Selected Excerpts from the Vancouver Natural History Society “Bulletin”
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- Geology Trip to Chuckanut Drive, Washington, U.S.A.
- Geology Trip to Barnet-Coquitlam Area
- Botany Field Trip to U.B.C. Gardens
- The Flora of Spanish Banks
- Field Trip to the Upper Levels Highway
- V.N.H.S. Camp [Kalamalka Lake]July 4 – 14, 1958
| Bird Notes – The V.N.H.S. Bird Census Group found a golden eagle at Brockton Point on December 26th. It was alive but in poor condition. It died later. There is no record of this species previously seen in this area.
NB. There was nothing of note in Issues # 100 and #102 #103 September 1957 Geology – Caulfeilds When the geology group again visited Caulfeilds on June 22nd, it was suggested to Dr. Armstrong that the conditions there were too complicated for the amateur to describe and that he might consider writing a resume for the bulletin. Dr. Armstrong replied that he could do no better than point us to the references in his Descriptive Notes for the North Vancouver Map. Accordingly we take the liberty of quoting from these Notes. “The pre-granitic rocks outcropping in the Lynn Creek, Hollyburn, Caulfeild and Horseshoe Bay areas have been correlated with the Bowen Island group, mainly on lithological evidence, although owing to extensive metamorphism and metasomatism, the correlation is at best only the most reasonable assumption, and possibly some of these rocks should be correlated with the Gambier group. “Changes in the rocks exposed in the Lynn Creek area and in the area including the summits of mounts Strachan and Hollyburn, have resulted in the abundant development of fine-grained chlorite, epidote and albite. In many places the original textures have been obliterated, although major structures are preserved. On the other hand, the rocks exposed on the lower slopes of Mount Hollyburn and in Caulfeild and Horseshoe Bay have undergone further changes, resulting in somewhat coarser grained rocks, that in many places have a marked banded appearance, alternating layers consisting of feldspar – and hornblende – rich material. In places these latter rocks have been extensively replaced (granitized) producing granitic and dioritic gneisses.” Geology Trip to Chuckanut Drive, Washington, U.S.A. The party gathered at Kingsway and 11th Avenue at 9:00 a.m. Saturday, September 14th with Dr. J.E. Armstrong of the B.C. Branch of the Geological Survey of Canada. From Bellingham they followed the Chuckanut Road to Larabee [State] Park and took advantage of the full camp facilities and fine shaded tables to eat a picnic lunch. The group, 30 in number, followed the beautiful Chuckanut Drive southwards in eight cars, stopping to examine selected rock outcrops along the road and the shore. The Chuckanut formation consists mainly of massive grey, coarse sandstone with minor shale beds and rare conglomerate lenses. The shale includes very thin coal seams and many fossil leaves of broad-leaved trees, metasequoia and palms. Over one hundred species have been recorded. The palm leaves are common in thin-bedded sandstone where they occur locally in profusion, representing specimens 2 feet wide and about 2 feet long. The formation is older than the Burrard and Kitsilano ones of Middle Eocene age and is currently believed to be Palaeocene. The Chuckanut formation is highly disturbed. The altitudes of the beds vary from vertical to a dip of 65 to 80 degrees to the north by northeast. Near the south end of the Chuckanut Drive the underlying formation is well exposed and consists of sheared and metamorphosed phyllites and schists – probably of Mesozoic age. At 4 o’clock the group gathered at Larabee Park for tea before returning home. The weather was warm and sunny, a haze dimming the view of the San Juan Islands and Mount Baker. Our hearty thanks to Dr. Armstrong for his fine management of the trip and explanations of the geology. M.Y. Williams. Dr. M.Y. Williams was a geologist and paleontologist at U.B.C. and a long-time supporter of the V.N.H.S. He was a very good general naturalist and taxidermist (birds and mammals). He was one of the first professors appointed to the faculty at U.B.C. specializing in sedimentary rocks of Ontario and the Canadian Plains. He worked on the geology of the Alaska Highway during World War II, and earlier, that of Hong Kong. Although absent in summer, while out in the field, he actively supported the Society in winter. #104 December 1957 Geology at Lynn Valley We always appreciate the definite character of Dr. Armstrong’s notices: “ Meet at 2 p.m. but if it rains at noon, the trip is cancelled.” We accept the inference that if it does not rain at noon, the trip is on come what may! At noon on June 1st it was dull, but not raining. When we assembled at 2 p.m. the same conditions prevailed but happily the sun came out. Dr. Armstrong marched us down the canyon wall and up again. Then he did the same thing in another direction, so we had a good work out. At the conclusion, he acceded to our request that he summarize the day’s observations. He pointed out that we had studied the inter-glacial peat at a different place than formerly. On the other side of the creek the seam of peat is smaller and more consolidated and contains small fossil beetles. At the place visited on this occasion, the peat appears thicker and formed by driftwood. Its age is probably 40,000 years or more. There is evidence that at one time the creek was further east. Its present course is determined by a fault. Alternately the creek follows the fault and the jointing of the diorite. One of the features of the diorite in this area is the absorption of the older reef rocks. In many cases in the Vancouver area there are numerous inclusions, but at Lynn Valley absorption has been less thorough. When separate masses of the included rock are not observable, the presence of such rocks seems clear by variation in the composition of the diorite and stratification in the included material. J.J.P. Geology Trip to Barnet-Coquitlam Area Our party of 30 gathered at the Hastings and Kootenay bus loop on Saturday afternoon, September 28th, and in nine cars drove in the direction of Barnet. We stopped several times on the highway and Dr. Armstrong showed us some poorly consolidated tertiary beds that are part of the Kitsilano formation. We saw a huge slide that had formerly fallen on the CPR tracks and we heard how the construction of the highway had met with several difficulties when parts of the road slumped as a result of the same slide. The sliding was in faulted sediments on the north face of Burnaby Mountain. Then we moved west to Coquitlam and north on the pipeline road about 5 miles to where a large slide came down all of a sudden six years ago and dammed up the Coquitlam River. The slide material was at least 30 feet thick. At that time a whole forest was destroyed, the riverbed changed its course, and all flora was killed. Regeneration of plant life is beginning and we found about 30 different species. M.G. [Nothing of note in Issue #105, though it was apparently incorrectly numbered as #104] #106 September 1958 Bird Notes Mr. William Hughes, Chairman of the Ornithology Section, reports the following observations: On May 3rd about noontime, we saw an adult male yellow-headed blackbird near the southern border of the Vancouver International Airport. It sat for nearly one minute on top of a cattail stalk in the marshes and then flew off, giving forth some very unmusical sounds. At 9 o’clock on May 10th we were bird watching on the dike enclosing the northwest corner of Sea Island, north of the Vancouver International Airport. On the mudflat towards the Strait of Georgia we observed, close to a flock of western sandpipers, a large shorebird that we identified as a [red] knot, after considerable study and comparison with Peterson’s Field Guide of Western Birds as well as Shorebirds of British Columbia, by C.J. Guiguet. The bird was feeding for some time with the sandpipers, which later flew off and left it alone. We watched through a telescope for 25 minutes until it disappeared behind grass hummocks. According to A Review of the Bird Fauna of British Columbia by J. A. Munro and I. McT. Cowan, the last records for the Lower Mainland were at Sumas, B.C. in June 1895 for the yellow-headed blackbird, and in August 1890 for the [red] knot. As far as we are able to determine, there were no subsequent records of these two species in this area. While a sight record can never be as satisfactory as one that is substantiated by a specimen or an acceptable photograph, the fact that we had such excellent views led us to report the observation of these unusual, unmistakable birds. Werner and Hildegard Hesse. Keats Island. Mr. Carl Gough accompanied by a party of twenty, took a route through the woods to Bridgeman’s Bluff on Keats Island. A variety of plants and trees were seen with Mr. Gough pointing out many species and answering innumerable questions. The one notable discovery was a foxglove whose top blooms, instead of continuing up the stem, had joined together to form one circular compound flower. This is an uncommon variety and only one member of the party had ever seen a specimen before, and that only once. R.C.B. Three members of the second party went off separately to give their whole time to bird watching. The song of a winter wren was heard but it remained hidden. Other birds observed were the MacGillivray’s, black-throated gray, and yellow warblers, pileated and hairy woodpeckers, Swainson’s thrush, olive-sided flycatcher, [American] goldfinch, Oregon [dark-eyed] junco, chestnut-backed chickadee and cedar waxwing. Bridgeman’s Bluff provided a splendid panorama of other islands and the sea. It was a satisfactory afternoon’s outing for everyone. E.G. Botany Field Trip to U.B.C. Gardens An interesting fieldtrip was spent on the afternoon of May 10th with good company present and the weather co-operative. Mr. Eastham was our guide. The rock garden was visited first, most noticeable being a large clump of our coastal alpine penstemon in full bloom, Penstemon menziesii [Davidson’s penstemon var. menziesii]. Although difficult to keep in cultivation it thrives here. The most colourful of the flowering plants were the Asiatic primulas, Primula mutabilis W.W. Smith, native of China, with pale blue bells, and Primula chionantha Balf, F. & Forest also native to China, with a pure white colour that is unusual in the primula family. The most striking group was the Berkeley strain of Primula pulverulenta Duthie, again a native to China, some plants being four feet tall bearing whorls of flowers of strong pink, one above the other, along the stem. Another striking plant was the Neconopsis, M. Sheldoni, the blue poppy of the Tibetan Himalayas and West China. Neconopsis betonicifolia var. Baileyi Edwards, has been in the Gardens for many years. M. Sheldoni is a richer and more striking blue but dies after producing seed.
Mr. Eastham described many lesser varieties of pinks, phlox, parsley fern, London pride with its dainty flowers, and Polemonium or Jacob’s ladder, all of which could easily have been passed unnoticed. Traces of mistletoe, its host being evergreens, were seen on the large hemlock. The woodland contained many ferns all identified by Mr. Eastham – two local ones were the ostrich and beech ferns; two eastern varieties were the royal and the sensitive ferns. The butcher’s broom is a flat jointed stem plant without leaves.
Mr. Eastham led a group of 17 members to the Spanish Banks on the afternoon of May 24th. Although I collected only 28 species, a good many more were described in detail to an eager audience whose questions however trivial were answered with patience by our leader. A species of yellow violet has disappeared since Mr. Eastham’s previous visit to the area. White [night- flowering catchfly] and red silene [red campion?] were found growing together. The former opens for fertilization at night and the latter during the day. This seems to be nature’s way of avoiding cross fertilization. We saw two species of willow, Salix lasiandra Benth [Pacific willow], on which the catkins appear after the leaves, and Salix scouleriana Hook [Scouler’s willow], which is the earliest to flower long before its leaves appear. Aspirin is made from the willow for the treatment of rheumatism. The ancients thought that as dampness caused rheumatism, willow trees, growing in marshes, were sent to cure the disease. Indians roast the roots of bracken, and sometimes cook the young fronds [fiddleheads]. In favourable soil it grows to 8 feet in height. The roots form a network just below the soil surface. At its best was Digitalis purpurea L., the foxglove, that noble plant whose leaves have through the ages saved many a failing heart and remains our safest remedy for that complaint. Trientalis latifolia Hook, the [broad-leaved] star flower or chickweed wintergreen, occurs in woods on the coast. Trientalis means 1/3 of a foot. It has large corms easily pulled up with the plant. We enjoyed Mr. Eastham’s description of the interesting peculiarity of each plant as it so improved our knowledge of botany. D. Bradley #107 January 1959 Bird Notes (1958) European Starling – On a field trip to Pitt Meadows on May 18th fledglings were observed being fed by adults. On June 1st they were also seen during a trip to Chilliwack, and more fledglings were observed by Mr. and Mrs. Hesse on Barnston Island. Starlings were also reported nesting in the Point Grey Road area. It is evident that they are now breeding in some numbers on the Lower Mainland. On November 30th while riding a bus, I observed these same birds flying over the area east of Granville and Balfour Streets. They appeared to be preparing to fly into roost. On December 7th I found them roosting in the 3700 block of Selkirk Street. It was snowing at the time and I wasn’t able to ascertain how large the roost was. I revisited the area on December 15th but this time fog prevented my finding out the size, but I counted approximately 2,000 coming in to roost. This roost is over a mile from the large roost in the 1900 block of West 14th Avenue. Bullock’s Oriole – On May 18th, 1958 a male was seen at Pitt River. At Sardis on June 1st a pair were observed. The nest was found and the female was on the nest. [Northern] Goshawk – was observed at Pitt Meadows on May 18th. Green Heron – On August 24th R.R. Anderson, E. Moodie and Allister Muir observed this bird in a ditch at the north end of MacDonald Road on Sea Island. Mr. Anderson knows this species well as he has seen it often in Ontario. He and Mr. Moodie watched it for nearly an hour. This, I believe, is the first report for the area. Ash-throated Flycatcher Mr. A.J. Erskine observed one of these birds at the Jericho Army Camp on August 24th. This is the third record for the area. Palm Warbler – was seen at Point Roberts on October 26th. While this observation was made in the State of Washington, it should be recorded as there is only one other record of this species for the Lower Mainland. Marbled Godwit – was observed between Boundary Bay and Beach Grove on October 26th, 1958. Hepburn’s [Gray-crowned] Rosy Finch – was seen at 8707 S.W. Marine Drive, Vancouver, B.C. on December 10th, 1958. It was feeding on weed seed on a patch of bare ground. Mourning Dove. Mr. and Mrs. W. Hesse found a nest with one young on June 15th on Sea Island. The nesting of this species seems to be increasing in the Lower Mainland. Wm. Hughes Bird Notes Marbled Godwit (Limosa fedoa). While we were on the small spit at Crescent Beach last July 5th, 1958, we saw three shorebirds feeding on the mud flats at 10:30 in the morning. Two were Hudsonian curlews [whimbrel] and the other was a marbled godwit. The weather was clear and [as we were] within close proximity to it, the identity of this bird was unquestionable. Canon Marvin W. Holdom of Crescent Beach reports having known this bird well in Alberta, and said he had also “seen it, some years before, at the end of Blackie’s Spit.” Brian E. Baker and John G. Sarles “Jack” Sarles and his wife Rosemond were excellent ornithologists and general naturalists who met through the V.N.H.S. He was a businessman in Vancouver and she a nurse. They moved to White Rock and helped organize the White Rock and Surrey Field Naturalist Club Sandhill Crane (Grus canadensis) At about 11:30 a.m. on October 4th while on the “spit” at Beach Grove, B.C. this bird was seen flying south towards Point Roberts. In flight, cranes differ from great blue herons, that are sometimes called ‘cranes’, in that they carry their necks straight out instead of folded; wing strokes are shorter, and feathers more spread. One of the habits in migration or in flight is to call loudly. The cry can be heard for great distances. Brian E. Baker. Brian Baker became a member of the bird banding component of the V.N.H.S. Birding Group under the leadership of Bill Hughes. Field Trip to the Upper Levels Highway Old theories die slowly. This is demonstrated in geology by constant repetition of the onion-skin theory of the Earth’s surface. We can understand how the idea was developed by early geologists whose studies were in limited areas where sedimentary rocks had very definite relationships to one another, and in turn were underlain by granitic rock. These granitic rocks were presumed to be a part of the original composition of the Earth. Now, however, it appears that the Earth is much older than was supposed and this regularity of the formations is not world-wide. The ocean floors are largely composed of basaltic rocks, and the continental masses are composed of an enormous variety of materials that have been rearranged again and again as a result of sedimentation, vulcanism, earth movements and attrition. Consequently we often find ourselves studying rocks that are old, judged by the age of man, but rather recent when compared with the age of the Earth. These points need to be kept in mind in British Columbia, and especially in the coastal area where nearly everything is comparatively recent, but looks old. One of the major problems in geology is still the origin of granitic rocks. In the past practically all geologists believed they originated by differentiation of a basaltic substratum or magma. However, at all times some geologists have believed that granitic rocks originated as a result of metasomatism, changes due to heat, pressure and solution, of sedimentary or volcanic rocks. Recently, more and more geologists have come to believe this and Dr. Armstrong is the chief exponent of such a belief here in B.C. On our field trip he pointed out facts supporting this belief. He asked us to draw our own conclusions from these facts, and then took the time to explain what he meant. Dr. Armstrong believes that all granitic rock on the North Shore originated as a result of the reconstitution of older sedimentary and volcanic rocks. This reconstitution was brought about at great depths in eugeosynclinal basins. These basins are a series of island areas and intervening oceanic troughs. Sediments were deposited in the troughs as a result of erosion of the islands; volcanic materials were deposited as most of the islands were volcanic in nature. A present day example of a eugeosynclinal basin is the islands and oceanic depths comprising the East Indies. Over many millions of years the composite section of volcanic and sedimentary rocks became tremendously thick, probably in tens of thousands of feet, and consequently near the base of the section, due to pressure, heat and solutions, mainly aqueous, the rocks were reconstituted to granitic rocks. At some later stage in their development this reconstituted mass of magma may have become mobile and forced its way into a higher place in the Earth’s crust. However, Dr. Armstrong believes, very little of this intrusion took place and most of the rocks we saw are essentially where they were formed, thousands of feet below the Earth’s surface, and have since been exposed by erosion. He showed us many inclusions that he thought represented stages in this process. He also showed us the rocks at Eagle Ridge where some of the pre-granitic rocks were to be found and all the stages of their conversion to granitic rocks were evident. In addition to the above outline (written with Dr. Armstrong’s approval), he commented on the jointing of the granitic rock (quartz diorite), the veins resulting from hydrothermal action, aplite dikes and a number of tertiary basaltic dikes similar in age to Little Mountain in Vancouver and Sentinel Hill in West Vancouver. One of the tertiary dikes was 15 feet wide and weathering in a spheroid fashion not previously noted in this locality. May 5th was a grand afternoon and 22 of us gave a hearty vote of thanks to Dr. Armstrong, and then returned to our homes for tea. J.J.P. Marine Biology Some 20 people braved the rain on June 1st to see and learn something about marine life under the capable leadership of Mrs. Brink. The miseries and discomforts of a dull, wet day were soon forgotten in the excitement of finding life at the edge of the tide. The purple starfish [sea star] Pisaster ochraceous was fairly common. There were also the slim-armed red star Henricia leviuscula and the leather star, Dermasterias imbricata. As we moved along we came upon some fine specimens of tubeworm, Eudistylia polymorpha. The dark plumes of those undisturbed just below the surface of the water would snap out of sight at a touch. It was so quick as to leave one wondering if there had been anything there at all. Another type of tubeworm, Serpula vermicularis, was seen attached to a rock. Some good specimens of sea urchins were found and anemones, Metridium, were fascinating to observe. They have an amazing ability to contract as soon as touched. We were shown a small chiton and a little later a giant Cryptochiton. Several varieties of crab – cancer [Dungeness], shore and hermit – were examined and their sex, gills and structure explained. Mussels, clams, whelks, barnacles and other crustaceans were observed and discussed. A large sea cucumber was of great interest. This would have been carried home by one member had he not been told that the creature was capable of disgorging its entire insides when alarmed. Among the algae were noted some good specimens of Iridaea, Laminaria, eelgrass and Ulva – sea lettuce. Mr. Foote Waugh thanked Mrs. Brink on behalf of the group for turning out on such a day to give us an interesting and informative study of marine natural history. J.T.G. #108 July 1958 V.N.H.S. Camp [Kalamalka Lake]July 4 – 14, 1958 The Okanagan is truly a bird watcher’s paradise and great numbers were seen during our stay in this beautiful valley. The fact that it was nesting time for many species made us feel rewarded for the opportunity of seeing so many birds. Some of them had never been seen before. The total land and water birds observed were 156 species. Six bird trips were organized. The first to Deep Lake was led by Mr. J. Grant, a member of the North Okanagan Naturalists’ Club. The second, led by Mr. J.G. Fowler of the same Club, was to the Indian Reservation where we saw the long-tailed [yellow-breasted] chat. Two trips were made to Swan Lake where nine [red-necked] grebe nests were found; one with an egg just hatching. Also seen were pied-billed grebes with young, [common] yellow-throats, long-billed marsh wrens, yellow-headed blackbirds, and western sandpipers. The nests of the western grebe consist of a floating matted structure of reeds and sedges with a depression in the center. Being fastened to living reeds they will not float away. Nests of the Holboell’s, or red- necked grebe were found floating off shore anchored to aquatic vegetation. The pied-billed nests are made of a floating structure of partly decayed reeds bent and matted down with coarse sedges and grass, mostly below the surface of the water. Two other bird trips were made to the Grandview Lake area where a flock of 40 long-billed curlews were seen on the first trip and 50 on the second. Many western bluebirds and a lark sparrow’s nest with four young were also seen. Many birds around the camp seemed quite tame. Nests, nestlings and young were observed. Interest was aroused when a pair of red-naped sapsuckers was seen feeding their young at a nest hole 12 feet up in a poplar. A few days later the young left the nest. Twenty-five feet up a tall tree a European starling had taken over a woodpecker’s hole for a nest. On the high slopes of the ridge overlooking the Lake, sparrow hawks’ nests [American kestrels] were found high in a tall dead pine tree. As the young had left the nests, the parents were feeding and teaching them to fly. Families of ruffed grouse continually crossed and re-crossed the roadways and paths near camp, being indifferent to our presence. The most unusual and outstanding birds observed numbered 48 species. A few may be mentioned: A black-chinned hummingbird seen at the Experimental Farm at Summerland and a Clark’s nutcracker seen at lake level - a bird is usually found at higher altitudes. The burrowing owl, black tern, Bullock’s oriole, sage thrasher, and the white-throated sparrow seen at Okanagan Landing and Cosen’s Bay. The [common] poorwill was seen at Coldstream and Vernon; the northern [red-necked] phalarope at Otter and Swan Lakes; and four lesser yellowlegs were seen at O’Keefe’s Pond ten miles from Vernon. The California gull was observed at Okanagan Lake; a veery on the Deep Lake trip as well as Cosen’s Bay; and the long-tailed [yellow-breasted] chat and the [gray] catbird were both seen on the Indian Reservation. The lazuli bunting was found at Cosen’s Bay and on Silver Star Mountain, turkey vultures were observed enroute to Summerland, as well as long-billed curlews and a lark sparrow’s nest with its four young. Many water birds, their nests and young were also constantly being observed. Not many mammals were seen, but note was made of the [Nuttall’s] cottontail rabbit, pika or rock rabbit, northwestern [yellow-pine] chipmunk, yellow-bellied marmot, [northern] pocket gopher, marten, muskrat and the varying [snowshoe] hare. We were warned that rattlesnakes were in the area of Cosen’s Bay and at Rattlesnake Point. As naturalists we were disappointed at not seeing any, but perhaps it was just as well that we did not. D.M. Bradley #109 March 1959 Directory: sites sites -> Answer True False 2 points Question 2 sites -> 587 Return function, r i(X) r i(0) r i(1) r i(2) r i(3) 1 0 2 4 6 Thermal Station, I 2 0 1 5 6 3 0 3 5 6 10 sites -> Glossary for Chapter 1 Algorithm sites -> North Carolina Inclusion Initiative Mapping Where Children with ieps are Being Served Purpose sites -> Northern England’s set-jetting locations sites -> Physical custody of 1033 program property accountibility form statement of Physical Custody: By signing for the below 1033 property I am a Law Enforcement Officer of the aforementioned Law Enforcement Agency sites -> Nstructions for Acquiring Excess Equipment online, through the 1033 Program sites -> Memorandum of agreement Download 2.61 Mb. Share with your friends:
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