HalifaxFiQidNaturalists

~Newsl~tterSEPTEMBER-NOVEMBER 1983 No.33

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Plait xFiQidNaturalists

SEPTEMBER—NOVEMBER 1983 No.33

MEETINGS— are held on the first Thursday of every month at 8.00 p.m. inthe Auditorium on the ground level of the Nova Scotia Museum1747 Summer Street, Halifax.

FIELD TRIPS — are held at least once a month.

is open to anyone interested in the natural history of NovaScotia. Memberships are available at a’n~, meeting of theSociety or by writing to -- Membership Chairman, HalifaxField Naturalists, do Nova Scotia Museum.

Individual memberships $7.00 per yearFamily H $10.00 “

Sustaining “ $15.00This covers our fiscal year from January 1 to December 31.Members receive the HFN Newsletter and notices of all meetings, field trips and special programs.

Anne GreenePierre TaschereauJohn BrownlieEric Malmberg

Filip(Editor)-. . Doris Butters

Edna Staples Aileen MeagherHalifax Field Naturalistsdo N.S. Museum,1747 Summer Street, Halifax, N.S. 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 really nice if those

members travelling in someone else’s car on field trips would share the costof gas. Thank you.

MEMBERSHIP -

DIRECTORS for,J~983 —

NEWSLETTER -

MAILINGADDRESS -

PresidentAssistant to PresidentVice-President . .

Membership ChairmanTreasurerPast PresidentDirectors

• Doris Butters• John van der Meer

• . Bill FreedmanCohn StewartBernice Moores

Edna StaplesMichael DowningAileen Meagher

Volckaert

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4! newsHFN NEWSLETTER — A TRIBUTE.

It’s great to get the HFN Newsletter delivered to my handSuch excellent reports on trips over fields or untrodden landIn spring we get descriptions of the flowers then in bloomIn Summer. stories of the seashote and clam—digging around noonIn Autumn, reports on shorebirds and where the cranberries growAnd the Winter keeps us busy regardless of ice and snowThe Newsletter brings us tidings of the monthly meeting nightOf interests outside Nova Scotia and narrated just rightAnd thanks to the Museum who help us with the printand to everyone who contributes by using pen and ink.

Ricki Garrett-Smith.

After blushingly typing theabove tribute to the HFN Newsletter,we feel alittle guilty aboutbugging you all once more forcontributions of all sorts. A greatneed for volunteers to write upreports on the field trips and tocome forward with suggestions andassistance with programming. Youknow someone with an interestingnatural history angle who might bewilflng to give a slide/talk orlead a walk? Or put pen to paperand write an article forthe HFNNewsletter? Extra hands on theTea-n-Cookies Committee would alsobe welcome. Pen and ink drawings.nature notes, shared experiences —

all would be welcome.

We’re getting towards the endof our HFN year and our AnnualGeneral Meeting will be held inFebruary . Have you considered whoyou would like to nominate for

• office?Did any HFN’er attend the Can—

• adian Nature Federation RegionalMeeting held on October 22 at theUPEI campus in Charlottetown, PEI?As the Piping Plover was the maintopic of the morning sessions wewould welcome in update on thatsubject.

WETLANDS OF THE ATLANTIC PROVINCES —

The marshes, swamps, .bogs andfens of our region are being studied and classified by the Lands andIntegrated Programs Directorate forpeat usage research purposes and toassist in gauging the potential environmental impacts of the development of these wetlands.

The peatlands of the AtlanticProvinces are of economic importance to the region as sources offuel and horticultural peat. Ourwetlands are also of great valuefor flood control, recreation,agricultural and wildlife habitation purposes. To convey information about the nature andimportance of our wetlands aNational Wetlands Working Grouphas prepared a book describing thekinds and characteristics of wetlands across the country.For more information on thiscontact: Harry Hirvonen, LIPD.,Environment Canada. Atlantic Region4th floor, Queen Sq., 45 AlderneyDrive, Dartmouth NS., B2Y 2N6.

or phone: 426—4196

Editor.

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PARKS CANADA’S CENTENNIAL

In 1985 Parks Canada will stagea year—long celebration of its onehundredth birthday. Banff NationalPark was the first park created in1885; today Parks Canada operates29 national parks and over 70 national historic parks and sites.

A citizens’ committee, createdwith representatives from eachprovince and territory, is now seeking proposals from members of thepublic on ways to celebrate thebirthday,

To submit suggestions contact:Lawrence Freeman, 1526 Dresden Row,Halifax N.S. — Phone 429—0600.

IDENTIFYING PLANTS -

Pierre Taschereau, of the Inst—iture for Resource and Environ-.mental Studies, Dalhousie University,1312 Robie Street, Halifax, hasoffered his help in determiningplant species for those HFN’erswhose literature is limited. Callhim at 424—3632.

He suggests that the specimen bebrought in fresh or placed betweensheets of newspaper weighted downto keep the specimen in shape.

It will be useful to have asecond source of help to relievepressure on the Science Lab at theNova Scotia Museum, whose amiablestaffers have been so quick andwilling to assist us, despite theirheavy workload

Pierre’s expertise should be ofparticular hel p for individuals whomay wish to participate in Mini—surveys and who go for a ramble ontheir own.

NATIONAL MARINE PARKS -

Parks Canada plans to establishnational marine parks in each ofCanada’s marine regions. A draftpolicy has been developed recognising the unique nature of marine ecosystems and the multiplicity ofjurisdictions and tradional activities in marine areas.

A copy of the draft policy ison the HFN Library Shelf and comments invited. Public consultationswere held in November and hopefullyin our next HFN Newsletter we willbe able to give an overview. Meanwhile we hope many of you will readthe draft and make comments to:

P.A. Thomson, Director,National Parks Branch,Parks Canada, Ottawa, K1A 1G2

PIERRE ATTENDS WORKSHOP -

Pierre Taschereau, researchassociate with Dalhousie’s Inst—iture for Resource and Environmental Studies was at the Universityof Maine recently for a four-dayworkshop.

The theme of the workshop “NaturalAreas Protection”, fits in closelywith Pierre’s expertise in ecological reserves. The sessions weresponsored by the Atlantic Centrefor the Environment, a division ofthe Quebec-Labrador Foundation.

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“ESTUARIES -WHERE THE RIVERS MEET THE SEA” -

A Report on the 1983 CanadianNature Federation Conferenceheld in Sackville, New Brunswick

In mid-August, my wife and I putthe dog in a kennel, foisted off thebird on relations, and set off forSackville to attend the CNF’s 1983Conference. We had high expectations, although this was ourfirst conference, and we werenot disappointed.

The conference took place onthe campus of Mount Allison University, which has a typical mixof college architecture and landscape, from old ivy—covered stonebuildings to modern brick andglass ‘ functionals’ . We stayed inone of the latter, a woman’s residence. The organisers of theconference had thoughtfully put uptemporary rMEN~~ and “WOMEN”signs on the washroom doors, butthat didn’t prevent one disorientedlady from watching me shave as shebrushed her teeth at the next washbasin!

The major attractions, of course,were the field trips and the keyspeakers. Over 20 field trips hadbeen arranged, most of them eitherbefore or after the formal sessions.They ranged from a one-hour trip tosee short-eared owls and harriers onTantramar marshes, to those lastingseveral days taking us as far awayas Grand Manan Island. We were onlyable to attend a ~few of the trips,but everyone seemed to find them

well—organised and rewarding.

In accordance with this year’stheme, field trips and speakersfocussed on various aspects of estuanne natural history, and if otherparticipants were like myself, alittle fuzzy as to what an estuaryis, they had a pretty complete overview by the end of the conference.

Conference organisers, Mary Majka andDavid Christie, kept us entertainedbetween the speakers with announcements, exercises, and anecdotes. Out

side the auditorium various displays were set up. In a nearby

room the CNF/FON Bookshopparted us from our cash in

return for all the goodies wesee illustrated in their

catalogues.

Back to the speakers. Rob Stephenson of Dalhousie University, set thetheme by defining exactly what anestuary is, its value, and why theyare so vulnerable. Topics by otherspeakers included the effects of theFundy Tidal Power project upon lifein the Bay of Fundy (among otherthings, a migrating shad might haveto pass through the turbines 10—20times before completing its circuit.~of the bay); the amazing fuellingstop of tens of thousands of semipalmated sandpipers on the Fundytidal flats; eagles and osprey inMaritime estuaries, and studies ofother coastal seabirds.

Hal Mills, our local CNF Vice-President, spoke on environmentalissues in the Maritimes, includingof course the Piping Plover, acidrain,and herbicide spraying. Otherstalked about vascular plants inestuaries; raising mussels in PEI;Right Whales in the Bay of Fundy,and vagrant birds in Nova Scotia.

Most of the speakers brought slidesor displays to illustrate their talks.We found the photos of Right Whalesparticularly impressive. In thelobby, after the presentation onmussel farming, we were all treatedto a snack of hot steamed mussels.They were very good.

The formal presentations took While waiting for one speaker toplace in a comfortable auditorium arrive, the irrepressible Mary Majkaacross the street from the residence.got us all to stand up by province.

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There were over 200 people in attendance, with representatives fromevery province, the North-WestTerritories, the USA, and even St.Pierre and Miquelon.

For many, the highlight of theconference was Freeman Patterson’stalk. Speaking from the front row,his calm, quiet voice told us howto obtain correct exposure in spiteof what the light meter says. Whilethis topic may have been a bit belaboured for those who had read hisbooks, seeing his slides firsthand was unforgettable.

After two days of talks, we metfor a closing banquet. Up to thispoint the meals were quite depressing — residence cooking and serviceat its worst. However, the banquetwas really quite nice, and an airof camaraderie and good humour prevailed as we listened to the reading of winning entries in thelimerick contest.

ON THE SHELF

Following the banquet, we weretreated to another Freeman Pattersonpresentation entitled “Namaqualand -

Garden of the Gods”. Namaqualand isnot - as .1 feared - some dreadfulacronym, but the name of a Districtin South Africa. For about two weeksevery year, Namaqualand is virtuallycovered in flo~wers - the groundcompletely obscured by layers ofblossoms. Freeman’s pictures werealmost stupifying in their beauty,and we could well understand why hewould make a special trip to Africajust to photograph this remarkableevent.

To sum up — the good: the speakersand field trips; the bad: the food.Mary Majka, David Christie and therest of the New Brunswick Federationof Naturalists took on a largeassignment and pulled it off magnificently. We really enjoyed ourselves and were glad that we shookoff our lethargy and attended. Wewill certainly be back for more.

Peter Payzant.

The most recent editions of newsletters from other naturalist groupsare there and every one has items ofinterest,

Environment Canada UPDATE is nowpublished in a new, smarter formatby the Information Directorate ofEnvironment Canada,their aim beingcontinuing dialogue on environmentalissues between the Department andconcerned groups and individuals.The September?83 issue has severalinteresting items including one on“What Happened to our Winter” —

read about El Nino, at least it willgive you a conversation starter.

Nature Canada - latest copy isalso on the shelf. A subscription toCNF and HFN would make a good Christmas present.

P.S. TO CNF CONFERENCE -

ne.~ ~Lte~o and undei~ta!ae .‘te~4ea.’tehAmong the Resolutions passed at ~ ~ endan3eite.d P~~p~I~ng P-~ovut

the 14th Annual General and Special ~ tho4e ptovJ.~n~e4 ~ -c~-~ ne~ot.s”Meeting of CNF held at Sackville,N.B,, on August 12~ 1983, two re- “CNF ~ the N.S. GoveILnmen.~ tolate toNova Scotia: ~emove C! zz~coo~ Sa~~ Ma~4h

“CNF LuLge.~s ~he Fecle.&at and P~’to- ~flom con~deita~-tLon a.o a ~.ou~ev-Lnc~a-e. Govennment4 .to pi~ote.c~t tnitnfa H~~ghwag 1O7’.~

Checked the Library Shelf lately?

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~m~ure

Nature holds many secrets andthe most closely guarded are thosenearest to life itself, One of themost mysterious - and spectacularof plant life processes is theannual Autumn splendour of the dying leaves, Investigations haverevealed a few clues to colourchanges in leaves, but the greatermysteries of exactly why and howremains unsolved.

Through the microscope scientists have discovered some of theworkings of plant life which causeleaves to change colour. They haveseen that every leaf is made ofhundreds of thousands of tiny,liv—ing cells — like hollow, thin—walled bricks filled with water.And inside each cell are blobs ofcoloured chemicals, The greenchemical makes leaves green. Andthis green substance is the onlything known to man, which, withthe help of light, turns water andcarbon dioxide (the same gas thatputs the ‘fizz’ in soda pop) intosugar food! The life sustainingmagic of this green substance isstill puzzling scientists.

Blobs of yellow and brown chemicals are also contained in thecells of green leaves, But thesedon’t colour the leaves until thegreen chemical disappears,

People used to think frostcaused Autumn colours, but we nowknow that green leaves get readyfor the colour change long beforeJack’s arrival. Mature leaves havea ‘cutoff’ zone which you can seeat the base of the leaf stem whereit joins the twig, A tiny furrowor a different colour marks thisseparation layer of cells. Some ofthese cells slowly disintegrate anddry out. As they do, they choke thetubes that carry materials in andout of the leaf. Before the leaf falls,all the ‘pipes’ to the leaf arepinched closed and sealed, All Summerthese open tubes carry materials tothe leaf to replenish the green foodmaking chemical as it is used up.Then in Fall, as the tubes close up,the leaf gets fewer raw materials andthe green chemical is used up fasterthan it is replaced. With the greensubstance disappearing, the yellowsubstance becomes visible. Soon thegreen is gone and the leaves areyellow. You’ve seen this occur inaspens, elms and birches.

Clogged tubes also keep sugar,made by the green chemical, and wastesfrom leaving the leaf, and this favoursproduction of a new substance whichmakes our most spectacular Autumn displays of reds and purples. The colourof this substance depends upon the

TI-[ECKENISTRY OF FALL byRichard B,Fischer

(Eiz~cteted ~om an £n~jon.~naUon a~e~t -Ln the. Ne~w Va/LizS~ate. Con~e/Lv~vt.Lon Ve~pa/L.tmerut, VJ.~vLs~~on o6 Con4eJivaUonEdct~.on. R.13. FA4ch~/L £4 an A44oc~a-~Uon P/Lo{~4io/L o~j

Con4e./Lva~t~Lon Edacat-Lon, a~ Co/Lne.U Un~LveJt4~L~ty1

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liquid in the cells of the leaf. Ifthe liquid is acidic or sour, thisnew substance turns red and coloursthe leaf as you see it in red maples,some oaks, sumacs and even in theskin iif some apples. Where the cellliquid is alkaline, as in some grapeskins, ash leaves, dogwoods, gum trees ~ kills the leaves before the~irand some oaks, this substance ranges separation layers develop, sofrom blue to purple. Since the colour they turn brown and may stay onof this substance depends upon the the trees long into Winter.condition of the liquid in each cellof every leaf, the endless variety in Finally the separation layer isan Autumn landscape is not surprising, complete and a slight breeze sends

the dead leaves drifting earth-Plant scientists have learned thatwards. As they decompose, leaves

bright days and cool nights favour a return to the soil the life-givingcolourful Autumn. As the pipelines to elements that mysteriously producethe leaves are closing up, bright the kaleidoscope of colour thatdays stimulate the remaining green has delighted and fascinated man

through the centuries.

— Alder has cones; Rhodora, capsules— Dead leaves on the ground tell of the nearby trees and shrubs

that shed them— Witch—hazel capsules and October—blooming flowers

2. Smell and taste —

— Bayberry, Sweet Gale and Sweetfern all have highly aromatic budswith a distinctive taste and smell when crushed

— Yellow Birch twigs smell of wintergreen— Pin Cherry twigs have a musty, mousie smell

— — Amelanchier (Indian Pear) develops an almond odour a few secondsafter being crushed (as do many of the Cherry trees)

— Poplar bark with its salicjn tas~tes extremely bitter

3. Twig cross—section —

— Pith, the soft central strand; is commonly white and round- In Red Elderberry, however, it is red; in Oak it is star-shaped

and in Alder, triangular— Vessels of the wood (that carry water up the stem) are very large

in Oak and, like minute straws, one can blow air through them(sometimes

~hemical to go right on making sugar.~nd cool nights — around 40 degrees —

:lose the tubes faster, holding the~ugar in the leaves and keeping outthe raw materials for replacement ofthe green substance. An early frost~ctuaily spoils the Autumn beauty.

Wop~he,-,’? /?eci Oo*

WITCH-HAZEL

WOODY PLANTS IN WINTER - Some Clues to Identification:What__to__look__for. ______________________

1. Persisting leaves or remains of fruit —

— Red Oak and Beech usually retain some leaves over winter, as doesthe shrub, Leather Leaf

4. Bark —

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— Striped Maple has smooth bark with white stripes— Amelanchier bark is smooth and grey with darker, vertical lines- Poplar bark is smooth in the younger parts- White Ash bark is furrowed into firm irregular ridges that are

broken across and intersect one another

5. Leaf scars, bundle scars and stipular scars —

— In the majority of woody plants the leaf scars are alternate,but in Maples, Ashes and Viburnums they are opposite. (They areopposite also in a few other groups).

— The number and arrangement of the bundle scars (visible as smallprojections or dots within the leaf scar) are important characteristics of the species

— Stipules may leave scars or vestiges that are characteristic ofthe species

6. Buds and Bud scales -

— Most buds are covered by small brown scales. These may behairy, smooth or gummy; some are fringed with hairs like aneyelash; they may meet end on as in Speckled Alder, or overlaplike shingles as in Sweet sale

- The bud may be capped by a single scale as in the Willows orthe bud may be naked (without scales) as in Witch—hazel and theVi burn ums

A WEEKEND VISIT TO KEJIMKUJIKPARK - T áii~14 AUGUST.

Pierre Taschereau

Boy, was I ever in a pickle! HFNwere coming to Keji for a weekendouting and I was to show them thehighlights of the park. The picklewas the weather forecast — rain,rain, followed by more rain for bothSaturday and Sunday. I could justimagine the mounting excitement asthe group sat in the Visitor’sCentre all weekend waiting for thefloods to subside. I suggested a

postponement of the trip but Dorissimply replied “We’ll be there,John,and don’t worry about the rain.”Right. Why should I worry? I’mnot the type to let 24 hours of continuous rain on Friday ruin myweekend plans.

A small group of ten entered thepark about noon on Saturday under alow overcast and over wet grass

tr~s

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(from the previous hour’s rain). Icringed to note that not one wore a

f raincoat. Off we trundled into thecool, dark, dripping shade of aHemlock forest, where Millie Evans(a park naturalist) gathered usaround an ancient graveyard. After

f weaving tales and legends of MicmacIndians and local fishing guides,she took us out onto the slabs ofgrey slate slanting down into thelake, where long gone Micmacs andearly settlers had etched in thesoft rock the figures of animals,people, ships, religious symbols andceremonial dress. We crawled onhands and knees from one drawing tothe next until the last faint figuredisappeared at the water’s edge.

Here Minnie left us to botanizealong the shoreline. I noticed thesun oozing through a thin patch ofcloud, and cautiously removed myraincoat — but kept it handy, notto be fooled by an isolated patchof thinning cloud. Pipewort andWater Lobelia were growing in theshallows; Creeping Buttercup, RosePogonia, Meadow Beauty and Bladderwort grew in the moist sand. Manyof these plants found along theshores of Keji Lake are members ofthe coastal plain flora - a groupof plants normally found furthersouth along the Atlantic coast.The rarest plant in the Park is theWater Pennywort (H~dnoiaotg~ am~dcianc~ ; we made a special trip toone of its few stations in Keji.

The enthusiasm of HFN’ers isextraordinary. When we happenedupon a small hopping Brown Toad, anormal person watching from nearbywould have thought we had discovereda diamond. Out came the magnifyingglasses and everyone huddled aroundto observe this rather plump littlehopper more closely. She was aboutas long as my middle finger is wideand had probably only just left thewater a week or so earlier. Brightreddish—brown spots decorated herback. She hopped over the edge ofmy hand and tumbled to the earth,lying motionless on her back, thenin a few seconds she rolled over andhopped away to explore the forest.

By now it was time to head backto Lesley’s cottage where nine ofthe group were ‘kitchen-camping’overnight. An~ guess what? The sun~had been~ shining from way back amongthe buttercups!

After supper the group re-formedat the outdoor theatre where Milliepresented “Herstory”, a slide andanimation presentation on the important role of women in the history ofthe area. Millie’s energetic performance on stage was matched onlyby the brilliance of the Perseidmeteor shower observed by a few ofthe group much later that night.Very few, in fact. The rest sat inthe velvet dark on the stoop at theback of Lesley’s cottage as long asthey could, only to succumb to sleepbefore the stellar performance.After all, it HAD been a long day.

Sunday was beautifully sunny allday. Making an early start wewalked along the Mersey, stoppingat a bend in the river to watch thetumbling water and question thewhite froth swirling in the eddy.Not pollution, we were told, but theresult of acid in the soil leachinginto the water and being whipped toa froth by the action of the fast-moving river. Our walk along theMersey, up through a hillside standof Hemlocks, and among the Beechtrees at the top of the drumlin, provided an opportunity to learn abouta wide variety of plants. DavidLawley, a Park naturalist and HFNmember, introduced us to plants thatmove great distances, plants withinvisible seeds, plants with doll’seyes, and antique rock from anAfrican mountaintop.

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HALIFAX FIELD NATURALISTSdo N.S. Museum, 1747 Summer St., Halifax, N. S. 133H 3A6

LAWRENCETOWN - WEST MARSH SURVEY - (HFN MINI—SURVEY #4)

Date: Ecosystem:

Type of Survey: Transect No.:

Weather: Station No.:

Time:

Tide Levels:

Species Abundance Remarks

LAWRENCETOWN, WEST MARSH

WOODLANDS

MARSH

SAND BEACH

STABILIZED DUNES

TIDAL FLATS

p

¼ 0 Miles Atlantic Ocean

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We left the Beech and headed forthe beach to eat a quick lunch before embarking on a leisurely paddleby canoe and kayak. We venturedup-river to smell the fragrant waterlilies and search for rare turtlesamong the islands of Bluejoint Grass.The lead canoe did glimpse a Blandings Turtle as it swam beneath. theircanoe. There were plenty of PaintedTurtles hauled out on logs to sunthemselves. Again I was reminded ofthe weatherman’s now obviously incorrect forecast of rain all weekend,

After our canoe trip there wasenough time for a swim in the lakeand a bit of sun-soaking on the warmsand before turning our thoughts towards the homeward journey. Now Iknow why Doris said not to worryabout the rain.

Where HFN goes the sun is sure tofollow (cross fingers!), On Mondaymorning I awoke to a damp, drizzlymist, and found myself wishing theHFN could have stayed longer.

John Brownlie

Leader: Linda Morris

This trip was organised to launcha new version of the Conrad’s Beachmini-survey; an earlier attempthaving ended in failure due to lackof participation. Linda Morris,the survey organiser, optimisticallyignored the downpour of 7 a,m. and~Jreete~ 11. other intrepid souls atthe parking lot of the NSM at 9 a,m.by which time of course the rain hadstopped and our faith was justified.

We headed off to the beach whereLinda divided us into three teams,each of which was to be responsiblefor examining one of the terraintypes to be found at the site.Birders went off to the salt marshunder the guidance of Fulton Lavender; Linda led another group alongthe back of the dunes and into thespruce thicket and the rest of ustagged along with Philip Volckaertto the beach to see what we couldfind. (Lists of what we did findwill be included in the surveyreport). Note was made of anythingwe could identify and anything wecouldn’t we collected for lateridentification.

The group reassembled at thespit of land between the two beachesthat comprise the Conrad’s Beachcomplex, and proceeded to enjoy aleisurely lunch in the sun. Lindatook this opportunity to introducethe purpose of the mini-survey(*see details at the end of thisreport) and we then went over thespecimens collected in an attemptto pick each other’s brains andthereby reduce the size of the pileto be taken back to the Museum foridentification.

CONRAD’ S BEACH

Date: Sunday, 18 September 1983Participants: 12Site: Conrad’s BeachWeather: Overcast in the morning, clearing/clear

in the afternoon, 20°C, strong breeze fromthe SW

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After lunch people strolled about,waded, and watched a brave(1) groupnot HFN’ers I might add - play,fully clothed, in the surf fornearly an hour! Most of the groupmade tracks for home about twoo’clock, but four sunworshippersbasked happily on until fouro’clock - watching the breakersrolling in and marvelling at theoccasional rainbow hanging in thespray. For this languid lot theafternoon ended quite satisfactorilywith tea and goodies at the MacDonald House Tearoom, perched onthe cliff between Conrad’s andLawrencetown beaches.

*Conradls Beach Mini-Survey.

The purpose of this year-longsurvey is to prepare a report forLands and Forests which will hopefully be of help to them in planning for the conversion of the siteinto a park. Conrad’s, beside beingan appealing place to walk or swim,is an important breeding area forbirds. (The 7 pairs of Piping Ploversnesting there this year successfullyfledged 11 chicks - due in part,perhaps, to the warning signsposted by L.& F. around the breeding site). It will take somecareful thought to set up a park in

IMPROMPTU FIELD TRIPS —

Ricki Garrett-Smith organised animpromptu ‘leaf—kicker’ to Cape Splitat the end of October. Eight memberstook part and although there is noreport yet as to what they spotted atthat season, we understand that itproved to be an excellent outing.

Because of the weather being sofoul on Sunday November 6, Eric Cooke(who now lives in the LeHave area),was forced to establish a precedentand cancel an HFN field trip. However three hardy ladies did show up

which both recreation and conservation demands are met, and this isa good chance for the HFN membersto have some input at the planningstage.

The report will include a historyof the beach’s use and development,a taxonomic inventory of the floraand fauna presently found there andsuggestions for future use. Thesuccess of the project will dependon the participation of the clubmembers and everyone, no matterwhat their level of expertise, isencouraged to take part. Even theoccasional visitors out on a Sundaystroll can keep their eyes open andreport what they see to Linda.Longer term commitment, however,could involve thinking up ways ofinterpreting the site’s naturalhistory to thepublic, documentingpresent beach usage by local inhabitants or carrying out such projectsas monitoring snow depth changes orbeach erosion during the winter. Thepossibilities are endless, but thekey idea isthat everyone can haveinput, at no matter what level.

By the way, there will be anotherConrad’s Beach walk in the spring.Anyone interested in getting moreinformation can contact Linda Morrisat 463-3150.

Georgina Blaylock.

at the NSM, waited awhile for thecurrent storm to ease up, then tooka walk around the Frog Pond~andalong the hiking path as far as theNova Scotia Yacht Squadron property.They then went on to Harrietsfieldto Rocking—Stone Park,as the rainat that time was holding off.However, it was not a good dayfor ‘findings’ and the weather dideventually force them to give up.

We feel that Bernice, Ricki andNancy do deserve an accolade!

Editor.

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MORNING WALK IN THE AUTUMN WOODS -

Date: Saturday, October 15,1983.Site: Frog Pond, Purcells Cove Road, JollimoreGuide: Pierre TaschereauParticipants: 16 — later joined by a couple living in this areaWeather: Sunny, clear, autumn cool, light SE wind

We began our walk right at theparking lot, where an interestingoutline of the trees was describedby our guide. Among them were thetrees beloved of artists because oftheir sweeping branches, the WhitePines; Red Maples, and Poplar.The Trembling Aspen leaves createthe delightful rustling sounds inthe woods because of their vertic— Among the findings along theally flattened, springy stems, as path around the Pond were Whitelong as tha leaf is wide, which Pine needles, which grow five to atogether with the soft, flat leaves cluster and are dropped continuously;catch the wind to make the whisper— Lambkill (with one belated pinking noises called ~‘women’s tonguesu. bloom); Canada Holly with its colour

ful but inedible berries; Witherod(or White Raisin) its pliant shootsstill in use for weaving eel potsetc.; Witch Hazel in flower, itspale yellow,thread—like petals almostunseen beneath the rounded leaves(a soothing, healing, astringentlotion is still being distilledfrom the bark); Huckleberry withwhat looksiike a spattering ofshellac on the shiny underside ofits leaves; ~çij~n_Pear, with berriesuseful for making fruit pies, jellies,etc. , has so many common names it

~ should perhaps be called by itsLatin name Ame-P~.c c.h.Leii. c~naden4~4;Bayberj~y, with tiny golden resindrops on the underside of the

Also in the parking lot we saw leaves; False Ho~jy; Wintergreenmale and female Japanese Knotweed4 with bright aromaticberries andIntroduced by the early settlers ,. leaves; Wild Lily-of—the Vali~;these bushy plants which grow from the downy—headed seeds of the6—10 feet in a season, were used to Whorled Aster; Purple Asters stillhide outhouses or separate properties. in bloom; Poison Ivy distinguishedIn early Spring their new shoots may by the main vein to one side of thebe peeled, cooked and eaten like three leaflets with their pointed.rhubarb or asparagus. But if allowed tips, the middle leaflet on a long

Just a perfect morning for anOctober walk — cool , bright, gentlebreeze plus the presence of athoroughly knowledgeable naturalistand a short, easy drive from theNSM at the comfortable hour of 9.30.

to grow beyond 8—9~’ at most,the stemsare too fibrous to eat. The widerhollow stem closer to the roots wassaid to be used for candlemaking inthe early days of settlement.

Another plant noted was Coltsfoot,now only in leaf, its bright yellowdandelion—like flowers are the firstto bloom in Spring. Coltsfoot leavesmay be used to make candy, tea orseasonings, but was perhaps bestknown as a cough medicine, as itsLatin name implies - T4L€.cLgo~cut~çctn.a. A common plant in NovaScotia on all disturbed soils,.

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stalk; a Death-Angel mushroom (oneof the deadly AmcLn~ta spp.);Bitter—sweet Nightshade, inediblebut not the Deadly Nightshade foundin England; small clumps of Polypodyj~ock Fern ; Rock Tripe, a lichenoften used in making purple—red dye;Wild Sarsaparilla with purplishblack berries, the leaves and rootstill widely used medicinally; SweetGale, partly identified by minutegolden glands on the leaf back; thehuge cow—tongue shaped leaves ofClintonia ; and clumps of Bur—reedwith its shiny green spiked ballseed cases.

The only insects we saw were inthe stream, Water Striders busyhunting smaller insects. In thelarger part of the Frog Pond a flockof Mallards and Black Ducks quackedan accompaniment to our walk..

Pierre blew bubbles in the streamthrough a section of Red Oak twig todemonstrate how large are the cellswhich carry water from the groundinto the leaves. This open textureaccounts for the lovely oak grainprized in furniture.

In another demonstration Pierreshowed how the Soft Rush (Juncu4 sp,was used in the past as a source oflight. The stems, dried and peeled,dipped in oil or animal fat were litand placed in small clip-type holders.The Indians once made mats of Juncusto pad and insulate teepee floors.

This walk. provided much interestfor its participants within a relatively short space of time.

Fran and Brechin Maclean.

SHOREBIRD ~LALK TO HARTLEN POINT—

Date:Location:Weather:Leader:

On August 27, three HFNrers anda visitor from Ottawa, all eager tolearn about shorebirds, were led onan outing to several birdwatchingspots.

Our first stop was at Hartlen’sPoint, where within sight of avidgolfers, we saw Double—Crestedand Great Cormorants, at least fourspecies of Sand Pipers (Semi-palmated, Pectoral, White-rumped andLeast), Ruddy Turnstones, and OspreyOut on the water a little distancewe saw Common Eiders and CommonLoons. And we learned a littleabout the myths of the hauntedDevil’s Island.

We walked through a Cranberry bogto a small, sheltered bay at thePoint, from which vantage point wesaw a Great Blue Heron sitting atopa pine tree across the bay. Suddenlya flock of birds were put to flight,and Fulton spotted two Bald Eaglescoming in from a distance. It tooka little while for we initiates tospot them, but once we did, we trained our binoculars on them to watchtheir circling flight.

Hundreds of Starlings observed ona power line were of minimal interestto Fulton, but made a great photostudy for those of us with cameras.

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Saturday, August 27, 1983 Participants:Hartlen Point etc., around Eastern PassageCool, cloudy, but with sunshine later in the dayFulton Lavender

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We then hopped into our cars todrive to an old piggery just aboveRussell Lake. In former times thebirds flocked to the piggery areaas a nutritive source. They stillflock there, even though the areais now slated for a housingdevelopment. Over the lake we sawBank Swallows flying; Cape May,Bay-breasted and Tennessee Warblerswere identified in the trees nearby, either by their song or by asighting.

Then back into the cars and on toConrad’s Beach, with a brief stopat West Lawrencetown Marsh. Therewe saw a Lesser Yellowlegs, a Blue—winged Teal, Stilt Sandpipers anda Lesser Golden Plover. The latterhad had its breast stained orangeas part of a study of James Bayshorebird migration patterns.

At Conrad’s Beach we walked alongthe beach to a small, raised grassyarea suitable for a lunch break.Bythis time the sun had broken throughthe clouds and we were able to bask

As we walked back along thebeach we spotted a Piping Ploveracross the way on the grassy slopeof a dune. This was assumed to beone of the brood hatched at thebeach in Spring. We were pleasedto note the signs still in position which had been erected earlierin the year explaining how ploversnest and asking that the area beleft undisturbed.

On the way back along the beachwe saw a number of Sanderlings andmore Sandpipers. By this time thetide had turned and the birds wehad watched while we lunched hadall disappeared, following thereceding water and continuing theirforaging. Fulton had timed thispart of our outing so that we wouldarrive just before high tide whenthe shorebirds collect on the sandbars — to disappear like magicimmediately after the water beginsto recede.

It was an information-packed day,and we returned home with our brainsreeling from an overdose of birdnames and characteristics. Thefull list of 69 species is rathertoo long for this report, but thehighlights have all been mentioned.Thanks are very much due to Fultonfor his guidance and patience withus neophytes.

Our next stop was on the west like lizards on a rock. As we satside of the Point. In the grassy and lunched, we also kept our binocarea near the shore we saw Song and ulars handy to catch sight of inter-Short—tailed Sparrows and a number esting birds. Many, many sandpipersof warbiers taking shelter in a rust— were resting on a sandbar out in theed out bed. Noted were Yellow, Chest-~ water. Among others, we saw anut sided, Myrtle and Yellow—throated Wilson’s Phalarope and a HudsonianWarblers; and, unusual according to Godwit swimming along in closeFulton, we spotted an Alder Flycatcher proximity. We were given a test byout in the open. Fulton when a number of dT~è~r—

ent species of sandpipers wér~spotted together. I believe wewere able to identify two out offo u r.

Nancy Sherwin.

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TRIP TO RAYELS CAVE, MAI,TLAND—

Date:P1 ace:Weather:Leader:

Both the l.ittle Brown Bat (Myotislucifugus), the most common bat inNova Scotia and in all of Canada, andits much rarer relative the BigBrown Bat (Eptesicus fuscus),require a dark, sheltered locationwith a constant temperature somewhat above freezing, and a constant,high humidity, in order to survivethe winter. In summer a hollow tree,or even a space behind a shutter ora shingle3 can provide darkness andshelter adequate for a bat duringthe day.

Nursery colonies make use ofattics, church steeples, small mineshafts — any suitable shelter largeenough to accommodate from a dozento several hundred females andyoung. But in the winter most ofthese locations become too cold.Large caves, capable of maintainingstable conditions over the winter,are needed. These are not common,and bats may migrate hundreds ofmiles to get from their summer foraging grounds to their home wintering places. The many thousands ofbats in a dormant state in such aplace during the winter may represent the population of hundredsof square miles of country.

Popular studies suggest thatthere should be a number of bathibernation caves in Nova Scotia,but the only one known is Haye’sCave in South Maitland. On September 25 about 30 persons C HFNmembers combined with a group sponsored by the NSM) explored this caveunder the guidance of Fred Scottof the Nova Scotia Museum staff,who is currently studyings itsChiropterine population.

Accordingly, your faithfulcorrespondent, boarded the Museum

Par~tici’pan’ts: 30 - including 10-12friends of NSM

bus at 9 o clock on a beautiful fallmorning and joined a hardy group ofhikers. We spent a pleasant hourdiscussing the economic and population density considerations relatedto hiking in New Zealand, and poringover illustrations in Banfield thatwould not have seemed out of placein Froud and Lee’s Book of Faeries,while Fred drove to the area of thecave. Others arrived by car and weregrouped. We approached the banksof the mighty Five Mile. River witha spirit of confidence and mutualco—operation, and effected a crossing with no losses and few minorincidents. A walk through thewoods, a climb, a squeeze past ahornet’s nest, and a final scrambleover a slope of loose talus broughtus to the tiny cleft in the base ofa massive white cliff which is theentrance to Haye’s Cave. The rockwas soft. Large chunks could bepulled away by hand. The cave mouthhas changed considerably over theyears and it seems unlikely to remain open indefinitely unlessdeliberate means are taken’ to preserve it.

We had decided to explore the cavein two groups, and those who were togo first donned construction helmets(against the probability of fallingrock from the cave ceiling), squeezedthrough the cleft, and one by onedisappeared from’ sight.

Sunday, 25 September 1983Hayets Cave and area in South MaitlandSunny, wind lightFred Scott, N.S. Museum

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Haye’s Cave was forme.d by anunder-~ground flow from the FiveMile River. ft contains a seriesof ponds, fluctuating greatly insize, fed by underground water,which helps maintain the temperature and humidity that makes itso valuable to the bats. The sameflow has resulted in a number ofsink holes and ponds a little farther on. The who’e area is boundedby dramatic limestone cliffs — allin all, the place abounds in interest and variety, and while thiswriter climbed the cliff above thecave and sat idly gazing at thescenery and oping to spot a hawkor two, several other members employed themselves more ambitiously.I leave to them a description oftheir explorations.

At length Mother Earth gave upthe field naturalists she hadswallowed, and we decided to havelunch before letting her have asecond chance at hers. It was anhour later that I myself joined asecond group of hard-hat types, andfortified with a good meal and asip from Doris Butters’ ever-presentflask (not so dissipated as it mightsound —contents are unfermented,pure wild-fruit juice and made everyfall by Lesley B.), we crossed theriver again and lowered ourselvesinto the cave.

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It was not actually uncomfortable inside, though the dampnessand coolness, and especially thestillness, were in sharp contrastto the atmosphere we had just leftbehind. T e sound of my boots seeking uncertain footing in the waterand mud, seemed strangely loud andclear as we made our way over themucky ground. The cave floorsloped into dangerously cold ponds.The first was said to contain fish,though we saw none. I brought upthe rear, and watched our procession of assorted types of lightsbobbing and wobbling along into thedarkness. Only a feeble illumination reached the immediately surrounding areas of the cave walls andcell ing.

The temperature and humidity arenot uniform throughout Haye’s Cave,and it is not until past the first

our pond that good conditions for batsare found. Here we began to searchwith our flashlights on the ceilinga few yards above us. We foundoccasional soft, furry bodiesdangling black and tiny againstthe masses of grey stone. As wewent on, they increased in numbersuntil hundreds could be seen fromone spot. Some were hanging singly,others hung in rows along cracks,still others hung packed close together in clusters so that they wereimpossible to count. Moisture condensed on their fur, as it must inan area with a humidity suitablefor them. They appeared short inbody and heavily built in the neckand shoulders compared to mousesized mammals we are used to seeingclosely. With wings folded tightlyfor roosting, the long thin boneswhich support the menthranes are moreconspicuous than the membranes themselves. The final impression isthat of a stocky, dark, shiny, wet andrather breakable huddle, an oddcombination of robustness and wretchedness. They could be seen breathing,and occasionally one would fly. Theydid not seem alarmed by our lights,

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and Fred assured us that occasi,onalvisits by naturalists did no harm.

This was before the full hi er—nation season of course, and mostof t e winter population of thecave had not yet arrived. What wewere seeing were local bats andearly arrivals who were using thecave as a daytime roost, going outat night to forage. Those we sawwere probably Little Brown BatsSome of us diligently followed thedeeper crevices with our flashlightsin the hope of finding a Big BrownBat. These like to crawl into acrack in the rock rat er t an merely hang from a convenient grip bytheir back feet. But any we foundwere declared to be Myotis by ourguide, after close scrutin(Eptesicus has larger ears

As the cave tapered off at thefar end, conditions change againand the bats thinned out until nomore were to be seen. There Issupposed to be a chimney at the farend - useable at the expense ofconsiderable effort, as an exit,but most of our members felt thatadequate challenge was offered bythe opening we had already used.We retraced our steps, climbed outinto the sunset, and left Haye’sCave to creatures more in tune withit.

A bat is usually a rapid, fluttering creature on a still,summer evening, generally gone bythe time we fully realise it isthere. Our thanks to Fred Scottfor a rare, close look at thesestrange, elusive beasts.

Michael Dawning.

P.S. A few of us hiked up and overthe top of the cave. At the verytop we discovered a most unusualalmost fairy-tale—like land. Wewere surrounded by a landscape composed of conical depressions (sinkholes) in the ground. These wereabout 3 metres deep and placed sideby side so that only a narrow,wind—ing ridge of white rock and knarlytree roots separated the pits.

Little, tiny people live infurnished burrows under the treeroots where they sip her al tea andwatch, naturalists balancing aloagthe narrow ridges.

Jo n Brownlie.

NEW FINANCIAL YEAR STARTS JANUARY1984 — DON’T FORGET YOUR DUES.

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WELCOME TO NEW MEMBERS -

0. and C. MacNeillA. LakeP. Service

Note - A tmField Notes” file hasbeen opened containing copies ofhandouts and information sheetsreceived before a walk, full listsof flora and fauna observed andmaps of several areas. The N.S.Museum is interested in such listings as they feel their lists arenot always complete. The file isopen to anyone who may wish to seeit or to add to it.

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