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SEPTEMBER 2000, No. 30

UP COMING EVENTS !

The Kennebecasis Naturalist Society usually meets on the 4th Monday of the month at St. Paul's United Church at 7:30 pm.

SEPTEMBER 24 - Members of the Naturalists Society have been invited by Lin Tremblay to join her and Roger O'Connell, who is J.D. O'Connell's great nephew, for a walk on the O'Connell property at the top of O'Connell Ave. We are to meet on St. James Street at 11 a.m.. A reception will follow at the Tea Room and Museum, 14 Maple Ave. between 2 - 4 p.m. We are asked to bring either sandwiches or sweets. Tea and Coffee will be provided. Everyone is welcome.

SEPTEMBER 25 - Regular Meeting at St. Paul's United Church at 7:30 p.m. Speaker TBA.

OCTOBER 14, 1 p.m. - Gart Bishop will lead a walk to Fryer's Nose which is located in Parlee Brook. This will probably be a 2 hour walk. Hopefully there will still be fall colours so bring your cameras. This is a very pretty area any time of the year but especially in the fall. Anyone who wish to car pool, please meet at Tim Horton's (across from Bank of N.S.) at 12:30 p.m.

October 23 - Regular Meeting at St. Paul's United Church at 7:30 p.m. Speaker TBA

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KNS View of Pen Hunting

From the May 29 minutes:
     "It was moved and seconded a letter be forwarded to the NB Minister of Natural Resources opposing pen hunting (Candy/McKiel). Following discussion concerning the Society's focus and objectives, and in particular lobbying efforts. The motion was defeated.
     It was moved and seconded the next issue of the KNS newsletter include relevant addresses for individuals who may wish to make their personal opinions known.
Motion carried.:

Following is the address:
Minister of Natural Resources & Energy
PO Box 6000
Fredericton, NB E3B 5H1

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INTERESTING FACTS ABOUT FROGS
compiled by Carol MacFarlane
from a site on the Internet

Do Frogs drink water?
     Frogs don't swallow water, they absorb most of the moisture they need through their skin. Frogs have very special skin! They drink and breathe through it. They also rely on getting extra oxygen (in addition to what they get from their lungs) from the water by absorbing it through their skin. Frogs shed their skin regularly to keep it healthy. Some shed their skin weekly, others as often as every day. They start to twist and turn and act like they have the hiccups. They do this to stretch themselves out of their old skin. Finally, the frog pulls the skin off over it's head, like a sweater, and then the frog eats it!!

Why do frogs sing?
     Frogs sing when they are trying to attract a mate, to mark their territory, when they know the weather is going to change, or squeek when they are frightened or hurt. For some species of frogs, only the males sing. Other types of frogs appear to have both male and female calls. Large frogs have deep voices, meaning they call at a low frequency. Small frogs sing in high chirps, meaning they call at a high frequency. Some frogs make so much noise that they can be heard for miles!

Do frogs have ears?
     Frogs have big round ears on the sides of their head called a tympanum (means "drum"). The size and distance between the ears depends on the wavelength and frequency of a male frogs call. Frogs have special ears that are connected to their lungs. When they hear noises, not only does the eardrum vibrate, but the lung does too! Scientists think that this special pressure system is what keeps frogs from hurting themselves with their noisy calls.

How do frogs eat?
     Some frogs have tongues that are long and sticky that can be used to catch bugs. These roll out like an upside-down party horn and snap at the bug. Frogs use the "see it, snap at it" technique of feeding. When a frog swallows a meal, his bulgy eyeballs apply pressure and actually push a frog's meal down this throat.
     The above information was gathered from the Internet at this address: http://allaboutfrogs.org/weird/weird/html

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Snapping Turtles
by Don McAlpine
editors note: Following is Don's response to a question about turtles in New Brunswick on the NatureNB email list.

     Snappers are most common in NB in the southwest and in central NB, with a few scattered reports from northern NB. A 12 inch shell on a snapper is actually not especially large. These turtles reach sexual maturity when the shell is about 10 in long. Snappers mate over an extended period but sperm may remain viable in females for several years.

      We have one specimen in the NB Museum collection with an upper shell that is 42 cm in length, and several other specimens that are nearly as large. Your turtle was pretty much on schedule for egg laying - mid to late June is usually the peak here, based on the few nesting observations available. The incubation periods reported in the literature vary tremendously, from 55 -125 days, with 80-90 days being typical. In New Brunswick we have found hatchlings in late August through September, but late snappers may over-winter in the nest and emerge in the spring.

     I am going to add your observation to our files. To complete the information I would be grateful to know exactly where you observed the turtle. Were you able to determine how many eggs were laid? Clutch sizes reported have contained 11 to 83 eggs. I had a report several weeks ago of a snapper nest in NB with nearly 50 eggs. Should you be lucky enough to observe the hatchling snappers emerging from the nest I would be interested to hear about this. Also, if you continue to monitor the nest do not be surprised if predators consume the eggs. Various mammals (coyotes, skunks, racoons) frequently find the nests.

     I am copying my response to you to NatureNB under the assumption that other naturalists may be interested in the information, and with the hope that it will encourage others to report similar observations. Although we have quite a bit of information on the distribution of the snapper in NB, exact dates for breeding are few.
Donald F. McAlpine, Ph.D.
Curator of Zoology
New Brunswick Museum

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NBM Bird Collection
Passes the 10,000 Mark
by Don McAlpine

      On 26 May 2000 the New Brunswick Museum bird collection passed the 10,000 mark with the addition to the collection of a clutch of herring gull eggs, collected on Egg Island May 23, 2000 by Julie Paquet and Nev Garrity of the Canadian Wildllife Service.

     Although the collection remains modest in size relative to bird collections internationally, this is nonetheless a significant milestone. The NBM bird collection is by far the largest ornithological collection (consisting of skins, skeletons, alcoholic preserved specimens, eggs, and nests) in the Atlantic region, and a very significant Canadian collection.

     The collection itself is also augmented by extensive observational files on rare New Brunswick birds, Christmas bird count data, field notes, and a fine ornithological library of books and scientific journals. The collection and associated records formed much of the basis for both editions of Austin Squires "The Birds of New Brunswick" and the collection continues to be a major resource for ornithological research and reference.

     Routine consultation of the specimens and records now includes DNA analysis, toxic chemical research, the preparation of conservation status reports, and biogeographic studies. Several historical collections have been incorported into the NBM collection, including late 19th and early 20th century collections of Boardman, Leavitt, Lord, Moore, and Adney. Specimens of several now extinct species, such as passenger pigeon (4 skins), carolina parakeet (3 skins) and great auk (bones) are also housed in the NBM collection.

     That the collection has now reached this point is a tribute to previous curators David Christie, Stan Gorham, and Austin Squires, all of whom were involved with the collection through the 1960's when it was first established as a catalogued research collection.

     So, please document those rare sightings for the NB Rare Birds Committee, the data is archived at the NBM, and those of you who keep detailed observational records may want to consider depositing your records in the NBM some day. The collection is available to be consulted by anyone on an appointment basis, and I would encourage anyone with a keen interest in birds to familiarize themselves with this important ornithological resource.

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NBM PUBLICATIONS FOR 1999-2000

     The following is a list of publications for fiscal 1999-2000 from the Natural Science Department of the New Brunswick Museum.

     Reprints of most of these are available at no charge by contacting the appropriate museum curator (Stephen Clayden at clayden@nb.aibn.com; Dr. Don McAlpine atdmcalpin@nb.aibn.com, or Dr. Randy Miller at millerrf@nb.aibn.com.)

Clayden, S.R. & Goward, T. 1999. Stereocaulon. In: The Lichens of British Columbia, Illustrated Keys. Part 2?Fruticose Species, pp. 227-237. British Columbia Ministry of Forests, Victoria.

Coope, G.R., Elias, S.A., Miller, R.F. and Lowe, J.J. 1999. Late-glacial GRIP event stratigraphy compared with mutual climatic range temperature profiles from Maritime Canada and the U.K., based on fossil Coleoptera assemblages. XVth INQUA Congress, Durban, South Africa (Abstract).

McAlpine, D.F. 2000. Gray Treefrog. The New Brunswick Reader Magazine 7:12-13

McAlpine, D.F., T.J. Fletcher, M.A. Osepchook, and J.-C. Savoie. 1999. A range extension for Orconectes virilis (Decapoda, Cambaridae) and a third crayfish species for New Brunswick, Canada. Crustaceana 72: 356-358.

McAlpine, D.F. and S.H. Gerriets. 1999. Using the internet to establish the status of an easily distinguished, vulnerable species, the Painted Turtle (Clemmys insculpta) in New Brunswick, Canada. Herpetological Review 30: 139-140.

McAlpine, D.F., M.C.S. Kingsley, and P.-Y. Daoust. 1999. A lactating, record-age St. Lawrence Beluga (Delphinapterus leucas). Marine Mammal Science 15: 854-859.

McAlpine, D.F. and M. Rae. 1999. First confirmed reports of beaked whales, cf. Mesoplodon bidens and M. densirostris (Ziphidae), from New Brunswick. Canadian Field-Naturalist 113: 293-295.

McAlpine, D.F., P.T. Stevick and L. D. Murison. 1999. Increase in extralimital occurrences of ice-breeding seals in the northern Gulf of Maine region: more seals or fewer fish? Marine Mammal Science 15: 906-911.

McAlpine, D.F., P.T. Stevick ,L. D. Murison and S.D. Turnbull. 1999. Extralimital records of hooded seals, Cystophora cristata, from the Bay of Fundy and northern Gulf of Maine. Northeastern Naturalist 113: 225-230.

McAlpine, D.F. and R. J. Walker. 1999. Additional extralimital records of the Harp Seal, Phoca groenlandica, from the Bay of Fundy, New Brunswick. Canadian Field-Naturalist 113: 290-292.

Miller, R.F. and Pennanen, J. 1999. Fossil Hunter. Will Matthew and the Giant Trilobite. New Brunswick Museum, Saint John, 23 p.

Miller, R.F. 1999. Report of Gyracanthus (Chordata: Acanthodii) and other Upper Carboniferous fish from the Minto Formation, New Brunswick (NTS 21 I/4). In Current Research 1998. Edited by B.M.W. Carroll. New Brunswick Department of Natural Resources and Energy, Minerals and Energy Division, Mineral Resource Report 99-4: 37-43.

Miller, R.F. and Elias, S.A. 2000. Late-glacial climate in Maritime Canada, reconstructed from Mutual Climatic Range analysis of fossil Coleoptera. Boreas 29: 79-88.

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Identifying Butterflies & Moths of NB
by Jim Edsall
editors note: Following is Jim's response to a question on the NatureNB email list.

     For New Brunswick butterflies the best book is The Butterflies of Canada by Hall, Layberry and Lafontaine. This is not a field guide. It is 8 ½ by 11 format so you can't carry it in your pocket. It does have the best information and pictures available for this area. Used in combination with The Preliminary Atlas of NB Butterflies by Dr.Tony Thomas and printed by the NB Museum in Saint John you will have most of the information available. The Peterson Field Guide has too many species, the pictures are too small and inadequate, and the maps inaccurate for New Brunswick.

      Finding good sources for Moth identification is a real problem. The problem of course stems from the sheer numbers of moths found in this area. There are close to a thousand moth species in New Brunswick and probably 10,000 in North America so you can see that a single book couldn't begin to cover them all. The best thing to do is try to get hold of a number of books that might cover the majority. Some of these books are hard to get.

      The Peterson guide is still the best general book despite its small pictures, many in black and white, more southern focus and made up names.

      The Cutworms of Ontario and Quebec covers the family Noctuidae well and has most of our species. It was produced by Agriculture Canada.

      Likewise The Butterflies and Moths of Nfld has many of our species (also Ag Canada) and Les Papillons et Chenilles de Quebec, sometimes available locally, has the Spinx moths, Silk Moths, Tiger Moths and Prominents.

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Identification of "Ring-necked Doves"
by David Christie

     A dove with a black collar on the back of the neck could be one of two species: a domestic RINGED TURTLE DOVE [Tourterelle rieuse] (Streptopelia risoria) of which there are frequent escapes from captivity or a EURASIAN COLLARED DOVE [Tourterelle turque] (Streptopelia decaocto) which has become established in the southeastern USA and is now spreading northwards and westward.

     In New Brunswick we've had numerous occurrences of Ringed Turtle Doves living in the wild for weeks or months, and very rarely for more than a year. Before too long the province's first Eurasian Collared Dove is apt to show up. This is a species that spread across western Europe in the space of about 40 years. The Florida population arose in the early 1980s from escaped captives that hopped across from the Bahamas. They are now established along a lot of the southeastern US coast and have strayed north as far as (at least) New York and Montana.

     I've been meaning to write about this since spring, because most of the field guides that we use do not mention Collared Doves. The third edition of the National Geographic Field Guide treats it, and perhaps the recent Stokes Guide (which I don't have), as well as all the European field guides.

     These species are very similar, but most Ringed Turtle Doves tend to be fairly pale and buffy in colour. Collared Doves are grayer and darker. The most important area to check is the underside of the tail. Ringed Turtle Dove has white under tail coverts and the outer edge of the outer tail feathers is white from base to tip. In the Collared Dove the under tail coverts are gray and the tail feathers are entirely black at the base and white at the tip; thus these birds show a significant amount of black on the underside of the tail, whereas Ringed Turtle Doves show only a little. The Collared Dove also has a 3-syllabled call versus a drawn-out 2 syllables in Ringed Turtle Doves (see below).

     So, take a careful look if you see a "ringed-necked" dove and if it seems it might be a Collared Dove, try to check the 3rd edition NGS Guide and call in other observers to help.