Selected Excerpts from the Vancouver Natural History Society “Bulletin”
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- Manning Park (Cont.)
- Birds of Stanley Park
- Birds of Pavilion Lake
- Musqueam Reserve
- Bird Life on Iona Island
- Marine Life – Shores of Stanley Park
- Crescent Beach
- Point Atkinson
- Sumas Mountain
- Grouse Mountain – Goat Mountain
Note:Until the Hope-Princeton Highway opened (November 4th, 1949), access to Manning Provincial Park was via Princeton, and a much longer road journey from Vancouver via Merritt, by train via the Kettle Valley Railway, or a long hike via the Dewdney Trail. The reconnaissance party to Manning Park last July consisted of J.J. Plommer, N. Carter, J. Fish, F. Timmis, R. Timmis and F. Sanford who gave an account of their rambles in the Hope-Princeton area to the Society’s members at their November 14th meeting. Mr. Plommer opened the meeting with a few introductory remarks of thanks to the people who had helped make the trip possible, especially Mr. Chess Lyons of the Forestry Department and Mr. Gregory of Princeton. Mr. Carter provided the history of the area, and spoke of the fur traders of 1813 and traced the development of the region by settlers and Royal Engineers, placer miners and naturalists. Prof. J. Davidson had made the first comprehensive botanical exploration of the area for the provincial government in 1915. In 1940 the Society had held a camp at Skagit, 25 miles from Hope. Mr. Timmis and Ronnie gave an account of trips made, while at camp, to Three Brothers Mountain, Lightning Lakes, Skyline Trail and Buckhorn Ridge Trail, and described the open park-like meadows in the upper levels to the snowline at 7,500 feet. Toward the end of camp, Mr. Fish and Mr. Carter traversed the trail to Hope, a distance of some 40 miles, by foot and survey car. Mr. Fish related some of the adventures on this journey. Mr. Sanford reported on the flora and fauna. “Here”, he said, “can be seen typical drybelt and humid coast transitory stages of vegetation side by side.” Poplars, Rocky Mt. [Douglas] maple, whitebark pine, Engelmann spruce, firs and [western] yew were some of the trees found. Tiger lily, violet, Indian paintbrush, alpine phlox, prince’s pine, queen’s cup and many other plants were noted. Mule deer, hoary marmots and chipmunks – but no squirrels – were observed, while many birds were heard but not seen. In the vicinity of Princeton, bluebirds, Arkansas [western] kingbird, common [eastern] kingbird. [belted] kingfisher, swallows, [American] robins and western tanager were recorded. In the Park a [spotted] sandpiper was observed and its nest in which four eggs, all standing on their pointed ends were tightly packed. Trout were plentiful in the lakes. There were many butterflies and other insects found. One evening mayflies were overhead in thousands on their mating flight. A threadworm about 6 inches long was found in the slack water of a creek, and woolly aphid infestations were noted on alder. (Continued in next issue). #21 February 1946 Manning Park (Cont.) Mr. Plommer described the geology of the area as part of the Cascade system that embraces those mountains south and east of the Fraser River, merging into the interior plateau. The recognizable rock structures are composed of various plutonics and sedimentaries laid down from carboniferous to early tertiary times. The whole Park is in the Hozameen Range. To the west the Hozameen series are of the carboniferous age. On the northeast side is a belt of cretaceous age, about 6 ½ miles wide in which the party spent their time. This is not a mineralized area; conglomerate, black shale, sand rock, reddish rocky bluffs and fossils were observed. The future of the Park as viewed by the party was that it would be popular to tourists, but the problem would be to disperse people throughout the many charming features in valleys, lakes and ridges. Mr. Plommer suggested the area be developed to suit various types of visitors, but chiefly fishermen, trail riders and hikers. A complete copy of the party’s report is filed in the Society’s library. A.R. Wooton. Allan R. Wooton was a Vancouver commercial artist. He and his brother Wilf were prominent in the Boy Scouts of Canada. Allan’s main natural history interest was entomology; but he was also a good general naturalist. He led trips and was a summer camp mainstay; more importantly, he helped to found the Vancouver Public Aquarium. A native of Vancouver, Allen and his wife were early members of the V.N.H.S. #24 May 1946 Birds of Stanley Park Encouraged by a lovely sunny day, 45 members formed an eager party to study the birds in Stanley Park on the afternoon of April 13th under the leadership of Carl Gough. Assisting him were Messrs. Frank Beebe, John Holman and Wm. M. Hughes. Some of the water birds were sojourning here on their way north to the interior or to the prairies for nesting. Most notable were 11 species of duck: mallards, red-breasted merganser, scaup, bufflehead, baldpate [American wigeon], [northern] shoveler, Barrow’s and American [common] goldeneye, surf , white-winged scoter and American [black] scoters. Many [American] coots were seen on Lost Lagoon. A Canada goose was seen on Beaver Lake but it was too early in the season to see goslings or ducklings. Many mallards nest in the vicinity and do not migrate further inland. Other water birds observed were the three types of gulls frequenting the area – glaucous-winged, Bonaparte’s and herring gulls, two species of cormorant – Baird’s [pelagic] and Brandt’s cormorant, and horned and western grebes. These were seen off Brockton Point. In the open woodlands and along the shore of Lost Lagoon many perching and hopping birds were noted. The Oregon [dark-eyed] junco, [American] robin, song sparrow, kinglet, chickadee, [spotted]towhee, and red-winged blackbird filled the air with song, while a killdeer spent its time running along the shore. At Brockton Point a number of [great] blue herons perched on trees and some nests were in the early stages of construction. In the banks at Second Beach previous nesting sites of the belted kingfisher and rough-winged swallow were observed. Mr. Hughes was fortunate enough to find an Indian stone axe head during the afternoon ramble. Frank Beebe was Curator of the Stanley Park Zoo and very supportive of V.N.H.S. activities. He was also a colour-blind artist who later spent many years as the B.C. Provincial Museum’s Chief Illustrator. Many of the Museum’s handbooks feature his excellent black and white drawings. He also co-produced a book with Mr. Hardy, with colour illustrations of B.C. Wildflowers. Frank was a competent general naturalist with a deep interest in birds – particularly falcons. Birds of Pavilion Lake On a trip to Pavilion Lake in July of 1945, Carl Gough recorded a number of birds in the area: Yellow, MacGillivray’s, Tennessee, and Audubon [yellow-rumped] warblers, red-eyed vireo, warbling vireo, sparrow hawk [American kestrel], Brewer’s blackbird, pine siskin, cedar waxwing, [American] crow, [American] robin, song, vesper and chipping sparrows, mountain bluebird, belted kingfisher, red shafted [northern] flicker, russet backed [Swainson’s] thrush, Townsend’s solitaire, [black-billed] magpie, hairy, downy and pileated woodpeckers, killdeer, grouse, common loon, spotted sandpiper, [American] goldfinch, violet-green swallow, western kingbird, eastern kingbird, western tanager, [gray] catbird, western [pacific-slope] flycatcher, Traill’s or Wright’s [willow] flycatcher, Barrow’s goldeneye (5 broods were noted with 6, 7, 8, 9, and 11 young), and Holboell’s [red-necked] grebe. Mr. John Ronayne of Pemberton Meadows reported a lone swan landing in his pasture on the morning of April 19th. Musqueam Reserve The 35 members who attended on April 27th were fortunate to observe, besides the usual spring flowers of the woodland, clumps of fanny-bell [sic] in bloom; quite an unusual sight at this time of year. Among birds seen were [American] goldfinch, purple finch and white-crowned sparrow. #25 June 1946 Bird Life on Iona Island A poor start doesn’t always mean a failure and that certainly was proven on Saturday, May 4th. The afternoon started most inauspiciously – cold with a sprinkle of rain. The tide was so low that the boat which was to ferry us over to Iona Island was stuck fast in the mud. (While waiting at the dock we saw cliff, barn and violet-green swallows. The first were busy making their mud nests under the eves of a barn so we saw them in all stages, from shallow rings against the wall to almost finished nests with a finger-sized opening protruding on the side opposite the wall or base of the nests.) But, undaunted, three of the ugliest and most inefficient rowboats were procured and three experienced oarsmen in the party crossed and recrossed the swift current to deposit 22 members on shore of the Island. We clambered with muddy hands and feet up the clay banks, some losing their footgear on the way. Eventually, all was in order again and as the sun later blazed forth we were rewarded by one of the pleasantest trips in several seasons. Leaders J.W. Farley and John Holman had reconnoitered the ground the previous week and had located a number of nests that the unpracticed eyes of most of us would have passed a dozen times unnoticed. We disturbed the mallard sitting on her well-formed nest tucked into the base of the rushes on the edge of the marsh, and were able to see ten pale green eggs. Tule [marsh] wren’s ‘cheh-cheh’ chattered to distract us from their nests in the rushes. The nests were built about 2 feet from the ground by drawing and twisting a bunch of growing rushes together. On the base so formed, the nest is built partly from the rushes and packed solid with the down from cattails which by the way, shed all over us as we pushed through them in the marsh. These nests appear solidly covered and it is often difficult to find the tiny entrance hole. A pair of these birds will make several nests but lay their eggs in only one – a means of protection from their enemies. Many red-wing blackbirds were seen and their nests, some on the ground, some hung low in the rushes, were made chiefly of grass. In one we found three pale fawn green eggs with black and blue-gray splotches on the large end. Tragedy had stalked the nest of one song sparrow where three young lay dead, but in another we saw three blue eggs covered with brown spots. These nests are also found on the ground, hidden in the grass or rushes. As well as song sparrows we saw savannah, white-crowned and golden-crowned sparrows. The latter are here in migration only and do not nest in these parts. The only nest seen in a tree was that of a [American] robin, and in it were three blue eggs. Yellow warblers, [western] meadowlarks, marsh-hawks [northern harrier], and a short-eared owl were seen or heard. An American bittern rose from the rushes with a guttural croak as we were walking along the dyke. A number of Alaskan [Lapland] longspurs were enjoying life on the Island for a short while on their way north to nest in the Arctic. As the tide was low many of the shore birds were out on the flats and the curlews, black-bellied plovers, great blue herons and gulls (glaucous-winged, Bonaparte’s) were identified only with the aid of field glasses, but the red-backed sandpiper [dunlin] were seen closer, and in flight, the distinctive quick flutter of their wings was noted. During the afternoon many killdeer were seen flying and plaintively crying to attract us away from their nests, but with such a large party to disturb them, it was hard to locate the nests. On leaving the dyke and crossing a gravelly spit, the forward members of the party almost stepped in the middle of four amazingly camouflaged eggs laid in a shallow depression in the sand. No attempt had been made to form a nest; a few scratches in the sand had sufficed. A killdeer’s eggs are so shaped that they will not roll away. The small end is almost pointed and the large end very wide and round. The almost triangular shape kept the four eggs, points in, close together, and after a slight disturbance, the eggs rolled back automatically to their correct position. Their colouring of yellowish fawn with black splotches blended perfectly with the surroundings. Returning up-river we saw American coots and [northern] shoveller on the opposite shore and on the wet sand under our feet were recent tracks of large and small webbed feet whose owners had afforded us such an interesting afternoon. S.B. [Sheila Buchanan] #26 June 1946 Caulfeild The Caulfeild trip was enjoyed by 41 members on May 11th. The usual large variety of plants was studied, including four species of saxifrage. The two species of camas were in flower. The blue flowered camas has an edible bulb and is popularly known as Indian camas from the Indian habit of including camas bulb in their diet. The white flowered [death] camas is poisonous and should never be eaten. When not in flower this species can be distinguished by the roughness of its leaves. A little mountaineering was added for good measure when the big bluff on the far side of the Bay was climbed for the first time in several years. A lovely day and the excellent leadership of Prof. Davidson combined to make it a very pleasant outing. S.B. Marine Life – Shores of Stanley Park The ordinary beach visitor has no idea of the wealth of animal life to be found a little above low-tide, and even to the 50 members who met on Saturday, May 18th near Brockton Point, it was enjoyable to have new examples pointed out by our able leader Miss Elliot. Seaweeds were studied, including members of three classes: Chlorophyceae (green), Phaeophyceae (brown) and Rhodophyceae (red). Among the animals studied were a number of examples in different groups: echinoderms – starfish, sea urchins and sea cucumber, the last of which being the highest form of life in the group; worms – flat worm, nemertean (red), nereis, tube worms, serpulids, mollusca – chitons, whelk and eggs, periwinkles , limpets; crabs – including many hermits; and fish – blenny and cling fish. A group of sea lemons [a nudibranch] were also seen. They are a snail-like animal without a shell. Many species were collected. A 4% solution of formaldehyde was used for preserving the samples. The specimens were left in a bath of the solution for a week, and then put into a fresh solution for permanent keeping. The following books deal with the subject of marine biology and can be obtained by contacting our librarian, Mrs. Morgan: Animals of the Seashore (Guberlet); Seashore Animals of the Pacific Coast (Johnson & Snook); West Coast Shells (Josiah, Keep); and Field Book of Ponds and Streams (Ann Morgan). S.B. Crescent Beach Thirty-three members made the trip to Crescent Beach on May 24th under the leadership of Prof. Davidson. In the morning the flora and character of the salt marsh at the mouth of the Nicomekl River was studied. There is a high concentration of salt, acids and minerals, dissolved in the water. In many cases the concentration of solubles is almost as high as in the plants so that very little flow into the plant is required to equalize the concentration. Since little water can be absorbed, that little has to be hoarded, and the plants observed showed adaptation for storing water or keeping evaporation to a minimum. Attention was drawn to the fact that many plants growing here were also found in alkaline areas in the drybelt of the interior [of B.C.]. The marsh was at its best and among a great variety of plants found were sea-milkwort (Glaux), seaside plantain (Plantago), [salt marsh] dodder (Escuta), glasswort (Salicornia), arrowgrass (Triglochin), lyme grass [wildrye], water-plantain (Alisma), and [Puget Sound] gumweed (Grindelia). Following the track to Ocean Park after lunch, other plants the group found were lesser paint brush [owl-clover] (Orthocarpus), pea (Lathyrus), vetch (Vicia), ragweed (Ambrosia), wormwood (Artemisia), Indian consumption plant [barestem desert parsley] (Lomatium nudicaule), mock orange (Philadelphus), wooly leaf [woolly eriophyllum] (Eriophyllum), and [Nootka rose] (Rosa nutkana). The Indians used some of these plants for medicinal purposes. Returning along the beach, several green seaweeds, one of them tubular [Enteromorpha], [green string lettuce] and some brown ones were noted. Two sea animals of interest were a green sea anemone and a colony of very small purple sponges. Twenty-seven different birds were noted and near an Indian midden, Mr. Hughes found a stone adze and two arrowheads. It was a most enjoyable and profitable excursion. Point Atkinson Though scheduled for the study of geology, the trip to Pt. Atkinson on June 1st proved to be an opportunity to study a wider range of interests than geology alone. After a short survey of the particular aspect of geology to be covered during the afternoon, Mr. Plommer led a group to various points on the rock bluffs around the lighthouse and pointed out examples to illustrate his subject. Pt. Atkinson is the only place in this locality where mountaintop conditions can be studied at sea level. Our objective was to study the differentiation of granitic rocks and examples were abundant, from lightest granite to dark gabbro, in the crystalline forms. Intrusion of non-crystalline form was also seen. This is the first time a granite shoreline has been studied by the Society. There was also a wide range of bird life to be seen, including such divergent species as a hummingbird and a bald-headed eagle. Mr. Hughes noted 24 varieties of birds. Mrs. McGinn and some of the botany-minded members found the woods behind the bluff full of interesting plants, among which was a clump of candystick. First year staminate and ovulate cones were seen on the lodgepole [shore] pines, as well as some green second year and woody third year cones. It was a little late in the season to see arbutus trees at their best, as nearly all the flowers had fallen. A variety of insects were observed and collected. A large black and white swallowtail butterfly flitted from flower to flower in the sunlight, pausing to sip nectar. Two interesting insects were caught, known as snakeflies, belonging to the order Neuroptera. By means of a prolongation of the back of the head and front of the thorax, this insect obtains a remarkable neck-like process resembling a snake ready to strike. Several longhorn, click and Lampyridae beetles were seen and collected. [Wood] ticks frequent the bluffs. A carpenter bee was observed carrying a piece of leaf to construct a nest, while solitary bees were seen entering and leaving holes in the ground that they were making and provisioning their young grubs. A beautiful drive, lunch under the trees, relaxing on the grassy slopes in the western sun and watching the water traffic on the Gulf, all combined to make our first trip to Pt. Atkinson memorable. Sheila Buchanan and Allan Wooton Sumas Mountain Under the leadership of Mr. Farley, 41 members set out bright and early by bus on Sunday June 16th, for the 50-mile trip up the Fraser Valley to Sumas Mountain. From river level we walked a mile to the home of Mr. Kelleher, our guide for the day. From here on we could be divided into three groups: - those with Mrs. McGinn who set out to enjoy the many flowers to be seen on the lower slopes; those who set out for Lost Lake and the summit, and made it; and those who set out for Lost Lake, but fell by the wayside and were unhappily disappointed in achieving what was a lovely and worthwhile goal. The hike was long and strenuous after an early breakfast and many of the beauties of the bush, bird and plant, were missed in the violent protests of the inner man, as we hurried to get to the Lake, lunch and hot tea. And hot tea there was, in less than ten minutes, thanks to our guide’s fire-making skills. Mr. Kelleher has lived near Mission for over seventy years and put many of us ‘youngsters’ to shame by his energy and speed as he led the way through the woods. The Lake is closely connected with the local tribe of River Indians whose medicine men used to go there for their mystic rites and potion-making each year, to scare away the river devil who made the Fraser flood each summer. Lost Lake is in a lovely secluded place, so it should not have been hard to coax the river devil to spend awhile there instead of playing havoc with the River. After lunch 13 enthusiasts resumed their climb and after an hour’s hard work arrived on a great rock summit that was covered with several varieties of rock plants and pentstemons were in bloom. The wonderful panorama convinced all they were well-rewarded for their effort as they looked down upon Dewdney, Hatzic, Nicomen Island, Deroche, Chilliwack, Hope and the patchwork patterns of the Sumas Lake farming district and the Vedder River leading into the Vedder Canal. The summit, known as Signal Hill, is another key point for the River tribe, for from it can be seen Vancouver Island and, on clear days, south to Bellingham. As if to bear out the legends surrounding the mountain, Mr. Hughes picked up a polished jadeite chisel, lost on the trail by some native hiker and washed out by the rain. Trails of [coastal mule] deer, [black] bear, raccoon, porcupine and [Douglas’] squirrel were seen, as well as many birds. The ferns seen included oak fern, [southern] maidenhair and [maidenhair spleenwort]. Plants found in the higher altitudes included pyrolas, single delight, queen’s cup, elkhorn [vanilla-leaf], penstemon and white trillium. F.F. and S.B. There were two William Hughes in the V.N.H.S. The one referred to here was a self-trained naturalist who had been a trapper in northern Alberta and Athabasca delta. He was a fine birder and when retired, helped Bob Harris and Ernie Taylor at the Canadian Wildlife Service with the bird strike problem at the Vancouver International Airport. With Violet MacKay he initiated one of the more comprehensive studies of the crested myna. Bill led many of the Society’s field trips and was a great help at summer camps. As readers of this report will know, he had a very keen eye for Indian artifacts and worked as a volunteer with Dr. Carl Borden at various archeological sites. The other Bill Hughes was also a World War I veteran who attended summer camps and could recite all of Robert Service’s poetry. He worked servicing C.P.R. Stations in Western Canada after trying to farm on Soldier Settlement Land at Louis Creek. #28 October 1946 Grouse Mountain – Goat Mountain On August 18th forty-six members made the ascent of Grouse Mountain in two chartered buses. The previous date of July 21st had been cancelled as the whole area was blanketed in deep snow. On this mid-August day we arrived to find spring in full progress. The majority of the party stayed on the lower reaches to explore the wonderful display of spring flowers under Mrs. McGinn’s leadership and were richly rewarded. Copperbush, false azalea, [white-flowered] rhododendron, and blueberries were found in abundance and many fine banks of queen’s cup, bunchberry, [clasping] twisted stalk, saxifrage, false Solomon’s seal and alpine [subalpine] spirea brightened the Grouse to Goat trail. Scattered specimens of mountain ash, fleabane, mountain [subalpine] spirea, and [white] marsh-marigold were found further along. Mr. Westall pointed out a large clump of crowberry on Goat Peak. It is not commonly found at this elevation. Willows were still showing their white wads of cotton and the salmonberries were just forming fruit. Truly spring in summer. For those who made the Peak, a marvelous panorama was laid out. To the north, Garibaldi, Black Tusk and Mt. Mamquam stood behind the Sawtooth Range. Mt. Baker with its satellite peaks loomed beautifully to the south, with the City and the Fraser Delta in the foreground. There was still much snow on Goat Ridge. In all a pleasant and profitable trip enjoyed by all. F.J.S.
#29 December 1946 Note: A [greater] white-fronted goose was observed by the secretary at Lost Lagoon on November 26th, which is a rare occurrence for this locality. We’re not sure which Secretary this was. A.R. Wooton was the Correspondence Secretary, and Stella Boyce the Recording Secretary. 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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