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APRIL 2000  No. 29

UP COMING EVENTS !

Apr. 22 Spring Waterfowl Migration Field Trip, led by Peter Pierce. Meet at Fanjoy's Store, Jemseg, 9 A.M.

Apr. 27 Marily Walker from Mount Allison University. Her topic will be Ethnobotany of the Maritimes and Beyond. Ethnobotany is simply the study of those plants which have had a human use, either presently or historically. Marily has asked that our members come with ideas, thoughts and examples of plants they have used on the farm or in the past for medicinal uses, food, or other usual uses. 7:30 p.m. at St. Paul's United Church in Sussex.

Apr. 29 Spring Waterfowl Tour to Jemseg. Meet at Tim Horton's by Bank of NS at 9 A.M. Bring a lunch and dress accordingly.

May 6 will be the Jemseg field trip. We hope is see waterfowl and painted turtles. Meeting time is at 9 am at the Tim Hortons across from the Bank of Nova Scotia. Please bring a lunch and dress warmly. Rain date is Sunday, May 7.

The long weekend in May (20-22) is the Grand Manan trip. We still have room for 2-3 more. If you are interested, please call Carol at 433-3282 or e-mail at vwmw@nbnet.nb.ca.

We will be having at least one canoe trip this spring but no date has been set as of yet. Also a hike across the bluff at Sussex Corner and a walk on Orland Brown's trail along the Smith Creek River. As soon as dates are set, the information will be out to all members by phone or e-mail.

May 27 Ken MacIntosh from Blacks Harbour: 7:30 p.m. at St. Paul's United Church in Sussex.

June 2-4 The NBFN Annual Meeting is being held in Campbellton, and is being hosted by the Restigouche Naturalists. Questions can be answered by Irene Doyle at 789-7759, Mike Lushington 684-5688.

May 26 Final society meeting for the summer: 7:30 p.m. at St. Paul's United Church in Sussex.

If anyone has ideas for field trips such as canoeing, hiking, a tour of an interesting place or area, please let Carol know 433-3282 or e-mail at vwmw@nbnet.nb.ca.

A reminder to members to bring their mugs for the social hour to save using styrofoam cups.

Donations of suitable items for the 50/50 second prize would be welcome.

Inaugural Meeting
Botanists of New Brunswick

editors note: Although this notice is for April 15 and will be too late for your participation I felt you should be aware of the initiation of this group and the field trips planned for the summer. My guess is Gart Bishop will have more information on these activities

     The Loch Ness may have its mystery, but the corners of New Brunswick harbour their own secrets and treasures. Tucked away in our waters, wetlands and forests are eight elusive species of vascular plants - so elusive, that few people can claim to have seen all of them. Join us on an armchair adventure as we stalk the habitats of Big Quills, Pinedrops, Parker's Pipewort and others. We will visit each of these eight endangered species through slides and anecdotes - no bug repellant required.

     This presentation and the following discussion will constitute the inaugural meeting of Botanists of New Brunswick (BNB) - an organization geared towards promoting the enjoyment and knowledge of field botany in the province. Whether you are a novice looking for an opportunity to get your feet wet, or an experienced professional looking to network with others, we hope that BNB will provide a forum for your interests.

     As a sample of other possible activities, we are planning two field trips for the summer, led by local experts. The first, (tentatively July 8) is scheduled to catch bog orchids in peak bloom in the northeastern corner of NB. The second, August 12, will complement efforts to locate populations of rare plants along the middle Saint John River.

Contact person: Sean Blaney
sean.blaney@ec.gc.ca
Telephone 364-5047/536-2187.

Field Trip Report

On Sunday, February 6, 11 members and guests enjoyed a snow shoe trek down England Road in Knightville. The day was cold but sunny. Following the outing refreshments were enjoyed at the home of Jim and Carol.

A sleigh ride at Dick & Shirley McLeod's woodlot in Picadilly was very well attended by 34 members on the evening of February 19. The moon was full and the sky was clear which made the evening very beautiful. Refreshments were served at McLeod's camp following the sleigh ride.

On February 26, Paul Martin lead 8 members on a snow shoe trip in his sugar bush on the Shepody Road in hopes on seeing flying squirrels. Though we didn't see the squirrels, we enjoyed the trip just the same. It was a beautiful sunny day, perfect for snowshoeing.

Fifteen members and guests attended an owl prowl lead by Jim Brown on March 19 in the Knightville area. No owls were seen but we did hear a saw whet owl.

A tour of Royal Gardens was very well attended by 29 members and guests on April 8. Peter Candy of Royal Gardens gave an informative tour of the green houses and of the heating system. All those who attended received a beautiful red rose.

Fellow Bird Watchers

      Those of us who are presently involved in the study of gull ecology are thrilled to see birders follow in the footsteps of a long list of patient, highly skilled and motivated gull enthusiasts.

      I would like to point out that gull research can be greatly enriched by the report of observations of banded or otherwise marked individuals.

      This week, a banded herring gull who's band number, colour and location (left or right leg) was read in Nova Scotia, was determined to have been banded by researchers last summer in Newfoundland.

      Studies of herring, great black-backed and other gull species are presently underway throughout North America, and more specifically here in Atlantic Canada (HERGs, GBBGs in the Bay of Fundy, HERGs in Newfoundland, etc.). We are all interested in knowing more about the movement of gulls.

      If you see banded birds of any kind, and most definitely gulls, let us know!

      Contact the Atlantic Wildlife Co-operative Research Network. Make sure your nearest gull researcher knows, so that the record gets to the banding office.

      Get your scope out and go for it!

     Thanks,

Karel A. Allard
Atlantic Co-operative Wildlife Ecology Research Network
Department of Biology,
PO Box 45111,
UNB, Fredericton NB, E3B 6E1,
Res.: (506) 455-1223 Office: (506) 452-6033
FAX: (506) 453-3583 Home: (902) 645-2500