > Further down on this site (An Information base...recent work) I notice > the comment that the European strain can grow in acid soil that has been > made alkaline by de-icing salt. I am wondering what kind of de-icing salt > can increase soil pH and how. > > Also I notice that most (all ?) of the spread along highways may be by > fragmentation, i.e. rhizome cuttings made and transplanted by use of > earth-shaping/moving equipment along highways. It would seem that the > invasive characteristic of this alien strain is, in this case at least, as > man-made as the highways. > > I have long admired the stand at Annapolis (on the left as one goes > west out of Annapolis) which, so far as I am aware, is no larger or > smaller than it was when I first saw it about 1946. Some assume this stand > to be Acadian in origin, based on location I suspect. I have a clone of > this stand in the yard (planted 1991) and the base of the culm (with dead > sheaths removed) is green but smooth. > > So based on culm base color and surface texture the answer to the > question "is this stand European in origin ?" is yes and no. Perhaps I > misunderstood-- is the reddish culm color of the native just above the > soil level (where I looked) or just above the junction of culm with > rhizome ? A red coloration can be indicative of phosphorus deficiency. Do > the two strains exhibit this color difference when grown at the same site > ? > > The perimeter of the yard stand BTW is readily contained by mowing 2-3 > times a year. > > There is, with good reason, renewed interest in alternative energy > sources and I have wondered if the impressive annual growth of Phragmites > could provide fuel for energy on an efficient basis. Do you offhand have > figures for the energy equivalent per unit area of Phragmites ? > > It is used in the Netherlands for soil ripening of recently reclaimed > polders (part of the reason for the transplant to a very wet area of the > garden in 1991) and I think many of our soils with compact impermeable > subsoils could become more productive after 20 years under Phragmites. > So growing this grass on marginal farmland for energy might have a > secondary benefit. > > Yours truly, Dave Webster, Kentville > > > ----- Original Message ----- > From: "Frederick W. Schueler" > To: "Dusan Soudek" ; > Cc: "Catling, Paul" > Sent: Saturday, August 28, 2010 7:37 AM > Subject: [NatureNS] Re: Common Reed in N.S.? > > >> On 8/27/2010 5:08 PM, Dusan Soudek wrote (off the list): >> >>> I am curious about your work on the distribution of the native and the >>> Old World clones of /Phragmites /in Nova Scotia and elsewhere. >>> I am finding more and more Common Reed >>> populations in the province, principally along highways. >>> Can you tell the two taxa apart in the field? Or do you need to analyse >>> their DNA? >> >> * I'll take the liberty of replying to the list, since this is the core >> of what we'll be looking for in Nova Scotia. You can see >> http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Phragmites#Invasive_reeds for a very tepid >> account of the status and distribution of native and invasive >> "subspecies" of Phragmites, and >> http://www.ou.edu/cas/botany-micro/ben/ben417.html for the database and >> http://www.ou.edu/cas/botany-micro/ben/ben418.html for a compact summary >> of the Canadian distribution. In places it seems that the native form, >> as well as the European "subspecies" invader, is increasing along roads, >> so the observed increase may not be a simple case of alien invasion. The >> two kinds were described as subspecies, but there's no widespread, or >> even documented, interbreeding between them, so they may be good >> biological species. >> >> Basically, if you examine the base of the stems, the native subspecies >> has smooth red or reddish stems, and the invasives have finely ridged >> yellow or greeen stems. Also the invasives are much more likely to be >> more than 3m tall. The stands of the natives are more open, with other >> species of plants often growing admixed, while the invasives form dense >> monospecific stands. Paul Catling has shown that the flower and seed >> parts of the natives are larger than those of the invasives, giving the >> invasive seed head a puffy or plumed look. >> >> Last December we drove through the Saint John Valley and SE coast of new >> Brunswick, and only saw the native form along the roads, and so far have >> seen only native-looking stands in Nova Scotia, so perhaps it would be >> possible to prevent, in the maritime provinces, the kind of takeover >> that has given Phragmites australis ssp. australis its alternative >> English name: "The Grass that Ate New Jersey," and has led to its total >> and complete dominance of so many salt marshes in the Atlantic states. >> >> We'd be very glad to hear of the location of suspected native or >> invasive stands, and as soon as we have better internet connections >> we're going to put up a page for reporting the location of Phragmites >> stands, which we'll communicate to Paul Catling's national registry of >> such stands. >> >> fred schueler. >> ------------------------------------------------------------ >> Frederick W. Schueler & Aleta Karstad >> Bishops Mills Natural History Centre - http://pinicola.ca/bmnhc.htm >> Thirty Years Later Expedition - >> http://fragileinheritance.org/projects/thirty/thirtyintro.htm >> Longterm ecological monitoring - http://fragileinheritance.org/ >> Daily Paintings - http://karstaddailypaintings.blogspot.com/ >> http://www.doingnaturalhistory.com/ >> http://quietcuratorialtime.blogspot.com/ >> RR#2 Bishops Mills, Ontario, Canada K0G 1T0 >> on the Smiths Falls Limestone Plain 44* 52'N 75* 42'W >> (613)258-3107 http://pinicola.ca/ >> ------------------------------------------------------------ >> ------------------------------------------------------------ >> >> >> Regards, >>> Dusan Soudek >>> /Part of this will be the distribution of native and invasive >>> colonies of the Reed Phragmites, to see how widespread the invasives >>> are, and in the hope of suppressing them before they totally take over >>> salt marshes as they have in such places as New Jersey, and the >>> roadsides as they have in Ontario and southern Quebec. >>> >>> fred schueler. >>> / >>> // >> > > > -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- > > > > No virus found in this incoming message. > Checked by AVG - www.avg.com > Version: 9.0.851 / Virus Database: 271.1.1/3096 - Release Date: 08/26/10 > 15:34:00 > Subject: Little Blue Heron, Three Fathom Harbour From: Susann Myers <myerss AT eastlink.ca> Date: Sun, 29 Aug 2010 22:15:27 -0300 Chris Pepper and I had great looks at a juvenile Little Blue Heron that flew in to Shorebird Cove in Three Fathom Harbour at about 3:30 this afternoon (August 29), while we were watching shorebirds. It stayed a few minutes, then flew on in the direction of "Dottie's Pond". It was small (about 24 inches overall length) with all-white plumage, yellow-green legs and feet and a bicoloured bill, greyish at the base with a black tip. Cheers, Susann Myers Subject: Conrad's Island - Lower Rose Bay today. From: James Hirtle <jrhbirder AT hotmail.com> Date: Mon, 30 Aug 2010 01:12:13 +0000 This morning Kevin Lantz and I took a jaunt to Conrad's Island at Lower Rose Bay (Sand Dollar Beach). The following were seen: European Starling 5 Northern Flicker 2 Red-eyed Virio 1 Yellow Warbler 1 Black-capped Chickadee 10 Yellow-rumped Warbler 33 Song Sparrow 2 Great Blue Heron 9 American Black Duck 130 Lesser Yellowlegs 17 Black-bellied Plover 12 Short-billed Dowitcher 31 Green-winged Teal 10 Greater Yellowlegs 6 Herring Gull 1 Northern Harrier 1 Least Sandpiper 47 Nelson's Sparrow 10 Semi-palmated Plover 1 Mourning Dove 2 Savannah Sparrow 27 American Goldfinch 2 Common Tern 5 Double-crested Cormorant 4 White-rumped Sandpiper 1 Semi-palmated Sandpiper 24 Belted Kingfisher 1 James R. Hirtle Bayport Subject: Little Blue Heron, Three Fathom Harbour From: Susann Myers <myerss AT eastlink.ca> Date: Sun, 29 Aug 2010 22:15:27 -0300 Chris Pepper and I had great looks at a juvenile Little Blue Heron that flew in to Shorebird Cove in Three Fathom Harbour at about 3:30 this afternoon (August 29), while we were watching shorebirds. It stayed a few minutes, then flew on in the direction of "Dottie's Pond". It was small (about 24 inches overall length) with all-white plumage, yellow-green legs and feet and a bicoloured bill, greyish at the base with a black tip. Cheers, Susann Myers Subject: Re: Re: Common Reed in N.S.? From: David & Alison Webster <dwebster AT glinx.com> Date: Sun, 29 Aug 2010 20:27:10 -0300 Hi Fred & All, Aug 29, 2010 It is interesting that, based on the last URL, decline of stands in Europe is a greater worry than expansion. And some here worry about expansion. Is there, lurking in the background at both locations, an underlying human desire for things to remain the same as they were when first seen ? Further down on this site (An Information base...recent work) I notice the comment that the European strain can grow in acid soil that has been made alkaline by de-icing salt. I am wondering what kind of de-icing salt can increase soil pH and how. Also I notice that most (all ?) of the spread along highways may be by fragmentation, i.e. rhizome cuttings made and transplanted by use of earth-shaping/moving equipment along highways. It would seem that the invasive characteristic of this alien strain is, in this case at least, as man-made as the highways. I have long admired the stand at Annapolis (on the left as one goes west out of Annapolis) which, so far as I am aware, is no larger or smaller than it was when I first saw it about 1946. Some assume this stand to be Acadian in origin, based on location I suspect. I have a clone of this stand in the yard (planted 1991) and the base of the culm (with dead sheaths removed) is green but smooth. So based on culm base color and surface texture the answer to the question "is this stand European in origin ?" is yes and no. Perhaps I misunderstood-- is the reddish culm color of the native just above the soil level (where I looked) or just above the junction of culm with rhizome ? A red coloration can be indicative of phosphorus deficiency. Do the two strains exhibit this color difference when grown at the same site ? The perimeter of the yard stand BTW is readily contained by mowing 2-3 times a year. There is, with good reason, renewed interest in alternative energy sources and I have wondered if the impressive annual growth of Phragmites could provide fuel for energy on an efficient basis. Do you offhand have figures for the energy equivalent per unit area of Phragmites ? It is used in the Netherlands for soil ripening of recently reclaimed polders (part of the reason for the transplant to a very wet area of the garden in 1991) and I think many of our soils with compact impermeable subsoils could become more productive after 20 years under Phragmites. So growing this grass on marginal farmland for energy might have a secondary benefit. Yours truly, Dave Webster, Kentville ----- Original Message ----- From: "Frederick W. Schueler" To: "Dusan Soudek" ; Cc: "Catling, Paul" Sent: Saturday, August 28, 2010 7:37 AM Subject: [NatureNS] Re: Common Reed in N.S.? > On 8/27/2010 5:08 PM, Dusan Soudek wrote (off the list): > >> I am curious about your work on the distribution of the native and the >> Old World clones of /Phragmites /in Nova Scotia and elsewhere. >> I am finding more and more Common Reed >> populations in the province, principally along highways. >> Can you tell the two taxa apart in the field? Or do you need to analyse >> their DNA? > > * I'll take the liberty of replying to the list, since this is the core > of what we'll be looking for in Nova Scotia. You can see > http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Phragmites#Invasive_reeds for a very tepid > account of the status and distribution of native and invasive > "subspecies" of Phragmites, and > http://www.ou.edu/cas/botany-micro/ben/ben417.html for the database and > http://www.ou.edu/cas/botany-micro/ben/ben418.html for a compact summary > of the Canadian distribution. In places it seems that the native form, > as well as the European "subspecies" invader, is increasing along roads, > so the observed increase may not be a simple case of alien invasion. The > two kinds were described as subspecies, but there's no widespread, or > even documented, interbreeding between them, so they may be good > biological species. > > Basically, if you examine the base of the stems, the native subspecies > has smooth red or reddish stems, and the invasives have finely ridged > yellow or greeen stems. Also the invasives are much more likely to be > more than 3m tall. The stands of the natives are more open, with other > species of plants often growing admixed, while the invasives form dense > monospecific stands. Paul Catling has shown that the flower and seed > parts of the natives are larger than those of the invasives, giving the > invasive seed head a puffy or plumed look. > > Last December we drove through the Saint John Valley and SE coast of new > Brunswick, and only saw the native form along the roads, and so far have > seen only native-looking stands in Nova Scotia, so perhaps it would be > possible to prevent, in the maritime provinces, the kind of takeover > that has given Phragmites australis ssp. australis its alternative > English name: "The Grass that Ate New Jersey," and has led to its total > and complete dominance of so many salt marshes in the Atlantic states. > > We'd be very glad to hear of the location of suspected native or > invasive stands, and as soon as we have better internet connections > we're going to put up a page for reporting the location of Phragmites > stands, which we'll communicate to Paul Catling's national registry of > such stands. > > fred schueler. > ------------------------------------------------------------ > Frederick W. Schueler & Aleta Karstad > Bishops Mills Natural History Centre - http://pinicola.ca/bmnhc.htm > Thirty Years Later Expedition - > http://fragileinheritance.org/projects/thirty/thirtyintro.htm > Longterm ecological monitoring - http://fragileinheritance.org/ > Daily Paintings - http://karstaddailypaintings.blogspot.com/ > http://www.doingnaturalhistory.com/ > http://quietcuratorialtime.blogspot.com/ > RR#2 Bishops Mills, Ontario, Canada K0G 1T0 > on the Smiths Falls Limestone Plain 44* 52'N 75* 42'W > (613)258-3107 http://pinicola.ca/ > ------------------------------------------------------------ > ------------------------------------------------------------ > > > Regards, >> Dusan Soudek >> /Part of this will be the distribution of native and invasive >> colonies of the Reed Phragmites, to see how widespread the invasives >> are, and in the hope of suppressing them before they totally take over >> salt marshes as they have in such places as New Jersey, and the >> roadsides as they have in Ontario and southern Quebec. >> >> fred schueler. >> / >> // > -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- No virus found in this incoming message. Checked by AVG - www.avg.com Version: 9.0.851 / Virus Database: 271.1.1/3096 - Release Date: 08/26/10 15:34:00 Subject: Nighthawks From: "andy dean" <aadean AT ns.sympatico.ca> Date: Sun, 29 Aug 2010 19:42:58 -0300 7.30 this evening ....August 29 a flock of thirty plus common nighthawks passing through . We counted thirty for sure but there were certainly more as they were wheeling in all directions. Andy and Lelia Dean 86 Baden Powell Drive Kentville, N.S. (902) 678-6243 Subject: Re: Ruby-throated Hummingbirds From: Eleanor Lindsay <kelindsay AT eastlink.ca> Date: Sun, 29 Aug 2010 17:26:58 -0300 My male RT hummingbirds have all gone too; still the usual numbers of females around. Eleanor Lindsay Seabright, St Margarets Bay On 29/08/2010 9:48 AM, Gayle MacLean wrote: > Hello All, > > Was visiting friends in East Chezzetcook yesterday where they have always had quite a number of nesting RT Hummingbirds every year. > They were saying they had not seen any male Hummingbirds now for the past couple of days, just females and fledglings. > So, as had been predicted recently, here on the list, that the male Hummingbirds would have all, but gone, by the end of this month, the males, of East Chezzetcook,anyway, seem, most likely, to have begun their southern migration. > > Gayle MacLean > Dartmouth > > > > > > No virus found in this incoming message. > Checked by AVG - www.avg.com > Version: 9.0.851 / Virus Database: 271.1.1/3100 - Release Date: 08/29/10 03:34:00 > Subject: Snowy Egret, Peregrine - Antigonish From: Randy Lauff <randy.lauff AT gmail.com> Date: Sun, 29 Aug 2010 16:41:48 -0300 David MacDonald (of Bayfield) reports a Snowy Egret at the golf course in town: It was around some ponds on the 18th hole and we last saw it flying over the rail tracks towards the Wright River. Smallish and could see the black bill and yellow feet. And Brian Starzomski reported a Peregrine at the Antigonish Landing on Friday. Randy _________________________________ RF Lauff Way in the boonies of Antigonish County, NS. Subject: Snowy Egret, Peregrine - Antigonish From: Randy Lauff <randy.lauff AT gmail.com> Date: Sun, 29 Aug 2010 16:41:48 -0300 David MacDonald (of Bayfield) reports a Snowy Egret at the golf course in town: It was around some ponds on the 18th hole and we last saw it flying over the rail tracks towards the Wright River. Smallish and could see the black bill and yellow feet. And Brian Starzomski reported a Peregrine at the Antigonish Landing on Friday. Randy _________________________________ RF Lauff Way in the boonies of Antigonish County, NS. Subject: spruce grouse From: Pat <patdix AT ns.sympatico.ca> Date: Sun, 29 Aug 2010 16:18:19 -0300 Saw and photographed a Spruce Grouse on Lighthouse Road to Taylor's Head Beach Friday, August 27, 2010. Patricia Dix Hamlet of Greenwich NS Subject: Re: Ruby-throated Hummingbirds From: Annabelle Thiebaux <hamst AT xplornet.com> Date: Sun, 29 Aug 2010 15:56:22 -0300 Same here Gayle On 29/08/10 9:48 AM, Gayle MacLean wrote: > Hello All, > > Was visiting friends in East Chezzetcook yesterday where they have always had quite a number of nesting RT Hummingbirds every year. > They were saying they had not seen any male Hummingbirds now for the past couple of days, just females and fledglings. > So, as had been predicted recently, here on the list, that the male Hummingbirds would have all, but gone, by the end of this month, the males, of East Chezzetcook,anyway, seem, most likely, to have begun their southern migration. > > Gayle MacLean > Dartmouth > > Subject: Re: Migrating Common Nighthawks? From: Angus MacLean <angusmcl AT ns.sympatico.ca> Date: Sun, 29 Aug 2010 15:00:43 -0300 Hi Brian: Were you intending to post the sighting of the young Nighthawks to the Bird Atlas or did you feel they were able to fly a distance? Cheers, Angus At 07:53 PM 30/07/2010, you wrote: >About 1 pm this afternoon I counted 14 COMMON NIGHTHAWKS along the >101 just east of Windsor, between the km 175-177 markers. They were >not trending in any particular direction, just milling about. There >is a lot of clear cut forest along this stretch, so they may have >been local birds getting together prior to migrating. I found two >juveniles perched on a boulder near Aylesford Lake this morning, >just barely able to fly. Also had a TURKEY VULTURE over the 101 at >exit 10 near Grand Pre. Subject: Re: name of river near Brooklyn, Hants County From: Blake Maybank <maybank AT ns.sympatico.ca> Date: Sun, 29 Aug 2010 14:57:24 -0300 At 12:40 PM 29/08/2010, Fred Schuler wrote: >Can someone tell me the name of the river that Hwy215 crosses near >Union Corners, 3.4km NNW of Hwys 215/14 in Brooklyn, Hants County? >Neither the provincial roadmap nor any of the online mapping >services give the name of this stream. The river in the narrow valley is the Herbert River, and a wonderful rail-trail extends along several km of its length, accessible from Rte 215. This may not be the river of which you speak, as it is only a little more than 1 km from the southern junction of Rte 14 and Rte 215 (in Brooklyn). The larger river to the north of Herbert River, still on Rte 215, is the Kennetcook River. Hope this helps. Blake ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- Blake Maybank maybank AT ns.sympatico.ca 902-852-2077 Editor, "Nova Scotia Birds" http://nsbs.chebucto.org Organiser, Maritimes Nature Travel Club http://tinyurl.com/naturetravel author, "Birding Sites of Nova Scotia" http://tinyurl.com/birdingns Downloadable Nova Scotia Maps for inside front and back covers: http://tinyurl.com/mr627d White's Lake, Nova Scotia, Canada Subject: Re: Re: shorebird/toponomic conundrum From: "Frederick W. Schueler" <bckcdb AT istar.ca> Date: Sun, 29 Aug 2010 12:40:32 -0300 On 8/29/2010 10:07 AM, Don MacNeill wrote: > A Solitaire Tournament is an oxymoron. * and in the same vein, an Oxymoron is an especially stupid castrated male Cattlebeast. On a more serious note, can someone tell me the name of the river that Hwy215 crosses near Union Corners, 3.4km NNW of Hwys 215/14 in Brooklyn, Hants County? Neither the provincial roadmap nor any of the online mapping services give the name of this stream. thanks, fred schueler (currently at Round Hill, Annapolis County) ================================================ > ----- Original Message ----- > From: "Blake Maybank" > To: > Sent: Sunday, August 29, 2010 9:41 AM > Subject: [NatureNS] Re: shorebird conundrum > > > At 09:03 PM 28/08/2010, you wrote: >> I visited my nearby beaver pond today in Fairmont, Ant. Co....the >> water's down a half metre or so, exposing a lot of the dam and mud. >> There were six solitary sandpipers there. Is that allowed? > > I can't think of a single solitary reason why not. > > Perhaps they'd gathered for a Solitaire tournement? > > Blake > > > > > Subject: Re: Re: shorebird conundrum From: Don MacNeill <donmacneill AT eastlink.ca> Date: Sun, 29 Aug 2010 10:07:12 -0300 A Solitaire Tournament is an oxymoron. Don MacNeill donmacneill AT eastlink.ca ----- Original Message ----- From: "Blake Maybank" To: Sent: Sunday, August 29, 2010 9:41 AM Subject: [NatureNS] Re: shorebird conundrum At 09:03 PM 28/08/2010, you wrote: >I visited my nearby beaver pond today in Fairmont, Ant. Co....the >water's down a half metre or so, exposing a lot of the dam and mud. >There were six solitary sandpipers there. Is that allowed? I can't think of a single solitary reason why not. Perhaps they'd gathered for a Solitaire tournement? Blake Subject: RE: shorebird conundrum From: Lynne Perry <perry.lynne AT hotmail.com> Date: Sun, 29 Aug 2010 10:30:36 -0200 And Blake. This is like face book. lol Lynne Date: Sun, 29 Aug 2010 04:19:49 -0700 From: duartess2003 AT yahoo.ca Subject: Re: [NatureNS] shorebird conundrum To: naturens AT chebucto.ns.ca Excellent, Don & Randy! Thanks for 'the play on words' & a morning smile! :o) Gayle MacLean Dartmouth --- On Sun, 8/29/10, Don MacNeill wrote: From: Don MacNeill Subject: Re: [NatureNS] shorebird conundrum To: naturens AT chebucto.ns.ca Received: Sunday, August 29, 2010, 7:09 AM I suppose they were attracted to the area as a Solitary confinement. Don Don MacNeill donmacneill AT eastlink.ca ----- Original Message ----- From: "Randy Lauff" To: Sent: Saturday, August 28, 2010 9:03 PM Subject: [NatureNS] shorebird conundrum I visited my nearby beaver pond today in Fairmont, Ant. Co....the water's down a half metre or so, exposing a lot of the dam and mud. There were six solitary sandpipers there. Is that allowed? Randy _________________________________ RF Lauff Way in the boonies of Antigonish County, NS. Subject: Ruby-throated Hummingbirds From: Gayle MacLean <duartess2003 AT yahoo.ca> Date: Sun, 29 Aug 2010 05:48:56 -0700 (PDT) Hello All,   Was visiting friends in East Chezzetcook yesterday where they have always had quite a number of nesting RT Hummingbirds every year. They were saying they had not seen any male Hummingbirds now for the past couple of days, just females and fledglings. So, as had been predicted recently, here on the list, that the male Hummingbirds would have all, but gone, by the end of this month, the males, of East Chezzetcook,anyway, seem, most likely, to have begun their southern migration.   Gayle MacLean Dartmouth Subject: Re: shorebird conundrum From: Blake Maybank <maybank AT ns.sympatico.ca> Date: Sun, 29 Aug 2010 09:41:34 -0300 At 09:03 PM 28/08/2010, you wrote: >I visited my nearby beaver pond today in Fairmont, Ant. Co....the >water's down a half metre or so, exposing a lot of the dam and mud. >There were six solitary sandpipers there. Is that allowed? I can't think of a single solitary reason why not. Perhaps they'd gathered for a Solitaire tournement? Blake Subject: Re: Western Sandpiper and others at Grand Pre From: Sydney Penner <sfp AT sydneypenner.ca> Date: Sun, 29 Aug 2010 09:22:26 -0300 Yes, I was the The Guzzle. Sorry for not including that information in the first email---I'll blame the omission on a toddler who interrupted me several times! Sydney On 08/28/2010 10:58 PM, James W. Wolford wrote: > Sydney, were you at The Guzzle (east end of Long Island, Grand Pre) > where you got these great looks at the shorebirds? Thanks from Jim in > Wolfville, who more frequently prowls the eastern part of Evangeline > Beach on foot. > > Begin forwarded message: > >> *From: *Sydney Penner > >> *Date: *August 28, 2010 6:31:26 PM ADT >> *To: *NS-RBA AT yahoogroups.com >> *Cc: *naturens AT chebucto.ns.ca >> *Subject: **[NatureNS] Western Sandpiper and others at Grand Pre* >> *Reply-To: *naturens AT chebucto.ns.ca >> >> I spent several rewarding hours at Grand Pre close to high tide this >> afternoon (Aug. 28). The overall number of shorebirds was much lower >> than on my previous visits (it looked like most of the Semipalmated >> Sandpipers had moved on), but the number of species was better than >> I've seen before and the birds often came really close to me. >> >> Here's the list of shorebirds I saw (estimates are quick and dirty >> for anything over a handful of individuals): >> >> Black-bellied Plover -- 3 >> American Golden-Plover -- 1 >> Semipalmated Plover -- 50 >> Ruddy Turnstone -- 2 juveniles (I think I also saw a flying adult, >> but not sure) >> Sanderling -- 4 >> Semipalmated Sandpiper -- 100 >> WESTERN SANDPIPER -- 1 (there were actually several individuals which >> looked suspiciously like Westerns, but I'm only sure about one) >> Least Sandpiper -- 60 >> White-rumped Sandpiper -- 1 >> >> I got a fantastic, extended view of the Western from about thirty >> feet away. It was also close to several Semipalmated and Least >> Sandpipers, providing a great chance to compare the species. It was a >> juvenile with upper scapulars edged in rufous and lower scapulars >> gray with dark anchor with white/offwhite edging. It had a >> significantly longer bill than the other sandpipers around it. The >> bill drooped slightly. Black legs. The face was relatively pale, >> though within the range for Semipalmated Sandpipers. >> >> Now a question for those well-versed in sandpiper plumages: Sibley's >> mentions that Westerns molt earlier than Semipalmateds. The >> suggestion seems to be that birds that are mostly or entirely molted >> into nonbreeding plumage by this time of the year are likely to be >> Westerns. But am I right in thinking that around here -- where >> Westerns are rare -- a nonbreeding plumaged bird in August is still >> more likely to be an early-molting Semipalmated than a Western? The >> reason I ask is because I saw one or two birds that had almost >> entirely finished molting (they still had a few black scapulars with >> the edging worn off among the gray) that had relatively long, >> drooping bills that made me suspect Western. But I know that bill >> lengths can be variable and I wasn't sure how much to make of the >> fact that they were this far along with molting. >> >> Best wishes, >> Sydney Penner >> >> 114 Willow Ave. >> Berwick, NS > Subject: Re: Western Sandpiper and others at Grand Pre From: Sydney Penner <sfp26 AT cornell.edu> Date: Sun, 29 Aug 2010 09:22:26 -0300 Yes, I was the The Guzzle. Sorry for not including that information in the first email---I'll blame the omission on a toddler who interrupted me several times! Sydney On 08/28/2010 10:58 PM, James W. Wolford wrote: > Sydney, were you at The Guzzle (east end of Long Island, Grand Pre) > where you got these great looks at the shorebirds? Thanks from Jim in > Wolfville, who more frequently prowls the eastern part of Evangeline > Beach on foot. > > Begin forwarded message: > >> *From: *Sydney Penner > >> *Date: *August 28, 2010 6:31:26 PM ADT >> *To: *NS-RBA AT yahoogroups.com >> *Cc: *naturens AT chebucto.ns.ca >> *Subject: **[NatureNS] Western Sandpiper and others at Grand Pre* >> *Reply-To: *naturens AT chebucto.ns.ca >> >> I spent several rewarding hours at Grand Pre close to high tide this >> afternoon (Aug. 28). The overall number of shorebirds was much lower >> than on my previous visits (it looked like most of the Semipalmated >> Sandpipers had moved on), but the number of species was better than >> I've seen before and the birds often came really close to me. >> >> Here's the list of shorebirds I saw (estimates are quick and dirty >> for anything over a handful of individuals): >> >> Black-bellied Plover -- 3 >> American Golden-Plover -- 1 >> Semipalmated Plover -- 50 >> Ruddy Turnstone -- 2 juveniles (I think I also saw a flying adult, >> but not sure) >> Sanderling -- 4 >> Semipalmated Sandpiper -- 100 >> WESTERN SANDPIPER -- 1 (there were actually several individuals which >> looked suspiciously like Westerns, but I'm only sure about one) >> Least Sandpiper -- 60 >> White-rumped Sandpiper -- 1 >> >> I got a fantastic, extended view of the Western from about thirty >> feet away. It was also close to several Semipalmated and Least >> Sandpipers, providing a great chance to compare the species. It was a >> juvenile with upper scapulars edged in rufous and lower scapulars >> gray with dark anchor with white/offwhite edging. It had a >> significantly longer bill than the other sandpipers around it. The >> bill drooped slightly. Black legs. The face was relatively pale, >> though within the range for Semipalmated Sandpipers. >> >> Now a question for those well-versed in sandpiper plumages: Sibley's >> mentions that Westerns molt earlier than Semipalmateds. The >> suggestion seems to be that birds that are mostly or entirely molted >> into nonbreeding plumage by this time of the year are likely to be >> Westerns. But am I right in thinking that around here -- where >> Westerns are rare -- a nonbreeding plumaged bird in August is still >> more likely to be an early-molting Semipalmated than a Western? The >> reason I ask is because I saw one or two birds that had almost >> entirely finished molting (they still had a few black scapulars with >> the edging worn off among the gray) that had relatively long, >> drooping bills that made me suspect Western. But I know that bill >> lengths can be variable and I wasn't sure how much to make of the >> fact that they were this far along with molting. >> >> Best wishes, >> Sydney Penner >> >> 114 Willow Ave. >> Berwick, NS > Subject: Re: shorebird conundrum From: Gayle MacLean <duartess2003 AT yahoo.ca> Date: Sun, 29 Aug 2010 04:19:49 -0700 (PDT) Excellent, Don & Randy! Thanks for 'the play on words' & a morning smile!  :o)   Gayle MacLean Dartmouth  --- On Sun, 8/29/10, Don MacNeill wrote: From: Don MacNeill Subject: Re: [NatureNS] shorebird conundrum To: naturens AT chebucto.ns.ca Received: Sunday, August 29, 2010, 7:09 AM I suppose they were attracted to the area as a Solitary confinement. Don Don MacNeill donmacneill AT eastlink.ca ----- Original Message ----- From: "Randy Lauff" To: Sent: Saturday, August 28, 2010 9:03 PM Subject: [NatureNS] shorebird conundrum I visited my nearby beaver pond today in Fairmont, Ant. Co....the water's down a half metre or so, exposing a lot of the dam and mud. There were six solitary sandpipers there. Is that allowed? Randy _________________________________ RF Lauff Way in the boonies of Antigonish County, NS. Subject: Re: shorebird conundrum From: Don MacNeill <donmacneill AT eastlink.ca> Date: Sun, 29 Aug 2010 08:09:56 -0300 I suppose they were attracted to the area as a Solitary confinement. Don Don MacNeill donmacneill AT eastlink.ca ----- Original Message ----- From: "Randy Lauff" To: Sent: Saturday, August 28, 2010 9:03 PM Subject: [NatureNS] shorebird conundrum I visited my nearby beaver pond today in Fairmont, Ant. Co....the water's down a half metre or so, exposing a lot of the dam and mud. There were six solitary sandpipers there. Is that allowed? Randy _________________________________ RF Lauff Way in the boonies of Antigonish County, NS. Subject: shorebird conundrum From: Randy Lauff <randy.lauff AT gmail.com> Date: Sat, 28 Aug 2010 21:03:28 -0300 I visited my nearby beaver pond today in Fairmont, Ant. Co....the water's down a half metre or so, exposing a lot of the dam and mud. There were six solitary sandpipers there. Is that allowed? Randy _________________________________ RF Lauff Way in the boonies of Antigonish County, NS. Subject: Re: Owl Carnage on the TCH 104 From: Ken McKenna <kenmcken AT eastlink.ca> Date: Sat, 28 Aug 2010 17:02:42 -0300 Ken McKenna Box 218 Stellarton NS B0K 1S0 902 752-7644 Hi Angela It looked like the owl was struck by a vehicle and then the head snacked on by maybe another owl. I am not sure if any other bird would have been active before that in the early morning. Ken ----- Original Message ----- From: Angela Joudrey* To: naturens AT chebucto.ns.ca Sent: Saturday, August 28, 2010 4:46 PM Subject: Re: [NatureNS] Owl Carnage on the TCH 104 Sadness indeed. I thought owls took the heads off of others. What takes the heads off of owls? Or were they struck by a vehicle and then something snacked on the heads? Angela in Windsor On 08/28/10, Ken McKenna wrote: Ken McKenna Box 218 Stellarton NS B0K 1S0 902 752-7644 Hi all Early this morning near sunrise, Rick Ferguson and I were heading to Big I. to do some birding when we came across a road kill, headless Owl- likely a Great Horned Owl on the TCH 104 near exit 26 just north east of New Glasgow. Less than a km later were encountered a second dead owl, this one with a head and definitely a Great Horned Owl. We were greatly saddened to see 2 dead raptors in one morning. Even worse is that the two deaths occurred near where a known nest tree was saved from logging this spring while the young were still on the nest. sadly reporting Ken -- When one tugs at a single thing in nature, he finds it attached to the rest of the world. John Muir Subject: Re: Owl Carnage on the TCH 104 From: Angela Joudrey* <aljoudrey AT eastlink.ca> Date: Sat, 28 Aug 2010 16:46:51 -0300 Subject: Owl Carnage on the TCH 104 From: Ken McKenna <kenmcken AT eastlink.ca> Date: Sat, 28 Aug 2010 15:22:09 -0300 Ken McKenna Box 218 Stellarton NS B0K 1S0 902 752-7644 Hi all Early this morning near sunrise, Rick Ferguson and I were heading to Big I. to do some birding when we came across a road kill, headless Owl- likely a Great Horned Owl on the TCH 104 near exit 26 just north east of New Glasgow. Less than a km later were encountered a second dead owl, this one with a head and definitely a Great Horned Owl. We were greatly saddened to see 2 dead raptors in one morning. Even worse is that the two deaths occurred near where a known nest tree was saved from logging this spring while the young were still on the nest. sadly reporting Ken Subject: RE: spotted touch-me-not, and more From: "David&Jane Schlosberg" <dschlosb-g AT ns.sympatico.ca> Date: Sat, 28 Aug 2010 12:15:07 -0300 Yes, Euell agrees, Nancy. (I neglected to reread the whole passage.) By the way, for those of you too young to know the wonderful, aforementioned Gibbons book(s), they are responsible for introducing Dave and me to eating-and otherwise using--wild foods, back in the '60's. If they are still in print, and you need a gift for a young person, I really recommend them. In addition to the Wild Asparagus, we have "Stalking the Blue-eyed Scallop" and "Stalking the Healthful Herbs." Jane Schlosberg -----Original Message----- From: naturens-owner AT chebucto.ns.ca [mailto:naturens-owner AT chebucto.ns.ca]On Behalf Of Nancy Roberts Sent: Saturday, August 28, 2010 10:57 AM To: naturens AT chebucto.ns.ca Subject: Re: [NatureNS] Re: Poison Ivy I always thought jewelweed was called touch-me-not was because the ripe seed pods detonate when touched the right way (slightly squeezed from the ends). As long as we are sharing our folk etymological wisdom! Nancy Nancy Roberts Design Celebrating 19 years of making you look GOOD Dartmouth, NS B2Y 2X6 902 461-9488 On 27-Aug-10, at 10:12 PM, David&Jane Schlosberg wrote: I think the folksy name for jewelweed comes from the fact that the blossoms are so delicate. Also, one is supposed to rub it on just after the poison ivy contact. When the blisters appear would be way too late. I have seen them in the same vicinity farther south, where both grow in more abundance. I've never personally tried the remedy, because I am quite careful of poison ivy; but I do remember people telling me that it does work. -----Original Message----- From: naturens-owner AT chebucto.ns.ca [mailto:naturens-owner AT chebucto.ns.ca]On Behalf OfDavid & Alison Webster Sent: Friday, August 27, 2010 8:36 PM To: naturens AT chebucto.ns.ca Subject: Re: [NatureNS] Re: Poison Ivy Hi All, Aug 27, 2010 The gelatinous sap from a healthy Aloe vera leaf is better even than Calomine. The notion that Touch-me-not (Jewelweed) and Poison Ivy grow conveniently close together strikes me as folksy un-wisdom. I can't think of one instance where they are close and, even if they were, one would likely be inconveniently distant when Poison Ivy rash appeared several days after exposure. Also, would not Touch-me-not be a better name for Poison Ivy ? Yt, Dave Webster, Kentville ----- Original Message ----- From: David&Jane Schlosberg To: naturens AT chebucto.ns.ca Sent: Friday, August 27, 2010 6:22 PM Subject: RE: [NatureNS] Re: Poison Ivy Yes. Many times. It's in the Euell Gibbons book, Stalking the Wild Asparagus. I believe you are supposed to rub the flowers and leaves on your skin. -----Original Message----- From: naturens-owner AT chebucto.ns.ca [mailto:naturens-owner AT chebucto.ns.ca]On Behalf Of Anne Woolaver Sent: Friday, August 27, 2010 4:32 PM To: Nature Nova Scotia Subject: RE: [NatureNS] Re: Poison Ivy Hi all, I was told years ago (by someone who I imagine would know) that a useful remedy plant for poison ivy is jewelweed, which -- I was also told -- may often be found growing conveniently close by poison ivy stands. Not sure whether you squeeze the leaf juice onto affected parts or ?? Has anybody else heard this? A. Woolaver > From: soudekd AT ns.sympatico.ca > To: naturens AT chebucto.ns.ca > Subject: [NatureNS] Re: Poison Ivy > Date: Fri, 27 Aug 2010 16:18:26 -0300 > > > Nuke Poison Ivy (PI)? That may be a slight over-reaction. What surprises > me is that PI (Toxicodendron radicans) is included in the Atlantic Coastal > Plain Flora, as per the N.S. Nature Trust's "Guide to the Atlantic Coastal > Plain Flora of Nova Scotia" (2005), in spite of its wide range in Eastern > Canada and U.S. Could someone comment? > I continue to be surprised by how many outdoorsy people cannot identify > it in the field, in spite of having spent years in the out of doors. > In a recent medical article I've read that 80 % of the population is > allergic to the above species. Sadly, there was no indication of the source > of this tidbit of information. Which population? I suspect that the > percentage refers to the fraction of the population who become allergic > following repeated physical contact with the plant. > Dusan Soudek > ------------------------------------------------------------------------ No virus found in this incoming message. Checked by AVG - www.avg.com Version: 9.0.851 / Virus Database: 271.1.1/3096 - Release Date: 08/26/10 15:34:00 Subject: Re: Re: Poison Ivy From: Nancy Roberts <nancy.roberts AT ns.sympatico.ca> Date: Sat, 28 Aug 2010 10:57:04 -0300 I always thought jewelweed was called touch-me-not was because the ripe seed pods detonate when touched the right way (slightly squeezed from the ends). As long as we are sharing our folk etymological wisdom! Nancy Nancy Roberts Design Celebrating 19 years of making you look GOOD Dartmouth, NS B2Y 2X6 902 461-9488 On 27-Aug-10, at 10:12 PM, David&Jane Schlosberg wrote: > I think the folksy name for jewelweed comes from the fact that the > blossoms are so delicate. Also, one is supposed to rub it on just > after the poison ivy contact. When the blisters appear would be way > too late. I have seen them in the same vicinity farther south, > where both grow in more abundance. I've never personally tried the > remedy, because I am quite careful of poison ivy; but I do remember > people telling me that it does work. > -----Original Message----- > From: naturens-owner AT chebucto.ns.ca [mailto:naturens-owner AT chebucto.ns.ca > ]On Behalf OfDavid & Alison Webster > Sent: Friday, August 27, 2010 8:36 PM > To: naturens AT chebucto.ns.ca > Subject: Re: [NatureNS] Re: Poison Ivy > > Hi All, Aug 27, 2010 > The gelatinous sap from a healthy Aloe vera leaf is better even > than Calomine. > > The notion that Touch-me-not (Jewelweed) and Poison Ivy grow > conveniently close together strikes me as folksy un-wisdom. I can't > think of one instance where they are close and, even if they were, > one would likely be inconveniently distant when Poison Ivy rash > appeared several days after exposure. > > Also, would not Touch-me-not be a better name for Poison Ivy ? > Yt, Dave Webster, Kentville > > ----- Original Message ----- > From: David&Jane Schlosberg > To: naturens AT chebucto.ns.ca > Sent: Friday, August 27, 2010 6:22 PM > Subject: RE: [NatureNS] Re: Poison Ivy > > Yes. Many times. It's in the Euell Gibbons book, Stalking the > Wild Asparagus. I believe you are supposed to rub the flowers and > leaves on your skin. > -----Original Message----- > From: naturens-owner AT chebucto.ns.ca [mailto:naturens-owner AT chebucto.ns.ca > ]On Behalf Of Anne Woolaver > Sent: Friday, August 27, 2010 4:32 PM > To: Nature Nova Scotia > Subject: RE: [NatureNS] Re: Poison Ivy > > Hi all, > > I was told years ago (by someone who I imagine would know) that a > useful remedy plant for poison ivy is jewelweed, which -- I was also > told -- may often be found growing conveniently close by poison ivy > stands. Not sure whether you squeeze the leaf juice onto affected > parts or ?? Has anybody else heard this? > > A. Woolaver > > > From: soudekd AT ns.sympatico.ca > > To: naturens AT chebucto.ns.ca > > Subject: [NatureNS] Re: Poison Ivy > > Date: Fri, 27 Aug 2010 16:18:26 -0300 > > > > > > Nuke Poison Ivy (PI)? That may be a slight over-reaction. What > surprises > > me is that PI (Toxicodendron radicans) is included in the Atlantic > Coastal > > Plain Flora, as per the N.S. Nature Trust's "Guide to the Atlantic > Coastal > > Plain Flora of Nova Scotia" (2005), in spite of its wide range in > Eastern > > Canada and U.S. Could someone comment? > > I continue to be surprised by how many outdoorsy people cannot > identify > > it in the field, in spite of having spent years in the out of doors. > > In a recent medical article I've read that 80 % of the population is > > allergic to the above species. Sadly, there was no indication of > the source > > of this tidbit of information. Which population? I suspect that the > > percentage refers to the fraction of the population who become > allergic > > following repeated physical contact with the plant. > > Dusan Soudek > > > > No virus found in this incoming message. > Checked by AVG - www.avg.com > Version: 9.0.851 / Virus Database: 271.1.1/3096 - Release Date: > 08/26/10 15:34:00 Subject: Re: Re: Common Reed in N.S.? From: "Dusan Soudek" <soudekd AT ns.sympatico.ca> Date: Sat, 28 Aug 2010 08:40:08 -0300 Hello Fred and others, thank you for the update on the Common Reed. I am very familiar with this (these?) species in Europe, where it absolutely dominates the shallow-water edges of ponds and similar wetlands, whereas in the Maritimes it is extremely patchy and still quite rare. Most colonies are still quite small. I spend a lot of time canoeing and kayaking, often in the Halifax-Dartmouth area of Nova Scotia, and the sole colony of Common Reed I have ever seen in Nova Scotia that is not associated with a highway is near the head of tide on Cogmagun River in Hants County. In Metro, there is a well-established colony along Hwy. 333 near Glen Margaret (the only one I know of on "Chebucto Peninsula"), one along Hwy. 7 near Cherry Brook, and one along Hwy. 101 near its crossing of Sackville River near Mt. Uniacke. Of course, there are several new roadside colonies along Hwy.102 between Truro and Halifax. Common Reed is one of the very few plants that one doesn't have to really look for. While driving, one doesn't even have to slow down. I'd always assumed that all of the above roadside populations are the Old World species/subspecies, but, according to your findings, that could be incorrect. Regards, Dusan Soudek Subject: Re: Common Reed in N.S.? From: "Frederick W. Schueler" <bckcdb AT istar.ca> Date: Sat, 28 Aug 2010 07:37:51 -0300 On 8/27/2010 5:08 PM, Dusan Soudek wrote (off the list): > I am curious about your work on the distribution of the native and the > Old World clones of /Phragmites /in Nova Scotia and elsewhere. > I am finding more and more Common Reed > populations in the province, principally along highways. > Can you tell the two taxa apart in the field? Or do you need to analyse > their DNA? * I'll take the liberty of replying to the list, since this is the core of what we'll be looking for in Nova Scotia. You can see http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Phragmites#Invasive_reeds for a very tepid account of the status and distribution of native and invasive "subspecies" of Phragmites, and http://www.ou.edu/cas/botany-micro/ben/ben417.html for the database and http://www.ou.edu/cas/botany-micro/ben/ben418.html for a compact summary of the Canadian distribution. In places it seems that the native form, as well as the European "subspecies" invader, is increasing along roads, so the observed increase may not be a simple case of alien invasion. The two kinds were described as subspecies, but there's no widespread, or even documented, interbreeding between them, so they may be good biological species. Basically, if you examine the base of the stems, the native subspecies has smooth red or reddish stems, and the invasives have finely ridged yellow or greeen stems. Also the invasives are much more likely to be more than 3m tall. The stands of the natives are more open, with other species of plants often growing admixed, while the invasives form dense monospecific stands. Paul Catling has shown that the flower and seed parts of the natives are larger than those of the invasives, giving the invasive seed head a puffy or plumed look. Last December we drove through the Saint John Valley and SE coast of new Brunswick, and only saw the native form along the roads, and so far have seen only native-looking stands in Nova Scotia, so perhaps it would be possible to prevent, in the maritime provinces, the kind of takeover that has given Phragmites australis ssp. australis its alternative English name: "The Grass that Ate New Jersey," and has led to its total and complete dominance of so many salt marshes in the Atlantic states. We'd be very glad to hear of the location of suspected native or invasive stands, and as soon as we have better internet connections we're going to put up a page for reporting the location of Phragmites stands, which we'll communicate to Paul Catling's national registry of such stands. fred schueler. ------------------------------------------------------------ Frederick W. Schueler & Aleta Karstad Bishops Mills Natural History Centre - http://pinicola.ca/bmnhc.htm Thirty Years Later Expedition - http://fragileinheritance.org/projects/thirty/thirtyintro.htm Longterm ecological monitoring - http://fragileinheritance.org/ Daily Paintings - http://karstaddailypaintings.blogspot.com/ http://www.doingnaturalhistory.com/ http://quietcuratorialtime.blogspot.com/ RR#2 Bishops Mills, Ontario, Canada K0G 1T0 on the Smiths Falls Limestone Plain 44* 52'N 75* 42'W (613)258-3107 http://pinicola.ca/ ------------------------------------------------------------ ------------------------------------------------------------ Regards, > Dusan Soudek > /Part of this will be the distribution of native and invasive > colonies of the Reed Phragmites, to see how widespread the invasives > are, and in the hope of suppressing them before they totally take over > salt marshes as they have in such places as New Jersey, and the > roadsides as they have in Ontario and southern Quebec. > > fred schueler. > / > // Subject: Forgotten Post From: James Hirtle <jrhbirder AT hotmail.com> Date: Sat, 28 Aug 2010 02:16:42 +0000 Hi all: I forgot to mention a very strange short-billed dowitcher this morning. It was in the middle of the road going out to Conrad's Island and it kept walking along in front of David Walmark and I as we moved along. I suspect that it must have been exhausted from whereever it flew in from and just dropped down. It was uninjured and able to fly. I've never seen this type of action for that species before. Tonight at the entrance to the airport was a bobolink which flew up out of the grass beside the road. James R. Hirtle Bayport Subject: RE: Re: Poison Ivy From: "David&Jane Schlosberg" <dschlosb-g AT ns.sympatico.ca> Date: Fri, 27 Aug 2010 22:12:46 -0300 I think the folksy name for jewelweed comes from the fact that the blossoms are so delicate. Also, one is supposed to rub it on just after the poison ivy contact. When the blisters appear would be way too late. I have seen them in the same vicinity farther south, where both grow in more abundance. I've never personally tried the remedy, because I am quite careful of poison ivy; but I do remember people telling me that it does work. -----Original Message----- From: naturens-owner AT chebucto.ns.ca [mailto:naturens-owner AT chebucto.ns.ca]On Behalf Of David & Alison Webster Sent: Friday, August 27, 2010 8:36 PM To: naturens AT chebucto.ns.ca Subject: Re: [NatureNS] Re: Poison Ivy Hi All, Aug 27, 2010 The gelatinous sap from a healthy Aloe vera leaf is better even than Calomine. The notion that Touch-me-not (Jewelweed) and Poison Ivy grow conveniently close together strikes me as folksy un-wisdom. I can't think of one instance where they are close and, even if they were, one would likely be inconveniently distant when Poison Ivy rash appeared several days after exposure. Also, would not Touch-me-not be a better name for Poison Ivy ? Yt, Dave Webster, Kentville ----- Original Message ----- From: David&Jane Schlosberg To: naturens AT chebucto.ns.ca Sent: Friday, August 27, 2010 6:22 PM Subject: RE: [NatureNS] Re: Poison Ivy Yes. Many times. It's in the Euell Gibbons book, Stalking the Wild Asparagus. I believe you are supposed to rub the flowers and leaves on your skin. -----Original Message----- From: naturens-owner AT chebucto.ns.ca [mailto:naturens-owner AT chebucto.ns.ca]On Behalf Of Anne Woolaver Sent: Friday, August 27, 2010 4:32 PM To: Nature Nova Scotia Subject: RE: [NatureNS] Re: Poison Ivy Hi all, I was told years ago (by someone who I imagine would know) that a useful remedy plant for poison ivy is jewelweed, which -- I was also told -- may often be found growing conveniently close by poison ivy stands. Not sure whether you squeeze the leaf juice onto affected parts or ?? Has anybody else heard this? A. Woolaver > From: soudekd AT ns.sympatico.ca > To: naturens AT chebucto.ns.ca > Subject: [NatureNS] Re: Poison Ivy > Date: Fri, 27 Aug 2010 16:18:26 -0300 > > > Nuke Poison Ivy (PI)? That may be a slight over-reaction. What surprises > me is that PI (Toxicodendron radicans) is included in the Atlantic Coastal > Plain Flora, as per the N.S. Nature Trust's "Guide to the Atlantic Coastal > Plain Flora of Nova Scotia" (2005), in spite of its wide range in Eastern > Canada and U.S. Could someone comment? > I continue to be surprised by how many outdoorsy people cannot identify > it in the field, in spite of having spent years in the out of doors. > In a recent medical article I've read that 80 % of the population is > allergic to the above species. Sadly, there was no indication of the source > of this tidbit of information. Which population? I suspect that the > percentage refers to the fraction of the population who become allergic > following repeated physical contact with the plant. > Dusan Soudek > ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- No virus found in this incoming message. Checked by AVG - www.avg.com Version: 9.0.851 / Virus Database: 271.1.1/3096 - Release Date: 08/26/10 15:34:00 Subject: banded bay breasted warbler From: Chris Pepper <cpepper AT ymail.com> Date: Fri, 27 Aug 2010 17:24:15 -0700 (PDT)   For those who might be interested, I was given a bay breasted warbler with a band around it's leg from someone living in Mooseland this summer.  As it turns out the bird was banded in Ontario, September 2008. I did not find out if it was an adult or juvenile at the time of banding yet but I think more info on the bird is coming in the mail. Chris Subject: Re: Re: Poison Ivy From: David & Alison Webster <dwebster AT glinx.com> Date: Fri, 27 Aug 2010 20:36:29 -0300 Hi All, Aug 27, 2010 The gelatinous sap from a healthy Aloe vera leaf is better even than Calomine. The notion that Touch-me-not (Jewelweed) and Poison Ivy grow conveniently close together strikes me as folksy un-wisdom. I can't think of one instance where they are close and, even if they were, one would likely be inconveniently distant when Poison Ivy rash appeared several days after exposure. Also, would not Touch-me-not be a better name for Poison Ivy ? Yt, Dave Webster, Kentville ----- Original Message ----- From: David&Jane Schlosberg To: naturens AT chebucto.ns.ca Sent: Friday, August 27, 2010 6:22 PM Subject: RE: [NatureNS] Re: Poison Ivy Yes. Many times. It's in the Euell Gibbons book, Stalking the Wild Asparagus. I believe you are supposed to rub the flowers and leaves on your skin. -----Original Message----- From: naturens-owner AT chebucto.ns.ca [mailto:naturens-owner AT chebucto.ns.ca]On Behalf Of Anne Woolaver Sent: Friday, August 27, 2010 4:32 PM To: Nature Nova Scotia Subject: RE: [NatureNS] Re: Poison Ivy Hi all, I was told years ago (by someone who I imagine would know) that a useful remedy plant for poison ivy is jewelweed, which -- I was also told -- may often be found growing conveniently close by poison ivy stands. Not sure whether you squeeze the leaf juice onto affected parts or ?? Has anybody else heard this? A. Woolaver > From: soudekd AT ns.sympatico.ca > To: naturens AT chebucto.ns.ca > Subject: [NatureNS] Re: Poison Ivy > Date: Fri, 27 Aug 2010 16:18:26 -0300 > > > Nuke Poison Ivy (PI)? That may be a slight over-reaction. What surprises > me is that PI (Toxicodendron radicans) is included in the Atlantic Coastal > Plain Flora, as per the N.S. Nature Trust's "Guide to the Atlantic Coastal > Plain Flora of Nova Scotia" (2005), in spite of its wide range in Eastern > Canada and U.S. Could someone comment? > I continue to be surprised by how many outdoorsy people cannot identify > it in the field, in spite of having spent years in the out of doors. > In a recent medical article I've read that 80 % of the population is > allergic to the above species. Sadly, there was no indication of the source > of this tidbit of information. Which population? I suspect that the > percentage refers to the fraction of the population who become allergic > following repeated physical contact with the plant. > Dusan Soudek > ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ No virus found in this incoming message. Checked by AVG - www.avg.com Version: 9.0.851 / Virus Database: 271.1.1/3096 - Release Date: 08/26/10 15:34:00 Subject: Re: Re: Poison Ivy From: David & Alison Webster <dwebster AT glinx.com> Date: Fri, 27 Aug 2010 20:36:20 -0300 Hi Dusan & All, Aug 27, 2010 I don't know the background of this Costal Plain designation, but from context, I assume it is based partly on the distribution in NS (mainly southwestern counties) and partly on the wider distribution (less continental than rybergii). Fernald has radicans west to the Great Lakes region but the most recent Roland does not mention this. YT, Dave Webster, Kentville ----- Original Message ----- From: "Dusan Soudek" To: Sent: Friday, August 27, 2010 4:18 PM Subject: [NatureNS] Re: Poison Ivy > Nuke Poison Ivy (PI)? That may be a slight over-reaction. What surprises > me is that PI (Toxicodendron radicans) is included in the Atlantic Coastal > Plain Flora, as per the N.S. Nature Trust's "Guide to the Atlantic Coastal > Plain Flora of Nova Scotia" (2005), in spite of its wide range in Eastern > Canada and U.S. Could someone comment? > I continue to be surprised by how many outdoorsy people cannot identify > it in the field, in spite of having spent years in the out of doors. > In a recent medical article I've read that 80 % of the population is > allergic to the above species. Sadly, there was no indication of the > source > of this tidbit of information. Which population? I suspect that the > percentage refers to the fraction of the population who become allergic > following repeated physical contact with the plant. > Dusan Soudek -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- No virus found in this incoming message. Checked by AVG - www.avg.com Version: 9.0.851 / Virus Database: 271.1.1/3096 - Release Date: 08/26/10 15:34:00 Subject: RE: Re: Poison Ivy From: "David&Jane Schlosberg" <dschlosb-g AT ns.sympatico.ca> Date: Fri, 27 Aug 2010 18:22:44 -0300 Yes. Many times. It's in the Euell Gibbons book, Stalking the Wild Asparagus. I believe you are supposed to rub the flowers and leaves on your skin. -----Original Message----- From: naturens-owner AT chebucto.ns.ca [mailto:naturens-owner AT chebucto.ns.ca]On Behalf Of Anne Woolaver Sent: Friday, August 27, 2010 4:32 PM To: Nature Nova Scotia Subject: RE: [NatureNS] Re: Poison Ivy Hi all, I was told years ago (by someone who I imagine would know) that a useful remedy plant for poison ivy is jewelweed, which -- I was also told -- may often be found growing conveniently close by poison ivy stands. Not sure whether you squeeze the leaf juice onto affected parts or ?? Has anybody else heard this? A. Woolaver > From: soudekd AT ns.sympatico.ca > To: naturens AT chebucto.ns.ca > Subject: [NatureNS] Re: Poison Ivy > Date: Fri, 27 Aug 2010 16:18:26 -0300 > > > Nuke Poison Ivy (PI)? That may be a slight over-reaction. What surprises > me is that PI (Toxicodendron radicans) is included in the Atlantic Coastal > Plain Flora, as per the N.S. Nature Trust's "Guide to the Atlantic Coastal > Plain Flora of Nova Scotia" (2005), in spite of its wide range in Eastern > Canada and U.S. Could someone comment? > I continue to be surprised by how many outdoorsy people cannot identify > it in the field, in spite of having spent years in the out of doors. > In a recent medical article I've read that 80 % of the population is > allergic to the above species. Sadly, there was no indication of the source > of this tidbit of information. Which population? I suspect that the > percentage refers to the fraction of the population who become allergic > following repeated physical contact with the plant. > Dusan Soudek > Subject: Fwd: Gannet injuries and deaths. From: Randy Lauff <randy.lauff AT gmail.com> Date: Fri, 27 Aug 2010 17:50:35 -0300 Forwarded by request. _________________________________ RF Lauff Way in the boonies of Antigonish County, NS. ---------- Forwarded message ---------- From: Dwaine Oakley Date: 27 August 2010 12:24 Subject: Gannet injuries and deaths. To: Randy Lauff Hello Randy, I read with interest the recent emails on NatureNS regarding injured Northern Gannets and passed these comments on to Dr. Pierre-Yves Daoust a pathologist with the Atlantic Veterinary College who has studied this very subject in detail and has given his permission to share his response. He also wanted to encourage those who find dead gannets to submit them to the AVC. His contact information can be found at this link for those who have further questions http://www.upei.ca/pathmicro/daoust Take care, Dwaine ---------- Forwarded message ---------- From: Pierre-Yves Daoust Date: Fri, Aug 27, 2010 at 9:28 AM Subject: Re: Dead Gannets. To: dwaine.oakley AT gmail.com Hi Dwayne, Thank you for the link to the e-mails. I think that Kathleen MacAulay is correct in most or all of her statements. I do not know how to send an e-mail to this link (admittedly, I did not try hard), but I could have commented that we have done the necropsy of over 200 gannets in the past 20 years, some more detailed than others. From my perspective as a pathologist, a number of interesting findings have emerged. One in particular is a relatively high incidence of encephalitis caused by the protozoan Sarcocystis neurona. The definitive host for this parasite is the opossum, which means that these birds most likely pick it up in their winter habitat and come down with the disease after they have arrived here. This is the same parasite that has caused substantial mortality for several years among sea otters along the California coast. The main issue in that region is thought to be contamination of the coastal environment by freshwater runoffs. I will attend the Seabird Conference in Victoria in early September, and I have prepared a poster on our observations. Another interesting question is whether or not some of these gannets miss their diving calculations on some occasions and slam into the bottom of the water column. I have observed a few gannets whose severe acute injury (but not a broken beak) suggested this. This remains speculative, but many years ago, Eric Tremblay, ecologist at Kouchibouguac National Park, was telling me how, one day that he was observing gannets diving near shore, he saw one diving and, a few seconds later, come up to the surface seemingly dead. I could tell you a few more stories about these birds. They are a treasure trove of interesting findings, normal and pathological. Pierre-Yves Subject: Re: Re: Poison Ivy From: Marg Millard <mmillard AT eastlink.ca> Date: Fri, 27 Aug 2010 17:09:25 -0300 Hi all, I was told years ago (by someone who I imagine would know) that a useful remedy plant for poison ivy is jewelweed, which -- I was also told -- may often be found growing conveniently close by poison ivy stands. Not sure whether you squeeze the leaf juice onto affected parts or ?? Has anybody else heard this? A. Woolaver ................. I have heard that and used it for an irritation from tomato plants. I just grabbed a bit of leaf stem mushed it up and spread it about my wrists. I do think it helped. Marg Millard in White Point, Queens newly updated http://MargMillard.ca Subject: RE: Re: Poison Ivy From: Anne Woolaver <awoolave AT hotmail.com> Date: Fri, 27 Aug 2010 16:31:59 -0300 Hi all, I was told years ago (by someone who I imagine would know) that a useful remedy plant for poison ivy is jewelweed, which -- I was also told -- may often be found growing conveniently close by poison ivy stands. Not sure whether you squeeze the leaf juice onto affected parts or ?? Has anybody else heard this? A. Woolaver > From: soudekd AT ns.sympatico.ca > To: naturens AT chebucto.ns.ca > Subject: [NatureNS] Re: Poison Ivy > Date: Fri, 27 Aug 2010 16:18:26 -0300 > > > Nuke Poison Ivy (PI)? That may be a slight over-reaction. What surprises > me is that PI (Toxicodendron radicans) is included in the Atlantic Coastal > Plain Flora, as per the N.S. Nature Trust's "Guide to the Atlantic Coastal > Plain Flora of Nova Scotia" (2005), in spite of its wide range in Eastern > Canada and U.S. Could someone comment? > I continue to be surprised by how many outdoorsy people cannot identify > it in the field, in spite of having spent years in the out of doors. > In a recent medical article I've read that 80 % of the population is > allergic to the above species. Sadly, there was no indication of the source > of this tidbit of information. Which population? I suspect that the > percentage refers to the fraction of the population who become allergic > following repeated physical contact with the plant. > Dusan Soudek >