Selected Excerpts from the Vancouver Natural History Society “Bulletin”
End Note # 13:Naturalist (Observers of above) Names (see page265)
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- Interesting Bird Sightings
- End Note 14: Pacific Nest Record Scheme (see pages 265-266) 134 March 1967 Astronomy
- End Note 15– Intermediate Naturalists are Busy Birders (see pages 266-267) Birding on the North Shore
- Christmas Bird Census – 1966
- Excerpts from President’s Report – March 31 , 1967
- End Note 16; Report on Intermediates; Annual Report Junior Naturalists; VNHS Intermediate Section (see pages 267-268) On Picking Wildflowers
- Vancouver Natural History Society Emblem
- Conservation Committee Report for 1966-67
- Banding and Birding in the Burnaby Lake Area
- Aquarium Needs Helping Hands
- Sheila M. Weaver Obituary
| End Note # 13:Naturalist (Observers of above) Names (see page265)
Member’s observation Dear Editor, I thought you might like to print the following. I don’t know if the power of nature had anything to do with it, but I have never seen a better-tempered group under stress (at camp) than the V.N.H.S! Sincerely Gladys Clawson. “These distant views have to my mind a decidedly moral and religious effect; and I cannot but believe that they are not less productive of emotions of value in this respect than they are of use in accustoming the mind to large conceptions, and thus giving it power and capacity. The mysterious power of nature to develop the whole man, including the mind, soul and body, is a subject which I think has not received the attention from philosophers which its importance demands.” - Capt. James Hervey Simpson, Topographical Engineer, U.S. Army, 1858. Gladys Clawson was an excellent artist. When painting birds it was difficult at times to persuade her not to use her artistic license in favour of accuracy. At one time just about all the aquarium identification labels at the Vancouver Public Aquarium were hand painted by Gladys. Interesting Bird Sightings Franklin’s gull – On two occasions this year I have observed an immature Franklin’s gull, one on August 6th in one of the settling pools on Iona Island, and the other on October 22nd at Brockton Point in Stanley Park. The latter was with a large flock of Bonaparte’s, mew and glaucous-winged gulls. Gwen Wright Snowy Owl – Eleven were seen at the Iona Island jetty on November 8th by Bill Hughes, Dr. J. Yak and Mr. E. Moodie. This is early for sighting snowy owls. Pygmy Owl – One of our new members, Mr. Peter McAllister, reported seeing a pygmy owl at his home on Hycroft Road in West Vancouver. Sharp-tailed Sandpiper – On September 25th two sharp-tailed sandpipers were seen at the [Reifel] Waterfowl Refuge on Westham Island. The birds were resting with other shorebirds in a wet meadow inside the dike. After observing the birds from the tower we entered the meadow to get as close as possible. The birds did not take to wing until Miss Gwen Wright, Miss Lynn Husted and I approached within eight yards, then they only circled and landed in the same vicinity. The sharp-tailed sandpiper has also been sighted this fall at Comox and at the Vancouver International Airport. Barn Swallows – three were sighted at Westham Island on October 16th. Other Observations: Errol Anderson, Lowell Orcutt, George Sirk, Ian Yule, Kay Smith and Nancy Anderson observed the following birds on Iona Island: pectoral, Baird’s and semi-palmated sandpipers, Lapland longspur, parasitic jaeger, European [Eurasian] widgeon, snow bunting, ancient murrelet, white-fronted goose, Arctic loon, snow goose and Canada goose. The group also saw a buff-breasted sandpiper on Sea Island. J.W. Husted End Note #14: Pacific Nest Record Scheme (see pages 265-266) #134 March 1967 Astronomy This year Venus is an “evening star” between January and August. It reaches greatest apparent brightness around July 21st. April should be a good month to observe Mars. This planet will be even closer to Earth in 1969. Plan to attend the evening of star gazing on March 25th at the U.B.C. campus. Meet at 8 p.m. at the Ponderosa Café in the west mall. There will be an illustrated lecture on the stars in a nearby hall if it is a cloudy or rainy night, or until it is dark enough for stargazing. Leader: - Dr. R. Stace-Smith End Note #15– Intermediate Naturalists are Busy Birders (see pages 266-267) Birding on the North Shore A western gull was observed on two occasions in the Capilano River Estuary on December 4th and again on December 31st. The bird was with a flock of glaucous-winged, mew and herring gulls and of the latter, two were Thayer’s gulls. Gadwall could be observed at close range on January 21st at the national harbour project in North Vancouver. Sand is being dredged and deposited there and this attracts hundreds of gulls, scores of great blue heron and ducks. January 29th was a red-letter day for Miss Gwen Wright and myself despite the ever-pouring rain. While birding under the Lions Gate Bridge (east of the Capilano River), we observed a flock of 50 black turnstones. Closer scrutiny revealed a ruddy turnstone and two rock sandpipers amongst them. The first, a long-awaited ‘lifer’ for Miss Wright and the latter a ‘lifer’ for me! This area under the bridge, east of the river, is good for birding, particularly in fall and spring. Part of it is a peninsula and one can sit on a log, sweep the telescope or binoculars full circle and observe at leisure all kinds of birds. Just to give an example of the variety, I saw my first parasitic jaeger and my first [American] dipper there. Entrance to this spot is at the bottom of Capilano Road. Take the road that leads to the golf course, turn right on to a gravel road, cross Matthias Road, turn right under the bridge, then left. Madelon Schouten Madelon Schouten was resident of the Dutch Colonies in S.E. Asia. She became an ornithologist of fine repute when she moved to the Lower Mainland. She was a fine instructor and supporter of the V.N.H.S. She retired to Princeton where she helped form the Vermillion Forks Natural History Society. Madelon is one of the great sponsors of natural history in B.C. Christmas Bird Census – 1966 Sixty-six years ago the pioneer ornithologist, Dr. Frank M. Chapman, sponsored the first bird census in North America at Englewood, New Jersey. Twenty-seven naturalists turned out for the occasion. The count proved popular, but more importantly, it provided a start for what is considered today to be the largest cooperative wildlife survey in the world. This year about 15,000 amateur and professional birders throughout North America participated in the National Audubon Society’s Christmas Bird Census. The annual counts are taken on one day (24 hrs.) between December 21st and January 2nd. Each area willing to participate selects a 15-mile diameter circle inside of which parties of birders record numbers and species of birds sighted during the day. Once an area count has terminated local reports are compiled and then forwarded to the National Audubon Society for publication in Audubon Field Notes. Information from these counts is valuable in population studies, bird conservation, life cycle studies and knowing more about bird habits. For over 20 years Vancouver naturalists have participated in the Census and this year was no exception. We had our best count ever: 128 species – 313,730 individual birds. Excellent weather conditions, 47 enthusiasts and the division of the 15-mile diameter circle into 23 areas helped make the Count the success it was. It is interesting to note that the participants spent over 156 hours in total in the field and [collectively] drove over 450 miles in search of feathered flyers. With each Bird Census come reports of interesting and unusual sightings. This year we had many. Snowy owls and Lapland longspurs were seen in the lowlands around the airport by Mr. Hughes’s group. Bohemian waxwings, rare winter visitors, were seen in many areas throughout our circle. Red and white-winged crossbills, common redpoll and Canada [gray] jays were seen on Hollyburn Mountain by George Sirk. A Harris’s sparrow visited Mrs. Bradley’s feeding station and western sandpipers were observed on the sand flats near Iona Island. Originally this year’s total species numbered 131 but three entries had to be deleted: rock doves (3,347) are not counted although many areas in North America {including ours] have feral populations; cackling geese (3) are considered a race of the Canada goose and are listed as such; and Thayer’s gulls (2) are not yet considered a separate species, but rather are listed with the herring gulls. Ornithology News Bird Course: - The Ornithology Section of the Society sponsored a bird course at U.B.C. last fall with 43 faithfully attending. Our sincere thanks to Dr. J.F. Bendell for getting such a wonderful instructor to teach us – Dr. Lars Von Harman of Finland. We will be sorry to see him and Mrs. Von Harman leave in May, but he must get back to his study area. This will be his 27th year of research in Finland. His latest book is Birds of Finland. We wish him every success and Good Birding! Congratulations to the Victoria Natural History Society: - 129 species recorded! Record for Vancouver N.H.S. birders – 128 species. My sincere thanks to all who turned out to help with this very fine piece of work – the Intermediate birders were excellent. George Sirk walked around in the snow on Hollyburn to find Canada [gray] jays and white-winged crossbill and red crossbills. Fred Gornall helped me to map out the areas then along with Wayne Campbell and Elmer Barnes, to compile the results. Thanks too to Vera Newson for all the typing. How I wish the Society would take a real keen interest in this event and build up a strong team. The birds are there; we just have to find them. It is a lot of fun and very worthwhile. Bird skins: If a bird hits your window, please phone me. Several boys are interested in taxidermy and need the birds for practise. They are also making a footboard for study purposes and many different types of bird feet are needed. Pacific Nest Record Scheme: - Remember to record all nests with Mrs. L. Gibbard, 465 Ellis Street, Penticton, B.C. K. Smith
#135 June 1967 Excerpts from President’s Report – March 31, 1967 Nature Education – Nature trails were laid out for the Boy Scouts’ Camp Byng and help was provided for the boys’ badge work. West Vancouver Centennial Committee had our cooperation in leading nature walks in Lighthouse Park. A group of visiting British naturalists was toured through Stanley Park. Members acted as docents at the Public Aquarium. The North Shore Hikers organized a Centennial Walk up Hollyburn and our Society members helped mark the plants along the trail. The adult groups provided trip leaders and evening speakers for the Junior and Intermediate naturalists’ activities. Lighthouse Park Survey – The Executive decided to finish the survey of Lighthouse Park [for the purpose of producing] a booklet for use by the public that explains the natural history of the area. As the survey had been done with the enthusiastic support of the West Vancouver Parks Board we hoped that the West Vancouver Council would cooperate by financing the booklet. To this end we prepared a dummy copy of what we had in mind and sent it to the Council, with carefully considered estimates of cost and a sample copy of a similar publication done in Tasmania. We have spent four months since its dispatch trying to get our material acknowledged and returned! We have written, phoned, pulled strings, and now we apparently must form a committee to go to the Municipal Hall to demand our material. This has been a great disappointment after the pleasure of doing the survey and in view of the excellent support given by the West Vancouver Parks Board. However, we are undaunted. We have done far too much work to bury it so we must find other means of publication. P.S. April 18th, 1967: Our material [Nature West Coast] has finally been returned but the West Vancouver Council has advised that it is unable to support our project financially. We must now decide on what future action to take. Conservation – The Conservation Committee has given its support to various projects, such as the long-delayed Cathedral Lakes Park which is still not finalized because of problems with the proposed boundaries. A great deal of the Committee’s work has been done by its chairman, Dr. Brink, who believes that demanding conservation measures is a lost cause. The odds are too heavy and as responsible citizens we must admit that the Province’s economy is important and that government has a responsibility for it. Dr. Brink has spent a good deal of time talking to representatives of commerce and government trying to bring them to realize that besides economics, conservation must also be considered a full partner. End Note #16; Report on Intermediates; Annual Report Junior Naturalists; VNHS Intermediate Section (see pages 267-268) On Picking Wildflowers It’s spring again and the wildflowers are out in all their natural beauty and profusion. It makes us feel good to see them and it’s a natural compulsion to want to pluck a bloom here and there and drink in their perfume, even though we know they may wilt and die before we get them home. Sometimes its hard not to be carried away by their beauty and pick them by the armful as our grandmothers did fifty years ago on a leisurely Sunday afternoon stroll. This was at a time when there were fewer people and less danger of exterminating plants by over-picking. Things have changed since grandmother’s day. Perhaps the last people who need to be reminded of the dangers of over-picking flowers are our own Society’s members. Since we are the ones who have to set an example and be concerned when we see thoughtless picking of wild flower plants, let us as naturalists and conservationists, review our position and see what we can do this year to minimize needless plant destruction. First, dogwoods and [Pacific] rhododendrons are protected by law in B.C., so if you see anyone picking them on public property you have a right, as a citizen, indeed an obligation, to take action. Usually a word of warning is all that is necessary because the picking is most often done out of ignorance. Since our parks are protected areas, nothing should be picked in them. We should all be aware of this, particularly on field trips when there are often large numbers of us and we want to leave the areas visited the way we hope other would, as undisturbed as possible. Secondly, if we can spread the use of common sense we are well on the way to protecting our flora. If you inform people that you see picking flowers such as calypso and related orchids, of the delicate balance these flowers have in the environment and that picking will disturb, or often kill them, then you will have done much to aid in their preservation, especially in areas where they are disappearing at an alarming rate. Shrubs such as arbutus and [hairy] manzanita live in an equally delicate balance with their environment and this is why people who try to transplant them to their gardens find them very hard to grow. Similarly, picking trilliums kills them because it deprives the flower of its leaves, which are needed for photosynthesis (food production) thus causing the root to starve and the subsequent death of the plant. Any plant that loses too many leaves will die. Lilies or plants with bulbs often die when damage is done to the bulb by the flowers being pulled instead of cut. Thirdly, we must realize that there are times when picking flowers does no harm at all, and in fact may be beneficial to the plant. Some plants respond to picking by producing more and more blooms. Young people are often the worst offenders but let us not be too hard on them. Observing and handling flowers is the beginning of a deeper understanding. Can you remember the feeling of pride you had when taking a handful of dandelions or buttercups to your teacher? And girls, remember playing “he loves me, he loves me not” with the daisy? There are many such hardy flowers and picking them does no harm. They are beautiful if you look at them through unbiased eyes and forget about ridding your lawns and gardens of them. Nancy Anderson Vancouver Natural History Society Emblem A competition for our own emblem was announced recently. However the fact that preference would be given to those suggestions incorporating the B.C. Nature Council raven was omitted. Please send your entries in now! We are an active and well-established Society and we need an emblem worthy of our past, durable for years to come, and one that each of us would be proud to wear. B.C. Waterfowl Society The B.C. Waterfowl Society is anxious to increase membership so as to allow it to expand its projects in the Reifel Refuge. At present it is difficult to hire a warden and manager due to a lack of funds. You may support the Society by taking out a membership, or by donating to it. Donations of North American waterfowl [species] would be gratefully accepted, particularly if the breeding stock is pure. Single membership is $5.00 per year. #136 September 1967 Conservation Committee Report for 1966-67 This committee met three times in winter and spring. With the passage of the new B.C. Parks Act, there seems to be no point in pressing for better legislation and the conservation of natural features. Nonetheless, committee members are unanimous in their belief that the new legislation is shallow and that too much power rests with the Minister and the Lt-Governor-in-Council. The situation regarding National Parks and Conservation is much better and the Society should show its approval in writing to the appropriate political authority. There is need to reappraise our attitude and strategy in the matter of parks and the conservation of natural features. Until now we have been able to make requests to the Provincial Government to set aside areas for parks or for conservancy without much research or negotiation, with a reasonable chance of having the request granted. The growth of extractive and renewable resource industries and the increasing complexity of society are rapidly affecting changes to the ‘world of nature’.
The Mountain Parks Committee is sponsoring a hike to Liumchen Ridge on Sunday, August 20th. Liumchen Ridge is located south of Chilliwack near the Canada-U.S. border. The trip will offer something for everyone. If you are looking for a short hike to alpine flowers and a spectacular view of the Lower Mainland, Mount Baker and the border peaks you will be able to find them in just an easy one-hour hike from your car. The more energetic might choose to continue up to a small trapper’s cabin or along Liumchen Ridge to the peak at 6000 feet for a better view of the surrounding peaks. The Committee is studying the feasibility of having the Liumchen Ridge area included in the B.C. Parks system. Operation Bird Nests Birdwatchers please remember to send in your 1967 nest record cards to the Pacific Nest Record Scheme secretary, Mrs. L. Gibbard, 465 Ellis St., Penticton, B.C., by September, so that she can compile the list before sending the cards to the Zoology Dept. at U.B.C. for scientific use. Thanks to all V.N.H.S. members who have contributed to this worthwhile scheme, many having been faithful since its inception by [Tim Myres and supported by] Dr. I. McTaggart-Cowan. It is not often realized but the professional biologist often has the need of help from members of natural history societies in his research. Here is where we as amateur birdwatchers can be of assistance to the professionals. We need more recruits from all points in B.C. for next year. Please help keep this information up to date. If you see a bird (any bird) nesting, RECORD IT! Kathleen Smith Banding and Birding in the Burnaby Lake Area On the field trip of March 11th participants had an opportunity to see how a bird is trapped, banded and data about the banded bird recorded. They were also able to hold the birds and examine them closely. Mr. Wayne Campbell showed the group one of the many ways to catch birds of prey and demonstrated the traps he uses to catch small passerines that frequent his backyard. Later the group went down to Burnaby Lake. A number of ducks were there, mostly mallards, green-winged teal, [northern] shoveller and [American] coot. The [northern] pintails, baldpates [American wigeon] and buffleheads were not plentiful, however there was a large concentration of ruddy ducks. On another part of the Lake three Canada geese, one snow goose and a cackling [Canada] goose were seen. These larger waterfowl were probably attracted by the three pinioned whistling [tundra] swans placed there last year from Stanley Park. Ten or fifteen early spring arrivals were seen. The swallows’ (tree or violet-green) identification was not definite. At Deer Lake another early spring arrival was seen – a male wood duck. They have been seen at Stanley Park all winter so this one was probably the first migrant for the Burnaby Lake area. A pair of canvasback was seen as well as a few ruddy ducks. Most of the birds in the Lake were [American] coots and mallards. Ken Kennedy Aquarium Needs Helping Hands Since the opening of the Aquarium in 1956 members of the Natural History Society have assisted in the education program by acting as docents. This year an expanded program will require more volunteers. The Junior League and Aquarium members have already consented to provide some docents. Our Society has been asked to help again. Any member willing to spend one morning a week in this worthwhile activity is asked to phone the Aquarium before the end of August. Volunteers receive adequate training by Aquarium staff before leading children. The training will be given two mornings a week for the four weeks of September. This is an opportunity to learn about aquatic life and also help others to become interested. Letter to the Editor Dear Sir, in the morning of June 23rd my mother and I were at the Tsawwassen ferry terminal. The tide was quite far out and close to 100 great blue heron were feeding in the shallows. A truly wonderful sight! Sheila M. Weaver Obituary It is with sincere regret that we learned of the sudden death of Mr. William M. Hughes on June 5th. He was a life member of the Vancouver Natural History Society and leader of the ornithology section for many years. It has been said that ‘he was always very generous in sharing his knowledge and enthusiasm.” This was indicated in his encouragement to young people to study natural history, many of whom have gone on to higher education in this field, and others to take up such a rewarding hobby as the study of birds. A deep sense of sadness and personal loss is felt by his many friends. #137 December 1967 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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