/ -LJ A PUBLICATION CONCERNED WITH NATURAL HISTORY AND CONSERVATION Trail & Landscape Vol. 17, No. 3/105-192 /May-August 1983 Hrail ^landscape Editor & Production Coordinator Production Staff Joyce Reddoch Associate Editors Bill Gummer Peter Hall Business Manager & Typing Coordinator Jim Montgomery Graphics Marc Guertin Telephone Coordinator Dorothy Greene Typists Marjorie Bond June Copeland Mona Coleman Doreen Duchesne Colette Petschke Proofreaders Eileen Evans Bryan ter Haar Romeny Mailing Team Lisa Meyboom Coordinator Jennifer Chaundy Views expressed in Trail & Landscape are not necessarily those of The Ottawa Field-Naturalists’ Club The Ottawa Field -Naturalists’ Club — Founded 1879 — President Daniel F. Brunton Objectives of the Club; T o promote the appreciation, preservation and conserva- tion of Canada's natural heritage: to encourage investigation and publish the results of research m all fields of natural history and to diffuse information on these fields as widely as possible; to support and co-operate with organizations engaged in preserving, maintaining or restoring environments of high quality for living things. Club Publications: THE CANADIAN FIELD-NATURALIST, devoted to publishing research in natural history: TRAIL & LANDSCAPE, a non-technical publication of general interest to local naturalists. THE SHRIKE, a local birding newsletter, is available by separate subscription. Field Trips, Lectures and other natural history activities are arranged for local members. See “Coming Events” in this issue. Membership Fees: Individual (yearly) $13 Sustaining (yearly) $30 Family (yearly) $15 Life (one payment) $300 Subscriptions (libraries or other institutions) $13 per year (Volume) Single copies of recent issues $2.50 each; butterfly issue 16(1) $3.00 each. Membership application, correspondence: Information: THE OTTAWA FIELD-NATURALISTS’ CLUB (613) 722-3050 day or evening; Box 3264 Postal Station C no calls before 10 a.m. please Ottawa. Ontario K1Y 4J5 Second Class Mail — Registration #2777 Vol 17 No 3 1 Km d- Published by © The Ottawa Field - Naturalists' Club Box 3264, Postal Station C Ottawa K1Y4J5 Editorial Address: 548 Rivershore Crescent Gloucester K1J 7Y7 President's Message/ Dan Brunton _ _ _ _ ]^06 Welcome, New Members ------- ]^q8 Council Report/ Bill Cummer ----- po9 Federation of Ontario Naturalists Report - - 110 Stew Hamill Recent Bird Sightings ------- \\2 Bob Gorman Sandhill Crane Overwinters in the Ottawa Area - 114 Bruce M. Di Labio and Richard Blacquiere A Holiday in the Marsh - - - - - - -116 Teresa Aniskowicz Plant Pitfalls, Traps and Snares - - - - 126 Sheila C. Thomson The First Plant Specimen Collected at Ottawa - 128 Bill Dore Butterflies of the Ottawa District 1982 Update - 133 R.A. Layberry, J.D. Lafontaine, P.W. Hall Ottawa Mushrooms: Collector's Items for the Summer - Ross Anderson ------ 139 A Spring Story/ Eleanor Thomas ----- 145 Alfred Bog/ Don Cuddy ------- 147 Significance of the Fossil Locality at Green Creek, Ontario - C.R. Harington - - - - 164 How Many Uninvited Plants in Your Garden? - - 179 Bill Gummer and Frank Bell A Winter Birding Trip ------- 182 Bruce M. Di Labio Annual Ski Outing with the Thomsons - - - 134 Roger Taylor Coming Events - -- -- -- -- ig6 105 On behalf of the 1500 members of The Ottawa Field-Natural- ists' Club, I want to offer a most sincere welcome to the hundreds of out-of-town naturalists who are participating in the Federation of Ontario Naturalists' Annual Meeting and Con- ference at Carleton University between June 3rd and 5th. The OFNC is delighted to host this affair and to have the opportunity to show fellow naturalists from across the province some of the important natural features and phenomena of the Ottawa Valley. This meeting is more than just an opportunity to explore an area of the province that is largely unknown to many Ontario naturalists and to renew old friendships. This will be the largest gathering of naturalists in Ontario in 1983. It gives us the chance to put our heads together, so to speak, and to develop approaches and plans to help build awareness of the natural world and appreciation for its special nature. By com- ing together like this (FON and OFNC members alike) , we can share experiences, expertise and - perhaps most importantly - experience a sense of renewal. We want FON members from out-of-town to leave this Meeting with a sense of amazement at the natural richness of the Ottawa Valley and an element of regret that more of it could not be explored in the brief time available for such efforts. In this way, we can look forward to the pleasure of your company again - and again. We also want you to develop an appreciation for some of the extraordinary places in the Valley, places that The OFNC has been fighting to protect for years now. You'll be hearing more of places like Alfred Bog, The Burnt Lands and the Marlborough Forest. When you do, we'd like you to know just how important these places are and, should FON involvement be requested, be in a position to judge well. We look forward to learning about the important concerns and issues of the FON and its members throughout the province so that we too can act more effectively to support natural values protection in Ontario. This should be an exciting meeting The OFNC has always argued that effective conservation can- not proceed without sound, base-line information. Through such vehicles as this publication, we have documented thousands of pages of information on the natural sciences of the Valley. This issue, dealing as it does with everything from butterflies to cranes and from mushrooms to rails, is a good example of the diverse interests and expertise of The OFNC. By sharing our expertise and experience with you, and sharing yours in return. 106 we all become better naturalists. That, surely, is the founda- tion of effective conservation action. WELCOME. .. .may you enjoy your visit with us as much as we enjoy having you. Do Your Part to Protect Alfred Bog In this issue Don Cuddy describes the biological features of the Alfred Bog, the largest bog off the Canadian Shield on the southern Ontario lowlands and a treasurehouse of provincial- ly and continentally significant flora and fauna. Protection of the bog is clearly of vital importance, and the residents of the local area strongly support its preservation. Unfortunately, the bog is threatened. In late April, an Ontario Municipal Board hearing is sched- uled to consider a proposed zoning change from conservation to agricultural land. Regardless of the 0MB decision, the only way to provide effective protection for Alfred Bog is to buy it and have it designated a Nature Reserve. With this aim in mind, the Vankleek Hill Nature Society has formed the Alfred Bog Nature Preserve Trust and is inviting people from all over Ontario and western Quebec to join the Trust with a minimum donation of $5., the money to be used to buy the bog. You will recall the memo from OFNC President, Dan Brunton, describing the Trust and pointing out the Club's total support, which accompanied the March-April issue of Tra-iZ & Landscape. The appeal for funds has not been restricted to individuals. Organizations such as the Federation of- Ontario Naturalists, the Canadian Nature Federation and the Catharine Traill Naturalists have pledged their support. On March 10, at a special meeting in Ottawa to enlist the aid of other organizations, the Ottawa Duck Club pledged the sum of $5,000. to the Trust and challenged other organizations to match this incredible donation from an organization of less than 100 members. If you believe, as so many of us do, in the vital importance of wetlands in Ontario, then you can help The Ottawa Field-Naturalists' Club meet this challenge . If you have not already done so or would like to increase your donation, please send a cheque to the Club address; make it payable to The Ottawa Field-Naturalists' Club and mark it Alfred Bog in Trust. A tax receipt will be sent for all donations over $5. For further information, contact Ernie Beauchesne in Van- kleek Hill (1-678-3874) or Roger Taylor (731-9270). 107 Welcome , New Members Ottawa Area Frederick & Heather Caloren Allan Cameron Jacques Chabot Mary Davern Lee DeKorte Gillian Gray Chris Halford Mr. & Mrs. Jenkins Hildegarde Kuelz & family Nathalie Maillet Mrs. Yona Payne & family Helga Ray & family Brian Scott & family Ole Skrydstrup & family Audrey Spanton Harry Tellier Scott Wilson Other Areas Martin McNicholl Kim Poole Helen Rowland Langley, B.C. Yellowknife, N.W.T. Montreal, Quebec March, 1983 The Membership Committee Barbara Campbell, Chairman. 'W.E. Saunders - Naturalist" The Mcllwraith Field Naturalists of London Ontario Incorpor- ated republished the book of the above name for the 1981 Federa- tion of Ontario Naturalists Conference on its fiftieth anniver- sary. The Ottawa Field-Naturalists' Club, which contributed to the cost of publication, has now received a copy of the book and has turned it over to the Macoun Club Library. William Edwin Saunders (1861-1943) grew up with a naturalist background and learned his birds and bees at an early age - while there were still Passenger Pigeons and no House Sparrows. His father, an entomologist and a pharmacist, wrote the report leading to the establishment of the Experimental Farm System and was the first Director of the System (1886-1911). The W. Saunders Build- ing at the Central Experimental Farm is named after the father. In 1890, William Edwin organized what eventually became the Mcllwraith Field Naturalists. He was a pioneer fellow in the Nuttall Ornithological Society (now the American Ornithological Union) and became the first president of the Federation of Ontario Naturalists in 1931. He too was a pharmacist. A brother, Charles, was knighted for his work with wheat, producing the Marquis variety for use in the prairies. Bill Cummer 108 Bill Gummer Ontario Hydro Eastern Ontario Transmission Route Study Joyce Reddoch and Vivian Brownell have represented the Club at meetings on the Kingston-Ottawa and Ottawa-Cornwall segments of the Study. Priority ratings have been assigned to the differ- ent types of land that might be affected, and alternative corri- dors have been selected based on these ratings. These alternative corridors will be presented to the public during the spring months. Some problem areas to watch for are how close the lines will come to Stony Swamp and where the Rideau Canal may be cross- ed. In early summer, one corridor will be chosen, and the route of the actual lines will be plotted. Anne Hanes Award The Council is concerned that no final selection of the actual physical award has yet been made. Since there were few suggestions from the membership, the Council has now appointed a small committee to study the possibilities and to produce a final recommendation for purchase. A sum of money has been set aside for this purpose as a result of a number of donations made specifically in memory of Anne. Conservation Committee The Council accepted on motion the Conservation Committee's recommendation to form a Nature Reserve Subcommittee to concen- trate on the identification and protection of significant natural areas in Eastern Ontario. Stew Hamill will be the first chairman Representatives of other Eastern Ontario naturalists' clubs will be invited to participate. Correction The Council Report on page 44 of the March-April issue con- tained an unfortunate error at the end of the second paragraph. Volumes 15 and 16 of Trait & Landscape contained 264 pages, a figure that makes the point about growth much better than the incorrect 164.' Our apologies. 109 Federation of Ontario Naturalists Report Stew Hamill When I was elected a director of the Federation of Ontario Naturalists, I had little idea what that would actually mean. My early impression of the Board of Directors was that it was a group of elected directors with a few interested naturalist club representatives. I soon discovered that the Board is, in fact, composed of a representative of every federated club (about 50) and a group of elected directors (about 30) . This means that the Federation is a grass-roots organization controlled, as it should be, by its federated clubs. Attendance at meetings lately has been confirming this relationship. It is with some dismay that the Board has been grappling with the astonishing fact that a large proportion of the members of the federated clubs are not members of the FON. The FON thus is controlled by a group of federated clubs, many of whose members are not sufficiently interested in the FON to bother joining. Several solutions to this situation have been proposed, including a membership drive, discount for dual membership, and so forth. A committee is looking into the possibilities of auto- matic membership in both organizations. There are many good reasons for being a member of the FON: a subscription to Seasons, the opportunity to attend annual con- ferences and participate in outings, and a chance to meet other naturalists around the province, are a few. But more important is your support (both financially and numerically) for the FON's activities in protecting natural areas around the province. The recent new parks issue is an example of this work. Even if you are interested only in The Ottawa Field-Naturalists' Club's area of activity, your membership in the FON can make a difference. At the January Board of Directors meeting, $500 was provided from the Conservation Fund to assist the Vankleek Hill Nature Society in its preparation for an Ontario Municipal Board hearing to oppose the Alfred Bog zoning change from Conservation to Agricul- ture. With three directors now from this part of the province, we can get more support from the FON for provincially-signif icant local issues. The following topics were also discussed at the January Board of Directors meeting: - incorporation and insurance for naturalist clubs: incorporation is very important for any contractual arrangements or actions which may have legal consequences. Insurance is a must for a club which has outings. The Ottawa Field-Naturalists' Club has been incorporated since 1884 and has insurance. 110 - Native Fishing Agreement: a representative of the Chiefs of Ontario made a presentation in request of support for the Minis- ter of Natural Resources' proposal. The Board voted to send a letter of approval in principle to Mr. Pope. - annual conference: planning for the 1983 conference in Ottawa is well advanced. The 1984, 1985 and 1987 locations have already been decided (Kitchener /Waterloo , Hamilton and Norfolk). - budget: earlier in the year a loss on FON operations was pre- dicted. The directors decided to tough it out and didn't cut any programs. Now, thanks to dedicated work by the FON staff and generous donors, we ended the year with an $11,000 surplus. Even in difficult financial times Ontario naturalists reached into their pockets to help protect the environment. After considerable paring, the finance committee presented the 1983 budget with a draft deficit of $22,000. This budget was approved by the Board with the recognition that we can't ease up our activities. Nature Canada Bookshop 75 /Mbert Street, Lower Level Ottawa (613)238-6154 ^ ^ Weekdays 9 - 5 Saturdays 10-4 Ottawa’s largest selection of nature books, records and gift items NOW OPEN ON SATURDAYS! ANNUAL SPRING SALE 15% OFF Peterson Field Guides 15% OFF Bausch & Lomb and Bushnell Binoculars Savings on Selected Books and Notepaper *Sale ends June 30, 1983 Co-sponsored by the Canadian Nature Federation and the Federation of Ontario Naturalists V / Many people found themselves wondering where winter was dur- ing the months of January and February of 1983. And judging by the bird sightings of the period, many birds no doubt were wonder- ing the same thing J The above-average temperatures and low snow accumulations tempted many birds to winter further north than usual. These conditions resulted in observations of many birds which normally winter south of Ottawa and in the absence of many of our northern winter visitors. One of the rarest attempted overwinterings was a Pied-billed Grebe which was present near Lemieux Island until January 1st; however, the bird was not recorded again after a cold spell froze that part of the Ottawa River in early January. A no-doubt puzzled Great Blue Heron was observed flying along the frozen shore of Constance Lake on January 11th. Many species of waterfowl overwintered in the Ottawa area this year. Seventy Canada Geese were observed basking in the warm sewage at Shirleys Bay until January 2nd. Evidently a cold snap brought the geese to their senses; consequently, none was seen after this date. A male American Widgeon masqueraded as a Mallard for handouts at Manotick on January 29th, a very rare winter record for Ottawa. A Pintail was also sighted at Manotick during the period. Several species of diving ducks were noted during January and February. A Ring-necked Duck observed throughout the period at Remic Rapids constituted the first such record for this spec- ies. Our now winter resident female Barrow's Goldeneye remained also throughout the period at Remic Rapids. Rounding off the waterfowl were four Hooded Mergansers reported at several loca- tions and a Red-breasted Merganser at Bate Island on February 16th. A highlight of the period was the number of interesting raptors observed. Of particular interest were the Golden Eagle and Bald Eagle seen on several dates in the Luskville area. It is always thrilling to see these magnificent birds, so rare in the Ottawa area. Another magnificent raptor during the period was a brown-grey phase Gyr falcon. This bird was regularly observed in what can now be called Gyrfalcon alley, between Car- lington quarry and the Greenbank Road area. A Northern Harrier on January 24th near Twin Elm was an interesting winter record. 112 There were some interesting owl sightings despite the lack of many of the northern owls this winter. The wintering of nine Short-eared Owls south of the airport provided many people with excellent views of this delicate owl. On the robust side, this winter was a good year for Snowy Owls with 10-15 being reported. Our now-resident Sandhill Crane continued grazing with the horses throughout the period in the Malakoff area. Large concentrations of- gulls were seen on January 1st, including Ottawa's first winter record of Thayer's Gull, a Ring- billed Gull, 28 Glaucous Gulls, 44 Great Black-backed Gulls and 400 Herring Gulls. Gulls are occurring later and later in Ottawa each year. It's likely only a matter of time before gulls become a regular part of our winter avifauna. Black-backed Woodpeckers (formerly Black-backed Three-toed) were present in good numbers this winter, but Three-toed Wood- peckers (formerly Northern Three-toed) were very scarce. Golden-crowned Kinglets exploded in the Ottawa area this winter with as many as 60 being recorded in one day. It is quite unusual to be writing about warblers in a January -February Recent Bird Sightings , especially when two species are involved I The star of the show was a Pine Warbler overwintering at Carleton University. Unfortunately, "Piney", as he had affec- tionately come to be known to local birders, was found dead on January 9th. An autopsy revealed the cause of death to be a blow suffered by flying into a solid object. The bird was otherwise in good health with good fat reserves. Four Yellow-rumped Warb- lers were observed during the period. One Yellow-rumped remained in the Pinecrest area at least to the end of February, the first recorded in Ottawa to do so. Finches were very conspicuous by their absence this year. No Redpolls or Pine Grosbeaks were observed at any time during the period. Evening Grosbeaks, uncommon at the beginning of the period, made a big invasion during January and February. Many other finches, such as crossbills and Pine Siskins, remained north of Ottawa. The lack of finches here can be attributed to a good food supply further north. Large concentrations of finches have been reported from the boreal forest this winter. Of particular note was a Red Crossbill nest found in Algonquin Park in February, a first for the park. Finches will nest at any time of the year if the food crop is good, and this nest indicates why we didn't see these finches in good numbers around Ottawa this year. A Rose-breasted Grosbeak at a feeder until January 23rd was only the second winter record for Ottawa. The period ended on a positive note with lots of Horned Larks, indicating that spring was not far away. 113 Sandhill Crane Overwinters in the Ottawa Area Bruce M. Di Labio and Richard Blacquiere In late April 1982 a Sandhill Crane (Gtus canadensis) was observed by some local residents in a rural area about 5 km east of North Gower, near the junction of Regional Road 6 and the Malakoff Road. On May 3, 1982, one of us (BMD) was contacted by the owner of the property, Karen Lehmann, and the next day viewed the bird and confirmed her identification. That day the bird was observed to be missing one or more toes and also ap- peared to have a damaged right eye. Otherwise, it seemed healthy, flying without effort and calling occasionally. The crane remained in that general vicinity throughout the spring and summer, sometimes disappearing for one or two week periods. By early fall it was frequently observed associating with farm livestock (horses and cattle) , sometimes being less than a metre from the much larger mammals. Its preferred com- panions were horses, which were very tolerant of the tall bird sharing their pasture and sometimes their food. By late November it became evident that this Sandhill Crane was not going to migrate south for the winter. Fears were ex- pressed concerning its fate in the cold and snow of mid-winter. The idea of capturing it and keeping it in a safe place over the winter was discussed briefly. It was finally decided to leave the bird free and let nature take its course. Much to everyone's surprise, the Sandhill Crane did not disappear, and it survived the coldest part of the winter. the time of writing (March) the bird still appears healthy and probably will survive the rest of the winter. Two factors in its survival may have been the relatively mild winter and a supplemented food supply courtesy of a local farmer who fed it corn and soybeans . The survival of the bird this winter may give credence to the rumour that a Sandhill Crane was in the same general area the previous winter. Such speculation began when some local residents commented that they had seen a similar bird the winter before; however, no one in a position to be able to pro- vide an exact identification ever saw that bird. Prior to this observation, there seems to be only one other Ontario record of a Sandhill Crane overwintering. It was a bird which took up residence at the Metro Toronto Zoo from December 24, 1980, to mid -February , 1981 (American Birds, 1981, 35(3): 114 296) . It too had its food supply supplemented, in this case by the zoo staff . The Sandhill Crane which has been resident in the North Gower- Malakoff area for at least a year. This metre-high bird with a two-metre wing span comes from western North America. photograph by Bruce Di Labio * * * CORRECTION: It's probably obvious, anyway, but in the Gray Kingbird article on pages 56-57 of the last issue, the numbers in the caption under the map should run consecutively from 1 to 7. In addition, the authors wish to acknowledge Michel Gosselin's work in preparing the map. JMR 115 A Holiday in the Marsh Text and photographs by Teresa Aniskowicz Every year, when the time comes to plan for summer holidays, I, like many other people, usually decide on a trip here or there. But last spring I thought I would do something different; I would spend my holidays in Ramsayville Marsh*, observing and photographing the life of some of its secretive inhabitants. A few years ago, I had studied the nesting behaviour of Soras and Virginia Rails. I always wished I could continue that study. I wanted to obtain more data and to record on film what I had previously recorded in a notebook. Why not do it on my holiday? Rails would be my principal goal, but, time permitting, anything would be fair game. Three weeks were going to be too short to do all I wanted to do, but I was going to make the most of the time I had. Leading up to this holiday, I spent several previous week- ends in April and May searching for nests. I watched male Red- winged Blackbirds stake out their territories before the females arrived in the last week in April. The following week I found a few nests that had been built, and by mid-May some already contained completed clutches. By that time, the marsh was alive with birds; Black Terns, Soras, Common Callinules and American Bitterns, to mention but a few. I was becoming very anxious to get going on my project. Finally, the last week of May arrived - at long last I could be in the marsh full time. It was going to be exciting, yes, but I did not kid myself; the real work was about to begin. The week before, on May 14, I had found a Sora's nest after long hours of systematic searching. The nine eggs were warm, indicating that they were being incubated. The nest was close to shore, in shallow water. This situation bothered me as pre- dation rates in the marsh are high, and this nest seemed particu- larly vulnerable. Often, when a Sora nest is approached, the owners run around close to the intruder, scolding loudly and sometimes putting on a distraction display reminiscent of that of the Killdeer. How- ever, this particular pair always stayed out of sight and was usually silent, although I did hear a few very faint calls. This was a shy pair - I would have to be very careful. Working as quickly as possible, I erected a blind some five metres from the nest. For good photography I would have to be a lot closer, * See the map on page 67 of the last issue of Trail & Landscape. 116 A view of Ramsayvitle Marsh but for now I wanted the rails to become accustomed to its presence; otherwise, they might abandon. At my next opportunity, on May 21, I again visited the nest. To my great relief, all was well; it now contained 11 eggs. Although I had known Sora clutches to number as many as 16, this clutch had to be complete, as eggs are usually laid at the rate of one per day. Doing some quick mental calculations, I figured that it would be another week or so before hatching would begin. (Incubation is about 20 days, but starts after the first four or five eggs have been laid.) Causing as little disturbance as possible, I moved my blind up closer. It was essential that by hatching time the parents accept my blind in its final position as part of the landscape; otherwise, I could not hope for the birds to act normally. Once the blind was moved, I spent the rest of the day wading in the marsh, looking for other nests. I was unsuccessful as far as rails were concerned, but I did find a Common Gallinule's nest containing nine eggs. I put up another blind. During the week that followed, whenever I was not watching the incubating Soras, I kept an eye on the gallinules. On May 26 there were two chicks, and many of the eggs showed cracks in the shells. I entered the blind and sat quietly waiting. Luck- ily for me, it was a warm day, the nest was shaded, and the chicks were not complaining; otherwise, I would have had to leave . 117 After over three hours, a gallinule, elegant in its black and deep gray plumage, the bright scarlet bony plate on the forehead and the bill, scarlet with a yellow tip, approached the nest very slowly and cautiously. It was perfectly soundless and caused hardly a ripple on the water - like a ghost. It came up beside the nest, went some distance away, stood around, ap- proached again, moved away, and so forth, until it slowly came and sat incubating, obviously still nervous. Soon it was up again and off the nest although I had not moved or made the slightest noise. I hardly dared breathe. But this time the gallinule was not long in coming back. About an hour later it was relieved by its mate, indistinguishable from the first bird. For several hours I watched and took notes. Although my camera was mounted on its tripod and in position for action, I did not dare use it for fear of the noise the shutter would make. The next day I entered the blind just as the sun climbed over the horizon. The parents were nowhere in sight, but there were four chicks. Since it was still cool, they started up a long, drawn-out cheeping which was barely audible. However, it was effective in quickly bringing a cautious parent to the nest. After some time, I released the camera shutter with apprehen- sion; the clank seemed louder than ever. The brooding bird jerked its head up, looking around alarmed, but before long it relaxed and continued brooding. About 15 minutes later it changed positions. After it sat quietly for a few minutes I again released the shutter. This time the bird was less startled. Subsequently the gallin- ules got fairly used to the sound of the camera, although they never quite ignored it completely. Nevertheless, I was able to shoot many more frames as they went about their business of brooding and feeding chicks, turning The blind 118 eggs, removing eggshells and relieving each other at the nest. 1 was struck by how quiet the chicks were. They never cheeped either when left alone or when begging for food. In the latter situation, they pushed out from under the brooding parent, reached up and pecked at the parent's yellow bill tip, but never cheeped loudly or vibrated their tiny wings as rail chicks do. Otherwise, there were marked similarities in the nesting behaviour of these closely related species. Unfortunately, the Sora nest was due to hatch, so I could not follow the gallinules any longer. Nevertheless, I felt very satisfied that I had got some insight into the family life of this secretive bird. When incubating, each bird sat on the nest, always alert although relaxed. They changed positions rather frequently, often rolling the eggs over before settling down again. While sitting, they spent fair amounts of time pecking and pulling at cattails they could reach. Eventually this created a canopy above the nest, as well as a screen behind which it was sometimes difficult to follow events on the nest. Incubation bouts were up to two hours duration with the female incubating more than the male. During changeover, the eggs were rarely left Common Gallinute on nest Interspersed with watching the gallinules, I had spent a number of hours observing the incubating Soras and recording their behaviour. Luckily , right from the start I could recog- nize the individuals of this pair, although I had not marked them in any way. One bird had much more black on its face, a charac- teristic which, when a discernible difference does occur, indicates the male. 119 uncovered for more than a few seconds at a time. Four chicks hatched on May 28. Once dry, they were specks of jet black down except for a pinkish, almost bald spot on the top of the head, a cherry-red cere and some stiff orange bristles on the chin. That first day they were never left unattended. At first the female did most of the incubating and brooding. I watched her pull eggshells out from under her breast. She pecked and shook them, and finally swallowed some pieces. Others she carried off into the cattails. Both she and the male brought food (mostly newly-emerged dragonflies) to the nest and presented it to the incubating mate. The latter took the food, then stood up and in turn presented it to the chicks, which would scramble unsteadily from beneath the parent, reach up and peck the food. They were clumsy and dropped it frequently. The parent would pick it up and repeatedly present it until finally one of the youngsters managed to take the morsel and gulp it down. This state of affairs did not last long. Soon the chicks became more adept at taking the food, often popping out from under the brood- ing parent and taking it directly from the parent that brought it, skipping the food- transfer ritual between the adults. During subsequent days, additional eggs kept hatching. The parents had to spend progressively more time feeding the increas- ing numbers of chicks. Also, they started leaving the nest un- attended for short periods of time. Some of the older chicks, more steady on their over-sized feet, ran out and mobbed a parent approaching with food. They spent increasingly more time outside the nest. Soon they went on short excursions into the marsh, following a parent which would search out food for them rather than carrying it all the way back to the nest. However, the adults never forgot that there were chicks (and eggs) left on the nest. They saw to it that these youngsters were fed and brooded, especially when a new one hatched. On June 6 the last chick appeared. By this time its older brothers and sisters were spending very little time on the nest, or even in its immediate vicinity, except at night. This young- est chick had to follow them in spite of being much smaller and still weaker. Another brood of Soras had successfully left the relative security of their nest. Now they would have to face a harsh world. Few would survive the many perils that lay ahead of them and return to breed next spring. I resumed searching in earnest for more rail nests. I especially wanted to watch a Virginia Rail family. Although I was scolded by them several times, no amount of searching gave any positive results. I would give up for a while but come back a few hours later. Each time I got no response whatsoever on the second visit. This led me to believe that most of the Vir- ginia Rail nests had already hatched and that the scolding on the first occasion was prompted by my approaching a brood hiding in the cattails rather than by my coming near the nest. These 120 Male Sara presenting food to chicks beside nest (top); Sora egg hatching (middle); and Sora chick (bottom). 121 searches proved somewhat frustrating but not unproductive, as I saw many other interesting things. One day a Least Bittern flew up several metres ahead of me. Upon investigating the area, I found its nest, a platform of dry cattails arranged in a criss-cross manner a half metre above the water. It contained six eggs, the maximum clutch size according to most books. Although on later excursions I turned up three more nests, one of which contained seven eggs, I could only spare the time to watch the first one. On the several occasions I visited it during incubation, I always found the female on the nest. This is not unusual as, according to Weller (1961) , who has studied Least Bitterns perhaps more than anyone else, the female spends more time incu- bating than the male. By June 3, five of the six eggs had hatched. It took another two days to hatch the last egg. The chicks were tiny puffs of beige down with rather large, dark eyes and a fairly stout, beige bill. At first they could only hold their heads up, balanced precariously, for a few seconds. Hence they spent most of their time lying together in a heap. One of the parents was continuously in attendance brooding the chicks at the nest; the chicks would streatch up and peck at the adult's bill whenever it was within their reach. (See photo on the opposite page.) This action induced the parent to regurgi- tate partly-digested fish directly into the gullet of one of the young. Only rarely did a fish fall into the nest. On such occasions, the parent picked it up and swallowed it again. After June 4 I never again saw the female; only the male came to the nest. He had his "hands" full since the chicks grew quickly and so did their appetites. Every time he approached, he was literally mobbed by his offspring. His bill was grabbed and pulled down. He regurgitated repeatedly then sat, and later stood, with his bill pointing skyward, attempting to keep it out of reach of the hungry mob. This worked only until a certain age. Then the chicks kept nagging, sometimes roughly grabbing and jerking his bill down, even when his crop was empty. He took to spending less time on the nest, coming only to feed and probably to brood at night. By this time, sheathed feathers were showing through the down, and the chicks, especially the older ones, spent more time climbing around on the cattails near the nest. Through all this the youngest chick remained visibly smaller. Since the chicks that mob the most get the most food, I was concerned that this youngster might starve, but in spite of the pushing and shoving of its brothers and sisters, it managed to get a share of the spoils . By June 12, the young spent very little time on the nest but still stayed in its vicinity. I could no longer slip into the blind without being detected. My visits disturbed the young 122 A Least Bvttem chick is grabbing the mate's bitt to stimulate the mate to regurgitate some food. considerably. As a result, I ceased watching the bitterns and came back only a few weeks later to pick up the blind. My wanderings through the marsh brought many exciting re- wards. It was always refreshing to see a new plant in bloom, be it Wild Iris, Purple Loosestrife or the dainty flowers of Common Bladderwort or Frog's-bit. I marveled at a dragonfly or damselfly unfolding its tender wings for the very first time and miraculously flying away without any previous learning or prac- tice. I saw Meadow Voles and Jumping Mice, mammals one does not usually associate with a marsh environment. Almost continuously I was scolded by Red-winged Blackbirds; rarely was I far from one of their nests. Black Terns also scolded me fairly frequently but generally lost interest after a short while. One day their scolding, more persistent than usual, told me that I must be getting close to their nests. Then the birds began divebombing and screaming bloody murder. As I pushed on, I got hit on the head. I knew that they could hit and hit again until my head would bleed, so I rolled up my windbreaker into a loose ball and attached it on my head, using the arms for ties. This worked well: the birds could vent their frustrations, but it didn't hurt me one little bit. They have another nasty habit, though; they swoop down and whitewash the intruder. Luckily for me, most of the time their aim was not too accurate. 123 The rewards for putting up with all this were several nests on some soggy floating mats of dead vegetation. One of these contained three heavily speckled eggs, and another a chick. Several nests were empty, but in some cases I found chicks on the water nearby. Black Terns usually lay three eggs, which hatch in about three weeks. Soon after the chicks are dry, they can leave the nest, especially when disturbed. Even at this early age they are quite capable swimmers. Nevertheless, I did not want to disturb them more than I could help, so I spent very little time in this colony. Henceforth, every time the terns spotted me anywhere in the marsh, they gathered around screaming as they escorted me everywhere I went. They had identified me as dangerous and were going to let everyone know about it. On May 21, while still excited over having found my first gallinule nest of the season, I realized I was hearing a Marsh Wren sing. During my previous work in Ramsayville Marsh, I had seen a Marsh Wren on only two occasions. Both sightings were probably of the same bird. It was silent and I never found any evidence of nesting, although records indicate that Marsh Wrens were once not uncommon here. Now the staccato melody was re- peated over and over again; this had to be a male staking out his territory.' So I plowed through to the area where, between the cattails, I could just barely see him perched on a twig. Sure enough, there were globular nests around, four of them. I went poking my finger into the entrance hole of each, hoping to find one with eggs, but no luck. This Marsh Wren continued to be an enigma for the greater part of the next three weeks. He sang persistently, and more and more nests kept appearing, but no eggs. In this species the male constructs a series of unlined nests. The female lines one and lays her eggs in it. In this particular case, was there a female? Or was the male singing to a mate that would never arrive? I kept checking up on him at every oppor- tunity I had. Every time I found new nests, and every time they were empty. Then, on my last day, after not having visited the area for some time, I made one last check. As I poked my finger into one of the nests, I immediately felt that this one was dif- ferent. The birds had built a sill projecting inwards from the entrance, and everything was lined with soft cattail down. In- side I could feel four or five tiny, warm eggs.' So there was a female after all. I would not be able to follow this nest, but still, what a wonderful note on which to end my holidays in the marsh. References Bent, A. C. 1925. Life histories of North American marsh birds. Dover Publications Inc., New York, 1963. First published by Smithsonian Institution as United States National Museum Bulletin No. 135. 124 Godfrey, W.E. 1966. The birds of Canada. The Bryant Press Ltd Toronto, 1979. First published by the National Museum of Natural Sciences as National Museum of Canada Bulletin No. 203, Biological Series No. 73. Hancock, J. and H. Elliott, 1978. The herons of the world. Harper and Row, Publishers, New York. Harrison, H.H. 1975. A field guide to birds’ nests. The Peter son Field Guide Series. Houghton Mifflin Company, Boston. Kaufmann, G.W. 1971. Behavior and ecology of the Sora^ Porzana Carolina, and Virginia Rail, Rallus limicola. Ph.D. Thesis University of Minnesota. Kushlan, J.A. 1973. Least Bittern nesting colony. Auk 90: 685-686. Lowther, J.K. 1977. Nesting biology of the Sora at Vermillion, Alberta. Cana- dian Field-Nat- uralist 91(1) : 63-67. Nicol, A.C. 1938. On the nest of the Sora Rail. Canadian Field- Naturalist 52(4): 55-57. Palmer, R.S. ed. 1962. Handbook of North Ameri- can birds. Yale New Haven and London . Weller, M.W. 1961. Breeding biology of the Least Bittern. The Wilson Bulletin 73(1): 11-35. young Red-winged Blackbird 125 Plant Pitfalls, Traps and Snares Sheila C. Thomson An excursion into the countryside on a pleasant summer day gave rise to this rather sinister topic. Canada Day, 1980, we celebrated with a foray into a swampy woodland where troops of Showy Lady's Slippers were in full flower. On an impulse, I peeked into one perfect pink and white slipper. To my astonish- ment, a small orange butterfly, a European Skipper, lay dead inside the flower. Calling my discovery to my companions, I peered into the next slipper. Another butterfly lay dead in its glorious coffin. A dozen or more similar discoveries and the truth dawned. The European Skipper was being enticed into a deadly trap from which it could not escape. The beautiful slipper orchid took on a macabre aspect for us. On our way out of the swamp, we spotted Round-leaved Sundew by the trailside. Perched on a sundew leaf was another small orange butterfly, perhaps attracted by the glistening ruby drop- lets on the leaf hairs. We bent down to identify it, and the European Skipper made no attempt to fly from us. Trapped in the sticky hairs of the sundew leaf, it, too, had been enticed to unexpected disaster. The meadow at the edge of the swamp was alive with European Skippers that day. All along the old waggon track across the field, they flitted up from the meadow plants as we approached. A clump of Common Milkweed in full flower had attracted swarms of them. We paused to look more closely at one butterfly that failed to fly at our approach. It could not move. One foot was held fast in a snare, caught in one of the mean little slits be- tween the flower parts of the heavily scented milkweed flower. The forces of nature on that summer day seemed to be experi- menting on the population explosion of an alien butterfly. The milkweed and the sundew, however, were not trapping one skipper in thousands. The lady's slipper, while obviously an effective bait and an efficient trap, was, nevertheless, also a "failed experiment". The swamp habitat demanded by Showy Lady's Slippers lies well outside the main meadow habitat where most of the European Skippers were flying. In any case, stands of Showy Lady's Slippers are too sparse to cope with such hordes of Euro- pean Skipper butterflies. All three plant mechanisms which we had observed in operation to the detriment of the butterfly have evolved over the ages to the specific advantage of the plant. Sundew is able to break down tissue of the trapped insect into a soluble nutrient which 126 This Showy Lady 's Slipper cut in half shows the rounded opening where an insect can enter the slipper. A hee can crawl upwards to the right past the stigma (broad, wedge-shaped, white structure) and the anther ( round, white structure) before leaving at the top. photograph by E.W. Greenwood the leaf absorbs. The skipper thus provided nourishment for the sundew. In Showy Lady's Slippers, the important function of cross-pollination is effected chiefly by bees which, once in- side the flower, find that the shape of the pouch prevents them from leaving by the way they entered. Pollinating bees must brush beneath the stigma and one or other of the anthers as they crawl to freedom by an exit route too confining for the unfortun- ate skipper. Again, cross-pollination is the end result when the right insect finds its foot caught between the parts of the milk- weed flower. Had the skipper been able to tug free its foot from the slit between the milkweed anthers, it would at the same time have tugged free a pair of pollen clusters to transport to the stigma of the next flower. Our summer outing had rewarded us with graphic glimpses of the interplay that goes on constantly between the different life forms of a wild habitat, as the forces of nature shift and adjust the components to achieve or maintain a balanced ecosystem. For more on the phenomenon of skippers trapped by lady's slippers, see Paul Catling's article, A butterfly -trapping orchid, in the Newsletter of the Michigan Entomological Society, Volume 19, Number 1, March 7, 1974. I am also indebted to Paul for drawing to my attention an article by A.P. Arthur in the Proceedings of the Entomological Society of Canada, Number 92, pages 190-191, 1962, with excellent drawings to illustrate the plight of a European Skipper butterfly that finds itself inside the pouch of a Showy Lady's Slipper. The First Plant Specimen Collected at Ottawa Bill Dore Of all the thousands of specimens now collected from the Ottawa District, the very earliest seems to have been taken by Philip Whiteside Maclagan in 1843. Maclagan (1818-1892) was attached to the Royal Canadian Rifle Regiment and, being a sur- geon, had had basic training in botany in Scotland. During his four-day trip through the Rideau Canal from By- town to Kingston, he took the opportunity to gather some of the wild plants while the boat was being passed through the various locks. He reported his findings from the complete trip in Notice of Plants collected in the line of the Eideau Canal, Canada Nest, published in The Transactions of the Royal Society of Edinburgh, Vol. 3: 11-14, 1847. In this article he wrote, "At Bytown itself, although the banks of the Ottawa appear very promising, I could do little in the way of collecting. Cupressus thyoides was then new to me, and the common Juniper is abundant, but except these and one or two Cavices, nothing of interest occurred" . The mention in print of Cupressus thyoides at Bytown (Otta- wa) has long bothered foresters and plant geographers. Southern White Cedar, now known as Chamaecyparis thyoides, does not grow at Ottawa or any place else in Canada in the wild state; its range is from southern Maine southward along the Atlantic coast. Nobody thought to look up Maclagan 's specimen to see whether what he collected was really Southern White Cedar - if the col- lection could be found, or if, indeed, it had been preserved. I thought that Maclagan ' s specimen might be preserved in the great herbarium of the Royal Botanic Garden in Edinburgh, and so I alerted Canadian horticulturists attending the 1964 botanical congress there to looK for it. The exact specimen was found, labelled legibly "Chaudiere falls. Bytown C.W. 22/5/43", but unsigned*. It was a small sprig mounted on a sheet with two other early North American collections, the three identified as Cupressus thyoides. (See photograph opposite.) The report came back to me that the Maclagan specimen was indeed as identified, and with the suggestion that some of the pioneer settlers had brought the plant up to Bytown from Massachusetts or some other place in the South I * Chaudiere P alls, now harnessed for power, are on the Ottawa River about 2 km upstream from Parliament Hill. JMR 128 fihj. ^c^Ml4i, ('^t*^. 'im > ^/*^. - 0. 2H ;// . ^0^7) C^’G^ ,CliO. » c c>l<)~££e,<:V'Ku<3^ . ,- ^ y. ^^^<3^cl_.(2o(r^ -T^t^TO/n/ - - -- ■:}cL 140 'oyne^ 0^e-hus ottawaensis *Phryganea ejecta Byrrhidae {Cytvtus or Byvrhus) Crossaster papposus Ophiura sp . Oph-iocoma sp. or Amphiura sp. Plants Sugar Maple (1)^^ Acer saccharinum alder (6) Alnus sp. Yellow Birch (1) Betula alleghaniensis (5. tutea) Water-shield (7) Brasenia schreberi (B. peltata) Brome Grass (2) Bromus ciliatus sedge (4) Carex megellanica Round-leaved Sundew (4) Drosera rotundifolia Water-weed (7) Elodea canadensis algae (10) Encyonema prostratum iCymbella prostratum) Water Horsetail (6) Equisetum fluviatile {E. limosum) Dwarf Horsetail (5) Equisetum scirpoides Wood Horsetail (5) Equisetum sylvaticum an aquatic moss (8) Fontinalis sp. Rockweed (10) Fucus digitatus Huckleberry (2) Gaylussacia baccata (G. resinosa) bog moss (4) Drepanocladus fluitans^ Rice Grass (2) Oryzopsis asperifolia Balsam Poplar (1) Populus balsamifera Large-toothed Aspen (1) Populus grandidentata pondweed (8,9) Potamogeton pectinatus pondweed (8,9) Potamogeton perfoliatus pondweed (8,9) Potamogeton pusillus pondweed (9?) **Potamogeton rutilans Silverweed (3) Potentilla anserina willow (broad adaptations) Salix sp. Narrow-leaved Cattail (6) Typha lati folia American Eel-grass (7) Valisneria americana (V. spiralis) * Record requires verification. ** Taxonomic position uncertain. 11 Speculative plant paleohabitats : 1 (moist hardwood forest); 2 (thickets and clearings); 3 (sandy or gravelly shoreline) ; 4 (peaty, acid soils); 5 (moist, swampy woods); 8 (marshy borders); 7 (freshwater pond); 8 (freshwater stream) ; 9 (sa- line, brackish); 10 (marine). f rHypnum f luitansj . 178 How Many Uninvited Plants in your Garden? Bill Gummer and Frank Bell The definition of a weed usually includes the implication that it grows where it is unwanted, along with aspects like vig- orous growth, prolific seed production, and resistance to poor conditions. On the basis of this broad approach, we have com- pared notes on the interlopers in our respective gardens - in the fall of 1982 - and have produced the following story. Some identifications in our list are only to genus, but still the list shows the variety of plant life that may be found literally in your own backyard. If there are any hedges around your lot, the harvest will be improved; nothing beats a hedge for trapping moving seeds whether carried by wind, animal or bird. At Members' Slide Night in September 1982, FB remarked in passing that he had 19 weeds growing in his garden. BG felt that FB must have a pretty clean garden in that case, and a quick check the next day showed almost twice as many weed species in his garden. Further effort by both of us extended the two lists to a total of possibly 56 species at the time of putting the gardens away for the winter. Of these 56, 18 are common to both gardens, which, incidentally, are widely separated in Ottawa (FB in Elmvale Acres in the southeast and BG in the Carlingwood area in the west). In the following listing, "B" stands for Bell and "G" for Gummer. Scientific names follow Gillett and White (1978). Asterisks are explained in the paragraph after the tabulation. Fox-tail Barley Yellow Fox-tail Green Fox-tail Low Spear Grass Quack Grass Smooth Crab Grass Witch Grass Prostrate Knotweed Lady ' s Thumb Climbing Buckwheat *Hordeum gubatum Setaria glauaa Setaria vividis Poa annua Agropyron repens Digitaria isahaemum *Panicum capitlare **Polygonum aviculare Polygonum persicaria Polygonum convolvulus B B G G G G B,G B,G B,G G Lamb's Quarters Pigweed Purslane Chickweed Mouse-eared Chickweed White Cockle Bladder Campion Chenopodium album Amaranthus retroflexus Portulaca oleracea Stellaj‘ia media Cerastium vulgatum Lychnis alba Silene cucubalus B,G B G B,G B,G G G 179 Buttercup Ranunaulus aaris G Shepherd's Purse Capsella bursa-pastoris B,G Penny Cress Thlaspe arvense G Cinquefoil Potentilla sp. B Rough Cinquefoil *Potentilla norvegioa G Silvery Cinquefoil Potentilla argentea G "Berry" Rubus sp. B Tufted Vetch Vicia craooa G White Clover Trifolium repens B,G Red Clover Trifolium pratense B Clover (yellow) Trifoliim sp. G Common Buckthorn Rhamnus cathartioa G Yellow Wood Sorrel **Oxalis striata B,G Three-seeded Mercury *Aaalypha virginiaa B,G Velvet Leaf Abutilon theophrasti B Common Milkweed *Asolepias syriaaa G Creeping Spurge **Euphorbia supina G Catnip Nepeta aataria G Ground Ivy Gleahoma hederacea B Peppermint Mentha piperita B Heal-all *Prunella vulgaris B,G Climbing Nightshade Solanum dulcamara B,G Butter-and-eggs Linaria vulgojris G Mullein Verbasoum thapsus G Thyme-leaved Speedwell **Veroniaa serpy Hi folia B,G Broad-leaved Plantain Plantago major G Indian Tobacco *Lobelia inflata G Grape *Vitis sp. G Virginia Creeper *Parthenocissus quinquefolia B,G Creeping Bellflower Campanula rapunculoides G Canada Fleabane *Erigeron canadensis G Strigose Fleabane *Erigeron strigosus B,G Common Ragweed * Ambrosia artemisii folia B,G Ox-eye Daisy Chrysanthemum leucanthemum B,G Common Groundsel Senecio Vulgaris G Canada Thistle Cirsium arvense G Bull Thistle Cirsium vulgare G Thistle Cirsium sp. B Black-eyed Susan *Rudbeckia hirta B Dandelion Taraxacum officinale B,G Sow Thistle Sonahus sp. G The majority of our weeds are immigrants (as are most of us) from other continents. This is not surprising since the habitats for which they are best adapted - bare ground and "unnatural" lawn - were very rare or absent before the white man came. Over 70% of the weeds treated in two important works on Canadian and Ontario weeds are guests of the country (Montgomery and Switzer 1976, Frankton and Mulligan 1970) . Our list shows a similar 180 proportion. Only those marked with an asterisk (*) are native to Canada. For those marked with two asterisks (**) there is some confusion between our reference books; but all four of those marked species, as well, may be North American in origin (Fogg 1945) . There are some passing comments on the weeds: worst ones - Yellow Wood Sorrel - shrugs off most weed killers and goes on happily flipping out its seeds, - Smooth Crab Grass - it's not there, it's there.' - Creeping Spurge - cute little thing, neat, and loves to grow under the vegetables, - Purslane - no suitable words for this one, - Creeping Bellflower - fragile and persistent root system makes it tough; most attractive - White Cockle - if you just look at the flowers, - Creeping Bellflower - for a few days it looks like a proper perennial, - Climbing Nightshade - can't deny its attrac- tiveness . As a matter of interest, the following are often classed as weeds but have been accepted into BG's garden: G G G G G Orpine Trailing Stonecrop Mossy Stonecrop Moneywort Jimson Weed Sedum teleiphimi Sedum sarmentosum Sedum aove Lysimachia nummularia Batura strarmonium Since we are both good gardeners, there is no guarantee that all the plants listed above will be on view in 1983. What have you got growing in your garden? Literature Cited Fogg, Jr., J.M. 1945. Heeds of laim and garden. University of Pennsylvania Press, Philadelphia. Frankton, C. and G.A. Mulligan. 1970. Heeds of Canada. revised edition. Canada Department of Agriculture, Publication 948. Gillett, J.M. and D.J. White. 1978. Checklist of the vascular giants of the Ottawa-Eull region, Canada. National Museum of Natural Sciences . Montgomery, J.A. and C.M. Switzer, 1976. Ontario weeds. revised edition. Ontario Ministry of Agriculture and Food, Publication 505. 181 A Winter Birding Trip Bruce M. Di Labio On February 19, 1983, The Ottawa Field-Naturalists' Club and the Kingston Field Naturalists combined forces for an all- out assault on Ottawa birds. Armed with binoculars, spotting scopes and lunches, 65 keen observers took to the field for a day of winter birding. The two groups met at 10 a.m. at the Victoria Memorial Museum parking lot. After a brief exchange of greetings, the participants climbed aboard the buses and set off for the Jack Pine Nature Trail on Moodie Drive. There they split into two groups, one led by Bruce Di Labio and the other by Steve O'Don- nell. Two hours of birding here turned up a Red -breasted Nut- hatch, a few Golden-crowned Kinglets and a Goshawk, along with many of the more usual species. After lunch at the parking lot (and a brief search for two missing participants), the trip resumed. In the Fallowfield- Eagleson Side Road area, the parties observed a Snowy Owl, a Red-tailed Hawk, a Northern Shrike and a large flock of Snow Buntings. Proceeding northwest toward Dunrobin, they stopped at a woodland trail behind Shirleys Bay for two calling Pileated Woodpeckers (not seen) and two Common Ravens. At Dunrobin everyone had a good view of a raven perched in a tree. Back in Ottawa near the Byron and Kirkwood intersection, all 65 people had a look at one tree which had been visited regularly by three-toed woodpeckers. Finding the tree devoid of any wood- peckers, the group then went a bit further south to some resi- dential streets near the Carling and Merivale intersection where three-toed woodpeckers had been seen recently. On the way there, however, the bus carrying the Ottawa group didn't take the correct turn, and the two groups temporarily parted company. The Kingston group was fortunate enough to see a female Black- backed Three-toed Woodpecker, while the Ottawa group continued on to the Experimental Farm where they found a pair of Gray Par- tridge and a few Horned Larks. The Ottawa people then went back to the museum. The Kingston birders took one more side trip, to Hull via the Champlain Bridge (which is apparently illegal in a commercial vehicle such as a bus) in a successful search for the female Barrow's Goldeneye at Brebeuf Park. Back at the museum at 4:30 p.m., the two groups found they had a combined total of 32 species for the day. The weather, which was overcast in the morning but clear later on in the day, probably helped in getting that total. The general conclusion was that the joint field trip was a great success and should be repeated. Special thanks to Dan Brunton, Dan MacKinnon and Steve O'Donnell for their help during the outing. 182 Dan Brunton, Club President, in dark glasses, welcomed the King- ston naturalists and introduced them to the Greenbelt and Jack Pine Trail, where they are pictured above. In the centre of this group, Bruce Di Labio is trying to squeak in Golden-crowned Kinglets. photographs by Paul Davidson 183 Annual Ski Outing with the Thomsons Roger Taylor March 6, 1983, was the date selected for the annual ski outing at Sheila and Harry Thomson's cabin in the Calabogie Hills part of the Madawaska Highlands, 100 km west of Ottawa. An un- fortunate delay in the arrival of some members' Trail & Land- scapes, combined with a forecast of rain and with very little winter snow, may have caused several would-be participants to pass up this trip. So, only Rick Leavens and I ventured forth on a beautiful, sunny morning. After struggling up the hill to the Thomson's cabin, we got the usual warm welcome from Sheila and Harry and their daughter Elizabeth, who was home from uni- versity for a long weekend. After suitable refreshments and a careful inspection of the bird feeder visitors, we set off on a most enjoyable, leisurely trek around the lakes that dot the forested countryside near the cabin. As we set off, the temperature was probably just above freezing^ but it rose steadily through the day to a high of about 10 C. Under the warm sun, layers of clothing and gloves were hastily removed, and we all enjoyed smooth, easy skiing across the first few lakes. Ravens were abundant and frequently flopped their way across the blue sky. Spring was clearly in the air, and we frequently heard the territorial drumming of a Hairy Woodpecker. Going through the wood between lakes, we heard the ringing call of the Pileated Woodpecker and glimpsed it flying through the trees. Black-capped Chickadees were often seen and heard, and both nuthatches were vocal. On a couple of occasions. Golden-crowned Kinglets let us know that they were enjoying the warm sun. Although our hosts remarked that this was the worst winter day in their experience for animal tracks, we still saw plenty of evidence of Fishers as they patrolled the area. Deer, otter and rabbit tracks were also easily seen, and on one occasion, a startled Snowshoe Hare bounded away through the trees. It was unfortunately not the melanistic hare that Sheila and Harry had observed the previous day. After a lunch stop which included hot citrus tea, we really began to appreciate the strength of the sun's rays. The lakes were now covered with pools of water which could not be avoided. Water skiing took on a new meaning. It was definitely mandatory to keep your balance. We scanned the skies hopefully for the Bald Eagles that 184 were roosting on nearby Black Donald Lake, but no amount of trying could make the frequently observed ravens into eagles. We contented ourselves with looking at snow fleas in the snow, several different kinds of bracket fungi on various trees, and last year's Indian Pipe poking its way through the fairly thin layers of snow in the woods. We had another glimpse of a Pileated Woodpecker, but, with- out a doubt, the highlight of the excursion came when Elizabeth pointed out a Mink just emerging from the trees at the edge of the lake we were crossing. It proceeded about its business do- ing its best to ignore us. In response to Harry's squeaking, it finally looked up and showed its white chin and then went back to what it was doing. As it snaked its way across the beaver dam, we could almost hear it mutter to itself, "Stupid humansi That's just ruined my day". A quick stop at the beaver dam on the next pond to look at recently chewed trees and then we were back, after a delightful outing with our hospitable hosts. As we relaxed in the cabin over hot tea, Sheila told us that we had traversed 13 lakes of various sizes. Considering the amount of water that was on those that we crossed in the afternoon, we all agreed that we had just participated in an historic event. This was the first ever OFNC water ski excur- sion' Many thanks to Sheila, Harry and Elizabeth for another great outing. Visitors are Welcome at Birds Committee Meetings The Birds Committee is responsible for all bird-related activities within The Ottawa Field-Naturalists' Club, including the Owl Census; Spring, Fall and Christmas Bird Counts; the annual Seedathon; maintenance of the Club feeders; and all rare bird reports for the Ottawa District. Interested members of the Club are invited to attend and to participate in the meetings of the Birds Committee. Meetings are held regularly, except in the summer, at 7:30 p.m. in Activity Room #3 of the National Museum of Natural Sciences, Metcalfe and McLeod Streets. Future meetings are scheduled for April 28, May 26, June 23, September 22, October 27, November 24 and December 15. As the meeting dates are occasionally changed due to unforeseen circum- stances, it is advisable to confirm the date beforehand. For this and other information on the Birds Committee, contact Tom Hanrahan, Chairman, Birds Committee, telephone 230-5290. 185 arranged by the Excursions and Lectures Committee Paul Catling (996-1665), Chairman Times stated for excursions are departure times. Please arrive earlier; leaders start promptly. If you need a ride, don't hesitate to ask the leader. BIRD WALKS FOR BEGINNERS This series of three- to four-hour walks is offered for novice birders. Binoculars are essential and waterproof foot- wear is advisable. Saturday Leader Meeting Place 7 May Roger Taylor (731-9270) Britannia Drive-In* 14 May to be decided || Britannia Filtration 21 May Bob Bracken (728-3495) || Plant entrance** *Carling Avenue; ** Bus #51 stops here. Time: 7:30 a.m. MAY EVENING STROLLS These four informal walks are offered to expand members' general knowledge of natural history. Insect repellent may be useful; wear waterproof footwear. Wednesday SOUTH MARGH HIGHLANDS 4 May Leader: Frank Bell (521-8046) 6:30 p.m. Meet: northeast corner of Lincoln Fields Shopping Centre (Richmond Road and Assaly Road) Wednesday VINCENT MASSEY PARK 11 May Leader: Marc Bose (225-3873) 6:30 p.m. Meet: Vincent Massey Park (parking lot near Heron Road Bridge) Wednesday BRITANNIA WOODS 25 May Leader: Bob Bracken (728-3495) 6:30 p.m. Meet: entrance to Britannia Filtration Plant Bus # 51 stops here. 186 MIDWEEK BOTANY EXCURSIONS This spring the Botany Group is conducting a series of casual afternoon explorations on the following dates: Tuesday 3 May Tuesday 31 May Wednesday 18 May Wednesday 8 June, all starting at 1:00 p.m. For the rendezvous spot, location of the outing, and further information, telephone the Club number (722-3050) on the day before the excursion. Sunday BINDING AT SHIRLEYS BAY 1 May Leader: Stephen O'Donnell (722-3050) 7:00 a.m. Meet: Britannia Drive-In Theatre, Carling Avenue Bring waterproof footwear, binoculars and insect repellent . Friday OWLING IN THE DARK 6 May Leader: Bruce Di Labio (729-6267) 7:45 p.m. Meet: Neatby Building, located one block west of the Irving Place-Maple Drive stoplight on Carling Avenue. Use the parking lot west of the Neatby Building and south of the greenhouses. Take advantage of this field workshop to learn the diagnostic "hoots" of the owls and the "songs" of some other nocturnal birds. If weather appears unfavour- able, telephone the leader to confirm whether or not the outing will take place as scheduled. If the weather and the birds are cooperative, the outing will last until about midnight; earlier otherwise. Sunday 8 May 8:00 a.m. GENERAL INTEREST HIKE IN THE ALFRED BOG Leaders: Ernie Beauchesne and other Vankleek Hill naturalists Meet: National Museum of Natural Sciences, Metcalfe and McLeod Streets, front entrance Come and see one of the most spectacular wetlands in the Ottawa Valley. Be prepared for a long walk, and wear waterproof footwear. Bring a lunch and insect repellent. The Museum's Dinobus will be provided at no cost for transportation. Those wish- ing to participate should register at least ten days in advance of the outing by telephoning the Club number (722-3050) . 187 Tuesday 10 May 8:00 p .m . OFNC MONTHLY MEETING ONTARIO BREEDING BIRD ATLAS PROJECT Speakers: Mike Cadman and Bruce Di Labio Meet: Auditorium, National Museum of Natural Sciences, Metcalfe and McLeod Streets Mike will begin by providing an overview of the Ontario Breeding Bird Atlas Project, including mention of some of the more interesting discoveries. Bruce will outline the status of work in the Ottawa region and discuss the highlights. This is one of the most popular cooperative naturalists' projects going, and more participants are needed. Mike is provincial coordinator, and Bruce is the regional coordinator of the project. Sunday 15 May 7:00 a .m. BIRDING AT RAMSAYVILLE MARSH Leader: Bill Coburn (824-4101) Meet: Anderson Road at CNR tracks north of Russell Road Following the visit to the marsh, birding will con- tinue on the trail opposite the Geomagnetic Lab and/ or the area at the end of Ridge Road. If you do not have transportation or are able to offer a lift to someone without transportation, please call the Club number (722-3050) a few days prior to the outing. Bring waterproof footwear, binoculars and insect repellent . Thursday 19 May 8:00 a.m. BIRDING WITH GEORGE Leader: George McGee (733-1739) Meet: Britannia Drive-In Theatre, Carling Avenue Mid-week birding for the retired but not-so-tired . (People "playing hooky" are also welcome.) Saturday 21 May 9:00 a.m. SPRING WILDFLOWER FIELD TRIP Leader: Jack Gillett (995-9252) Meet: National Museum of Natural Sciences, Metcalfe and McLeod Streets, front entrance Jack is Curator of Vascular Plants at the National Museum of Natural Sciences and senior author of the Checklist of Vascular Plants of the Ottawa-Eull Region, Canada. This half-day outing will feature a botanical exploration of the local area. Bring a snack, insect repellent and waterproof footwear. 188 Sunday 22 May 10:00 a.m. Wednesday 25 May 9: 00 a.m. Saturday & Sunday 28 & 29 May Sunday 12 June 5:00 a.m. MOTORCADE TOUR OF A BLUEBIRD TRAIL Leader: Carson Thompson (1-267-5721) Meet: parking lot at the Perth Wildlife Reserve. The car caravan will wend its way by county roads to the Mill Pond Conservation Area. Bring a lunch to eat at Mill Pond. Following lunch there will be a general interest walk to explore the conservation area . The signs for the Perth Wildlife Reserve can be picked up on the Rideau Ferry Road off. Highway 43 between Perth and Smiths Falls. Carson Thompson is the manager of the Perth Wildlife Reserve. TRIP TO MARY STUART'S FARM Leader: Mary Stuart (820-5220) Meet: Loblaws, Carlingwood Shopping Centre, Carling Avenue at Woodroffe Avenue The route leads past rock outcrops of limestone, marble and granite on the way to Mary's farm near Pakenham. At the farm, spring wildflowers await everyone free to ramble on this Wednesday. Bring a picnic lunch, waterproof footwear, binoculars and insect repellent. Call Mary the day before for last minute details. SPRING WEEKEND IN THE WILD Leaders: Harry and Sheila Thomson (234-0845) A weekend tent-out on Mount St. Patrick to hear the sounds of nature at dawn. Contact the leaders by May 25 for map and briefing, or to arrange the loan of a tent. BREEDING BIRD ATLAS OUTDOOR WORKSHOP Leader: Bruce Di Labio (729-6267) Meet: Billings Bridge Plaza near Mister Donut. Bruce is the regional coordinator of the Ontario Breeding Bird Atlas Project, the topic of the May Monthly Meeting. For this workshop he will choose a 10 km X 10 km square with an interesting variety of habitats, as close to the city as possible. After the participants have been instructed on bird atlassing, they will break up into groups to cover different parts of the square. The same square will be investigated two weeks later. Some birding ex- pertise is necessary. Bring a lunch, and insect repellent, and be prepared for hiking in varied ter- rain . 189 Tuesday 14 June 8:00 p.m. OFNC MONTHLY MEETING LIFE IN THE SOIL Speaker: Valerie Behan-Pelletier Meet: Auditorium, National Museum of Natural Sciences, Metcalfe and McLeod Streets Soil is one of our most important non-renewable resources. Valerie, who is a research scientist with Agriculture Canada, will discuss the different kinds of soil invertebrates and the factors affect- ing their density and diversity. These minute ani- mals play a vital role in decomposition, nutrient cycling, and soil formation. Furthermore, they are essential to the maintenance and restoration of soil fertility. Living material will be available for observation through a microscope. Sunday 19 June 1:00 p.m. FERN IDENTIFICATION FIELD TRIP Leader: Bill Arthurs (225-6941) Meet: Elmvale Shopping Centre, northeast corner of parking lot This will be a general interest botanical outing with an emphasis on identifying some of our local ferns. The group will explore parts of the Larose Forest, a beautiful area about 30 km east of Ottawa. Easily found are 11 genera and over 16 species of ferns, as well as a few species of club mosses. A few species of local orchids may also be seen. Wednesday 22 June 8:00 p.m. BOTANY STUDY GROUP Leader: Aileen Mason (722-2279) and Paul Catling Meet: National Museum of Natural Sciences, Room 3 in the basement, Metcalfe and McLeod Streets This meeting will feature planning and organization of summer activities. Thursday 23 June 10:00 a.m. MIDWEEK WALK AT BLACK LAKE Leader: Fenja Brodo (225-7081) Meet: northeast corner of Lincoln Fields Shopping Centre (Richmond Road and Assaly Road) This outing will focus on insects. Bring a lunch and insect repellent. 190 Saturday 25 June 7 : 00 a .m. BUS TRIP TO THE ST. LAWRENCE ISLANDS NATIONAL PARK Leader: Colin Gaskell and a Parks Canada Staff interpreter Meet: National Museum of Natural Sciences, Metcalfe and McLeod Streets, front entrance Cost: $10.00 The group will be met at Mallorytown Landing by a staff interpreter who will introduce us to the park with a slide presentation. We will then proceed by bus to Hill Island where we will explore on foot in small groups. Of special interest is the Black Rat Snake study, in particular the radiotelemetry track- ing program. Other anticipated highlights include a stand of Pitch Pine and various rare plants. Members wishing to participate should register at least ten days in advance by sending their cheques or money orders (payable to The Ottawa Field-Natural- ists' Club) to Ellaine Dickson, 2037 Honeywell Ave. , Ottawa K2A 0P7. Include your name, address, tele- phone number and the name of the trip. Sunday 26 June 5:00 a.m. BREEDING BIRD ATLAS OUTDOOR WORKSHOP Leader: Bruce Di Labio (729-6267) Meet: Billings Bridge Plaza near Mister Donut See the June 12 outing for additional details. Sunday 10 July 9:30 a.m. TIGER BEETLES AND OTHER SUN-LOVING INSECTS Leaders: Henri Goulet and Yves Bousquet (996-1665) Meet: Neatby Building, located one block west of the Irving Place-Maple Drive stoplight on Gar ling Avenue. This outing will focus on some of those sun-loving insects that are most common at this time of year, particularly the Tiger Beetles. Take your Tiger Beettes of the Ottawa VaVLey in the January-February 1983 issue of Trail & Landsaape and let the experts help you explore this fascinating genus of beetles. Bring a lunch. Wednesday 13 July 6:30 p.m. SUMMER EVENING STROLL Leader: Sheila Thomson (234-0845) Meet: Elmvale Shopping Centre, northeast corner of parking lot This will be a general interest walk on the National Capital Commission hiking trail off Conroy Road. 191 Sunday 17 July 8:00 a.m. BUS TRIP TO THE SHAW WOODS Leader: Albert Dugal (821-1236) Meet: National Museum of Natural Sciences, Metcalfe and McLeod Streets, front entrance This unique and complex woods contains some of the tallest trees in eastern Ontario. Its most inter- esting features are an ancient cedar swamp and a tract of trees in essentially virgin condition. The woods is bordered on one side by a large cattail marsh which, in turn, abuts a granitic escarpment. (A more detailed account appeared in the March-April, 1980 Trait & Landscape .) It is hoped that most of the features of the Shaw Woods will be examined briefly during this full day trip. Bring appropriate footwear, insect repellent and lunch. The Museum's Dinobus will be supplied free of charge for trans- portation. Return by 6:30 p.m. Those wishing to participate should register at least ten days in advance of the outing by phoning the Club number (722-3050) . Saturday 13 August 8:00 a.m. BUS EXCURSION TO CHAFFEY ' S LOCKS Leaders: Roger Taylor and Peter Hall Meet: National Museum of Natural Sciences, Metcalfe and McLeod Streets, front entrance Cost: $7.00 This will be our first midsummer visit to the Queen's Biology Station. Several easy hikes will enable participants to explore a wide variety of habitats and wildlife areas. In addition, scientists at the Station will introduce the group to some of the fish ecology studies being carried out there this summer. If the weather is cooperative. Black Rat Snakes should be seen. The cost of $7.00 is to cover the expense of the steak cookout which will be held at the Station from 5 to 6 p.m. The Dinobus, which will be provided free of charge by the Museum, should return to Ottawa by 8 p.m. Those wishing to go should register at least ten days in advance by sending their cheques or money orders (payable to The Ottawa Field-Naturalists' Club) to Ellaine Dick- son, 2037 Honeywell Ave. , Ottawa K2A 0P7. Include your name, address, telephone number and the name of the trip. Anyone who wishes to travel by private car must register for the meal. Bring a lunch and insect repellent. 192 Date to be LATE SUMMER EVENING EXCURSION TO LOOK FOR FRINGED decided GENTIAN Leader: Sheila Thomson (234-0845) It is anticipated that participants will bring a bagged dinner and leave the city directly from work. Phone Sheila for details up to August 15th. Sunday 21 August 7:30 a .m. SUMMER WILDFLOWERS Leader: Frank Bell (521-8046) Meet: National Museum of Natural Sciences, Metcalfe and McLeod Streets, front entrance The emphasis will be on identifying late summer asters and goldenrods. This will be a half-day trip. Saturday 27 August 7:00 a.m. SHORE BIRDS FOR BEGINNERS Leader: Tom Hanrahan (230-5290) Meet: Britannia Drive-In Theatre, Carling Avenue For this three- or four-hour outing binoculars are essential and waterproof footwear is advisable. Tuesday 30 August 8:00 a.m. BIRDING WITH GEORGE Leader: George McGee (733-1739) Meet: Britannia Drive-In Theatre, Carling Avenue Midweek binding for the retired but not-so-tired. (People "playing hooky" are also welcome.) Saturday 10 Sept. 9:00 a.m. PONDWEED FIELD TRIP Leader: Paul Catling (996-1665) Meet: National Museum of Natural Sciences, Metcalfe and McLeod Streets, front entrance This is a special outing designed to enable Club members to gain a familiarity with the pondweeds. (See the last issue of Tvait S Landscape 17(2): 79- 99.) Twenty-one of the 29 species found in Canada occur in the District, and it will be our object to see all 21 in mature fruiting condition. Sunday 11 Sept. 5:30 a.m. BIRD BANDING WITH THE OTTAWA BANDING GROUP Leader: Janette Dean This outing will be limited to 20 people. To register and obtain further details, phone the Club number (722-3050) after August 28. DEADLINE: Material Intended for the Septemher-October Issue must be In the Editor's hands before July 2. ISSN 0041 -0748 TRAIL & LANDSCAPE published by THE OTTAWA FIELD- NATURALISTS’ CLUB Second Class Mail - Registration Number 2777 Postage paid in cash at Ottawa Change of Address Notices and undeliverable Copies Box 3264 Postal Station C, Ottawa, Ont. KlY 4J5 Return postage guaranteed Printed by LOMOR PRINTERS LTD.