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20 Nov Cattle Egret [Bev Crowell ] 20 Nov monthly meeting of the NS Wild Flora Society [Anne Mills ] 20 Nov A late Butterfly in HRM [Blake Maybank ] 19 Nov Re: shocking earwigs ["David & Alison Webster" ] 19 Nov Windsor geese, ducks, gulls, shorebirds? ["James W. Wolford" ] 19 Nov Re: Fossil Crocodiles from the Sahara [Peter de Wit ] 19 Nov St. Helena Earwig [Christopher Majka ] 19 Nov Fossil Crocodiles from the Sahara [Christopher Majka ] 19 Nov Re: shocking earwigs [Stephen Shaw ] 18 Nov Wildlife Fundraising Calendars [Helene Van Doninck ] 19 Nov Plant in full bloom along the Back Harbour Trail [James Hirtle ] 18 Nov Re: Earwig bashing backlashing [Angus MacLean ] 18 Nov Re: Re: Questions re: Late Dragonflies [Angus MacLean ] 18 Nov Re: Earwigs [Angus MacLean ] 18 Nov RE: Ruffed Grouse display [Fritz McEvoy ] 18 Nov NSBS Field Trip: Sat. Nov. 28 – Canso and Area, Guysborough County [Patrick Kelly ] 18 Nov NSBS Field Trip: Sun. Nov. 29 – Antigonish Coastal Waters, Antigonish Co. [Patrick Kelly ] 18 Nov Re: Barred Owl [garvin atkinson ] 18 Nov Blue-gray Gnatcatcher and Orange-crowned Warbler Photos [Hans Toom ] 18 Nov Re: Barred Owl [Richard Stern ] 18 Nov In the chicken coop ........... [Richard Stern ] 18 Nov Barred Owl [Gayle MacLean ] 18 Nov Re: Earwigs [Gayle MacLean ] 18 Nov Fw: East Hants Nature Group Public Service Announcement for Dec. [Rob Woods ] 18 Nov Re: Questions re: Late Dragonflies [Blake Maybank ] 18 Nov RE: Ruffed Grouse display ["Laviolette, Lance (EXP)" ] 18 Nov Blue-gray Gnatcatcher, Orange-crowned Warbler and Pine Warbler [Hans Toom ] 18 Nov Ruffed Grouse display [Fritz McEvoy ] 18 Nov New anthology [Brian Bartlett ] 18 Nov Earwigs ["David & Alison Webster" ] 17 Nov Re: Questions re: Late Dragonflies [Bob McDonald ] 17 Nov More Earwigian Tales [Brian Dalzell ] 17 Nov Fwd: Chignecto Game Sanctuary [] 17 Nov Fwd: Questions re: Late Dragonflies ["James W. Wolford" ] 17 Nov RE: Questions re: Late Dragonflies ["D W Bridgehouse" ] 17 Nov Re: Questions re: Late Dragonflies [Marg Millard ] 17 Nov Questions re: Late Dragonflies [Blake Maybank ] 17 Nov Blue-gray Gnatcatcher [Hans Toom ] 17 Nov Common Shelduck in St. John's, N.L. [] 17 Nov Re: Earwig bashing backlashing [Stephen Shaw ] 17 Nov Re: Unknown Flower ["Andy Dean" ] 17 Nov "The carbon the world forgot" - article [Suzanne Townsend ] 17 Nov RE: Earwigs [] 17 Nov Unknown Flower [James Hirtle ] 16 Nov RE: Earwigs ["Lucas Berrigan" ] 16 Nov Re: Earwigs ["Roland McCormick" ] 16 Nov Earwigs [Angus MacLean ] 16 Nov E, Grosbeaks [win&Ina ] 16 Nov Western birds in East: documentation and photos [] 16 Nov Northumberland birding Nov. 14, 2009 [Ken McKenna ] 16 Nov Pictou Co. observations Nov. 15 [Ken McKenna ] 15 Nov Canso Causeway a week ago [David McCorquodale ] 15 Nov South end Halifax oriole, cardinal, yellowthroat [Andrew Horn ] 15 Nov louisbourg and area [bill bussey ] 15 Nov Northern Shrike, Barrow's Goldeneye, Glaucous Gulls, Etc. [James Hirtle ] 14 Nov Orioles and Warblers, central Halifax ["P.L. Chalmers" ] 14 Nov black throat grey warbler 14 nov [] 13 Nov Merlin ["Gary Murray" ] 13 Nov Re: earwigs and sowbugs and woodpiles [] 12 Nov RE: Earwigs - a species at risk? [Donald Mac Laughlin ] 12 Nov earwigs and sowbugs and woodpiles ["Jean Timpa" ] 12 Nov Re: How green is your pet? [Patrick Kelly ] 12 Nov Re: Earwigs - a species at risk? [Phil & Maria ] 12 Nov Re:Spotted Towee photos & update ["James W. Wolford" ] 12 Nov RE: Earwigs - a species at risk? [Ken MacAulay ] 12 Nov Re: Earwigs - a species at risk? [Susann Myers ] 12 Nov Re: Earwigs - a species at risk? [Marg Millard ] 12 Nov Buntings and oriole [] 12 Nov Hummingbird - Kentville ["Judy Tufts" ] 12 Nov Earwigs - a species at risk? ["Jon Percy" ] 12 Nov Re: Hearing Aid [Brian Dalzell ] 12 Nov Port George and other issues [Richard Stern ] 12 Nov Hearing Aid [Don MacNeill ] 12 Nov Sober I. Harlequins etc. Nov. 11,2009 [Ken McKenna ] 11 Nov Black-backed Woodpecker [Fritz McEvoy ] 11 Nov Black-backed Woodpecker [Fritz McEvoy ] Subject: Cattle Egret From: Bev Crowell <bevcrowell AT hotmail.com> Date: Fri, 20 Nov 2009 11:09:34 -0400 Nov. 20/09 Hi All. Yesterday afternoon ~3:30, my Dad (George Crowell) and I just left Schooner Pond and turned left, heading down Long Beach Road and, eventually, to Port Morien. About half-way along there, you come to a farm - it's the only farm there ! Anyway, as we pulled over in front of the house, there it was - a Cattle Egret.....AND not only that, he was up on the front step snatching flies from the screen door!! Mind you, it WAS a warm day. Thanks to Junior Metcalfe for telling us where the bird had been seen. Bev (Sarty) Glace Bay _________________________________________________________________ Windows Live: Friends get your Flickr, Yelp, and Digg updates when they e-mail you. http://go.microsoft.com/?linkid=9691817 Subject: monthly meeting of the NS Wild Flora Society From: Anne Mills <ocotillo AT ns.sympatico.ca> Date: Fri, 20 Nov 2009 08:54:19 -0400 Monday, November 23 - Native Orchids of Nova Scotia Presented by Heather Drope, this will be a virtual tour of the orchids and the habitats they live in in Nova Scotia. Time: 7:30 p.m. Place: Auditorium, N.S. Museum of Natural History, Summer St., Halifax This should be an enjoyable evening and as we head into winter a pleasant reminder that spring is on its way! Open to all so please bring a friend. Subject: A late Butterfly in HRM From: Blake Maybank <maybank AT ns.sympatico.ca> Date: Fri, 20 Nov 2009 07:56:00 -0400 Hi Everyone; The pooch and I were walking yesterday in the Kelly Point area of the Prospect Peninsula, and the most ususual sighting was a late butterfly, one of the "ladies", though I didn't obtain a long enough look to be certain of the species. But according to the flight times data on the Payzants' fine "Butterflies of Nova Scotia" web page ( http://tinyurl.com/ns-butterflies ), the American Lady is much more likely. Given yesterday's warmth and bright sunshine, it isn't so surprising that a butterfly appeared. Does anyone else have late butterfly records for the province? Cheers, Blake Subject: Re: shocking earwigs From: "David & Alison Webster" <dwebster AT glinx.com> Date: Thu, 19 Nov 2009 21:46:50 -0400 Hi Steve & All, Nov 19, 2009 Being not nearly as tidy as an earwig I still have that earwig ramp gathering dust in the basement. It consisted of two thin brassl plates; upper 10 mm wide & lower 13 mm wide, transverse to a rigid, overhead, transparent plastic observation housing/earwig passageway and spaced 1.5 mm apart on a lucite slab. With the slab slightly inclined, when an earwig was placed into the lower end of the passageway it would walk up the slope and have 4-5 feet on the lower plate before the first foot contacted the upper plate to close the circuit. Being free to move forward, I think they just kept walking because the 4-5 hurting feet in back out-voted the one hurting foot in front. I don't recall the details now but I likely turned the power off when they stopped moving in an organized way and/or flopped over. They sure looked stunned to me, as opposed to taking time out the think things over and learn something. I remember that animal behavior fad well underway in the 50's within which scientists tabulated all responses by experimental animals as some mechanical response to some stimulus and, while keeping a straight face, concluded that all animal behavior consists of mechanical responses to stimuli. Yt, Dave ----- Original Message ----- From: "Stephen Shaw" To: Sent: Thursday, November 19, 2009 11:59 AM Subject: Re: [NatureNS] shocking earwigs > Hi Dave, Angus & all, > Hello Dave -- they were probably not stunned and you almost managed to > re-discover the `headless learning` insect preparation first uncovered by > my > old boss, back in St. Andrews, Scotland in the 60s (though he used > cockroaches). > This caused a stir at the time because very little was then known about > the > neural mechanisms behind any kind of learning, of great interest then as > now: > the search was on for a so-called `simple` system in which to elucidate > these > mechanisms at the level of single nerve cells, and this insect system > looked > promising to some at the time. > To shock such an insect you need 2 electrodes connected through a switch > to > opposite terminals of a voltage or current source, as Dave says. If > you tether > the insect (to stop it running away) so that its front legs rest on one > electrode and the body or the other legs touch the other electrode, then > close > the switch, a roach will immediately raise its front legs, so breaking the > circuit and terminating the shock. The elevation lasts for a few seconds > then > the legs come down. After a few more such shocks, the roach keeps its > legs up > for longer periods (it has learned by association). This happens even with > the > head removed, showing that the changes reside in the thoracic nervous > system, > not the main brain. The ingenious part of this was the `yoked control` -- > the > same current was sent also through a hapless second roach, which got the > same > number of zaps as the first, but these were now not related to its > forelegs` > position and so it failed to learn the `legs-up` trick. > This fizzled out after a few years because no-one got very far with the > single neuron approach in the thorax and much better preparations were > discovered where this approach did work. Eric Kandel, who appears > fairly often > in science segments on Charlie Rose's midnight TV show on PBS, got the > Nobel > Prize a few years back for his work on learning in this area, but on > different > neural systems. > So Dave, perhaps you might have got there first. > Steve > > > Quoting Angus MacLean : >> Hi David: >> Wow, David, quite the experiment. Now that I know how fastidious they >> are about their appearance, I find myself changing my mind about >> them! My wife thinks I would do well, in her eyes perhaps, to follow >> their example more. >> Thanks, >> Angus >> >> At 10:27 AM 18/11/2009, you wrote: >>> Hi Angus, Steve & al, Nov18, 2009 >>> The earwig thread prompted me to dig out an old e-mail to another >>> site; pasted below. >>> >>> Abundant or sparse they must feed something else. No longer abundant >>> here. >>> DW >>> >>> START OF PASTE\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ >>> Mar 9, 2003 >>> On a related note-- >>> Shortly after earwigs appeared in Kentville, and started taking over >>> lawns & gardens, I wondered about the feasibility of an active earwig >>> trap, i.e. using electric shock to herd them into traps, so I borrowed >>> some scrap electronic components that when assembled formed a variable >>> voltage and harmless low current power supply. To observe behavior when >>> they were exposed to shocks, I made a small chute of lucite with thin >>> brass strips spaced such that when an earwig walked along the chute it >>> closed the circuit. I don't recall the voltages now but, at low voltage >>> there was no response, at higher voltage they stepped lively and at even >>> higher voltages tiny sparks from foot hairs could be seen in dim light, >>> there was sometimes an odor of burning protein and/or earwigs were >>> stunned and remained immobile for ~5-30 seconds. Their behavior after >>> being shocked and especially after being stunned, convinced me 1) that >>> earwigs were just small people with slightly different body parts and 2) >>> that one should not herd earwigs by electric shocks even if a trap of >>> this kind could be made to work. >>> After they came to, they sat back so fore legs were free to move and >>> laboriously groomed head, antennae and front leg joints (I can't recall >>> with certainly that mid and hind legs were groomed) apparently using >>> fluids from the mouth. After this bath, presumably to remove materials >>> that are released from between joints when under stress, they would >>> resume normal posture and walk off. >>> >>> >>> Yours truly, Dave Webster, Kentville >>> END OF PASTE\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ > > > > > -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- No virus found in this incoming message. Checked by AVG - www.avg.com Version: 8.5.421 / Virus Database: 270.14.69/2508 - Release Date: 11/17/09 07:40:00 Subject: Windsor geese, ducks, gulls, shorebirds? From: "James W. Wolford" <jimwolford AT eastlink.ca> Date: Thu, 19 Nov 2009 18:57:55 -0400 NOV. 19, 2009 - Windsor sewage ponds (1 hr. after high tide): 12+ Canada geese, 17+ Am. wigeons, 4+ green-winged teals, several dozens of black ducks, 1+ mallard, good numbers of each of 3 kinds of gulls: ring-billed, herring, and great black-backed; and only 2 probable black-bellied plovers, which were asleep the whole time I was there. And another approx. 200 Canada geese were in open fields north of Hwy. 14 west from Curry's Corner? (jct. of King St. & Hwy. 14). I made a bad error at the Hwy. 14 pond/stream where domestic white geese and various semi-tame ducks hang out -- I tried to turn around in the field grass and got hopelessly mired -- one of the very kind and too-polite farmers there pulled me out with his tractor and chain and refused a token payment. Cheers from Jim in Wolfville Jim (James W.) Wolford 91 Wickwire Ave. Wolfville, Nova Scotia, Canada B4P 1W3 phone 902-542-9204 e-mail "In wildness is the preservation of the world" -- Henry David Thoreau Subject: Re: Fossil Crocodiles from the Sahara From: Peter de Wit <peterdewit AT gmail.com> Date: Thu, 19 Nov 2009 12:18:01 -0500 Thanks, Chris, I was expecting a Crocoduck when I saw DuckCroc http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Az8k0uzQ6sA :-) On Thu, Nov 19, 2009 at 11:52 AM, Christopher Majka wrote: > Hi folks, > > For those interested in reptiles and paleontology, there is a fascinating > look at animations of four new species of fossil crocodilians found in the > Sahara called BoarCroc, RatCroc, DogCroc, and DuckCroc, available at the URL > below - fabulous beasts! > > http://ngm.nationalgeographic.com/2009/11/croc-world/crocs-animation > > The paper describing these remarkable new crocodilians (there is one other > one, colloquially called Pancake Croc) is available at: > > http://pensoftonline.net/zookeys/index.php/journal/article/view/325 > > Cheers! > > Chris > > > Christopher Majka | Halifax, Nova Scotia, > Canada > > * Research Associate: Nova Scotia Museum | > http://museum.gov.ns.ca/mnh/research-asfr.htm > * Review Editor: The Coleopterists Bulletin | http://www.coleopsoc.org/ > * Subject Editor: ZooKeys | > http://pensoftonline.net/zookeys/index.php/journal/index > * Associate Editor: Journal of the Acadian Entomological Society | > http://www.acadianes.org/journal.html > * Editor: Atlantic Canada Coleoptera | > http://www.chebucto.ns.ca/Environment/NHR/atlantic_coleoptera.html > > *"Whenever I hear of the capture of rare beetles, I feel like an old > war-horse at the sound of a trumpet."* - Charles Darwin > > > Subject: St. Helena Earwig From: Christopher Majka <c.majka AT ns.sympatico.ca> Date: Thu, 19 Nov 2009 12:54:18 -0400 Hi folks, On 16-Nov-09, at 1:12 PM, Angus MacLean wrote: > Incidentally there is one earwig, the St. Helena Earwig, on the > endangered list. It is the largest earwig in the world and recovery > plans are already underway. How scarce resources and monies are > wasted! (I expect a backlash re the latter statement). It's a splendid beast, confined to arid areas on the eastern portion of St, Helena Island (one of the most remote islands in the world), and probably extinct. No specimens have been seen alive since 1967 despite expeditions to look for them in 1988, 1993, and 2003. See the wikipedia article below and the attached photo: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Saint_Helena_earwig http://z.about.com/d/paranormal/1/0/9/V/1/giant-earwig.jpg Cheers! Chris Christopher Majka | Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada * Research Associate: Nova Scotia Museum | http://museum.gov.ns.ca/mnh/research-asfr.htm * Review Editor: The Coleopterists Bulletin | http://www.coleopsoc.org/ * Subject Editor: ZooKeys | http://pensoftonline.net/zookeys/index.php/journal/index * Associate Editor: Journal of the Acadian Entomological Society | http://www.acadianes.org/journal.html * Editor: Atlantic Canada Coleoptera | http://www.chebucto.ns.ca/Environment/NHR/atlantic_coleoptera.html "Whenever I hear of the capture of rare beetles, I feel like an old war-horse at the sound of a trumpet." - Charles Darwin Subject: Fossil Crocodiles from the Sahara From: Christopher Majka <c.majka AT ns.sympatico.ca> Date: Thu, 19 Nov 2009 12:52:44 -0400 Hi folks, For those interested in reptiles and paleontology, there is a fascinating look at animations of four new species of fossil crocodilians found in the Sahara called BoarCroc, RatCroc, DogCroc, and DuckCroc, available at the URL below - fabulous beasts! http://ngm.nationalgeographic.com/2009/11/croc-world/crocs-animation The paper describing these remarkable new crocodilians (there is one other one, colloquially called Pancake Croc) is available at: http://pensoftonline.net/zookeys/index.php/journal/article/view/325 Cheers! Chris Christopher Majka | Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada * Research Associate: Nova Scotia Museum | http://museum.gov.ns.ca/mnh/research-asfr.htm * Review Editor: The Coleopterists Bulletin | http://www.coleopsoc.org/ * Subject Editor: ZooKeys | http://pensoftonline.net/zookeys/index.php/journal/index * Associate Editor: Journal of the Acadian Entomological Society | http://www.acadianes.org/journal.html * Editor: Atlantic Canada Coleoptera | http://www.chebucto.ns.ca/Environment/NHR/atlantic_coleoptera.html "Whenever I hear of the capture of rare beetles, I feel like an old war-horse at the sound of a trumpet." - Charles Darwin Subject: Re: shocking earwigs From: Stephen Shaw <srshaw AT DAL.CA> Date: Thu, 19 Nov 2009 11:59:26 -0400 Hi Dave, Angus & all, Hello Dave -- they were probably not stunned and you almost managed to re-discover the `headless learning` insect preparation first uncovered by my old boss, back in St. Andrews, Scotland in the 60s (though he used cockroaches). This caused a stir at the time because very little was then known about the neural mechanisms behind any kind of learning, of great interest then as now: the search was on for a so-called `simple` system in which to elucidate these mechanisms at the level of single nerve cells, and this insect system looked promising to some at the time. To shock such an insect you need 2 electrodes connected through a switch to opposite terminals of a voltage or current source, as Dave says. If you tether the insect (to stop it running away) so that its front legs rest on one electrode and the body or the other legs touch the other electrode, then close the switch, a roach will immediately raise its front legs, so breaking the circuit and terminating the shock. The elevation lasts for a few seconds then the legs come down. After a few more such shocks, the roach keeps its legs up for longer periods (it has learned by association). This happens even with the head removed, showing that the changes reside in the thoracic nervous system, not the main brain. The ingenious part of this was the `yoked control` -- the same current was sent also through a hapless second roach, which got the same number of zaps as the first, but these were now not related to its forelegs` position and so it failed to learn the `legs-up` trick. This fizzled out after a few years because no-one got very far with the single neuron approach in the thorax and much better preparations were discovered where this approach did work. Eric Kandel, who appears fairly often in science segments on Charlie Rose's midnight TV show on PBS, got the Nobel Prize a few years back for his work on learning in this area, but on different neural systems. So Dave, perhaps you might have got there first. Steve Quoting Angus MacLean : > Hi David: > Wow, David, quite the experiment. Now that I know how fastidious they > are about their appearance, I find myself changing my mind about > them! My wife thinks I would do well, in her eyes perhaps, to follow > their example more. > Thanks, > Angus > > At 10:27 AM 18/11/2009, you wrote: >> Hi Angus, Steve & al, Nov18, 2009 >> The earwig thread prompted me to dig out an old e-mail to another >> site; pasted below. >> >> Abundant or sparse they must feed something else. No longer abundant here. >> DW >> >> START OF PASTE\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ >> Mar 9, 2003 >> On a related note-- >> Shortly after earwigs appeared in Kentville, and started taking over >> lawns & gardens, I wondered about the feasibility of an active earwig >> trap, i.e. using electric shock to herd them into traps, so I borrowed >> some scrap electronic components that when assembled formed a variable >> voltage and harmless low current power supply. To observe behavior when >> they were exposed to shocks, I made a small chute of lucite with thin >> brass strips spaced such that when an earwig walked along the chute it >> closed the circuit. I don't recall the voltages now but, at low voltage >> there was no response, at higher voltage they stepped lively and at even >> higher voltages tiny sparks from foot hairs could be seen in dim light, >> there was sometimes an odor of burning protein and/or earwigs were >> stunned and remained immobile for ~5-30 seconds. Their behavior after >> being shocked and especially after being stunned, convinced me 1) that >> earwigs were just small people with slightly different body parts and 2) >> that one should not herd earwigs by electric shocks even if a trap of >> this kind could be made to work. >> After they came to, they sat back so fore legs were free to move and >> laboriously groomed head, antennae and front leg joints (I can't recall >> with certainly that mid and hind legs were groomed) apparently using >> fluids from the mouth. After this bath, presumably to remove materials >> that are released from between joints when under stress, they would >> resume normal posture and walk off. >> >> >> Yours truly, Dave Webster, Kentville >> END OF PASTE\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ Subject: Wildlife Fundraising Calendars From: Helene Van Doninck <hvandoninck AT eastlink.ca> Date: Wed, 18 Nov 2009 23:43:09 -0400 Hello All, Many of you know I run a registered charitable organization called the Cobequid Wildlife Rehabilitation Centre. We are located just outside of Truro and provide veterinary care and rehabilitation for injured, orphaned, and sick wildlife; ultimate goal being to release these animals back into suitable habitat. For the second year now, we have produced a Wildlife Calendar featuring images and stories about past and present patients. The calendars are $15 each, printed on 100% recycled paper and are now available for purchase. All funds generated will go towards purchase of housing, medical supplies and food for our patients. A full preview of the calendar can be seen at : http://www.cwrc.net/images/2010_calendar/2010_Calendar_CWRC_CS3_7indd_previe w.pdf I would be happy to mail calendars to anyone interested in purchase and I will also bring some with me when I attend the NS Bird Society meeting next week. I can be reached at the below email and phone # or at birdvet AT hotmail.com Thanks :) Helene ps..as a teaser, both the boreal owl and peregrine falcon we treated and released this year are featured in this calendar Helene Van Doninck DVM Cobequid Wildlife Rehabilitation Centre RR#1 Brookfield Nova Scotia Canada B0N1C0 hvandoninck AT eastlink.ca www.cwrc.net http://cwrcblog.blogspot.com/ 1-902-893-0253 CWRC 2010 Calendars now for sale, see www.cwrc.net -----Original Message----- From: naturens-owner AT chebucto.ns.ca [mailto:naturens-owner AT chebucto.ns.ca]On Behalf Of garvin atkinson Sent: Wednesday, November 18, 2009 8:03 PM To: naturens AT chebucto.ns.ca Subject: Re: [NatureNS] Barred Owl Yes, my son called me yesterday and told me that he saw it sitting in a tree on Spring Garden Road. It was sleeping but the crows were not happy that he was there!!! ----- Original Message ----- From: Gayle MacLean To: naturens AT chebucto.ns.ca Sent: Wednesday, November 18, 2009 7:08 PM Subject: [NatureNS] Barred Owl Hello All, This evening on the local CTV news, meteorologist, Cindy Day, showed a photo taken today of a Barred Owl seen, apparently, in downtown Halifax. Gayle MacLean Dartmouth ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- Make your browsing faster, safer, and easier with the new Internet Explorer® 8. Optimized for Yahoo! Get it Now for Free! ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- No virus found in this incoming message. Checked by AVG - www.avg.com Version: 8.5.425 / Virus Database: 270.14.72/2511 - Release Date: 11/18/09 07:50:00 Subject: Plant in full bloom along the Back Harbour Trail From: James Hirtle <jrhbirder AT hotmail.com> Date: Thu, 19 Nov 2009 03:04:59 +0000 Hi all: So far the closest that people who have gotten back to me on the plant is for Deptford Pink. Therefore, it is very late to be in bloom. James R. Hirtle Bayport _________________________________________________________________ Eligible CDN College & University students can upgrade to Windows 7 before Jan 3 for only $39.99. Upgrade now! http://go.microsoft.com/?linkid=9691819 Subject: Re: Earwig bashing backlashing From: Angus MacLean <angusmcl AT ns.sympatico.ca> Date: Wed, 18 Nov 2009 22:32:51 -0400 Thanks, Stephen, for explaining how these critters can survive in watery conditions. My take on the extinct St. Helena species is that all endemics are on the road to extinction. Having such specialized needs in a period of global warming does not bode well for their continued existence. Of course such are among the most rarest & most interesting creatures on earth. Thus we feel we must do everything to protect them. Unfortunately we can only mourn as each disappears into history. Angus At 01:57 PM 17/11/2009, you wrote: >Hi Angus & other dermaptophobes: Even in your likely role here as agent >provocateur, Angus, your nonchalance about the fate of the St Helena Giant >Earwig should raise a few eyebrows. It now appears to be extinct, and is not >being rescued by taxpayer ecodollars as far as I could make out from reading >some of the same sources as you (the last 3 searches for it by visiting >entomologists failed, on this small island -- surveying insects in unique >habitats is what some entomologists do professionally). > >Turning this around, would you have been equally unhappy if a small >part of some >state's funds were to be expended in an attempt to save the Great >Auk, the last >couple of which were clubbed to death for food by sealers as I recall, or the >Dodo, likewise? Birds, yeah, earwigs, nay? If this is your position, then >closer to home for the SHGE, are you equally unconcerned that the SHGE`s bird >predator, the now extinct St Helena Giant Hoopoe, may have coughed its last in >part because an important food source disappeared? The suspected cause of >extinction of the SHGE itself is destruction of the Gumwood Forest at one >end of St. Helena. So, perhaps clear-cutting -> SHGE extinction -> SHG Hoopoe >extinction, reinforcing the interconnection of living things in complex >ecosystems, and the need to avoid disrupting same where possible. > >As to how the particular (alien, unloved) earwigs here can survive under water >for a while, insects breath through lateral spiracles coupled to tracheae, >internal air tubes that run directly into the tissues. At least in some cases >well investigated like the cockroaches you mention, the spiracles have both >protective guard hairs and associated muscles so that they can be closed off >completely by the insect, and in addition the outer parts of the >tracheal tubes >are hydrophobic (unwettable), like the outer cuticle. Thirsty >roaches are quite >happy to submerge themselves for a while to drink. No doubt earwigs have >similar specializations permitting their dunking, but I'm sure they can't >actually live under water indefinitely. They certainly float and will swim >around in a toilet bowl, so the question would be how yours managed to get >under water in the first place -- presumably they didn't, but simply sank when >you pulled the plug and then hung on for dear life, to anything nearby (?). >Steve > > >Quoting Angus MacLean : >>Re recent discussion on possibly dwindling populations of earwigs, >>I would personally be pleased to see the day when they are on the >>endangered list. However, l liken earwigs to cockroaches in that >>they will be here long after humans are gone from this earth. >> >>In any case we had an interesting case of an earwig which was >>adaptable to another environment. We have a backyard pond in which >>are a number of goldish. We remove them from the pond for the >>winter. A few days ago my wife noted something on one of them when >>we took them out. It was an earwig !!) latched on to the goldfish. >> >>We have to partially drain the pond in order to net them so only >>about 3-4 ins of water is left. Although it is known that earwigs >>like wet conditions (try leaving a wet mop out overnight), there is >>no indication they can live in water. There must be an explanation but...?? >> >>Incidentally there is one earwig, the St. Helena Earwig, on the >>endangered list. It is the largest earwig in the world and recovery >>plans are already underway. How scarce resources and monies are >>wasted! (I expect a backlash re the latter statement). >> >>Angus > > Subject: Re: Re: Questions re: Late Dragonflies From: Angus MacLean <angusmcl AT ns.sympatico.ca> Date: Wed, 18 Nov 2009 22:04:24 -0400 Subject: Re: Earwigs From: Angus MacLean <angusmcl AT ns.sympatico.ca> Date: Wed, 18 Nov 2009 22:01:57 -0400 Hi David: Wow, David, quite the experiment. Now that I know how fastidious they are about their appearance, I find myself changing my mind about them! My wife thinks I would do well, in her eyes perhaps, to follow their example more. Thanks, Angus At 10:27 AM 18/11/2009, you wrote: >Hi Angus, Steve & al, Nov18, 2009 > The earwig thread prompted me to dig out an old e-mail to > another site; pasted below. > > Abundant or sparse they must feed something else. No longer abundant here. >DW > >START OF PASTE\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ > > Mar 9, 2003 > On a related note-- > Shortly after earwigs appeared in Kentville, and started taking over >lawns & gardens, I wondered about the feasibility of an active earwig >trap, i.e. using electric shock to herd them into traps, so I borrowed >some scrap electronic components that when assembled formed a variable >voltage and harmless low current power supply. To observe behavior when >they were exposed to shocks, I made a small chute of lucite with thin >brass strips spaced such that when an earwig walked along the chute it >closed the circuit. I don't recall the voltages now but, at low voltage >there was no response, at higher voltage they stepped lively and at even >higher voltages tiny sparks from foot hairs could be seen in dim light, >there was sometimes an odor of burning protein and/or earwigs were >stunned and remained immobile for ~5-30 seconds. Their behavior after >being shocked and especially after being stunned, convinced me 1) that >earwigs were just small people with slightly different body parts and 2) >that one should not herd earwigs by electric shocks even if a trap of >this kind could be made to work. > After they came to, they sat back so fore legs were free to move and >laboriously groomed head, antennae and front leg joints (I can't recall >with certainly that mid and hind legs were groomed) apparently using >fluids from the mouth. After this bath, presumably to remove materials >that are released from between joints when under stress, they would >resume normal posture and walk off. > > >Yours truly, Dave Webster, Kentville > END OF PASTE\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ Subject: RE: Ruffed Grouse display From: Fritz McEvoy <fritzmcevoy AT hotmail.com> Date: Wed, 18 Nov 2009 22:03:23 -0400 Hi lance & All, There were three grouse in all. The male stayed pretty much in the same position for the five minutes I was observing. He did chase one of the other grouse for a few seconds while still keeping up his display. I couldn't hear any hissing as I was indoors. In general it didn't appear to be in an aggressive posture (no strutting or head shaking). All the best. Fritz McEvoy Sunrise Valley, CB (near Dingwall) Date: Wed, 18 Nov 2009 10:37:27 -0500 From: lance.laviolette AT lmco.com Subject: RE: [NatureNS] Ruffed Grouse display To: naturens AT chebucto.ns.ca Hi Fritz, It seems late in the season now to see the Ruffed Grouse's equivalent to the Song Sparrow fall singing behaviour that was talked about on NatureNS a week or two ago but I guess that it might be taking place for the same reason. You can never tell when male hormones will rear their heads eh? However, you wrote that it's the first time you've seen such a mating ritual. Could you have been observing an antagonistic behaviour rather than a courting behaviour? As described in Birds of North America, such a behaviour would consist of "spreading of ruff and tail accompanied by strutting, hissing, and rotary shakes of head; sometimes followed by chasing on ground". All the best, Lance From: naturens-owner AT chebucto.ns.ca [mailto:naturens-owner AT chebucto.ns.ca] On Behalf Of Fritz McEvoy Sent: Wednesday, November 18, 2009 10:06 AM To: NS NATURE Cc: MBBA_C Subject: [NatureNS] Ruffed Grouse display Hi All, When I looked out the kitchen window this morning there was a Ruffed Grouse in full display for a female who seemed disinterested and ignored the strutting male. It's the first time I've seen this mating ritual and I have a couple of questions about it. We are months from Ruffed Grouse breeding season so is the timing unusual or do they display all year round? Secondly how is this recorded in the atlas? Could I record it as a D or is it too early and if so which breeding season would it get recorded to: 2009 or 2010? All the best. Fritz McEvoy Sunrise Valley, CB (near Dingwall) Get a great deal on Windows 7 and see how it works the way you want. Check out the offers on Windows 7now. _________________________________________________________________ Windows Live: Friends get your Flickr, Yelp, and Digg updates when they e-mail you. http://go.microsoft.com/?linkid=9691817 Subject: NSBS Field Trip: Sat. Nov. 28 – Canso and Area, Guysborough County From: Patrick Kelly <patrick.kelly AT dal.ca> Date: Wed, 18 Nov 2009 20:06:14 -0400 Saturday November 28 2009 – Canso and Area, Guysborough County Leaders: Tom Kavanaugh 366-3476 Email: terri.crane AT ns.sympatico.ca and Steve Bushell 366-2527 Meet at 8:30 a.m. at the Chapel Gully Trail parking lot in the town of Canso, Guysborough County. Come down Main Street, turn right onto Union, go past the Marina and take the next right onto Wilmot. The parking lot is at the top of the hill. Fall migration is in full swing on Canso at this time of year, so be prepared for almost anything! No rain date. No storm date for this trip. __________________________ Patrick Kelly President, Nova Scotia Bird Society RR#2 159 Town Road Falmouth NS B0P 1L0 Canada (902) 472-2322 (h) (902) 494-3294 (w) Subject: NSBS Field Trip: Sun. Nov. 29 – Antigonish Coastal Waters, Antigonish Co. From: Patrick Kelly <patrick.kelly AT dal.ca> Date: Wed, 18 Nov 2009 20:07:03 -0400 Sunday November 29 2009 – Antigonish Coastal Waters, Antigonish Co. Leader: Randy Lauff 867-2471 Email: rlauff AT stfx.ca Meet at 8:00 a.m. at the Dragon Fly Café on the TCH #104, just east of exit #35 (Lower South River). This trip covers the waters of St. Georges Bay and Antigonish Harbour. We’ll end the day at Ogdens Pond which has hosted thousands of gulls, ducks and, in some years, inland gannets. No storm date for this trip. __________________________ Patrick Kelly President, Nova Scotia Bird Society RR#2 159 Town Road Falmouth NS B0P 1L0 Canada (902) 472-2322 (h) (902) 494-3294 (w) Subject: Re: Barred Owl From: garvin atkinson <heronsmist AT eastlink.ca> Date: Wed, 18 Nov 2009 20:03:25 -0400 Yes, my son called me yesterday and told me that he saw it sitting in a tree on Spring Garden Road. It was sleeping but the crows were not happy that he was there!!! ----- Original Message ----- From: Gayle MacLean To: naturens AT chebucto.ns.ca Sent: Wednesday, November 18, 2009 7:08 PM Subject: [NatureNS] Barred Owl Hello All, This evening on the local CTV news, meteorologist, Cindy Day, showed a photo taken today of a Barred Owl seen, apparently, in downtown Halifax. Gayle MacLean Dartmouth ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Make your browsing faster, safer, and easier with the new Internet Explorer® 8. Optimized for Yahoo! Get it Now for Free! ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ No virus found in this incoming message. Checked by AVG - www.avg.com Version: 8.5.425 / Virus Database: 270.14.72/2511 - Release Date: 11/18/09 07:50:00 Subject: Blue-gray Gnatcatcher and Orange-crowned Warbler Photos From: Hans Toom <Htoom AT hfx.eastlink.ca> Date: Wed, 18 Nov 2009 20:03:52 -0400 I've added 29 photos to my website, including recent photos, yesterday and today, of Blue-gray Gnatcatcher and Orange-crowned Warbler. Hans http://www.hanstoom.com/Highlights/November09/0126.html _________________________________ Hans Toom Portuguese Cove, Nova Scotia, Canada Website: http://hanstoom.com _________________________________ Subject: Re: Barred Owl From: Richard Stern <sternrichard AT gmail.com> Date: Wed, 18 Nov 2009 19:25:44 -0400 Hi, It was also shown on the CBC last night, and nobody on the air was able to ID the owl! Richard On Wed, Nov 18, 2009 at 7:08 PM, Gayle MacLean wrote: > Hello All, > > This evening on the local CTV news, meteorologist, Cindy Day, showed a > photo taken today of a Barred Owl seen, apparently, in downtown Halifax. > > Gayle MacLean > Dartmouth > > > > > ------------------------------ > Make your browsing faster, safer, and easier with the new Internet > Explorer® 8. Optimized for Yahoo! *Get it Now for Free! * > -- ################# Richard Stern, 317 Middle Dyke Rd. Port Williams, NS, Canada B0P 1T0 sternrichard AT gmail.com ################### Subject: In the chicken coop ........... From: Richard Stern <sternrichard AT gmail.com> Date: Wed, 18 Nov 2009 19:23:10 -0400 We have an enclosed chicken coop in our back yard, which at the moment is home to our rooster, his 2 laying hens (currently not laying, although frequently getting laid) and a farmyard duck. Despite being well protected top to bottom with chicken wire, slats etc., and with a wooden roof, the occasional wild bird somehow gets in, to hobnob with the domestic fowl. Nearly all the visitors have been Juncos and Song Sparrows, although we once had a Starling, and 2 summers ago, while some visiting birders from Texas were having lunch with me on the deck, a N.Goshawk, of all things, swooped low over the grass, made a pass in the direction of the chickens, and then flew on, much to our collective amazement. Today, on arriving home from work, I heard a familiar high pitched chip, and there, in all his glory, was a male N.CARDINAL stuck in the chicken coop. Liz and I did manage to set it free, by a complex series of maneuvers involving opening and closing doors like in a french farce, a broom, and some strategic positioning, to the accompaniment of loud crowing from the rooster. Pesumably he is the male half of the pair that have been regular at our feeders now for a month or so. Richard -- ################# Richard Stern, 317 Middle Dyke Rd. Port Williams, NS, Canada B0P 1T0 sternrichard AT gmail.com ################### Subject: Barred Owl From: Gayle MacLean <duartess2003 AT yahoo.ca> Date: Wed, 18 Nov 2009 15:08:28 -0800 (PST) Hello All,   This evening on the local CTV news, meteorologist, Cindy Day, showed a photo taken today of a Barred Owl seen, apparently, in downtown Halifax.   Gayle MacLean Dartmouth       __________________________________________________________________ The new Internet Explorer® 8 - Faster, safer, easier. Optimized for Yahoo! Get it Now for Free! at http://downloads.yahoo.com/ca/internetexplorer/ Subject: Re: Earwigs From: Gayle MacLean <duartess2003 AT yahoo.ca> Date: Wed, 18 Nov 2009 14:08:17 -0800 (PST) LOL! That is very funny!   Gayle MacLean Dartmouth --- On Wed, 11/18/09, David & Alison Webster wrote: From: David & Alison Webster Subject: [NatureNS] Earwigs To: NatureNS AT chebucto.ns.ca Received: Wednesday, November 18, 2009, 9:27 AM Hi Angus, Steve & al,        Nov18, 2009    The earwig thread prompted me to dig out an old e-mail to another site; pasted below.    Abundant or sparse they must feed something else. No longer abundant here. DW START OF PASTE\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\                        Mar 9, 2003    On a related note--    Shortly after earwigs appeared in Kentville, and started taking over lawns & gardens, I wondered about the feasibility of an active earwig trap, i.e. using electric shock to herd them into traps, so I borrowed some scrap electronic components that when assembled formed a variable voltage and harmless low current power supply. To observe behavior when they were exposed to shocks, I made a small chute of lucite with thin brass strips spaced such that when an earwig walked along the chute it closed the circuit. I don't recall the voltages now but, at low voltage there was no response, at higher voltage they stepped lively and at even higher voltages tiny sparks from foot hairs could be seen in dim light, there was sometimes an odor of burning protein and/or earwigs were stunned and remained immobile for ~5-30 seconds. Their behavior after being shocked and especially after being stunned, convinced me 1) that earwigs were just small people with slightly different body parts and 2) that one should not herd earwigs by electric shocks even if a trap of this kind could be made to work.    After they came to, they sat back so fore legs were free to move and laboriously groomed head, antennae and front leg joints (I can't recall with certainly that mid and hind legs were groomed) apparently using fluids from the mouth. After this bath, presumably to remove materials that are released from between joints when under stress, they would resume normal posture and walk off. Yours truly, Dave Webster, Kentville END OF PASTE\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ __________________________________________________________________ The new Internet Explorer® 8 - Faster, safer, easier. Optimized for Yahoo! Get it Now for Free! at http://downloads.yahoo.com/ca/internetexplorer/ Subject: Fw: East Hants Nature Group Public Service Announcement for Dec. From: Rob Woods <rrtwoods AT yahoo.com> Date: Wed, 18 Nov 2009 12:21:46 -0800 (PST) Received: Wednesday, November 18, 2009, 3:12 PM The East Hants Nature Group will be having a Members' Night on Tuesday Dec. 8th, 2009 to share our photos, stories and slides to celebrate nature from near and far.  All are welcome.  We will meet at 7 p.m. at Riverside Education Centre, Milford.  Please call 758-1414 for more information or e-mail woodjo AT staff.ednet.ns.ca __________________________________________________________________ Looking for the perfect gift? Give the gift of Flickr! http://www.flickr.com/gift/ Subject: Re: Questions re: Late Dragonflies From: Blake Maybank <maybank AT ns.sympatico.ca> Date: Wed, 18 Nov 2009 12:52:30 -0400 At 11:21 PM 17/11/2009, you wrote: >However, there is one later flying darner species and that is the >Common Green Darner (Anax junius) which flies past mid-Nov, again in >Mass. These two species should be fairly easy to distinguish even >in flight however since A. junius has an all green thorax (no >thoracic stripes which most darners show) and a different abdominal >pattern. Noteworthy is the fact that this latter species is also >often the first species seen in the spring (late April); these are >the migrants from the south. I'm familiar with the Common Green Darner, and saw the bugs well enough to rule out that species, so I'm guessing the two were Shadow Darners. I'll try the same area again later, and maybe I'll be lucky with photos. Cheers, Blake ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- Blake Maybank maybank AT ns.sympatico.ca 902-852-2077 Editor, "Nova Scotia Birds" http://nsbs.chebucto.org 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: Ruffed Grouse display From: "Laviolette, Lance (EXP)" <lance.laviolette AT lmco.com> Date: Wed, 18 Nov 2009 10:37:27 -0500 Hi Fritz, It seems late in the season now to see the Ruffed Grouse's equivalent to the Song Sparrow fall singing behaviour that was talked about on NatureNS a week or two ago but I guess that it might be taking place for the same reason. You can never tell when male hormones will rear their heads eh? However, you wrote that it's the first time you've seen such a mating ritual. Could you have been observing an antagonistic behaviour rather than a courting behaviour? As described in Birds of North America, such a behaviour would consist of "spreading of ruff and tail accompanied by strutting, hissing, and rotary shakes of head; sometimes followed by chasing on ground". All the best, Lance ________________________________ From: naturens-owner AT chebucto.ns.ca [mailto:naturens-owner AT chebucto.ns.ca] On Behalf Of Fritz McEvoy Sent: Wednesday, November 18, 2009 10:06 AM To: NS NATURE Cc: MBBA_C Subject: [NatureNS] Ruffed Grouse display Hi All, When I looked out the kitchen window this morning there was a Ruffed Grouse in full display for a female who seemed disinterested and ignored the strutting male. It's the first time I've seen this mating ritual and I have a couple of questions about it. We are months from Ruffed Grouse breeding season so is the timing unusual or do they display all year round? Secondly how is this recorded in the atlas? Could I record it as a D or is it too early and if so which breeding season would it get recorded to: 2009 or 2010? All the best. Fritz McEvoy Sunrise Valley, CB (near Dingwall) ________________________________ Get a great deal on Windows 7 and see how it works the way you want. Check out the offers on Windows 7now. Subject: Blue-gray Gnatcatcher, Orange-crowned Warbler and Pine Warbler From: Hans Toom <Htoom AT hfx.eastlink.ca> Date: Wed, 18 Nov 2009 11:10:44 -0400 Blue-gray Gnatcatcher, Orange-crowned Warbler and Pine Warbler were foraging on the north face of the hollow at Duncan's Cove, HRM, this morning. Look north between the gate and the creek. Hans ________________________________ Hans Toom Portuguese Cove, Nova Scotia, Canada Website: http://hanstoom.com _________________________________ Subject: Ruffed Grouse display From: Fritz McEvoy <fritzmcevoy AT hotmail.com> Date: Wed, 18 Nov 2009 11:05:37 -0400 Hi All, When I looked out the kitchen window this morning there was a Ruffed Grouse in full display for a female who seemed disinterested and ignored the strutting male. It's the first time I've seen this mating ritual and I have a couple of questions about it. We are months from Ruffed Grouse breeding season so is the timing unusual or do they display all year round? Secondly how is this recorded in the atlas? Could I record it as a D or is it too early and if so which breeding season would it get recorded to: 2009 or 2010? All the best. Fritz McEvoy Sunrise Valley, CB (near Dingwall) _________________________________________________________________ Windows Live: Friends get your Flickr, Yelp, and Digg updates when they e-mail you. http://go.microsoft.com/?linkid=9691817 Subject: New anthology From: Brian Bartlett <bbartlett AT eastlink.ca> Date: Wed, 18 Nov 2009 10:56:51 -0400 Some birders may want to find this new anthology under the tree on December 25th: http://www.guardian.co.uk/books/2009/nov/18/simon-armitage-tim-dee-bird-poems Subject: Earwigs From: "David & Alison Webster" <dwebster AT glinx.com> Date: Wed, 18 Nov 2009 10:27:48 -0400 Hi Angus, Steve & al, Nov18, 2009 The earwig thread prompted me to dig out an old e-mail to another site; pasted below. Abundant or sparse they must feed something else. No longer abundant here. DW START OF PASTE\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ Mar 9, 2003 On a related note-- Shortly after earwigs appeared in Kentville, and started taking over lawns & gardens, I wondered about the feasibility of an active earwig trap, i.e. using electric shock to herd them into traps, so I borrowed some scrap electronic components that when assembled formed a variable voltage and harmless low current power supply. To observe behavior when they were exposed to shocks, I made a small chute of lucite with thin brass strips spaced such that when an earwig walked along the chute it closed the circuit. I don't recall the voltages now but, at low voltage there was no response, at higher voltage they stepped lively and at even higher voltages tiny sparks from foot hairs could be seen in dim light, there was sometimes an odor of burning protein and/or earwigs were stunned and remained immobile for ~5-30 seconds. Their behavior after being shocked and especially after being stunned, convinced me 1) that earwigs were just small people with slightly different body parts and 2) that one should not herd earwigs by electric shocks even if a trap of this kind could be made to work. After they came to, they sat back so fore legs were free to move and laboriously groomed head, antennae and front leg joints (I can't recall with certainly that mid and hind legs were groomed) apparently using fluids from the mouth. After this bath, presumably to remove materials that are released from between joints when under stress, they would resume normal posture and walk off. Yours truly, Dave Webster, Kentville END OF PASTE\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ Subject: Re: Questions re: Late Dragonflies From: Bob McDonald <bobathome AT hfx.eastlink.ca> Date: Tue, 17 Nov 2009 23:21:32 -0400 Blake's observation and questions prompted me to check out my odonate resource "A Field Guide to the Dragonflies and Damselflies of Massachusetts" by Blair Nikula et al. It contains most but not quite all of the odes we see in the province. It does have flight periods for all species and as Derek mentioned one of the latest flying darners is the Shadow Darner (Aeshna umbrosa) which, as the text indicates, is "one of the very few species that fly into early November". This is in Massachusetts. However, there is one later flying darner species and that is the Common Green Darner (Anax junius) which flies past mid-Nov, again in Mass. These two species should be fairly easy to distinguish even in flight however since A. junius has an all green thorax (no thoracic stripes which most darners show) and a different abdominal pattern. Noteworthy is the fact that this latter species is also often the first species seen in the spring (late April); these are the migrants from the south. Cheers, Bob McDonald Halifax ----- Original Message ----- From: Blake Maybank To: naturens AT chebucto.ns.ca Sent: Tuesday, November 17, 2009 3:43 PM Subject: [NatureNS] Questions re: Late Dragonflies 16 November 2009 While walking along Murphy Cove Road on the Prospect Peninsula yesterday I encoutered two large darner dragonflies having a territorial dispute. I was unable to observe them at length, or take a photo, but this seems a late date for dragonflies to still be on the wing. What are the "normal" late dates for dragonflies, and what darner species are seen so late in the autumn? Cheers, Blake ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- Blake Maybank maybank AT ns.sympatico.ca 902-852-2077 Editor, "Nova Scotia Birds" http://nsbs.chebucto.org 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 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ No virus found in this incoming message. Checked by AVG - www.avg.com Version: 8.5.425 / Virus Database: 270.14.69/2508 - Release Date: 11/17/09 07:40:00 Subject: More Earwigian Tales From: Brian Dalzell <aythya AT nb.sympatico.ca> Date: Tue, 17 Nov 2009 20:11:26 -0400 I had three hanging strawberry plants on the side of a shed five feet off the ground in Moncton this summer. The earwigs found them (don't ask me how) and ate all the strawberries from the inside out. They were hollow except for a small hole where they ate their way in. I moved the pots to the top of our deck rail six feet off the ground. No good, I picked up a pot one morning and there were 100+ earwigs underneath. They were everywhere inside the house too, even under my computer keyboard and in pots and pans inside cupboards. I went to defrost our freezer, and the drainage tube was clogged with them (looking for water I guess). I'm still finding them in the trunk of my car, where they likely fell out of some potted tomatoes. Oh well, I guess it could be worse, at least we don't have to contend with cockroaches (not yet anyway). Subject: Fwd: Chignecto Game Sanctuary From: <garymurray AT ns.sympatico.ca> Date: Tue, 17 Nov 2009 18:28:20 -0400 This was forwarded to me today, for anyone interested... Gary. > > Good Morning Folks, > > > > I need the help of all my environmental friends. > > > > The Amherst Daily News is conducting an online survey today asking a > question that will have a bearing on the political opinion regarding the > designation of Chignecto Game Sanctuary as a Wilderness Area. > > > > Basically the Cumberland Wilderness proposal calls for a complete halt to > all natural resource harvesting, mining activity and a de-listing of only > 30% of the current roadways, OHV trails and snowmobile trails within the > Sanctuary and surrounding Crown lands. > > > > The DNR proposal is not a proposal from DNR at all, but a proposal brought > forward individually by an employee of DNR at the request of the local MLA. > It basically proposes that all vehicular traffic remain unfettered and that > harvesting and mining continue unabated in all but the wetland areas. > > > > Obviously folks should make their own choice, but the Cumberland Wilderness > proposal is in the best interest of maintaining the ecological integrity > whereas the DNR proposal continues to promote Sanctuary and forestry/mining > in the same breath. > > > > Could you please point your browser to www.amherstdaily.com/ and ask all > your friends to participate with a simple click of the mouse. > > > > Much thanks, > > > > Dale > > > Subject: Fwd: Questions re: Late Dragonflies From: "James W. Wolford" <jimwolford AT eastlink.ca> Date: Tue, 17 Nov 2009 18:13:38 -0400 Someone else on our list reported seeing large dragonflies in the last few days also. Does anyone out there know how to send Blake's question etc. to Paul Brunelle? or to Stuart Tingley in N.B.?? Cheers from Jim in Wolfville Begin forwarded message: > From: Marg Millard > Date: November 17, 2009 4:55:25 PM AST > To: naturens AT chebucto.ns.ca > Subject: Re: [NatureNS] Questions re: Late Dragonflies > Reply-To: naturens AT chebucto.ns.ca > > 16 November 2009 > > While walking along Murphy Cove Road on the Prospect Peninsula > yesterday I encountered two large darner dragonflies having a > territorial dispute. I was unable to observe them at length, or > take a photo, but this seems a late date for dragonflies to still > be on the wing. What are the "normal" late dates for dragonflies, > and what darner species are seen so late in the autumn? > > Cheers, > > Blake > > ......................... > > Early December on a warm day, without a lot of very cold weather > preceding, and they are up and moving here the past few years. I > watch for them. They get quite aggressive, don't they? > Marg Millard, White Point, Queens > http://MargMillard.ca Subject: RE: Questions re: Late Dragonflies From: "D W Bridgehouse" <d.bridgehouse AT ns.sympatico.ca> Date: Tue, 17 Nov 2009 17:39:05 -0400 Blake - Shadow Darners aka Aeshna umbrosa have been known to be late fall fliers . Late flite dates I do not have . Cheers ,DB From: naturens-owner AT chebucto.ns.ca [mailto:naturens-owner AT chebucto.ns.ca] On Behalf Of Blake Maybank Sent: November-17-09 3:44 PM To: naturens AT chebucto.ns.ca Subject: [NatureNS] Questions re: Late Dragonflies 16 November 2009 While walking along Murphy Cove Road on the Prospect Peninsula yesterday I encoutered two large darner dragonflies having a territorial dispute. I was unable to observe them at length, or take a photo, but this seems a late date for dragonflies to still be on the wing. What are the "normal" late dates for dragonflies, and what darner species are seen so late in the autumn? Cheers, Blake ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- - Blake Maybank maybank AT ns.sympatico.ca 902-852-2077 Editor, "Nova Scotia Birds" http://nsbs.chebucto.org 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: Questions re: Late Dragonflies From: Marg Millard <mmillard AT eastlink.ca> Date: Tue, 17 Nov 2009 16:55:25 -0400 16 November 2009 While walking along Murphy Cove Road on the Prospect Peninsula yesterday I encountered two large darner dragonflies having a territorial dispute. I was unable to observe them at length, or take a photo, but this seems a late date for dragonflies to still be on the wing. What are the "normal" late dates for dragonflies, and what darner species are seen so late in the autumn? Cheers, Blake ......................... Early December on a warm day, without a lot of very cold weather preceding, and they are up and moving here the past few years. I watch for them. They get quite aggressive, don't they? Marg Millard, White Point, Queens http://MargMillard.ca Subject: Questions re: Late Dragonflies From: Blake Maybank <maybank AT ns.sympatico.ca> Date: Tue, 17 Nov 2009 15:43:50 -0400 16 November 2009 While walking along Murphy Cove Road on the Prospect Peninsula yesterday I encoutered two large darner dragonflies having a territorial dispute. I was unable to observe them at length, or take a photo, but this seems a late date for dragonflies to still be on the wing. What are the "normal" late dates for dragonflies, and what darner species are seen so late in the autumn? Cheers, Blake ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- Blake Maybank maybank AT ns.sympatico.ca 902-852-2077 Editor, "Nova Scotia Birds" http://nsbs.chebucto.org 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: Blue-gray Gnatcatcher From: Hans Toom <Htoom AT hfx.eastlink.ca> Date: Tue, 17 Nov 2009 15:24:55 -0400 A Blue-gray Gnatcatcher was foraging on the north slope of the hollow at Duncan's Cove, HRM, this afternoon. There were a few moths flying about the last time I was here but none were seen this afternoon. Perhaps the relentless foraging of this diminutive bird will find these snoozing moths, or some nice green grubs. If I could give this bird any advice it would be to team up with the local chickadees. I managed a few photos but this is a frustrating bird to photograph as it flits back and forth, in and out, through the tangles. Hans _________________________________ Hans Toom Portuguese Cove, Nova Scotia, Canada Website: http://hanstoom.com _________________________________ Subject: Common Shelduck in St. John's, N.L. From: iamclar AT Dal.Ca Date: Tue, 17 Nov 2009 14:52:28 -0400 All: Bruce Mactavish - a long ago Halifax resident and superbirder - found a young COMMON SHELDUCK in Quidi Vidi Lake, St. John's, this a.m. It then disappeared but is being aeagerly sought. It seems likely to be a wild bird, possibly from the increasing numbers occurring in Iceland, and I believe would be a first for N. America. Anyway, thought others might consider this remote possibility when birding along the Atlantic Coast in the next days and weeks - who knows . . . Cheers, Ian Ian McLaren Subject: Re: Earwig bashing backlashing From: Stephen Shaw <srshaw AT dal.ca> Date: Tue, 17 Nov 2009 13:57:31 -0400 Hi Angus & other dermaptophobes: Even in your likely role here as agent provocateur, Angus, your nonchalance about the fate of the St Helena Giant Earwig should raise a few eyebrows. It now appears to be extinct, and is not being rescued by taxpayer ecodollars as far as I could make out from reading some of the same sources as you (the last 3 searches for it by visiting entomologists failed, on this small island -- surveying insects in unique habitats is what some entomologists do professionally). Turning this around, would you have been equally unhappy if a small part of some state's funds were to be expended in an attempt to save the Great Auk, the last couple of which were clubbed to death for food by sealers as I recall, or the Dodo, likewise? Birds, yeah, earwigs, nay? If this is your position, then closer to home for the SHGE, are you equally unconcerned that the SHGE`s bird predator, the now extinct St Helena Giant Hoopoe, may have coughed its last in part because an important food source disappeared? The suspected cause of extinction of the SHGE itself is destruction of the Gumwood Forest at one end of St. Helena. So, perhaps clear-cutting -> SHGE extinction -> SHG Hoopoe extinction, reinforcing the interconnection of living things in complex ecosystems, and the need to avoid disrupting same where possible. As to how the particular (alien, unloved) earwigs here can survive under water for a while, insects breath through lateral spiracles coupled to tracheae, internal air tubes that run directly into the tissues. At least in some cases well investigated like the cockroaches you mention, the spiracles have both protective guard hairs and associated muscles so that they can be closed off completely by the insect, and in addition the outer parts of the tracheal tubes are hydrophobic (unwettable), like the outer cuticle. Thirsty roaches are quite happy to submerge themselves for a while to drink. No doubt earwigs have similar specializations permitting their dunking, but I'm sure they can't actually live under water indefinitely. They certainly float and will swim around in a toilet bowl, so the question would be how yours managed to get under water in the first place -- presumably they didn't, but simply sank when you pulled the plug and then hung on for dear life, to anything nearby (?). Steve Quoting Angus MacLean : > Re recent discussion on possibly dwindling populations of earwigs, I > would personally be pleased to see the day when they are on the > endangered list. However, l liken earwigs to cockroaches in that they > will be here long after humans are gone from this earth. > > In any case we had an interesting case of an earwig which was > adaptable to another environment. We have a backyard pond in which > are a number of goldish. We remove them from the pond for the winter. > A few days ago my wife noted something on one of them when we took > them out. It was an earwig !!) latched on to the goldfish. > > We have to partially drain the pond in order to net them so only > about 3-4 ins of water is left. Although it is known that earwigs > like wet conditions (try leaving a wet mop out overnight), there is > no indication they can live in water. There must be an explanation > but...?? > > Incidentally there is one earwig, the St. Helena Earwig, on the > endangered list. It is the largest earwig in the world and recovery > plans are already underway. How scarce resources and monies are > wasted! (I expect a backlash re the latter statement). > > Angus Subject: Re: Unknown Flower From: "Andy Dean" <aadean AT ns.sympatico.ca> Date: Tue, 17 Nov 2009 10:29:34 -0400 Hi james. I may be able to help you. Andy Dean 86 Baden Powell Drive Kentville, NS. Canada. B4N 5P5 Tel: [902] 678-6243 aadean AT ns.sympatico.ca ----- Original Message ----- From: James Hirtle To: Naturens Naturens Sent: Monday, November 16, 2009 11:25 PM Subject: [NatureNS] Unknown Flower I have an unknown flower which was in perfect bloom along the Back Harbour Trail in Lunenburg the other day. Those interested in getting a id for me send me an email and I'll send the pic. James R. Hirtle Bayport ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Get a great deal on Windows 7 and see how it works the way you want. See the Windows 7 offers now. Subject: "The carbon the world forgot" - article From: Suzanne Townsend <suzanne.townsend AT gmail.com> Date: Tue, 17 Nov 2009 09:05:15 -0400 About the Boreal forest ... as one review intro put it, "Canada’s boreal forest alone stores upward of 208 billion tons - the global figure is WAY more! Perhaps now might be the time to stop cutting it all down, eh?" http://www.borealbirds.org/blog/?gclid=CLSMoIjtkZ4CFcts4wodfEQfrQ Subject: RE: Earwigs From: bdigout AT seaside.ns.ca Date: Tue, 17 Nov 2009 07:04:35 -0400 (AST) > I had a problem with earwigs in onions in my garden. They would eat a hole in the stem and live inside. This didn't bother the bulb, but made the onion stems unusable for salads, stews, etc. I haven't bothered growing onions now in a few years. Billy I heard a similar thing about earwigs infesting apples. A friend of mine > who > works on an organic farm told me they had no problem with earwigs and > mentioned on a side note that there were many ant hills in the orchards. I > have heard of ants being very territorial and wondered if they would kill > earwigs, therefore preventing the infestation of the apples. Does anyone > have any thoughts on this? > > Lucas Berrigan > > -----Original Message----- > From: naturens-owner AT chebucto.ns.ca [mailto:naturens-owner AT chebucto.ns.ca] > On Behalf Of Roland McCormick > Sent: November 16, 2009 8:15 PM > To: naturens AT chebucto.ns.ca > Subject: Re: [NatureNS] Earwigs > > Hello Angus - > No complaints from me - both earwigs and cockroaches are on my > killl > list. > We don't have a lasge number of earwigs in this part of Barrington > at > > the moment, but I did get quite a few this year in my peaches. They make a > hole near the stem, and go in and live and eat on the inside near the > center > > of the peach. > > Roland. > > ----- Original Message ----- > From: "Angus MacLean" > To: > Sent: Monday, November 16, 2009 1:12 PM > Subject: [NatureNS] Earwigs > > >> Re recent discussion on possibly dwindling populations of earwigs, I >> would personally be pleased to see the day when they are on the >> endangered list. However, l liken earwigs to cockroaches in that they >> will be here long after humans are gone from this earth. >> >> In any case we had an interesting case of an earwig which was >> adaptable to another environment. We have a backyard pond in which >> are a number of goldish. We remove them from the pond for the winter. >> A few days ago my wife noted something on one of them when we took >> them out. It was an earwig !!) latched on to the goldfish. >> >> We have to partially drain the pond in order to net them so only >> about 3-4 ins of water is left. Although it is known that earwigs >> like wet conditions (try leaving a wet mop out overnight), there is >> no indication they can live in water. There must be an explanation >> but...?? >> >> Incidentally there is one earwig, the St. Helena Earwig, on the >> endangered list. It is the largest earwig in the world and recovery >> plans are already underway. How scarce resources and monies are >> wasted! (I expect a backlash re the latter statement). >> >> Angus >> > > > ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- > ---- > > > > No virus found in this incoming message. > Checked by AVG - www.avg.com > Version: 8.5.425 / Virus Database: 270.14.67/2506 - Release Date: 11/16/09 > 07:43:00 > > No virus found in this incoming message. > Checked by AVG - www.avg.com > Version: 9.0.707 / Virus Database: 270.14.66/2504 - Release Date: 11/16/09 > 15:53:00 > > > Subject: Unknown Flower From: James Hirtle <jrhbirder AT hotmail.com> Date: Tue, 17 Nov 2009 03:25:05 +0000 I have an unknown flower which was in perfect bloom along the Back Harbour Trail in Lunenburg the other day. Those interested in getting a id for me send me an email and I'll send the pic. James R. Hirtle Bayport _________________________________________________________________ Ready. Set. Get a great deal on Windows 7. See fantastic deals on Windows 7 now http://go.microsoft.com/?linkid=9691818 Subject: RE: Earwigs From: "Lucas Berrigan" <coppersmithbarbet AT yahoo.ca> Date: Mon, 16 Nov 2009 20:30:10 -0400 I heard a similar thing about earwigs infesting apples. A friend of mine who works on an organic farm told me they had no problem with earwigs and mentioned on a side note that there were many ant hills in the orchards. I have heard of ants being very territorial and wondered if they would kill earwigs, therefore preventing the infestation of the apples. Does anyone have any thoughts on this? Lucas Berrigan -----Original Message----- From: naturens-owner AT chebucto.ns.ca [mailto:naturens-owner AT chebucto.ns.ca] On Behalf Of Roland McCormick Sent: November 16, 2009 8:15 PM To: naturens AT chebucto.ns.ca Subject: Re: [NatureNS] Earwigs Hello Angus - No complaints from me - both earwigs and cockroaches are on my killl list. We don't have a lasge number of earwigs in this part of Barrington at the moment, but I did get quite a few this year in my peaches. They make a hole near the stem, and go in and live and eat on the inside near the center of the peach. Roland. ----- Original Message ----- From: "Angus MacLean" To: Sent: Monday, November 16, 2009 1:12 PM Subject: [NatureNS] Earwigs > Re recent discussion on possibly dwindling populations of earwigs, I > would personally be pleased to see the day when they are on the > endangered list. However, l liken earwigs to cockroaches in that they > will be here long after humans are gone from this earth. > > In any case we had an interesting case of an earwig which was > adaptable to another environment. We have a backyard pond in which > are a number of goldish. We remove them from the pond for the winter. > A few days ago my wife noted something on one of them when we took > them out. It was an earwig !!) latched on to the goldfish. > > We have to partially drain the pond in order to net them so only > about 3-4 ins of water is left. Although it is known that earwigs > like wet conditions (try leaving a wet mop out overnight), there is > no indication they can live in water. There must be an explanation > but...?? > > Incidentally there is one earwig, the St. Helena Earwig, on the > endangered list. It is the largest earwig in the world and recovery > plans are already underway. How scarce resources and monies are > wasted! (I expect a backlash re the latter statement). > > Angus > ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- ---- No virus found in this incoming message. Checked by AVG - www.avg.com Version: 8.5.425 / Virus Database: 270.14.67/2506 - Release Date: 11/16/09 07:43:00 No virus found in this incoming message. Checked by AVG - www.avg.com Version: 9.0.707 / Virus Database: 270.14.66/2504 - Release Date: 11/16/09 15:53:00 Subject: Re: Earwigs From: "Roland McCormick" <roland.mccormick AT ns.sympatico.ca> Date: Mon, 16 Nov 2009 20:15:29 -0400 Hello Angus - No complaints from me - both earwigs and cockroaches are on my killl list. We don't have a lasge number of earwigs in this part of Barrington at the moment, but I did get quite a few this year in my peaches. They make a hole near the stem, and go in and live and eat on the inside near the center of the peach. Roland. ----- Original Message ----- From: "Angus MacLean" To: Sent: Monday, November 16, 2009 1:12 PM Subject: [NatureNS] Earwigs > Re recent discussion on possibly dwindling populations of earwigs, I > would personally be pleased to see the day when they are on the > endangered list. However, l liken earwigs to cockroaches in that they > will be here long after humans are gone from this earth. > > In any case we had an interesting case of an earwig which was > adaptable to another environment. We have a backyard pond in which > are a number of goldish. We remove them from the pond for the winter. > A few days ago my wife noted something on one of them when we took > them out. It was an earwig !!) latched on to the goldfish. > > We have to partially drain the pond in order to net them so only > about 3-4 ins of water is left. Although it is known that earwigs > like wet conditions (try leaving a wet mop out overnight), there is > no indication they can live in water. There must be an explanation > but...?? > > Incidentally there is one earwig, the St. Helena Earwig, on the > endangered list. It is the largest earwig in the world and recovery > plans are already underway. How scarce resources and monies are > wasted! (I expect a backlash re the latter statement). > > Angus > -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- No virus found in this incoming message. Checked by AVG - www.avg.com Version: 8.5.425 / Virus Database: 270.14.67/2506 - Release Date: 11/16/09 07:43:00 Subject: Earwigs From: Angus MacLean <angusmcl AT ns.sympatico.ca> Date: Mon, 16 Nov 2009 13:12:21 -0400 Re recent discussion on possibly dwindling populations of earwigs, I would personally be pleased to see the day when they are on the endangered list. However, l liken earwigs to cockroaches in that they will be here long after humans are gone from this earth. In any case we had an interesting case of an earwig which was adaptable to another environment. We have a backyard pond in which are a number of goldish. We remove them from the pond for the winter. A few days ago my wife noted something on one of them when we took them out. It was an earwig !!) latched on to the goldfish. We have to partially drain the pond in order to net them so only about 3-4 ins of water is left. Although it is known that earwigs like wet conditions (try leaving a wet mop out overnight), there is no indication they can live in water. There must be an explanation but...?? Incidentally there is one earwig, the St. Helena Earwig, on the endangered list. It is the largest earwig in the world and recovery plans are already underway. How scarce resources and monies are wasted! (I expect a backlash re the latter statement). Angus Subject: E, Grosbeaks From: win&Ina <win AT eastlink.ca> Date: Mon, 16 Nov 2009 11:13:59 -0400 A little flock of eight E, Grosbeaks at our feeders this am W, Kettleson Truro Subject: Western birds in East: documentation and photos From: iamclar AT DAL.CA Date: Mon, 16 Nov 2009 10:38:29 -0400 All: Browsing a few mailing lists reveals several western and southwestern avian strays lately in n.e. U.S.A. and e. Canada suggesting that others may be that may be in the pipeline for us. These include an Ash-throated and Sulpher-bellied flycatcher, Cave Swallows, and an astonishing Phainopepla (their 2nd) in s. ON; Western Tanager and Townsend's Warbler in MA; and an Ash-throated Flycatcher in Ferryland, Avalon Penin., N.L. This is the time of year for such things. Of course it's unfortunate for the worong-headed birds (as Hans Toom has pointed out) but it helps build up a picture of where such birds come from and what goes wrong. That's why details (and photos) of such birds as our Sp. Towhee and Black-thr. Gray Warbler are useful. Age and sex (oops, gender) are the birds helps address old questions about which birds are most likely to "choose" fly to or be wafted off course. Males are more likely to overshoot in spring (their tactic is to get there first and claim territories, and they don't have the burden of having to produce eggs on arrival). But there is also a notion that young males are more explorative (new worlds to conquer?) even in fall. That's why the sex and age of the Bl-thr, Gray W. are of interest. First fall males and AHY ("adult") females share some features, and photos like the nice one posted by Mike King might settle this point. There are also subtle differences among three heavily white-spotted subspecies of Spotted Towhee that might be expected here, and the many good photos of it might help assess the ultimate origin of the bird. Same thing with "southern" strays. Dave Currie just sent some nice pics of Dartmouth's Yellow-throated Warbler, showing it to be a partyicularly long-billed, yellow-lored and yellow chinned bird of the sort breeding largely in the Delmarva Peninsula - what proportion of our birds come from that (nearest?) population? So, as Mike King Says, "go birding" (and take photos and notes). There endeth the preaching. Cheers, Ian Subject: Northumberland birding Nov. 14, 2009 From: Ken McKenna <kenmcken AT eastlink.ca> Date: Mon, 16 Nov 2009 08:01:36 -0400 Ken McKenna Box 218 Stellarton NS B0K 1S0 902 752-7644 On Sat. Nov. 14, I saw a BROWN THRASHER near McCulloch House museum in Pictou. It was rediscovered in the same spot on Sunday by Ally and Hughie Manthrone. At Waterside on Sat., I noted a bright PINE WARBLER with a couple of Myrtle Warblers and 10 Red-throated Loons . The beach was visited by a Merlin and a Northern Harrier, putting up a couple of Snow Buntings. A dozen Sanderling were put up by unleashed dogs on the beach. A lone Great Blue Heron remains at a pond in the park.I carried on up the shore to Sand Pt. but the birding was slow. There were 7 Dunlin at Brule Pt. Rick Ferguson also reports a Baltimore Oriole has been in apple trees in his back yard in Westville off and one the last few days. He last saw it on Nov. 14 but it likely is still around. Rick did a walk in the woods in French River on Nov. 14 and noted a Black-backed Woodpecker and Gray Jays. cheers Ken Subject: Pictou Co. observations Nov. 15 From: Ken McKenna <kenmcken AT eastlink.ca> Date: Mon, 16 Nov 2009 08:04:09 -0400 Ken McKenna Box 218 Stellarton NS B0K 1S0 902 752-7644 Hi all Rick Ferguson and I birded Big I. on a warm (18C) Sunday, Nov. 15 We noted a couple of Wooly Bear catepillars, a couple of Peepers calling and although we were not really looking at the flowers, we noted Red Clover, White Sweet Clover, Mustard and Aster Sp. still in bloom. We saw a total of 42 species of birds. Here are some highlights: an ORANGE-CROWNED WARBLER, with 3 Yellow-rumped Warblers in the spruce-bayberry opposite Harmony Lane; 28 HORNED GREBES, 5 Red-throated Loons, 5 DUNLIN, 2 WHITE-RUMPED SANDPIPER, 1 GREATER YELLOWLEGS, AND 2 SANDERLINGS; 1 GREAT CORMORANT, 25 SNOW BUNTINGS, 9 CEDAR WARWING, 1 BROWN CREEPER, and 18 GOLDEN-CROWNED KINGLET. A nice find was a dark phase ROUGH-LEGGED HAWK over the salt-marsh that inspected the marsh briefly and then moved onto the mainland. There was also an imm. Northern Harrier and an imm. Red-tailed Hawk. We saw only one Gannet, a first winter, over the water, but there was also a dead one on the beach. In the late afternoon I heard a Toad trilling from my flower bed- at least that is what it sounded like! At Chance Harbour in the late afternoon, I noted 900 BONAPARTE'S GULLS and a flock of 600 RED-BREASTED MERGANSERS fly by the rocks near the wharf. Another nice find in that same area was a RAZORBILL diving about 200m off the rocks near the Chance Harbour Wharf -not a commonly found Pictou Co. bird. cheers ken Subject: Canso Causeway a week ago From: David McCorquodale <david_mccorquodale AT cbu.ca> Date: Sun, 15 Nov 2009 21:21:51 -0400 Last Saturday, 07 November 2009, in the howling wind there was an NSBS outing at the Canso Causeway. Winds had concentrated Atlantic Saury on the north side of the causeway. Thousands, probably 10,000, birds were there to take advantage. Highlights (numbers estimated): Northern Gannet 2500-3000 Double-crested Cormorant 40 Bald Eagle 50 Herring Gull 5000+ Great Black-backed Gull 1000+ Iceland Gull 15 Bonaparte's Gull 90 Ring-billed Gull 12 Black-legged Kittiwake 50 There were also 2 storm-petrels, very likely Leach¹s. Other birds of note were a few Common Goldeneye, including a hybrid Barrow¹sXCommon at Embree Pond in Port Hawkesbury that Ken McKenna picked out, and a Red-winged Blackbird at Point Tupper. Dave Johnston and Dave McCorquodale David McCorquodale Department of Biology Cape Breton University Box 5300, 1250 Grand Lake Rd., Sydney, NS B1P 6L2, CANADA 902-563-1260 david_mccorquodale AT cbu.ca FAX: 902-563-1880 David W. Johnston Mary K. Johnston 207 Hiram St. Port Hawkesbury N.S. B9A 2C3 902 625 1534 dwj.jem AT ns.sympatico.ca Subject: South end Halifax oriole, cardinal, yellowthroat From: Andrew Horn <aghorn AT dal.ca> Date: Sun, 15 Nov 2009 09:34:43 -0400 Hi all, More evidence of the interesting hide and seek stage of our late fall/ early winter songbirds that everyone's been reporting: -- on Bridges Street, a one-off appearance by a Baltimore oriole on Tuesday and a male cardinal this morning -- at Pt Pleasant Park, a male Common Yellowthroat (first year?) on Wednesday (not seen since; it was at the pond with the knotweed control tarp) Cheers, Andy Horn Halifax Subject: louisbourg and area From: bill bussey <busseybill AT yahoo.ca> Date: Sun, 15 Nov 2009 05:16:58 -0800 (PST) Millie Parsons, Lorway Street, Louisbourg reported a brief visit from a female Baltimore Oriole in her yard. Bill Bussey __________________________________________________________________ Get the name you've always wanted AT ymail.com or AT rocketmail.com! Go to http://ca.promos.yahoo.com/jacko/ Subject: Northern Shrike, Barrow's Goldeneye, Glaucous Gulls, Etc. From: James Hirtle <jrhbirder AT hotmail.com> Date: Sun, 15 Nov 2009 04:21:51 +0000 I received an email complete with photos of a juvenile northern shrike, which was at Rhodes Corner. Dorothy Poole and I missed this bird by about an hour and a half today. We found some good birds though in our travels. At First South, there were 174 Canada Geese and 13 lesser scaup were nice. We saw our first three common goldeneyes for the winter season, two males and a female. These three were accompanied by a male Barrow's goldeneye. A lone male ring-necked duck was traveling with the scaup. At Kingsburg Beach there were two northern pintails a male and a female. There were the most gulls I've seen there with 60 Bonaparte gulls, two black-headed gulls were all I saw, five Iceland gulls, two glaucous gulls, 310 herring gulls and 23 greater black-backed gulls. I had a great blue heron at First South today and there are still quite a few about according to reports I'm getting. James R. Hirtle Bayport _________________________________________________________________ Windows Live: Friends get your Flickr, Yelp, and Digg updates when they e-mail you. http://go.microsoft.com/?linkid=9691817 Subject: Orioles and Warblers, central Halifax From: "P.L. Chalmers" <plchalmers AT ns.sympatico.ca> Date: Sat, 14 Nov 2009 23:26:22 -0400 Hi there, Today I was able to watch the birdlife in my backyard for the first time in several weeks. Black-capped Chickadees, Blue Jays, and American Goldfinches were busy at the feeders, and a Downy Woodpecker dropped in for a visit. My over-the-back-fence neighbour is preparing to landscape the overgrown backyard. I was sad to see a thicket of shrubs taken out, where the local Song Sparrows and visiting thrushes used to hide. While I was hanging out the laundry in the morning I heard one or two warblers, but never got a good look at any. Possibly Orange-crowned, from the call note. Later, I was chatting with my next-door neighbour, when we suddenly heard the harsh annoyed chatter of a Baltimore Oriole. We looked up in time to see three, if not four, fly out of the large Ash tree in her yard. She had seen one earlier in the week. I have a huge grape vine along one fence which has attracted them in other years. Last year my neighbour fed several Baltimore Orioles and an Orange-crowned Warbler all winter through; she is half-afraid she will be doing so again this year! Cheers, Patricia L. Chalmers Halifax Subject: black throat grey warbler 14 nov From: pipingploverss AT eastlink.ca Date: Sat, 14 Nov 2009 12:10:55 -0400 14 nov at 10 15 am , black throat grey warbler seen at the foot of coburg road seen by clyde stoddart then it was later seen at waegtic avenue seen by azor vienneau and david currie at 11 am clyde stoddart , david currie and azor vienneau Subject: Merlin From: "Gary Murray" <garymurray AT ns.sympatico.ca> Date: Fri, 13 Nov 2009 20:58:16 -0400 Hi all, There was a Merlin today chasing Rock Pigeons at The Public Gardens today. It was unsuccessful...unfortunately. cheers, Gary Bedford NS www.garymurray.ca http://garyamurray.blogspot.com/ Subject: Re: earwigs and sowbugs and woodpiles From: bdigout AT seaside.ns.ca Date: Fri, 13 Nov 2009 18:08:54 -0400 (AST) Earwigs seem to have a "naturalized " enemy here. A few years ago I was stripping some damp siding off my house, and spraying the hundreds of earwigs with soapy water as I went. When I went to my shed to get something and returned, a flock of House Sparrows flew from the house to a nearby tree. They didn't seem too frightened of me, which is unusual, and I realized why, since as soon as I moved away from the house, they'd fly in and feast on the earwigs. Since both are European visitors, could this be instinct? Billy I have been moving a bit of wood here in Wolfville, too, recently, and > there seem to > be more sowbugs or pillbugs than usual and no earwigs.Their absence does > not break my > heart. Unfortunately I suspect they are just on a "low" in their cycle and > will bounce back > with a vengence in a few years. Most insects seem to have quite pronounced > highs and > lows, population wise. I'm not sure whether anyone has studied these > cycles to see if they > can determine why they happen. JET > Subject: RE: Earwigs - a species at risk? From: Donald Mac Laughlin <mundobirder AT hotmail.com> Date: Thu, 12 Nov 2009 22:28:24 -0300 I think you just need to look to the far side of the basin Jon. I stayed at the Coastal Inn Kingfisher, Room 11, to be exact in July. Over the coarse of the night I picked 4 out of my head, another 7 off my body or out of the bed sheets, and killed more on the floor, carpet and walls. The first several were flushed but the rest went into a drinking glass on the nightside table. At about 1:00 AM when I called the desk to ask for another room I was told the hotel was full. When I went for a walk around the hotel grounds at 1:30 AM I saw there were only about half of the parking spots full. I called the front desk from my cell phone this time and asked if they had rooms available and he said yes, how many in my party. When I asked him why he had told me earlier there were no rooms available he said he was not allowed to change rooms only take new customers. The next morning when I took the glass of earwigs to the front desk I was told she was sorry (and grossed out) but she could not do anything for me. When I asked for her boss she called someone who told her to take $5.00 off of my bill if I was complaining that much. Sorry If I'm venting a bit on NatureNS but I just want to say that I DON'T THINK THERE ARE ANY SHORTAGE OF FLIPPING EARWIGS IN DIGBY COUNTY!!!!!!!!!!! O yes... this post reminds me I wanted to find some of those hotel review websites........ This email address is not checked for incomming mail. If you need to send me a mail please send it to dmbluenoser AT hotmail From: jon-percy AT ns.sympatico.ca To: naturens AT chebucto.ns.ca Subject: [NatureNS] Earwigs - a species at risk? Date: Thu, 12 Nov 2009 17:38:42 -0400 Over the last while there has been some discussion about unusual natural history observations apparently associated with the unusual spring/summer weather that we experienced this year. I have one such observation that I'd like to share; and invite comments Every fall in late October - early November I transfer my 5-6 cords of wood from the summer seasoning location to my basement. Traditionally, I spend a lot of time wacking logs together to knock off earwigs and pill bugs intent on overwintering in the woodpile before loading them in the wagon for transport. This year, there was the usual contingent of pill bugs but no sign of any earwigs..... and I don't mean there were just a few...but not a single one!!! The logs were stacked in exactly the same place and in exactly the same fashion. Usually, in spite of all the wacking I end up with a writhing mass of the loathsome critters in my wagon. But not this year...... none, not one, nada, zip, zero!!!! don't know whether this is a local phenomenon or something of broader geographical import. Should I be contacting the species at risk folk about adding another candidate to their list??? Has anyone else noted a decided absence of these loveable creatures? Curious Jon Percy Granville Ferry, NS (Across from Annapolis Royal!) _________________________________________________________________ Ready. Set. Get a great deal on Windows 7. See fantastic deals on Windows 7 now http://go.microsoft.com/?linkid=9691818 Subject: earwigs and sowbugs and woodpiles From: "Jean Timpa" <jtimpa AT ns.sympatico.ca> Date: Thu, 12 Nov 2009 20:56:27 -0400 I have been moving a bit of wood here in Wolfville, too, recently, and there seem to be more sowbugs or pillbugs than usual and no earwigs.Their absence does not break my heart. Unfortunately I suspect they are just on a "low" in their cycle and will bounce back with a vengence in a few years. Most insects seem to have quite pronounced highs and lows, population wise. I'm not sure whether anyone has studied these cycles to see if they can determine why they happen. JET Subject: Re: How green is your pet? From: Patrick Kelly <patrick.kelly AT dal.ca> Date: Thu, 12 Nov 2009 20:30:58 -0400 Hi all: There is a pretty good rule of thumb when it comes to vehicles. The amount of energy it takes to create one is about the same as the total that it will use, over its expected lifespan, which is usually pegged at 10 years for a modern car. So in the case of the SUV, there is an upfront cost of 4.1 hectares, just to make it. That is one more reason why smaller vehicles are more environmentally frienndly... smaller initial footprint. Pat On Nov 10, 2009, at 9:47 AM, Christopher Majka wrote: > Hi folks, > > > Meanwhile, an SUV (the Vales used a 4.6-litre Toyota Land Cruiser in > their comparison) driven a modest 10,000 kilometres a year, uses > 55.1 gigajoules, which includes the energy required both to fuel and > to build it. One hectare of land can produce approximately 135 > gigajoules of energy per year, so the Land Cruiser's eco-footprint > is about 0.41 hectares, less than half that of a medium-sized dog. > So, a large dog has about 2.5 times the environmental impact of a > gas-guzzling SUV! > > > Christopher Majka > 6252 Jubilee Rd., Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada B3H 2G5 > c.majka AT ns.sympatico.ca > > "The further backward you can look, the further forward you can > see." - Winston Churchill > > = = ======================================================================== 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: Re: Earwigs - a species at risk? From: Phil & Maria <philmaria AT xplornet.com> Date: Thu, 12 Nov 2009 20:24:25 -0400 Earwigs are alive and well here in Debert...no chance of extinction any time soon! Maria Forman Jon Percy wrote: > Over the last while there has been some discussion about unusual > natural history observations apparently associated with the unusual > spring/summer weather that we experienced this year. I have one such > observation that I'd like to share; and invite comments > Every fall in late October - early November I transfer my 5-6 cords of > wood from the summer seasoning location to my basement. Traditionally, > I spend a lot of time wacking logs together to knock off earwigs and > pill bugs intent on overwintering in the woodpile before loading them > in the wagon for transport. This year, there was the usual contingent > of pill bugs but no sign of any earwigs..... and I don't mean there > were just a few...but not a single one!!! The logs were stacked in > exactly the same place and in exactly the same fashion. Usually, in > spite of all the wacking I end up with a writhing mass of the > loathsome critters in my wagon. But not this year...... none, not one, > nada, zip, zero!!!! don't know whether this is a local phenomenon or > something of broader geographical import. Should I be contacting the > species at risk folk about adding another candidate to their list??? > Has anyone else noted a decided absence of these loveable creatures? > > Curious > Jon Percy > Granville Ferry, NS > (Across from Annapolis Royal!) Subject: Re:Spotted Towee photos & update From: "James W. Wolford" <jimwolford AT eastlink.ca> Date: Thu, 12 Nov 2009 17:20:15 -0400 Normally I would thank Bernard with a personal note, but this time I want to say a huge thanks for NOT putting it just on the RBA Web-site -- my lack of skills with the Internet, and my challenge just to keep up with NatureNS postings, keep me from trying to go to other sites, including Hatchet Lake. I think I tried to access the RBA site a couple of times and failed. No response needed nor wanted. Great shots, thanks, Bernard! from Jim in Wolfville. Begin forwarded message: > From: bernard burke > Date: November 12, 2009 1:55:34 PM AST > To: ns-rba AT yahoogroups.com, naturens AT chebucto.ns.ca > Subject: [NatureNS] Re:Spotted Towee update > Reply-To: naturens AT chebucto.ns.ca > > The Spotted Towee at Hatchet Lake was seen several times this > morning. Graham had seen it for what I believe was the third time > just as I got out of my car. The bird decided though, not to give > up his lifer staus to me that easy, and it had disappeared the few > seconds it took me to get to Grahams house. Being its continuous > reappearance, I felt the odds were good to see it, and sure enough > aproximately 40 minutes later, at about twenty to 12:00 p.m. it > appeared for about 10 minutes. I have posted about 8 photos on the > following two links: > > http://bernieb.smugmug.com/Other/recent-pics/916397_ynXPk#P-35-9 > > http://bernieb.smugmug.com/Other/recent-pics/916397_ynXPk#P-36-9 > > Bernard Burke > blburke AT ns.sympatico.ca > Dartmouth Subject: RE: Earwigs - a species at risk? From: Ken MacAulay <kenmacaulay AT eastlink.ca> Date: Thu, 12 Nov 2009 18:42:00 -0400 Jon, they are certainly not at risk in south west Nova Scotia. As an introduced species with few natural predators, perhaps something local has finally added earwigs to its diet. We can but hope! Ken MacAulay Port Mouton, Queens County, NS Subject: Re: Earwigs - a species at risk? From: Susann Myers <myerss AT eastlink.ca> Date: Thu, 12 Nov 2009 18:29:06 -0400 Hi, Jon. After being a major plague in Louisbourg, Cape Breton, for the past 8 to 10 years, earwigs were conspicuously absent there this year. They appeared in huge numbers in my yard in Halifax for the first time this year, though - so I think the species will live on. Susann Myers ----- Original Message ----- From: Jon Percy To: Naturens Sent: Thursday, November 12, 2009 5:38 PM Subject: [NatureNS] Earwigs - a species at risk? Over the last while there has been some discussion about unusual natural history observations apparently associated with the unusual spring/summer weather that we experienced this year. I have one such observation that I'd like to share; and invite comments Every fall in late October - early November I transfer my 5-6 cords of wood from the summer seasoning location to my basement. Traditionally, I spend a lot of time wacking logs together to knock off earwigs and pill bugs intent on overwintering in the woodpile before loading them in the wagon for transport. This year, there was the usual contingent of pill bugs but no sign of any earwigs..... and I don't mean there were just a few...but not a single one!!! The logs were stacked in exactly the same place and in exactly the same fashion. Usually, in spite of all the wacking I end up with a writhing mass of the loathsome critters in my wagon. But not this year...... none, not one, nada, zip, zero!!!! don't know whether this is a local phenomenon or something of broader geographical import. Should I be contacting the species at risk folk about adding another candidate to their list??? Has anyone else noted a decided absence of these loveable creatures? Curious Jon Percy Granville Ferry, NS (Across from Annapolis Royal!) Subject: Re: Earwigs - a species at risk? From: Marg Millard <mmillard AT eastlink.ca> Date: Thu, 12 Nov 2009 18:28:41 -0400 If you are missing them, we have some to spare!! Marg Millard, White Point, Queens http://MargMillard.ca Subject: Buntings and oriole From: bdigout AT seaside.ns.ca Date: Thu, 12 Nov 2009 18:15:32 -0400 (AST) A friend had an oriole picking at some apples at his deer blind near St. Peter's yesterday. He described it to a T. Also, I've seen several small groups of snow buntings the last couple of days. Billy Subject: Hummingbird - Kentville From: "Judy Tufts" <tandove AT ns.sympatico.ca> Date: Thu, 12 Nov 2009 18:02:57 -0400 This is a late report. My computer has been out of action for a couple of weeks. An imm. male RUBY-THROAT HUMMINGBIRD has been visiting a home in the Fox Hill Subd., Kentville, since Oct 23 /09. The last time it was seen at the hummingbird feeder was around 7 a.m. on Nov 9. I spent an 1 1/2 hrs there with the homeowner that afternoon - the day I heard about it through a mutual friend - but the hummer did not re-appear. Cheers, Judy Tufts >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> Judy Tufts Wolfville <<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<< Subject: Earwigs - a species at risk? From: "Jon Percy" <jon-percy AT ns.sympatico.ca> Date: Thu, 12 Nov 2009 17:38:42 -0400 Over the last while there has been some discussion about unusual natural history observations apparently associated with the unusual spring/summer weather that we experienced this year. I have one such observation that I'd like to share; and invite comments Every fall in late October - early November I transfer my 5-6 cords of wood from the summer seasoning location to my basement. Traditionally, I spend a lot of time wacking logs together to knock off earwigs and pill bugs intent on overwintering in the woodpile before loading them in the wagon for transport. This year, there was the usual contingent of pill bugs but no sign of any earwigs..... and I don't mean there were just a few...but not a single one!!! The logs were stacked in exactly the same place and in exactly the same fashion. Usually, in spite of all the wacking I end up with a writhing mass of the loathsome critters in my wagon. But not this year...... none, not one, nada, zip, zero!!!! don't know whether this is a local phenomenon or something of broader geographical import. Should I be contacting the species at risk folk about adding another candidate to their list??? Has anyone else noted a decided absence of these loveable creatures? Curious Jon Percy Granville Ferry, NS (Across from Annapolis Royal!) Subject: Re: Hearing Aid From: Brian Dalzell <aythya AT nb.sympatico.ca> Date: Thu, 12 Nov 2009 13:07:37 -0400 Thanks for the lead. I'm sure I would have found the Black-throated Gray the other day if I could of heard it, but I've totally lost my high frequency hearing. :<( ----------------------------------------------------------- ---- Don MacNeill wrote: > I'll respond to this on this list since it may be of interest to a number of > people. > > The device that Ian, Eric and I use is called a SongFinder. It is for > people who have lost the high frequencies in their hearing. It takes the > higher frequencies and drops them down to an audible range without changing > the lower frequencies, > > I have stood in the woods without it on and heard nothing. When I put it > on, suddenly there are bird chirps and songs all around me. > > The cost is about $700. The website is http://www.nselec.com/ > > Don > > Don MacNeill > donmacneill AT eastlink.ca > ----- Original Message ----- > From: "Brian Dalzell" > To: > Cc: > Sent: Wednesday, November 11, 2009 10:05 PM > Subject: Re: [NatureNS] Update: BLACK-THROATED GRAY WARBLER, Halifax > > > I meant to ask you Monday, what was that device you were using to amplify > sound? > > ------------------------------- > > > Subject: Port George and other issues From: Richard Stern <sternrichard AT gmail.com> Date: Thu, 12 Nov 2009 10:33:15 -0400 Hi, I checked out Port George at high tide this morning on my way here to Middleton - I didn't see nearly as much as the Giffins did yesterday, but there were 2 basic-plumaged Red-throated Loons of Cottage Cove, a still-breeding plumaged Red-necked Grebe, and 4 M + 1 F/imm. Harlequin Ducks, which immediately flew off in the direction of Margaretsville as soon as I laid eyes on them. On another note, I fully agree with Pat M., that one of the nicest aspects of birding in NS (and elsewhere) is the sociability of it - meeting old friends at rarity stake-outs etc. Another opportunity for this should be at meetings, e.g. of the NSBS, but the last couple I have been to had disappointingly low numbers for audiences. Unfortunately due to pressures at work etc. lately, the 1st chance I'm going to have to look for all those Halifax rarities will be Sunday, and it's supposed to rain all day, + I may be too tired to drive after working 24 hrs. on Sat. - we'll see! Meanwhile, good birding everyone --- Richard -- ################# Richard Stern, 317 Middle Dyke Rd. Port Williams, NS, Canada B0P 1T0 sternrichard AT gmail.com ################### Subject: Hearing Aid From: Don MacNeill <donmacneill AT eastlink.ca> Date: Thu, 12 Nov 2009 08:44:46 -0400 I'll respond to this on this list since it may be of interest to a number of people. The device that Ian, Eric and I use is called a SongFinder. It is for people who have lost the high frequencies in their hearing. It takes the higher frequencies and drops them down to an audible range without changing the lower frequencies, I have stood in the woods without it on and heard nothing. When I put it on, suddenly there are bird chirps and songs all around me. The cost is about $700. The website is http://www.nselec.com/ Don Don MacNeill donmacneill AT eastlink.ca ----- Original Message ----- From: "Brian Dalzell" To: Cc: Sent: Wednesday, November 11, 2009 10:05 PM Subject: Re: [NatureNS] Update: BLACK-THROATED GRAY WARBLER, Halifax I meant to ask you Monday, what was that device you were using to amplify sound? ------------------------------- Subject: Sober I. Harlequins etc. Nov. 11,2009 From: Ken McKenna <kenmcken AT eastlink.ca> Date: Thu, 12 Nov 2009 07:32:08 -0400 Ken McKenna Box 218 Stellarton NS B0K 1S0 902 752-7644 Hi all I spent some of Nov. 11 at Sober I., HRM. En route I came across a coyote at a beaver carcass in the Nancy's Cellar area and another coyote just south the south border of the Liscomb Game Sanctuary. I saw 4 Gray Jays and 4 Red-tail Hawks on the drive from Srellarton to Sheet Harbour. At a stop near the exit to Seloams Lake, there was a White-winged Crossbill in full song. Note, the spruce here and in a lot of the areas of northern NS are heavily laden with cones. On Sober I. the birding was a little quiet with 34 species recorded, but I was able to find an Orange-crowned Warbler, a Ruby-crowned Kinglet, 3 Grackles, a Brown Creeper, 1 Greater Yellowlegs ( only shorebird) and the highlight, 9 Harlequins including 2 adult males. cheers ken Subject: Black-backed Woodpecker From: Fritz McEvoy <fritzmcevoy AT hotmail.com> Date: Wed, 11 Nov 2009 23:36:09 -0400 Hi All, Yesterday while checking out a patch of dead spruce trees near my house for spruce bark beetle I heard and caught a quick glimpse of what I thought might be a Black-backed Woodpecker. Because it was near dusk I decided to return today to try and confirm the sighting. Today I returned and was successful in relocating the bird and even getting a few seconds of confirming video. I believe there was another Black-backed Woodpecker reported, in a similar habit near here (Beulach Ban Falls?) recently. Spruce Bark Beetle damage is sporadic here and I wonder if two birds can be found here, might they not be even more common over the more infested areas of the province? All the best. Fritz McEvoy Sunrise Valley CB (near Dingwall) _________________________________________________________________ Eligible CDN College & University students can upgrade to Windows 7 before Jan 3 for only $39.99. Upgrade now! http://go.microsoft.com/?linkid=9691819 Subject: Black-backed Woodpecker From: Fritz McEvoy <fritzmcevoy AT hotmail.com> Date: Wed, 11 Nov 2009 23:36:09 -0400 Hi All, Yesterday while checking out a patch of dead spruce trees near my house for spruce bark beetle I heard and caught a quick glimpse of what I thought might be a Black-backed Woodpecker. Because it was near dusk I decided to return today to try and confirm the sighting. Today I returned and was successful in relocating the bird and even getting a few seconds of confirming video. I believe there was another Black-backed Woodpecker reported, in a similar habit near here (Beulach Ban Falls?) recently. Spruce Bark Beetle damage is sporadic here and I wonder if two birds can be found here, might they not be even more common over the more infested areas of the province? All the best. Fritz McEvoy Sunrise Valley CB (near Dingwall) _________________________________________________________________ Eligible CDN College & University students can upgrade to Windows 7 before Jan 3 for only $39.99. Upgrade now! http://go.microsoft.com/?linkid=9691819