II lifaxFiQidMa ciralMqwsl rJUNE - AUGUST 1984 No. 36

Ua&~ax F-Lad Na.twuzLL.ste; do Nova. Scot& Mu~um, 1747 SurnmeA St., HaLL~ax, 8311 3A6

Mr d

N usJUNE - AUGUST 1984 No. 36

MEETINGS: First Thursday of every month at 8.00 pm in the Auditorium ofthe Nova Scotia Museum, 1747 Summer Street, Halifax.

FIELD TRIPS: are held at least once a month.

MEMBERSHIP: is open to anyone interested in the natural history of NovaScotia. Memberships are available atany meeting of the Societyor by writing to ——— Membership Chairman, Halifax Field Naturalists, c/o Nova Scotia Museum.

Individual memberships $7.00 per yearFamily “ $10.00 “

Sustaining “ $15.00This covers our fiscal year — January 1 to December 31.

Members receive the HFN Newsletter and notices of all meetings,field trips and special programs.

EXECUTIVE President John van der Meer Cr) 455—1029. (o) 426—8276for 1984: Vice—President Edna Staples (r) 868—2919

Treasurer Bernice Moores Cr) 422—5292 (o) 445—2500Membership Cohn Stewart Cr) 455—6576Secretary Michael Downing Cr) 823-2081Past—President Doris Butters (r) 463—0033

Directors:Projects John BrownlieProgram Co—ordinator. Filip Volckaert

‘Bill ‘FreedmanEric MafmbergAileen MeágherMary Pri.ni±osePierre Taschehau

NEWSLETTER Editor Doris Butters 463-0033Edna StaplesAileen Meagher

MAILING Halifax Field NaturalistsADDRESS: do N.S. Museum, 1747 Summer Street, Halifax, B3H 3A6.

HFN is a member organisation of the Canadian Nature Federation.HFN is incorporated under the Nova Scotia Societies Act.HFN NEWSLETTER is produced by courtesy of the Nova Scotia Museum.~ Now that running a car is so expensive, it would be appreciated if those

travelling in someone else’s car on field trips share the cost of the gas.Thank you.

3

in news

CONRAD’S BEACH -

Just a reminder that, while the mini-survey of Conrad’s is coming along, helpwould still be welcöiiied.

Linda is concentrating on insects andthe bird list is quite extensive, butthe intertidal zone needs to be worked onand mammals have been quite neglected.Much of the flora has been listed, butas the plants bloom in sequence over thefull season, there is sqre to be something unrecorded.

On July 7, Linda, Lesley and I tookan Australian visitor to the Conrad’sBeach area, using the opportunity todo a little collecting. Our visitorwas most helpful and she it was whofound the tiny snail, Suxwjjze.a sp, Thislittle chap was found in the area behind the dunes so is probably thespecies known as the ‘infamous’Amber Snail.

Of the less obvious ones we foundYellow Rattle, Blue-eyed Grass, Lesser Stitchwort, Kidney-leaved Buttercup, Sandwort and Sea Milkwort. Thepath to the dunes was bright withgolden-yellow Buttonweed (Cof.u_&t),which is very prolific in that area,butwhich I have not noticed in any otherlocal beach area.

If you would like to help with HFN’sMini-survey of Conrad’s Beach pleasecall LINDA MORRIS at 463-3150 and findout how best you can assist with thisproject. Thank you!

CONGRATULATIONS -

To DR. BILL and MRS. FREEDMAN on thebirth of Rachel Stephanie Jennifer, bornon July 25, 1984.

ODE TO THE PUBLIC GARDENS by RiQki C-S

Among the more common and obviousflowers in bloom that day were FieldBindweed, Beach Pea, Vetches, Clovers,Sheep Sorrel, Oxeye Daisy, Cinquefoil,Si 1 verweed, Hawkweeds, Buttercups,Yarrow, pineapple Weed and some WildStrawberries still in flower.

Try yourfor us -

and sendMuseum.for the

The Garden in the springIs such a lovely thing;And to see it in the summerNothing is more ‘funner’ (ouch!)We can’t ignore the fallWith trees so colourful and tall.But when snow is on the groundwe find we have to walk around.

HFN LOGO CONTEST —DON’T FORGET THEhand at designing a logoas simple a one as possibleor drop it off at the N.S.Yes — there is a prize

lucky winner, give it a try.

4

A BREEDING BIRD ATLAS IN THE MARITIMES?by

Peter Payzant(n.epn-in.ted Lkom Noucz Scotia 8-Di.do, cudh

pe)uit~44-Loni

An exciting new aspect of birding maybe about to develop in Nova Scotia.Following in the footsteps of successfulwork in Great Britain, New York, Ontarioand elsewhere, Maritime birders and interested naturalists may have the opportunity to take part in the compilation ofa Breeding Bird Atlas for the MaritimeProvinces.

A Breeding Bird Atlas is a book ofmaps. Each map shows the breeding rangeof a single species of bird, much likethe maps in field guides. Dots on themap indicate the breeding status of thespecies: a large dot indicates a confirmed record, a medium—sized dot a ‘probable’,and a small dot a possible breeder.

The first atlas was completed inBritain in 1976, after five years offield work. Britain was divided intosquares, 10km on a side, and volunteerswere assigned to each square. Between10,000 and 15,000 people worked on theproject over its five year life, spendinghours out in the field looking forindications of breeding activity. Theresult was the first detailed record ofwhat breeds where in Great Britain, andit was compiled almost entirely as theresult of volunteer, and in most cases:amateur, labour. Figure 1 shows a typicalmap from the British atlas. Each dotrepresents a square where the Oyster-catcher was found breeding, during theAtlas period.

Other countries became enthused, andprojects began in Europe, Australia andNorth America. In Canada, atlas projects are currently underway in Albertaand Ontario, and are in the planningstages in Quebec and Saskatchewan.

The area to be covered by the atlasis divided into squares, usually 10kmon a side as in the British atlas.Figure 2 shows the location of 10kmsquares in Nova Scotia, as defined ontopographical maps. Each square is

visited by a team who look for andrecord signs of breeding activity.No attempt is made to locate nests,partly because it takes ‘too long, butmainly because it woUld disturb thebreeding bird and might even lead~topredation.~ Instead, the observers lookfor clues, such as food or nestingrnatèriaLbeing carried, presènce.ofNcently fledged young, and ‘~o’ oh. A setof cr’iteria is u≤ed to classify’eacho~ser”ation into possible, probable, orc6nfirmed breeding status.

• Notes’are kept on pre-printed cardswhich are sent to local coordinators atthe.end of the season. After the cardsare êh~dked by th~ c~ordinator, they areénteted ~into a cornØiite~, V,hiéh’ in theend,’~lo,ts a,rnáp of the data’ returnedb/the observers:

:Jecause of the large areas covered,• organisers ~generallyfplan on the field—

wo’rk taking five years. This may ~seemlikearlong time, but in terms of-population dynamics it amounts to:almost a

..sna~pshot in time. The Atlas i~ valuabletheli as a sou~ce~Ofbaseiine information.Ten pr tw~ritS’,years down. the road, it willbe~& ~goo~ guidèt~as~ tob_h’owulthe populations

• pf vañoqs speçiês. ~re~ëhqngii~g. Atpres~nt, it i~ almost impossible to makea cor~viñcffig argument about changes in

-bir~,popu1ati.oñs.~t0ófpthemo~t’vàluable aspects of

the BBA-pro’jéct is that it documentsareas of special habitat. If a bird isdeteëtedasbr~éédiAg’iA onl9ã few uniquePlaces in the-Atlas •area, theil ‘tIi’ese~láces shbuid be kept in mindás needingjirotection’when threatened ~y development.Also; of course; this mayzindicate thattI4e sp6ciés itsélf’is in low.njthlierswithin the Atlas area, and manybe inneed of protection as a ‘threatened’ or!er[da’hgéred’ species.

• A Breeding Bird Atlas project is a• golden.opportunity to make a real con

tribution to the corpus of scientific

5

knowledge about birds. You will beacknowledged in the pages of a majorscientific work, and most importantly,one square (at least) on each of the200-Odd maps will be Your Square. Ifit is filled in, it is filled in because you found evidence that aparticular species was breeding in thatsquare. If it is blank, it is blankbecause you looked and looked, and didn’tsee any sign of that species breeding.

I.— .14

What about tbe beginner, perhaps onewho is a little unsure about his (or her)ability to correctly identify birds? Thisis all the more reason to get involved.Since this is a five-year project, youcan have a few years to go out with othersand learn the ropes. Then having acquiredthe necessary knowledge, you will be allset to lead a team into a square yourself.If you already can identify most of ourbirds, this is a chance to learn a newbirding skill - very few of us at presenthave the ability to analyse bird behaviourto tell whether or not an individual isbreeding.

Other reasons? Working on a square isa good excuse to go into unfamiliar territory and find out about new birdingareas you may never have known existed.It gives you a good reason to get outinto the field during a traditional lullin birding activity: late spring andsummer. And then there is the thrill of‘square—bashing’ or ‘block—busting’ —

making a special trip to a remote ordifficult area to quickly and efficientlysurvey it, and then leave — a specialtask requiring dedication and endurance.

The Maritime Breeding Bird Atlas project will require th&jôint efforts ofnaturalist orga~nisations in Nova Scotia,New Brunswick and Prince Edward Island.Considerable support vhll be requiredfrom Government agencies, and a full-timecoordinator will have to be hired for atleast part of the project. At present, itlooks like the qproiect will begin with apractise sêäsoñ next spring (1985),followed by the first aëtual field.seasonin spring and summer of~4986. •‘~,

4., .•~ it

The most iflortant ingredient in a• Breeding Bit~d Atlas projèct.is ~voldnteers.

• In order to decide whether vte go ahead with• :the project or not, we need a good idea of:hdw many, people are interested in taking~árt.’ If’ you want to be included in thisproject, or if you just want more information , please get in touch with

Peter Payzant 861-1607, or-by mail: atThe Nova Scotia Bird Society,do The Nova: Scotia Museum1747 SumerStreet, Halifax, N.S.B3H 3A6

There is something for evth-yoñein~aBreeding Bird Atlas project.’ Itis anambitious and worthwhile task, and takingpart mit would be a real milestone, notonly. fpi’ yoU as,an individual, but also inthe history of naturalist organisations inNova Scotia.- . -

Peter Payzant.

I

NEXT DEADLINE —

25 Octobe-’t 1984 15o’tthe NOVEMBER £-o-oue.Ma~LL contnibuti-0n4 toto N.S. MuhcLLm ORphone the EdLton. at

463—0033 1IIs~ L~—‘. A ., ~, -

Loon

I

p—IIS

SIII

.

6’

OYSTERCATCI-IER

From The Atlas of Breeding Birdsin Britain and Ireland.

4Fig. 1

....

S S•5.

.Se.S

•.

•..• S.

•5

•... S~ S... .:rr.

•.eS.e

•ee

S•;.SS. .S SI

•5

.S I

I.S..

SEP

I.S.

tel

S..S •l

• I.II •fl••

S.

.

1.

.

I

Fig. .2

TEN KILONEflR SQUARES IN

NOVA SCOTIA

I

Most naturalists like to discover something new, and many happ~’. naturailists have’left Drier Island, in southwestern NovaScotia, with a new feath& in their caps(or on their lists). “,Since many~wE~ll—known naturalists, including Van~der’~KloetMcLaren, Mills, Roland, Ersk’ihe, Cal’dwell,Tufts and others, have made piJgrima~es toBrier Island in search of the rare~ã’ndunusual, one would not. è’xpect to discovertoo much that is new on the island.

Yet the blood of the naturalist isthick and causes the mind to be stubborn.For years birders from.~a1-T acrô.s~~Cáifadahave gone to Brier Island,not:önly to seewhat others have seen, but hoping theywill find something new. Plants found nowhere else in Canada have been, and maycontinue to be, discovered ‘theté. (e.g.Mountain Avens (Gewn Pe.cAU).- The pathto Drier Island is well-trodden, and in’keeping with the :aimost religious tradition of the Halifax Field Naturalists‘to keep an eye on Nova Scotia’, Jim Stew-

• art and I set out on this long journey(foUr hburs from Halifax).

Both-of, us being young and-foolish-(myself more the latter), we hoped to discover a new species of frog; I had heardSpring Peepers and Wood Frogs. along withanother •strange •frog,.wh.ich I hoped-couldbe the Chorus Frog - a specie&,unrecordedin Nova. Scotia.. A week after’ hearing thestrange;’frog; and after lengthy persuasionJim was willing to abandon all in-questof the unknown but interesting (the- si.gnof a true naturalist!). .

‘‘~Loóking into thellnknown i$ ~ije runnin~ ~into~a cave’-’ you don’t ~e~’añythinguntiiyou’~.e9e~ha~e had tihi’e tó,adjList.It~the unknown-that is the ≤ubject of this naturenote; - -

ThiWis what happened. In the processof- investigating ponds in search of theelusive Chorus Fro’~; We shone oifrflashlights into ~the dark waters. It was thenthat ‘the unekjSected occurred. A: predacious Di Vin~ Beetle sWam up froUithe~ goóat the bottom of the pond and grabbed a

• Spring Peeper. The beetle mun~hedrthepeeper several tithes- and theh drag~ed it•to~the bØttom wh&’e it’continkied tearing

at the frog’s legs and stomach.Although the peeper was larger, thebeetle was by far the stronger and perhaps smarter, because its first attack wasdirected at the peeper’s strength - itsmuscular legs. Such an occurrence mayhave been witnessed by someone else, somewhere else, but to Jim and myself it was atrue discovery of something new! In manyways the joy of being a natuNTist is enhanced if your definition of ‘new’ is notnew to the world, but new to you.

By the way, we didn’t find any ChorusFrogs. The strange-sounding frogs I hadheard turned out to be peepers! Thus wealso found out how different SpringPeepers can sound - and that was alsonew to us.

David Lawley.

Early in August at Sandy Cove, EdnaStaples watched an Osprey with a fish being attacked by a seagull, the Osprey wasforced to drop his catch which the gullthen took

Four young but quite well—grown starlings were lying on the grasswith wings flat on the ground and headsturned towards the sun, then while stilllying on the ground each lifted its leftwing so that both head and wing faced thesun. Ricki GarrettSmith, who noticedthe birds, asks, does anyone know why theywould behave this way? — “almost like aballet”, she commented

A tid-bit from Audobofl magazine,appropriate to Barry Wright’s Septembertalk on wasps. Cornell University researchers needed 200 wasps but figured they’d haveto have fielp,so issued an appeal for liveSqueen yellow-jackets to be used to startlab. colonies. They sweetened their request by offering a pound of honey forevery insect received in good condition.So many donors lined up at the lab withbottles buzzing with yellow-jackets -

nearly 400 of them - that the universityhad to issue a cease-and-desist order!Once the lab colonies are going, the researchers will ‘milk’ the insects ofvenom to develop a serum to counteractthe poison of the sting; this has alreadybeen done with the honey-bee.

S

~- a

C

fieldWATER BIRDS ALONG THE EASTERN SHORE IN SPRING.Sunday, April 15, 1984.Eastern Shore, including

The deep inlets and sandy beachesalong the coast east of Halifax providejust the right kind of habitat for sea-birds, shorebirds and naturalists. EricCooke shared with us his many years ofexperience in this area, directing us tolocations most important to water birdsand pointing out distinguishing fieldmarks of the various species.

The rusty CN rails no longer carryfreight trains — instead, they lead eagernaturalists out over Cole Harbour, abrackish inlet abounding in wild life.

A company of Red—breasted Mergansersdived from the surface for a breakfastof small fish, while a hungry Ospreyskirted the shoreline, hovering in thatawkward-looking position as though tryingto climb up onto the edge of an invisible table. Of special interest forme was a single Black—headed Gull flyinglazily low over the water in a loopingfigure of eight — apparently in no hurryto get to a nesting site somewhere inIceland, northern Europe or perhaps,Siberia.

Our next stop was Conrad’s Beach wherethe breeze blowing off the water cooledthe sun’s rays quite a bit. However, our

Participants: 13Cole Harbour, Conrad’s Beach, Three Fathom

Harbour and area.

spirits lifted at. the sight pf fleet-wingedRed-Breasted Mergansers darting ove~headanth the graceful flight~of a Great. BlueHeron, slowly wafting its large wings, to

-glide silently into themarsh behind thedunes. With-scopes trained-on wave-crests, we discovered Oldsquaw, CommonEiders, Comon Loons and a-seal hiding-iA

- the wave-troughs just beyand:the surf 1 Farout to-sea the faint grey outline, of amigrating “V” emerged from the mist.Geese? Eric then taught us how-to distinguish between geese and cormoràntsat a distance of five..,miles. Geese arevery orderly, while cormorants are notqu’ites&d&,oted to rigid form. - Theirregular lines, of this !!V~indicated.migrating Double-crested Cormoçants. qreat

• Cormorants have already moved north. tonesting sites.

The beach beyond Fox Island raisedexcitement and a sigh of relief - fivePiping~ Plover. This species has been dédining in numbers throughout, its, range inNorth America during the past; 3O~4O years.Even on-protected-beaches, sUch-as LongPoint -in Lake Erie,- the Piping Plover -hasdisappeared,unable to compete with.theincreasing number of gulls whose summerroosting areas coincide with Piping Plover

Date:Site:

Weather: Bright, warm sun, breezy off the water.

9breeding beaches. I’m not sure how largethe Conrad’s Beach population was fiftyyears ago, but for the past twenty yearsonly about four or five pairs of thisendangered species still return to raiseyoung.As we watched these small birdsdodging the waves in their search for foodin the wet sand,; I wondered whether I wouldbe lucky enough to see them again next year.

A dozen amateur naturalists gatheredin the lee of the ~and dunes to feed onan assortthent of sãn~dwiches. They drankhot tea á’nd finished üØ with a rich milkchocolate,~which no dpubt provided themwith the energy to continue their trekalong’the éástern shore.

The marshy inlets and spit—boundlagoons provide habitat for Black Duck,Canada, Geese, Great Blue Heron, Greenwinded, Teal, Osprej’ and Red-breastedMergãnser. .

~Ôurulast’stopj.’at Three Fathom Harbour,yielded a coupleof. surprises.: An Iceland Guilwas feeding on the mud flatsamongst several Herring Gulls, instead ofheading for Baffin Island nesting sites.And closer inspection disclosed twoShort—billed Dowitchers also pecking inthe mud. These birds are common here inthe autumn, but rarely seen in the spring.

Before returning to the city, wepaused to reflect on the large number ofdifferent species using this section ofcoastline. It’s really amazing what canbe discovered with binoculars, field guideand someone like Eric, to point you in theright direction.

Species sighted - EasternApril 15, 1984 —

Gold Finch; Song Sparrow; Black—capped Chickadee; Osprey; Red—breasted Merganser; Common Loon;Black-headed Gull; Great BlueHeron; Old Squaw Duck; CommonEider; Double-crested Cormorants;Black Ducks; Mallard; PipingPlover; Herring Gull; Black-backed Gull; Killdeer; CanadaGeese; Red-winged Blackbird;Iceland Gull; Short—billedDowitcher; Green—winged Teal;Downy Woodpecker; Grackle;Starlings; Raven; Crow; andan elusive Kingfisher.

THE ROCKY SHORE AT PEGGY’S COVE

Sunday, 10 June, 1984. Participants: 17Cranberry Cove 1km west of Peggy’s CoveDr. Chris Corkett, Department of Biology, Dalhousie University.Warm (22°C), northerly wind at about 10 knots, clear sky, excellentvi sib ill ty.

The Halifax Field Naturalists couldn’thave chosen a better day to extend an invitation to the Blomidon Field Naturalistsfor a joint trip to the rocky intertidalzone at Peggy’s Cove. Two sites werevisited: one located in a sheltered area,the other in full exposure to the oceanswell (it was very gentle that day due toan offshore wind). We hunted between therocky crevices, among the seaweeds andalong steep walls for a variety of animalsand plants. The littoral fringe (upperpart of the intertidal zone) consists ofa zone of lichens (ca.uopeaca sp.), a

zone of bluergreen algae, a zone withRough Periwinkle (LLtton..Uui tugaoa) and atransition zone of bare rock.

The midlittoral fringe showed a not-too-well developed barnacle zone (SaLanu4ba2ano~Lde6), a mostly absent BlueMussel’”(My.tLfu4 eduLLo)) zone, adensw cover, ofFucus (F. vc.oZcu2os~ko and ~;with Smooth (LLtto’ang obtu4a..taj’ánd,Coftimon Periwinkle (L.uuo*eg) and Dog~whelk (rha.Lo .tcLpLttu4). At’thé bottonLofthis zone exténdéd a fringe of Irish’ Moss(Chonditws c*2’speL6) and otherred seaweeds.

John Brownlie.

Shore,

Date:Site:Guide:Weather:

10

The sublittoral fringe being rarelyexposed to the air, suffers no dessicationor freezing, and consequently carries arich fauna and flora. Several kelos(Atan2~5 e.o cuLen.ta, Lambw.n16 cUgLta.ta,L.4acchasLna ) and red seaweeds (conae.e..Lnao~UaUn&o, Paaw~a. pa.tmata or dulse,ana others) typify the zone. Animalsinclude the Horse Mussel (pAocjj.ofws mocUoZu4)bryozoans. hydrozoans, the sea anemones(Aat&via eqwtna), 1 impets (Aemae.a te.&tadAna.tto), and others.

A particularly interesting observationincluded a comb jelly named &n.oe.,a memberof the plankton, which propels itself alongby means of eight rows of combs. Tensof Hermit Crabs (Paga.ku~o sp.) lugging theirperiwinkle shell homes, crawled over thebottom.

Towards noon, a tall bordeaux-sailedschooner, the last of the Tall Ships,ploughed its way towards the sizzlingHalifax Harbour. The absentees werewrong

Filip Volckaert.

BEROE SP.

We also received a report from JimWolford of BFN’s (thank you, Jim), whonoted that the tidal range at Peggy’s isless than 2m “pretty paltry by Minas Basinstandards...” II He also commented on thebarrens plants (e.g. crowberry etc.) andthe bare rock transition zone with its blackRock Tripes(Llmb.j,Ucanja and La4at&a) andnoted amphipod and isopod crustaceans,green crabs, shore anemones and tiny fuzzycolonies of hydroids, mussels, limpets,Lo.euna snails and their egg cases.

He observed specifically the beauty ofthe Comb—jelly “...its red, moving comb—plates of cilia reflecting irridescentcolours from the sunlight...”

Later, Jim and others of the groupwent into Dartmouth for an across-the—harbour look at the docked Tall Ships,plus the scores of private sailing rigsfrom windsurfers to schooners, andthrongs of “gawkers like ourselves”.

(FIELDBO0K OF SEASHORELIFE, by Miner, 1950)

BIOLOGICAL FARMING IN ANNAPOLIS VALLEY.

Sunday, June 24, 1984. Participants: 28—30Basil Aldhouse’s Chicken Farm, Lawrencetown, Annapolis Valley

Bright, warm - about 20°C, fairly strong S.W. breeze.Dr. David Patriquin, Biology Dept., Dalhousie University.

The weather was warm and sunny as wemet at the NSM for this most interestingtrip to Basil and Lillian Aldhouse’s‘natural farm’ in Lawrencetown. Seven oreight years ago, Mr. Aldhouse noticed thatthere were no earthworms in any of hisfarm soil, and realised that his farm wasin deep trouble indeed. With the help andguidance of Dave Patriquin, he began anexperimental chicken—legume operation,

entirely free of artificial fertilisers,pesticides and herbicides. Weeds wereallowed to grow hand-in-hand with the cropsand the naturally-occurring insects arestill being studied by Dave’s assistant,for their important role in the scheme.Because of the saving in money by not having to buy increasingly expensive fertilisers, herbicides and pesticides, thefarm is now beginning to show a profit.

Date:Site:Weather:Leader:

11The 1500 chickens are kept happily in

a large, open, airy barn. The floor isthick with winter-wheat straw (grown onthe farm) as litter. It becomes richwith nutrients from the chicken-droppings,and when it is renewed, the enrichedlitter is recycled into the soil, at theappropriate time for each crop. Thereare ten fields under a rotation system,planted cyclically with faba beans, oats,clover and winter wheat. The pesticideand chemical-free eggs are marketedlocally, as are homemade gouda cheese,butter, milk and cream,from Lillian’sJersey cow. - -

Fába beans are a rather •new crop inNorth America, and are superbi’nitrogenfixers’;. that is, they. can .transfernitrogen from the-air to the soil whereit can beused as .änutrient by theplant...This leguminous crop is: used tofeed the Aldhouse chickens.

This~hole s9stem was explain~d iiidetail by. Dave Patriquin at one of ourregular monthly lectures. it is a sy$tem still in use in South America, andas I see it, here are the main rpoints-of importance - The’fields areplanted with-double ihe usual amount-of.best quality seed at the crucial timewhen, .even -though the naturally—Occurringweeds that seem to gO with each-crop areallowed to grow, the main crop wins out.The accompanying weeds, by providing fullground coyer, give pretection ‘to the soil

-from sun-drying and leaching-out.,of t~enutrients by rain. They help to fix nUtrients; and weeds with longtaptoots encourage earthworms, which, as we all know,are essential for aeration of soil andhumus protectiàn~ - -,

- . a fallow, weedy field, Dave demon—strated the three,~horizons’ which make

- - up the local soil: “A” 8”or 9” of darksurface sOil; “B” a red horizon; and“C” ~ a dark profile of a clayey ‘parent’soil. They have good reason to bél~ieve,he told. us, that plants with long táØroots,e.g. Canada Thistle, also have a part toplay by-bringing u~ from the lower layersnutrients which are held iirthe green partof the plant, tobe’returned to the soilas”green manure”Whin ploughed under.

Each èrop seem~to have its own specialarray of weeds and Dave suspects that thisis an essential part pf the whole workingsystem; After six years the earthworms.

are back, and also, more importantly , ithas supplied a naturally self-correctingneutral pH to Nova Scotia’a normally acidsoil, eliminating the need for the expensive additions of lime and calcium.

As Dave pointed out, it is actually allold knowledge which we are now,slowly andpainstakingly, trying to re—learn.

After lunching in the sunshine, andadmiring the Jersey’s new calf and thehuge blooms in the flower garden, we purchased eggs, cheese,butter, etc., fromMrs. Aldhouse, and headed back to Halifax.

Stephanie Robertson.

P.S. - Although engrossed with the techniques involved in running a self—sufficiencyfarm — we could not help but notice thenumber of trees stripped bare by the caterpillars of Winter Moth. Their tents developon certain fruit trees — notablycherries — then as a greater foodsource becomes necessary, the growingcaterpillars spread out, spinning afine thread as they go, and attack oak,poplar and birch trees. j~g saw lon9lines of 3’ long black caterpillarscrawling up one roadside oak, and theroad beneath was dark with squashedbodies. Another pest —green inchworm-,was chewing on the maple leaves.Apparently the larvae of most insects arevery choosy , and the fact that mostweeds have their dependent pests seems toaccount in part for the healthy conditionof Mr. Aldhouse’s main crops.

SPREADINGDOGBANE

(A FIELD GUIDE TOWILDFLOWERS, Peterson

and MoXenny, 1968)

Roadside weeds differ quite considerably from field weeds, and among the morecommon roadside plants we found SpreadingDogbane (A~cynum andao4czeinqot2um) inbloom. Related to the milkweeds, itsstems contain a milky juice; the petalsof its fragrant pale pink bells danglingfrom curved stalks, are striped insidewith deep rose, and are strongly recurved.

One final note - the fallow field wassheltering Bobolinks, which flew up outof the tall grass at our approach.

12

BIRDING ALONG THE MINAS BASIN WITH THE BLOMIDONFIELD NATURALISTS

Date: Sunday, 29 July, 1984 participants: 8HFN’ers; 30 BFN’ers.Place: Grand P6 area, nr. Wolfville. Leader: Jim Wolford, Blomidon FieldNaturalists

Weather: Clear, sunny, about 21°C, S.W. breeze.

We met the Blomidon Field Naturalistsaround 1.30 pm at Grand Pr~ Park, madesuitable anti—fly preparations and movedoff in caravan around the experimentaldyked farm area towards Evangeline Beach.Carefully skirting a dead skunk in theroadway, we parked the cars and crossed aploughed field towards a flock of gulls -

mainly Herring and Blackback and a coupleof Glaucus - waiting for the turn of thetide. Edging quietly forward, ‘scopes andbinocs at the ready, we waited while ourBFN guides explained that the migrantswe could expect to see would be adultbirds who come through first; the fledglings follow later although they havenever travelled the route before! Afterbreeding in the Hudson Bay area theseshore birds break their passage here forten or so days, feeding on shrimp-likecreatures, insects, etc., to increase theirbody fat in readiness for the long flightto South America. They seek open fieldsin which to rest just before high water,then at the turn of the tide spread out onthe mudflats to feed.

We did not have long to wait beforethousands of birds came drifting in,wheeling in unison as though held in an invisible net, their white undersidesflashing in the sunlight as the flocksreversed and circled before setting down.The whisper of wings and faint ‘peeping’seemed to flutter the air above us.

Among the predominant sandpipers wenoted dowitchers, willets, SemipalmatedSandpipers, Black-bellied Plovers,Hudsonian Godwit, Ruddy Turnstones, Knots,Ring—bills, and Semipalmated Plovers.Our Valley friends proved unhesitating intheir identification of individuals amongthe fast-moving flocks.

We eventually moved to a séèond aria,past a field as colourful as an alpinemeadow, thickcwith clovers, Canada ~Thistle,Wild Radish, Purple. Vetch and Ox-eye, Daisy.In the second area a~greyish~patchof.’peeps’rested, almost invisible against the stonesand clumps of manured earth. Now and againa few birds would fly up a little way,:moveover .and settling again -~ disappear. Apartfrom Semi2palrnãted Sandpipers ‘we observed aShôrt-billedDowitchér, a Least Sand~iØerand a, Hudsonian Godwit.

:By this time the tide was on the turnso we headed-for the beach behind MarshcrestFarm. Here tens of thousands of shorebirds,barely visible against the beach stones,were~al;readt spreading out for ~hundrecIs of

‘yards along-~the water~s edge, following the.fast—retreating tide.

• Far out to sea a line of Lidet’ DucI~could’ be seen, ~arid afew siñgle corñio?~ntsflapping steadily o(’er’the ~aVe~€ops;’Closerto hand we watched a hand glider sUspendedfrom a colourful ‘chut~~being towed abovea motortoat. ‘ ••‘ •: • -

We rested awhile, lazily watching ithe• birds and the water and talkiflg with our

new BFN friends u~til itWas time to leave~f& Halifax., Alto~ether arnost ~atisfyingafternoon, a ~erfeët day for. a shoi-e-bird

:walE ingood cothpany.. Thank you vefy:.thuchBloin’idon F.N’ers. One final •~otê -. it wasgreat tosee so many children: in the gtoup.

• . • -Doris Butters.

c

(A GUIDE TO FIELD• - IDENTIFIc4TION OF- - •-~ BIRDS OF NORTH

• ••. AMERICA, by RobbiBLACK-BELLIED PLOVER • Bruun, Zim and Si

1966)

HIKE TO ST. CATHERINE’S RIVER BEACH 13

“Specials” of the day found by TimRandall were a Small Purple FringedOrchis (Habe.nath p6ycode6 ) and a fewWhite Fringed Orchis (H. b&plwitZgtottü)

SiWL

OICHISPUPIl FIINGID

XI

(A BLeLd Guidc to (ULtd~ZowenA,Peten.oon and MeKernty, 19681

The path to the beach is quite lengthyperhaps one mile - but the view from theend of the •trail as it winds down to theshore is breathtaking. The dull roar ofthe breakers at the far end of the beachcan be heard quite clearly across thebarrens, long before they can be seen. Outto sea thick fog obscured the horizon andthe lighthouse.

As we left the bush habitat and enteredthe beach area, we came to the series ofsmall bays before the long stretch ofbeach. There we decided to have lunch, adecision reinforced by the sight of twoseparate flocks of birds, taken to becormorants, sitting on the water, and several seals sunning themselves on a rock.In the bay, anolder seal was keepingwatch while two younger seals frolickedas the young of all. species do. Theychased over and ‘around each other — theirtails flicking the water — the splashbeing quite clearly heard they were soclose in—shore. As the tide was coming inthe sun bathers were soon in the water aswell, though none seemed to join in thesport.

Two of us continued to the end of thelpng stretch of silvery beach to where the•ilver runs gently into the sea. LesleyButters walked ihshore’along the river for

,sóm& distance and reported that there is‘ñiuch to be explored back there when one hasenough time. We tried wading but despitethe hot sun the water was icy. At this endof the beach a flock of sand pipers(?) milling around the water line, rose, wheelEdand set down again just too’far awaS’ to beidentified withoUt binoculars’. Finallythey rose, turned towards the dunes, paleundersides flashing, then in mid-air —

seemed~to disappear!~Atew small white seabirds hovered over

the nioiith of the ‘river, then dropped like astone ‘into the Water apparently to spearfish, although I did not actually see a fish.The birds were smaller than gulls, had quitesharp tails, black heads and a high-pitched,chipping cry. Then ;a number of Herring‘Gulls came iñ~ out of’the’ mist as the tideturned. ‘ ‘.

As we walked back along ‘the beach wefound several ‘beautiful, glossy, brown andwhite feathers (from a two-year old gull,perhaps?) ‘

One member of the group who had sta~te’dback at one of the small bays reported.howthe seals had •exhibited considerable curiosity about a very well-behaved dog whicharrived on the scene, but the arrival :‘ofa small motor boat had caused the birds andseals to disappear, leaving the sea •un~enlivened except for the ghostly Shapes ofa sail boat and the Little Hope Is]andlighthouse, now gleaming dimly through thefog which had receded towards ‘the horizon.

By then it was time to start the ‘~trekback to the cars — berry-picking as we’went - and the long drive home, carryinga memory of one of Nova Scotia’s mostmagnificent shorelines.

Elizabeth Surrett

Participants: 6Date: Sunday, 5 August 1984.Site: St. Catherine’s RiverBeach at Port Joli, Queens CountyWeather 20°C - clear skies — fresh S W breeze - fog offshoreLeader Tim Randall

It’s a long drive, to St Catherine’sRiver Beach (once known~ as Caddèn BayBeach) but we1l~ worththe. effort.. Ohthis particular ‘day the róck~-filled paththrough the conifer woods~although sphagnum bordered .the’ patH andwe found scatt&~ed Horned’ Bladderwort(LltsLcuLa.’tia co~’&zwta). Through a bo~gyarea and across. an open~bárren to theshore, we noted witherod rhodora,spiraea(still in bloom), an occasionalwrinkled rose, blackberries, blueberriesaplenty and alders.

By ~his;time’de~fiAes were making their4resehcE fêltso we decided to explorefurther, noting mica sh2ning in a splitrock in’onê ireá :~ .

WNITE MINGEDOICNIS

‘XI

WHERE HAVE ALL THE BIG TREES GONE?

by Larry Bogan(Extcact £kom BLOMIVON FJELV NATURALISTSNe,w4Le,ttv~, o~ Septcmbek 7983).

I love trees, especially big, old treeswith character. Nova Scotia, being a’ province of trees with 80% of its land forestedshould be an excellent place to see thesetrees. Unfortunately, most of the trees Iwalk under are smaller, less stately plants.I would like to have a place where Shereare groves of large, towering, impressivetrees.

In my days I remember two places, maybe three, where I experienced the awe andreverence provided by large trees. Thefirst one I’ll mention is farthest fromhome, in New Zealand, where the residentsare proud of their trees and make an effortto preserve the large old ones. In touring that country I was pleased to findlarge trees of several species~noted onmaps for people to visit. I saw Kauri‘pines’ up to 46ft in girth and 167ft tall,and 1200 years old; I saw large oldTotara trees in a virgin forest; a largeMatai, and the oldest Puriri - a hardwood.In New Zealand there are abundant naturereserves set aside to preserve such treesand other native habitats.

The second spot that comes to mind wasin-the rain forest of Olympic’ NationalPark in the State of’ Washington, where,r’magnificent Douglas Fir trees grow.-Buteven- closer to’ home I~ stood. beneath-i -

stand of 200 year old -pines in: northwestConnecticut, and, was’ awe—struck.~ Theytowered l5Oft above me,, and the forest- -

floor-was open and scattered with pineneedles and a few shrubs. ~The quiet magnificence of this site has given the nameof ‘Cathedral Pines’ to ‘these, trees. ~heyare near Cornwall, Connecticut, and’ areprobably the’ best stand of trees in NewEngland. ‘ ‘ - -

My question is: why can’t we have. --

something -like these sites here-in Nova,Scotia? What happened to such Srees thatsurely existed in •the original Nova Scotia,forests? Even though our -forests have beencut since 1632 when the Frenchman,- Nicholas Denys, first started fishing and --

lumbering here, surely something. originalis left, or at least regrown to a respectable size. - -

E-fi(0

flE

50

1-h

~—

‘aau~

-soa,

.0E

flIr

n-.

cz

-a.~

=a.o

~~

an

ZC

ta(O

an’

rta

.cia

—‘fi

‘-C01

9(A

01

(00

~01~

a(+

•U

)cD

oo

a.a

Ct.

-h—

’~.

0•

DiC

~(D

CtE

-i.

~—

.a

DIZ

.aC

t—i

~U

)a’<

cii

nfl

•a

—‘C

tZC

D,

fl0

.-‘.0

101

Za-o

<r-sct

‘<Z

-01

CDa

oi.c

•c-t-U

)an,

0~

Orf

~<

:°0

a.c

+0

a.

a--

a=,

<,

Cf

~‘—

‘.

ma..

z0

’a

a~

.arta

U)J.

flo

ci-~

.

U)

am

U) C fl-5

,=

-01 U)

Dirt

U)a

s-f)

9=

n-.

s-.

j—a(o

[~o

0-i-s

-S~

—O

’—.C

Ct

fl01.9

Ct

-.

cia

o-=

-o.:w

.aa

-i.

•,=

•,a,

no

.Z

t9

CD

na

E-‘-

E~

a—

a—

.rn

U)

‘Sa

U)

=U)

‘pc-

FED

—“--a

><

=01

‘—-a

==

0-a

a.a

a—

ct

=~;

-vCD

a.

s,—

U)=

=0

,(0

U)Z

-%01

cc-s

-az

E—

aCD

ao

cl-s

c-f

__o•

U).

Ci~a

.ao•

o=

-o

=C

fC

DJ’<

Ct

0ci

a

Orftr

-4,

3—

aD

i:a

ni-s

‘c-S

~~co

ICD

‘ra

s-s

.=

0a

oci

-5,-

S?

crn

aoiU

)CD

=c-i-B

o.E

Dia

01=

fl--

S=

CDo

aa

-5,

0CD

aO

JD

i(npi

I’.)

r.

(0O

ZtU

)CD

ia.,.

-SW

itE

>.—

‘0(0

-atC

t’-<

Ct•.=

~C

tU)

=-

0(+

2’

(D.C

oc-

a(0

-ct

=‘

c-f

_I.

-4.

=_,

3a

c-f

a—5

~=

‘0 -S

Di

U)9-U

).E

—I-

aZ

Ct.W

-~-C

D“S

ao

,co

iC

DO

~n

a-a

9a

~~

•fl

~rP

’a

-OC

tDi

0~

..c-f

.C

t—”c

+~

-S-S

=-

01

c-o

ao

c-fE

DaE

n-~

o.

a~

U)~

•C

Da

aw

U).

U)

~-w

aa.,r

ctU

)0-S

•)<

:E

Ct-

h’

az

CC

tC

t~

cia

.fl

U)0

(0CD

--a

a0’

O.c

iacD

al.a-s

a—

sU

)0~

.C

rt’c-t-

a’

-aa-a

-s019

~c0

U)a

mo

na

a’a

oC

t0)

Ct

rfZ

ct3

5I

—s-a

..a

ct-

a-C

)—

U)

Cf

cia

0-a

a<

=.=

-c.o

..•‘

O’.I

W’<

a—

.-s,

a-5

,-c,

az

.oo,o

a-s

-,-a

;,s

.rr

’-s,c

-sa

o~

aa

,—ni

Cc-F

9.5

—5,c-

az

~—si’

oa

c-i-

a:z

.o

ro

ao

a~

-o’

.ac

-s-c

-i-a

aa

.U

)U,

U)C

fC

t

o CtC

t=

—.

I-’

=~

=~

0U

)•U

)~—

i~U)

aa

EZ~

‘-i.0~

3.

az

---‘00101

>c-a

-ui-—

jcU)

<C

t%•r

.Ctc

-t-C

~a

-a’E

E’z

-.Z

flz~

0i

•0

ao

ia’-<

cn

.c

CD

-.

=-

-Sart

0—

Ct

Di

-S0

-4,

rf’<

~CD

a0

z-.

ma

=,

a- •

Z-a

.0U

)U)

-C

c+

-sC

f0th

-Sa-

EC

t=

oa

o1

z-—

~o

-ø~

—‘-s

~-s

-ca

a—

sza

a~

30

-a—

z>

~-h

Ct

C-S

CCD

0--

SZ

Pia

ac-f,

.501

U)

aC

tC

D-’-

U)—

’am

50

1a

01>

-v~

(0=

—‘0

,-S

a—

— -a.

Cf

E

c-f

-a.

a01

c-f

01C

t0’

CU

)a

-hC

t01

U)U)

En

U)~

0-~

Cf

c-i-

a-a

.~

Z’

an

U)C

5CD

U)

Z•

—.

J.f

liC

C5

~Di

a~

aa

ac-n

0,c

t~s

0101

-a-c

an

9-c

-a-C

t~01

CD

Oa

.U)c-fn

rta

<o-c,’ra-crt

rta

0cm

~:-

a-—

Cta

-‘S

’~

a:-

‘-‘<

—-a

-.

—‘0

1~

01

.-‘.--

h~

U)

0-a

--S

Di~

—ci

az

0-~

-~-i--

a.c

,-‘C

tO(D

CtE

c0

0C

t—’ç

(nz.

.5Z

OIP

1~

-an

—sa

-cz_

i.—

so

s,a

.~

aU

)~

U)~

—•

•O~

o.~

nC

oU

)0

oa

~<

<.

•a-a

.Cro

.—U

)-0

1C

t9.

ct—

’EU

).a

..a

U),s

-flco

Ctz

.-a

~~

ZC

t,C

acic

ic-s-n,

ma

.00

0-cE

n‘1

.•—

‘~ct

—~

Ct~

01...

~0

ic,

Ctz

0-i-C

fl0

~‘r>

z=

U)C

tc—

aa

Ct(0

a,,_

i~y,

CtU

)0)0

.-a

.•

ci~

-4-c

—fC

ta~

za

~C

t.c-s

-ao—

--oa,

Ct

.n

c,

zU

)a

~c’.

-a-c

--)z

-—

acc,

U).

aa.c

.—’n

.-.a

-ç~

~w

oc-p

o~

CtE

o.za

o-~

a•

00

~4

zconw

n--aC

tØ,

rtaoo~

n.

O<

acl(0

~D

’a’-<

-zU

)E

c.C

i—’c

o01

oa

z-a

ci—

.o

ipj

~•501O

U)

.U)C

0U

)I—

.<fl

Oa

Ct0

Dic

-s-U

)Ln

Z‘<

U)001

01a

za

~U

,~

01U)

9—s

a—

-I,

na

oz

Ct-

s—

n-o

OC

tan

nn

z-a

.E

oi

a-a

-5

9t,

00

cn

ciU

)-

EctC

o—

01=

-c-

fU)

0—

‘.~4.

—-’C

f.~

fl.C

fC

tfl

0‘c

tct

zacto

~-s

iacn

o-a

.o

as!>

ooaC

t•O

ZIZ

OW

U)U

)WD

Ioc-s

-C

t3a

Co

.-~

..cw

aU

)—l-,c

..)c

-f—

a.

z—

.a~

rnU

)E

U)z

-~~

-‘O

U)

—‘0

1a3aC

t-s,c

-s-c

fl,-

j-U

).j_~

,oc-t

a<

az<

zo--

a-

oa

s.~

-~

oa

ac’a

Ez-

—rnno’—

aoa,

a,

ao

CU

)0

—s,s

-.c

-fa

a~

~,a

’~--5,

—a

9U

)0

<0

~0

-s,o

na

c-n

—J

Ct_

,U

),.

0C

taa

c’,r%

.)aaa

—5,

•=

-z

~z-a

.—’

IC

DZ

0CD

aU

)—

a--

---

flU

)

0~

‘-C

.50

U)a

U)0

.Ct

—w

aU

)’Z

Di<

5-“

CD

U)

~<<

.—sr

a.-

a~

n

--a

00

1.c

ia-s

,sF

0-a

•cm

ocia

-,,

Ct

Dlt~

30-

n-.

~•

-0’

0,-n

•-~

SB

<-a

-~a

..n

.,rw

rnz~

o~

av,

aC

t3

-act

Ct

U)

rfl

09

aU

)=~

~=

•—

soz

a.C

toaE

—-s

,E

—0’

—.0

Ct0(0

0Di

Ct0

z~

s,

a~

a.a

0-s

,a.

~•U

)01

ctC

a0

U),

~ac-f

— 01U

)C.1

ZC

00

0E

-‘.

a,c

-n

u01

-sa

0U

)Z~

—a—

--5

C-

—c-s

-ao.o

icia

oi—

—U)

a

U)I

-a a

-iU

).5

2’

U)’5

-SZ~

aa

fl0

0Iao~

Ec-s

-Ct-

c-I-

B=

--I

.a

—.

c-fl

CS

.30

-.0

=<

—s-s

iaa

or.

.,~

0c,9

~E

s—’-”-

-tO

Zcto

.aE

Ec~

no

01-C

tco

la.

—o

0D

l0<

Oao

O5O

—’0

1’0

zZ

C0i~

’<001rn

ao-s

~c-p

oU

)(rn

s-•

o.C

tc—

zrn

a-a

o~

0-a

.IO

U)

0(a

—‘•—

‘-—s

aa~

<sc

o—

-‘0

—;—

.C

tCfl-’.

zC

03

U)fll

aC

m’-j

o~U

)~~

9~~

—i---

SC

-s,C

ta—

t,B

ac~

~-c

,c-<

wn~

c-.

.,-c

,o

a=

,.

—c-—

,~

ZC

t-h

~c-

f-s

—o

aC

t01

c-s-

ac-

i--s

ac-s

-—

—ci

Ct-

hca.a

rtcnrc

n.~

~.-

j,ol

0(9

‘-CC

tCD

5U

)0

’-’-e

-f3C

)o

ac-

U)C

~9

w~

n.

-“C

t-sr-co

o)a

z-a

mC

t•

-sio

an

a-sci

,a

na

c-s

-U)o

Ioic

l-s.o

Er5

1.i

cia

-s,

Ctz

OaU

)flC

ZZ

OU

)a

—a

Qu

a=

•c-f

—‘<

Ctr

-U)o

(0zaE

’cC

tc-

f-

3C

ta

cno,z

U)a

~n:r

na

—a

—a

rt—

0-o

na

Z0

01-loc.c

.w0

CtZ

0~

.4-J

.c0

U)0

1p

U)<

U)”

’h-a

caa

-sia

rt

aza

-so

-s,o

a-c

l-i,

.5’—

wao-’-I

Cf.

0’•r

n-.

~--

o-i

a--

a,

aa

a01

a—5

,C

9<

ac-a

0a-a

.o-s

-a•c

-,-a

€-s

-o-

c-f

Eo

a.a

<—

U)—

si’s

z~a-~

D’o

wacU

),

9aa~

a.crtz

a-z

aE

no’

Ct’c

•0

U)

CDr—

xE

-a-a

Ctc

-fa

Ctc

.aca

n3m

a’c

D,a

X—

Oia

-so

.5Z

0ic

Ct

0--

a—

~U

)09

•0

10

-9-h

En

•r

-a-c

>c-a

,c-

fU

)aE

U).

-a-5

ca

ac)w

o.c

-s-

a->

aa-0

00ic

i-s,c

lU

)(0

U)—

’-O

co

r--a

U)z

--a

-ao

aa

,oa

U)9

na

n_

4a

-sC

t-~

..<

Co

Cf

aU

)C

-a

aC

t—<

U)-

a•a

3U

)—

‘c.

OC

flc-t

r-sa

.a~

-ia

ac-

i-C

tU)0

C)flC

DC

tU)

aaoi’c

Ct0

1:a

O)a

aU

)_a..rn

aU

)zO

ct

<U

’-‘-(O

0)0

)Z

Ct

=0.

ac-i-c

—~

Ct’’

U).

no

r-C

tU)a

ca

-s~

c-f

—C

toC

ta-s

<-,

-,—

4U

)E

01

01.2

3C

ta

ar-c

U)

U)0

’CO

a-a

.-a.

•0

aa

-—

s.-

az-a

—s,‘.%

z-.

.IC

tCU

)-

U)’-<

am

CE

—,

o,c

--a

-on

3’~

i.ca

’-a

.U)

SZ

Ct0

i,Z

~fl

-—

a‘<

noa

olC

taa-na

‘a-s

cD

acl(n--

.-snC

a-

a2

~sm

-E0

001

-i--

h’-<

r_U

)o..,,

WO

—’r-U

,.C

t-~

aE

-,<

.az

E,E

aa

.’a

Ct,

-ci

n~

-<c-s

-c-i-.

‘-‘

c-i-

a.r

n-cr-,a

—a

oU

)U)E

U)a

-C

t0-—

’“-

<(O

NO

.01U

)~U

)Wc1.a

c-c

C.

Ct-

a.—

s,ci

U)-

U)

Ct

—‘-C

‘-<>

.-—

sLa

a—

EC

tc-f

a-.

c’I-U

)a

~a

001

Oa—

cC

t--I

aU

)~S

nn

-a.c

i.la

o)

a.-

s-a

.c-p

’.-a

.C

t<a

>C

t——

sa

z-s

n--

-sm

ci-a

--s

-za

U)C

t.5’Z

.o-.

oa

za

ai-c

a~

ao,

IB

r-~

0~

aa

a—

’U)

aa

—o

aa

I-‘C

c-s-

‘C

CDZ

EC

t—

‘tn

(0

019

01

CW

r-cin

0U

)-1U

)aoolC

ta

-U)

aC

ta-s.C

ta

--a

-a-j-~

U)<

r‘

a--ia

a’o

IwC

tCa

a•

CD

’<a

(Ar

-4.•

~-a

U)

.n

oc-fa

rn

Ct

EU

)~5,’

2’•

0-0

9c-fC

t’C

.cn

ao

Di0

an

0a

o~

-a-a

‘C

tfl~

Ct.

flC

0=

U)

a-c

--a.n

a-3~

a..

0’0

•~

Ct•

a.1

no

-a

-a

--

Cf

-c-l-a

’n.

0)a

ol

r-n

-..

-~

U),a

o‘a

aaz-sa

aci

i--

••

~D

’r-a

a;0

0i-c--

i0

’oZ

—‘-Z

(0%

U)~

•;a

ac-s

-CtU

)Y5

.h0-

arn

—a

a.

P’E

—9c

nn

’cz-.

ro

aU

)‘

Z.;

a--

a-—

---u

aC

tCt•

U)~

i.U

)0

’Oa

rO

~‘

aC

t-sacc-o

~-S

l-a

0l0

~.5

t’.fl-

caa-

a•

an

•;.:.o

~a

r-a

a0

s-’ao-a

-ao’-c.

fl(04.

U)C

tD)<

0W

U)O

CtO

CtO

i~

iciza

zU

)

—S

CD a 0 01

(ME

CZ

(0-‘.

01C

tIC

D

m oto

•1Z

U, CD—

o=

-=~

-.1

.

CDC

tto

CDC

.t-3

Z C

,c-~ 0

’—’

-a CD

0l-a

—I

to_

a.

in

0

cc-k

—~

—i-a

i-ia

a-c-ia

--

cc-

--

--a~

=—_f

l_o

~*—

~tl3

=

i-s

-J—

cca

-0~

’-~

-J~

01=

1~

zI—

=0

=

ao

~—

cco

-’-

.~

-

a-,

~~

=

01

WI

I~

0iI

JJ’.J0

~0

1I

01

01

1ic

oO

la

0i—

~0

c5

i,t/~ (F C fl C 2

X0th

E0

(4I-

’0

-‘-c

ta

to0

ct

r-v

00

Z-

torn

o-c

mr~

E~

ov,

WtZ

-bfl_iQ

lCD

~.-

ZC

co%

ciZ

0~

fl,Z

0,m

CD

g1m

JCD

CDCD

OIC

D~

CD01

E5

5’•

0-a5fl9

cc~

c-t

m—

—m

o-s

’<c-e

ta9

to...

.a3

Q.

.-‘.

aCD

Ctf

lCC

tOc+

cZ

--a

-c-t

ccr

Ott-’.

It0

1C

DE

~-0

~.

01n

.~

—.

0in

nZ

rflC

DC

t-’.c-f

(tZ

-aZ

CD

01

•c-t

intfl3

rfO

’c-f

Z0

0rv

CDcn

w-a

.0~

CD

r01zin

~a.o

,min

CD

*c-C

+~

i..~

3E

aO

,O1tn

CE

0—

“-v

BC

D.a

(.4(0

CD

Ctf

l~—

.rt~

—‘.

(/)C

~$0

Z-c

-s-

Ctc

-l-—

.~~

=-v

inZ

0t01

-“

‘~

~j’<

,cia

nm

zC

D-nccnam

0CD

—C

-n-1

Sin

rfO

l=

CD—

4~

1o,~

CD-“

=fl

—W

~C

rfC

Dt.~

..h~

ccfl

oa

’io

inz-z

-CD

nC

DC

D—

,s

CDCD

-SE

flC

DflS

CD

CD

inin

E0

-a.

0=

Dim

-=C

CD

Z~

3®

CD

0n

CD

-ctrf

cc—

nm

Eu

,c-fE

zflL

n—

“0-.

.C

DZ

—’-in

..~

flI—

CD—

a.c-t

o—

’in

CD—

o.’w

—’

01U

~~

Ct0

19

rfto

c.0

,m

-—

cncn—

-a.w

-ie

tc~

~nin

a,

z-

CD

-ta

—a

cc

mZ

010Z

to~

CD

a-s

m<

to-a..a.0

00IC

DC

Do-s

cc

OO

CD

cc

Ct~

0’—

tCD

‘<C

D®

—I

—‘--‘.-~

ZZ

in,.

0’

,c-c

~sC

D—

.—

am

o--o

u,n

a-w

c-cco

i~

aa

~~

,r’<

~—

‘—‘O

D’O

zw

m0

O-’.O

CD

OctO

’0

1C

DDi

..i.

—e

w—

~a

_a

.~n

,~--a

-0

Oz~

m01

C-f

<c—

,-o

a~

aw

—~

~5.-

j~

in.Z

00

.~a

.cc

OZ

no

~C

DW

Ct—

’CD

ra~

fl~

CD~

CD

=0-rt

—‘c

-f-C

tO01

fl-a’.

...i-.

.-f,

9C

D•

CD0

-<=

ci-.

,rI

-®C

DC

DcO

DIO

O—

’=

(DC

Oin

00

a01Z

=~

i-’-’

?°-—

a•

—S

nacia

,-a

ina—

c-f

-fl~

—c-f

CD

.—

-‘.C

DO

’c+

c-f

lrf

CD

O)0

’in

-m

Q-~

-Q

0JcC

D~

-,S

EO

Zn

.O

In

rto

cC

tn

az-i

•o,u

,CD

c,a

CD

o,a

0W

~—

~fl~

•-‘•

CD

c-’-

0103

tort

Bctin

CtO

’-a

.CD

0-C

Da

t.O

1C

D~

Z0

10

10

9in

~CD

tc-f

<C

nn

—a

—~

—n

oC

0cc

-1,

—‘-a

a-

CDz.a

o—

’<-a

—n

CDI-,

,m

mn

-a

—ca

On

~C

D$

Oto

in00

Ott’-

c-f

t_f)

‘C

DO

IOIO

C+

$in

—‘.

%C

inc-

Z~

n—

’.9

0a

c+

rm

oIn

o-

a—

‘O’<

El

toE

-’.<

O’

~~

•.tO

CD

inin

’<to

c-t

nCD

inCD

0)C

D’<

Iaca0C

rs3.—

’~01i

r’.~

ml

..CD

Ct

CDin

i.-

.~,

0~i

—I

toa,

ccl

c-f

01z-l

rt~

~ .-o

~.

.—‘r-

rra

ooo’<

-trn

aC

to-C

tCtn

~S

Ei

ccc

ci—

ci.

z0

00

0~

S0

1W

-a-0

’<~

~C

DC

DC

D

~0

0~

a-

an

•n

~01C

D9

na’<

mccw

in‘l

CD

3cr9

inW

V)

~occC

~o0~

ito

cD

CD

CD

~0i0

’

CD

0’ri

~01

CD(00

c-f

~%

.-~

-t‘<

001O

OC

t=

•Z~

CC

O—

‘-i-tO

P1,~

~-~

~~

fl..

—‘C

C-C

DZ

C5C

CD

C-f

1N

tO

~CD

—-‘-‘.

CD

®-a

-0

01

—m

U)

nc-

I-C

D-’-

CD

CD

CD

‘<C

DC

OO

’1

aa

oz

~n

-o~

•~

3m

~—

mncoE

to-i-s

Ct

wccc

cc’

-to

i--

a-n

~cc’<

0cc

CD-~

.V)

-~.Z

-~.c

tWC-

f-rc

a’

-~

..I

—~

--~

,~-

aw

—o

~cn

rprs

mø

”<

to~

o,-

aetC

tz~

z~

0’0

m~

.~.

I-ac-fn

ac-I

-0

in0

~.—

cc,

~C

Do~

3,r

X—

zfl

5Z

CD

z~

—‘9

00

ctO

ctC

CC

.Z

CD

cta

-0’

CD

CD

-‘•

Ct

tD-~

.O

CD

~to

0t

Ct

~‘<

Ctn

WC

ta

D’

~—

bc-

f-a

.a—

.-icn

E=

’<rs-

DIC

D<

CD

CD

0’—

Ia

m=

-—‘-

CDa

0’—

C.

ZO

~~4

.c-f

CD9

m—

CD

Ea

-sro

,o,

9C

D~

-(~

-000

=~

n<

<=

oa

a-

win

oC

D®

or-

tOnolc

-f01E

a—

Ce

r..z

o’

icO

o—

e,

0—

’-C

E0

0<

c-I

-C0

5—

—~

—sa-

,cc

—i,

—‘.

—‘—

a’n

—.—

—’-—

s,-

01-0

—“c

’a

CD.

-aa

CD..

.cj~

w~

-ao

za

z=

ac+

,mcn-o

~0

%ctC

D<

0C

l)—

ncrt

crc

coan

z-o

—W

0’(0C

DC

D~

(DO

tin

00-0159

m-i-~

0e

ccn

,z

-i—

in%

Cc-f

c-f-

——

Z0

~C

DC

—C

tzrn

aw

olC

D0

1-a

••

=00

—C

DI

—a-e

,~C

I)0

’9X

~C

tc-fC

DE

ZN

Ct

—,

0’C

tO

inO

CD

c-I

-ct.

mm

Zo’a

-o’a

nccm

<-i.’<

.-‘-a

015

OIC

D01

CD

-~.C

tcO

0’<

CD

U)

-~0

Z-

ctO

lCD

ac-

f-co

c-f

Ct

in~

Ct

CDCD

0Q

1_

a.

i_a

(4..i~

tnC

D—

CA

C0

00

Irf

-‘-<

c-f

---f

,to

Oi

01c-f

ina

,(.

3.

Oat-

I-C

tO

ctC

DO

ltrf01-~

.O

CtC

tE

0—

W0)

(001

Oz..

Z(tC

D~

CD

B0

.-i.

—C

t,

00

~r.3

..n

in,1

..—

‘..e

aC

D.

(DC

DccE

99

o-—

-’a

’~

1(D

i5

“0

~r

0,0

,—

mc

0’—

s-o

0’co

-a-

0,C

tti)

0’-s

01C

Da-f

,nc-f

-CD

CD•

EC

DZ

-$a

~C

D0’E

0cc

inC

Da

CDin

c0

0000

Er

000101010,

JJ,r

C’<

0CD

CDa

co

toCD

aC

Dr

too

-r

toO

JC

Dto

Ol

oa

-c’

(Il~

CDz

o—

n-a

..c

--c~

50

00

00

-i0

’=

oC

——

aoo’

—“

CD

....

ccC

Den

001Z

ICD

(fl

c.c

~in

o1=

——

to-h

cc01

0-

)<1<

a(n

orn

rcrtro

0C

t5CD

0101010101

CD01

01CD

i.

03zn-—

anzrI-

Zn”i

Ct

Otc

cC

D3

aC

CD

CC

D,

z~

fl,r

Ct—

’o

c~

-cc~

-‘<

-l~

5(0

0-a

->

Cc-

f-CD

ZCD

~.

-i.O

.Z

in

rfct

0’

Z~

CD

—a

-rco

rzro

—‘X

.CD

fl—

01o1•01

a..

—a—s

~w

z—

.,r~

nw

a—a

0•..

0(J

)CD

—’.C

D..

a

~E

<c-a

..<

aIZ

CD

ZO

lCD

—a-i-<

ct=

-i—a

0301

ac—

ma

’a’

-i~

cc)

01

,-i

rE

Z3

9o,c

-,o..

c-f

-cc-t

oo

rZ

OC

—<

cnO

h(O

CC

n-an

0’n

c-f

DiD

ton~

ma

z-=

-CD

D0

13

0C

tCD

=0

C0

(00

Wto

c-t

Ce

ta

nC

Ct

(OC

t~

•CD

CDtO

-4 C’

CD01

0~~

i~Q

1

EC

tC

cc-f

)cc

3X

0~

i-.

0—

-i-Z

CZ

ain

aC

tD

’•—

Z~

to~

01

—ar—

’•z

~C

<C

t=

CDr

Z~c

CD

50’.

—‘.=

c~

V..

=0

~CD

ccc

in_

so

=cc

00’

—0

1=

nz

c-f

=~C

tU

’m

u,

in

0 0 0 CD Co Ct

CD

-S

c-I-

‘CC

tSin

17

JANE AND JOE: THE CHEMICAL COUPLE—(it~pt~Lnted £n.om a. 4en~.Le4 £nHa.m~U.ton Spccta.t04).

.th e.

The ring of the alarm clock stillin their ears, Jane and Joe automatically reach for their firstcigarette of the day.

Before they go down to breakfast,they proceed through their normalmorning routine: washing with deodorant soap, brush1ng their teeth,rinsing with mouthwash.

He usesa mentholated shaving cream,after shave, a hair dressing and anaerosol deodorant.

Listening to the news while gettingbreakfast, they are both outraged atyet another discovery of a pollutantfound in the Great Lakes. It neveroccurs to them that they have justadded traces of a host of chemicalsto the environment by flushing themdown the sink, toilet and tub orspraying them into the air.

They have also swallowed, inhaledor absorbed this chemical cornucopia.

rely on chemicae of the highestn the world. Thfull of solventshes, detergents,rs. Their garagewith pesti ci deshemical fertilitheir homes and

man -madeof these

get into the environment,ugh their manufacture,use

of physics can’t be repeal—

Joe drovedrinking fivehostile wheneverstances in air,workplace if themay present someand safety.

He’s particularly critical ofgovernment regulatory agencies that“don’t come down hard on these damnedcompanies that are doing all thepolluting,” but he’s never seriouslyconsidered forming a car pool so fourmen would take only one car to work.Nor does he want to take a bus towork; he likes the feeling of independence that his own transportation gives him.

And it’s never occurred to himthat one government agency is probably presenting more of a healthand safety risk to him as a driveror pedestrian than anything he’sseen in the headlines. That’s theLiquor Licensing Board of Ontariothat requires parking facilities atestablishments that serve alcohol.

are frustrated. Towell as to save

ctically made theirextra insulation,ng around all doors,all the windows.

home last night afterbeers, but he gets

he hears about sub—water, soil or there’s even a hint theyrisk to his health

She takes her birthuses a deodorant, hairmascara, eye shadow, fblusher, lipstick and

His union is fighting for evengreater reduction of noise on the job,but Joe and Jane spent at least acouple of nights a week at discoswhen they were all the rage, and theynever bother with ear plugs on theirwinter weekends with matching hisand hers snow—mobiles.

control pill,spray, cologne,

oundation cream,hand cream.

tableau iironies andpublic reahazards of

This littlesome of the iancies in theenvi ronmental

Canadiansmaintain onstandards iboards areives, polisand cleanseare stockedicides and cThey outfitthemselves inthey somehowproducts toeither throor disposal

1 ustratesin consist—ction toall kinds.

ls toliving

eir cup—adhes—

waxess hel yes

herb—se rs.clothe

materials.expect none

Yet

Joe and Janesave energy, asmoney, they prahome airtight:weather strippicaulking around

Now theyof air exchapollution inarette smoke,aerosol cosmefumes from alrials in theiaren’t being

Theed orchange

1 awsdi s obeyed: matter

but it can’t becan bedestroyed.

are being told that iacknge is adding to the airthe house. Their cig—cooking vapours,

tics and cleaners, and1 the synthetic pate—r home’s constructiondispelled as they used

to be.

18

Last December, the federalgovernment put a temporary ban, nowmade permanent, on one type ofinsulation, urea formaldehyde, because of health problems caused byfumes from this foam in well—insulatedhomes: stinging eyes, skin rashes,headaches, nausea and respiratoryproblems. Until then, the samegovernment would subsidize you toput in this insulation.

They’re also frustrated becauseno one can tell them for sure what’sa safe level of anything. Their reaction to that tends to be “If thesafe level isn’t known, then eliminate it entirely.”

Confront them with the inconsistencies in the hazards they voluntarily assume as part of their lifestyleand the-jr insistence that no one beallowed to contaminate to any degreetheir more general environments andtheir answer is: “If I decide totake a risk I know about, that’s mybusiness. But I don’t want anybodysubjecting me to things I don’t knowabout, or imposing things on me thatI don’t agree to.”

There are those who argue thateven drawing comparisons betweenprivate choices and involuntaryhazards is an attempt to make avictim a villain: somewhat likesaying a rape victim was “askingit” by wearing provocative cloth

In an era in which people feelthey are increasingly losing controlover the forces that control theirlives and decide their fates, Joeand Jane are uneasy about the helplessness they feel against anothermysterious threat out there.

The unknown isfrightening thanfeeT they’re toowith unseen bogeymen.

A WEEKEND AT KEJIMKUJIK NATIONAL PARK -

Congenial company, fine weather andan interesting program of events combinedto make our Keji Weekend a most enjoyable affair. Seventeen of us (including4 German visitors, camped inside and outat Lesley’s cottage on the Medway closeto the Park. Filip had worked out areally good program with John Brownlie(Park interpreter and HFN member) andbetween them they managed to keep us moreor less on time for the various events.

We rambled, observed, canoed and swamin the lake, and went on a rather unproductive Owl Hoot after the slide showat Keji’s outdoor theatre. InterpreterMillie Evans has a distinct flair for thedramatic and her program on the historyof the Park proved to be most amusing(if you’ll forgive me - that’s where wedid get a ‘hoot’).

In the guise of a country wife, grumblingly cleaning house, she finds an oldalbum and putting down her broom sitsand looks at the photographs. As she turnsthe pages she reminisces on the memorieseach picture evokes, and “my Walter’s”reactions to the events of those long gonedays. We of course saw the photos up onthe theatre screen.

The Park has an excellent interpretiveprogram and guides who are not onlyefficient and patient, but even aftertwo or three months of daily spiels canstill sound spontaneous and interested intheir topics and their listeners. Guidescan be so duirihen routine reduces themto a glassy-eyed, monotonous drone.

By way of a bonus, we were treated toa gorgeous sunset over the river, a blackvelvet, star-spangled, night sky and apearly dawn.

By next Newsletter deadline (25 Oct.)we should have in short reports on thenature trips that we took.

¶lflj Thanks to all contributors to theNewsletter .... keep it coming; we areALWAYS in need of ARTICLES, NATURE NOTES,SKETCHES, FIELD REPORT TRIPS. Tell usabout the exciting things that happenedto you during the summer,regarding naturalhistorylifl

forIng.

always morethe known, andold to have to

theydeal

Editor.