A PUBLICATION CONCERNED WITH NATURAL HISTORY AND CONSERVATION JAM L 1990 NEW YORK BOTANICAL GARDEN Trail & Landscape Vol. 21, No. 5/233-280/November-December 1987 Trail (KrTandscape Editor & Production Coordinator Joyce Reddoch Associate Editors Bill Gummer Peter Hall Business Manager & Typing Coordinator Jim Montgomery Graphics Marc Guertin Production Staff Telephone Coordinator Dorothy Greene Proofreaders Don Davidson Christine Taylor Allan Reddoch Mailing Team Lisa Meyboom Coordinator Duncan Chaundy Jennifer Chaundy Don Davidson Gwen Jenkins Views expressed in Trail & Landscape are not necessarily those of The Ottawa Field-Naturalists’ Club The Ottawa Field- Naturalists’ Club — Founded 1879 — President W.K. (Bill) Gummer 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 in 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, a quarterly devoted to reporting research in all fields of natural history relevant to Canada; and TRAIL & LANDSCAPE, providing articles on the natural history of the Ottawa Valley and on Club activities five times a year. Field Trips, Lectures and other natural history activities are arranged for local members; see “Coming Events” in this issue. Membership Fees: Individual (yearly) $20. Sustaining (yearly) $50. Family (yearly) $22. Life (one payment) $500. Subscriptions to Trail & Landscape (libraries and institutions) $20. per volume. Single copies of recent issues $4.00 each. Membership application, correspondence: Information: THE OTTAWA FIELD-NATURALISTS’ CLUB (613) 722-3050 Box 3264, Postal Station C (after 10 a.m.) Ottawa, Ontario K1Y 4J5 Second Class Mail — Registration #2777 TRAIL?/ Vol 21 No 5 © Published by The Ottawa Field - Naturalists' Club Box 3264, Postal Station C Ottawa K1Y4J5 Editorial Address: Joyce M. Reddoch, Editor 548 Rivershore Crescent Gloucester, Ontario K1J 7Y7 from the Editor ... - - - - - - - - 234 The History of OFNC Awards and the Awards Committee - -- -- -- -- - 236 Daniel F. Brunton and W.K. (Bill) Gummer Sand-spurry in the Ottawa District ----- 244 Stephen J. Darbyshire Blooming Periods of Ottawa District Orchids - - 246 Allan H. Reddoch and Joyce M. Reddoch Absent Records of Fishes in the Ottawa District - 249 Brian W. Coad Hairy-tailed Mole III -------- 255 Mark Gawn Recent Bird Sightings -------- 256 Tony Beck Christmas Bird Count 1933 ------- 259 J.W. (Jack) Holliday Species List for Ottawa-Hull Christmas Bird Counts (1919 - 1986) ---------261 Bruce M. Di Labio A Visit from the Magi -------- 264 Ross Anderson The Ottawa Valley Fall Roundup 1987 - - - _ 266 Bruce M. Di Labio The Seventh Annual Seedathon Bird Count - - - 271 Bruce Di Labio and Gordon Pringle Index to Volume 21- - - - - _ _ _ _ 276 Coming Events - -- -- -- -- - 279 233 irommemitor... At the OFNC Soiree last May, the Club's 1986 Service Award was presented, most appropriately, to the four people whom I rely on to carry out essential production tasks: Dorothy Greene, Marc Guertin, Jim Montgomery and Lisa Meyboom. The important contributions that Harry Thomson made during Trail & Landscape's first 12 years were also recognized. The volunteers who proofread and prepare each issue for mailing are also very much appreciated. And I must not forget to mention the continuing contributions of my husband, Allan Reddoch, who keeps our computer and software in working order for Trail & Landscape' s use, serves as impromptu proofreader of last-minute items, draws the lines and boxes in the Coming Events section, and is my first sounding board for new ideas. I wish to express my gratitude to those people with spe- cialist knowledge who have reviewed manuscripts for Trail & Landscape. Some have answered questions over the telephone and others have taken the time to prepare careful and detailed reviews in a minimum of time, always mindful of the goals and standards of the journal. Recent reviewers include Paul Catling Yvonne Dalpe Bruce Di Labio Albert Dugal Mark Gawn Elizabeth Morton Theodore Mosquin Allan Reddoch Stan van Zyll de Jong David White. Special thanks to Marc Guertin's colleague, Dave Bromley, for drawing the two versions of the mouse used to illustrate the centrefold for the OFNC Soiree. The 20-year Index The index covering the first 20 years of Trail & Landscape has been sent to those members who asked for it. Additional copies are available from the Club at a cost of $8.00 plus $2.00 postage and handling. I'm sure everyone who uses the index in the years to come will appreciate the thought and time that Bill Gummer put into preparing it. 234 Trail & Landscape as a Quarterly Last year I reported that Trail & Landscape was in a strong position with regard to the number and quality of articles submitted and the calibre of people helping with production. This situation continues. But, there are problems. Editing and producing five issues averaging 50+ pages each takes me 400 to 500 hours of highly intensive work per year. That amounts to a one-quarter-time job! I and my associate editors feel that this is an excessive amount of effort for any one person to contri- bute on a volunteer basis. I have done this work because I am strongly committed to having a permanent record of Ottawa-area natural history discoveries that are also available for the interest and enjoyment of general readers. But, in the long run, this excessive demand on one person's time can place a publication such as Trail & Landscape in a precarious position. To ease the burden on me and to make the job of editing and producing Trail & Landscape attractive and feasible for a successor, we have examined possible alternatives and have con- cluded that reducing the number of issues from five to four per year while maintaining the same quality is a sensible first step. The second step, which we are working on, is to divide up the job I am doing so that several people share the load in as efficient a way as possible and within the limits of our budget. Along with the change to a quarterly, the deadline for each issue has been backed up one month, so that I have a more realistic time to work up the material, (and the printer has more time to try to keep to schedule). Thus, beginning this January, the first quarterly Trail & Landscape will appear. This particular issue will not contain a bird report due to the timing of the transition, and from then on, bird reports will cover the four birding seasons of the year - winter, spring migration, the breeding season and fall migration. We editors hope that readers understand that these changes are being made to maintain the high standards of the journal while allowing its production to remain within the realm of what is humanly possible. We hope for your continued support and encourage you to keep on submitting articles of interest. Joyce M. Reddoch 235 The History of OFNC Awards and the Awards Committee Daniel F. Brunt on and W.K. (Bill) Gummer Almost since its first days, The Ottawa Field-Naturalists' Club has acknowledged achievement in the field of natural his- tory and on behalf of the Club through a variety of awards. This rich heritage of significant contributions is unknown to most members; a review of Club records in the Public Archives was required, in fact, to put some of the pieces together. This article, then, is the first comprehensive documentation of the awards and award winners of the Club. Honorary Members The category of Corresponding Member was established with the founding of The Ottawa Field-Naturalists' Club in 1879, intended for out-of-town members who would be able to promote the interests of the Club. They were to be distinguished indi- viduals and were offered free membership as a token of apprecia- tion. This view of the role and status of the Corresponding Members was formalized when the Club incorporated and establish- ed a full constitution in 1884 (Transactions of the Ottawa Field-Naturalists' Club 5: 10 (1885)). At the special general meeting of the Club called on 28 March 1884 to ratify the pro- posed constitution, John Macoun and James Fletcher moved a motion to have Corresponding Members elected by the membership of the Club at large, rather than by the Council. Despite the prominence of these two in the Club, the motion was defeated. In any event, a number of eminent men and women in Canada and elsewhere were selected as Corresponding Members, as follows: 1. John Macoun (Naturalist) Belleville, Ontario - 11 August 1879 - nominated by James Fletcher; his Corresponding Member- ship was withdrawn when he moved to Ottawa in 1882 (effective 15 March 1883) . 2. Sir William Saunders (Entomologist) London, October 1879 - nominated by James Fletcher; Membership was also rescinded when he moved 1885) . 3. Albert J. Hill (Palaeontologist) Port Moodie, British Colum- bia - elected 30 October 1879; nominated by G. Heron. Ontario - 30 his Corresponding to Ottawa ( in 236 4. Henry Edwards (Entomologist) New York, New York - elected 20 December 1882; nominated by W.H. Harrington and R.B. Whyte. 5. Rev. Duncan Anderson (Ornithologist) Levis, Quebec - elected 31 March 1883; nominated by W.P. Anderson and W.L. Scott. 6. John B. Smith (Entomologist) Brunswick, New Jersey - elected 15 April 1884; nominated by W.H. Harrington and J. Macoun. 7. C. Hart Merriam (Ornithologist and mammologist) Locust Grove, New York - elected 11 November 1884; nominated by W.L. Scott and W.H. Harrington. 8. Abbe Provancher (Naturalist) Quebec, Quebec - elected 13 April 1885; nominated by W.L. Scott and J. Macoun. About this time, records of Corresponding Member selections became less detailed in the OFNC Minute Books. 9. Rev. George W. Taylor (Marine Biologist) Nanaimo, British Columbia - elected 1886. 10. E. Alice Amerod (Entomologist) St. Albans, England - elected 14 March 1887; nominated by James Fletcher and W.H. Harring- ton . 11. Theodor Holm (Botanist) Washington, D.C. - 19 March 1900. 12. H.J. Wickham (Entomologist) Iowa City, Iowa - 19 March 1900. 13. Rev. C.J.S. Bethune (Entomologist and Educator) Guelph, Ontario - 18 March 1902. 14. Edward L. Greene (Botanist) Washington, D.C. - 18 March 1902. 15. James F. White (Educator) Ottawa, Ontario - declared an "Honorary Member" by the Council on 24 March 1903 in thanks for the use of rooms at the Teachers' College - although no such membership category existed at that time. The Club constitution was revised in 1912 (Ottawa Natural- ist 26(7): 82 (1912)) and included the following two categories of honorary membership: CORRESPONDING MEMBER: "... any eminent naturalist not resi- dent in the Ottawa District who is desirous of promoting the objectives of the Club...", and HONORARY MEMBER: "...any prominent member of the Ottawa District, who shall to a marked degree assist towards the suc- cessful working of the Club...". 237 A limit of five Honorary Members at any one time was set; no limit was put on Corresponding Member numbers. No appointments were made, however, between 1903 and 1932, despite these pro- visions made in the 1912 constitution. When the membership provisions of the constitution were amended in 1932 to allow for Life Memberships (Canadian Field-Naturalist 46(8) 1932 and 47(1) 1933), these honorary member categories were reconfirmed. Two individuals were subsequently appointed as the first official Honorary Members: 16. Arthur Gibson (Entomologist) - 1933. 17. C. Hart Merriam - see number 7 above; the Council of the day apparently did not realize that Merriam had been appointed a Corresponding Member in 1884 and re-designated him an Honor- ary Member, despite the fact that he was not a resident of Ottawa (or even Canada, for that matter). Subsequent selections proceeded within the regulations established by the 1932 constitution. 18. H. Beaumont Small (Club pioneer) Honorary Member (1936). 19. Percy A. Taverner (Ornithologist) Honorary Member (1944). 20. E.A. Preble (Ornithologist and Mammologist) Corresponding Member - Washington, D.C. (1945). All of the previously-named individuals are deceased; those listed below who are no longer living are marked with an aster- isk (*). 21. Hugh M. Raup (Botanist) Corresponding Member - Cambridge, Mass . ( 1945) . All subsequent appointments were to Honorary Membership whether the individual was from Ottawa or not, apparently also ignoring the limit of five Honorary Members at one time, and despite the fact that Corresponding Membership remained techni- cally effective until 1968 (Canadian Field-Naturalist 82(3): 236 (1968)). At that time, Corresponding Memberships were absorbed within the Honorary Membership category; only Hugh Raup was affected. Honorary Members no longer had to be Ottawa Field- Naturalists' Club members to be eligible for nomination. 22. Harrison F. Lewis* (Ornithologist) Ottawa, Ontario - 1952. 23. Alice E. Wilson* (Geologist) Ottawa, Ontario - 1953. 24. Herbert Groh* (Botanist) Ottawa, Ontario - 1955. 25. George H. Turner* (Botanist) Fort Saskatchewan, Alberta - 1959. 238 26. Stuart Criddle* (Naturalist) Aweme , Manitoba - 1963. 27. Hoyes Lloyd* (Ornithologist) Ottawa, Ontario - 1965 28. Wilmot Lloyd* (Club worker) Ottawa, Ontario - 1970. In 1971 the Club's Membership Committee reassessed the Honorary Membership situation, noting that only five Honorary Members remained. Six more were proposed that year, starting a trend of more or less annual appointments of one or more Honor- ary Memberships. By the early 1980s, over 20 Honorary Member- ships were current; the Council informally agreed to limit the number to 25 persons at one time. 29. Father F.E. Banim* (Club worker) Ottawa, Ontario - 1971. 30. A.F. Coventry* (Mammologist and Educator) Toronto, Ontario - 1971. 31. Rowley Frith* (Naturalist and Club worker) Ottawa, Ontario - 1971. 32. A.E. Porsild* (Botanist) Ottawa, Ontario - 1971. 33. M.Y. Williams* (Geologist) Ottawa, Ontario - 1971. 34. C.M. Sternberg* (Palaeontologist) Ottawa, Ontario - 1971. 35. W.A. Squires* (Ornithologist) Fredericton, New Brunswick 1972. 36. J.D. Soper* (Zoologist) Edmonton, Alberta - 1972. 37. Loris S. Russell (Palaeontologist) Toronto, Ontario - 1972. 38. Robie W. Tufts* (Ornithologist) Wolfville, Nova Scotia - 1972 . 39. William G. Dore (Botanist) Ottawa, Ontario - 1972. 40. W. Earl Godfrey (Ornithologist) Nepean, Ontario - 1976. 41. W.K.W. Baldwin* (Botanist and Club worker) Ottawa, Ontario - 1978. 42. Pauline Snure (Club worker) Ottawa, Ontario - 1979. 43. George H. McGee (Club worker) Ottawa, Ontario - 1979. 44. William J. Cody (Botanist and Club worker) Ottawa, Ontario - 1979. 45. Mary E. Stuart (Club worker) Ottawa, Ontario - 1979. 239 46. C.H.D. Clarke* (Zoologist) Maple, Ontario - 1979. 47. R. Yorke Edwards (Interpretative Naturalist) Victoria, Brit- ish Columbia - 1980. 48. Clarence Frankton (Botanist) Ottawa, Ontario - 1980. 49. Douglas B.O. Savile (Mycologist and Naturalist) Ottawa, Ontario - 1980. 50. Sheila C. Thomson (Club worker) Ottawa, Ontario - 1981. 51. Louise de Kiriline Lawrence (Naturalist and writer) Ruther- glen, Ontario - 1981. 52. Thomas H. Manning (Zoologist) Merrickville , Ontario - 1982. 53. Hue N. MacKenzie (Club worker) Nepean, Ontario - 1983. 54. Bernard Boivin* (Botanist) Quebec, Quebec - 1984. 55. Irwin M. Brodo (Botanist and Club worker) Ottawa, Ontario - 1984 . 56. Verna (Ross) McGiffin (Club worker) Pakenham, Ontario - 1984 . 57. Stewart D. MacDonald (Ornithologist) Ottawa, Ontario - 1984. 58. C. Stuart Houston (Ornithologist and Historian) Saskatoon, Saskatchewan - 1985. 59. Eugene G. Munroe (Entomologist) Ottawa, Ontario - 1985. 60. Claude E. Garton (Botanist) Thunder Bay, Ontario - 1986. 61. Edward L. Bousfield (Invertebrate Zoologist) Ottawa, Ontario - 1986. 62. Robert W. Nero (Naturalist and writer) Winnipeg, Manitoba - 1987 . 63. Donald E. McAllister (Ichthyologist) Ottawa, Ontario - 1987. Honorary Members include individuals from every province except Prince Edward Island and Newfoundland, as well as else- where in North America and Europe. There are currently 24 Honorary Memberships in the Club. As a measure of the high regard in which these members are held, current Honorary Members have been listed on the inside front cover of each issue of The Canadian Field-Naturalist since 1980. 240 Designated Awards Early in 1980, the Executive Committee of the Council recommended the establishment of an Awards Committee and pro- posed a series of awards to be considered. The Council approved the slate of current awards in 1981, and these have been admin- istered by the Awards Committee under successive chairmen Don Lafontaine, Stephen Darbyshire, Bill Gummer and Dan Brunton (current). Awards were first presented at the 1982 OFNC Soiree (Trail & Landscape 16(4) (1982)). The committee has never found it consistently easy to make final selections, thanks to the high calibre and number of the Club's participating members. More than once the feeling has arisen that additional awards would be nice, but there has also been a desire to keep them few in number and thus more significant. The Anne Hanes Natural History Award has been considered a particular honour; in two years, in fact, it was not presented because no suitable candi- date was identified. Two new commendations have been introduced since 1982. The first of these, Tributes to Members, is designed to present accounts of the contributions of long standing members who have died and for whom the Club wishes to make a public record of its appreciation. Only one of these had appeared (for Vi Humphreys - Trail & Landscape 18(4) (1984)). The second new item is the President's Prize that reflects the President's own recognition of a member for unusual support of the Club and its aims - perhaps not precisely covered by other awards. The first of these prizes was given by Frank Pope at the 1986 Soiree to Christine Hanrahan for work on the Ontario Breeding Bird Atlas. The second was given by Bill Gummer to Barbara Martin for her role in establishing the Club's new computer. Although new to all of us now, there was actually a President's Prize given in the early days of the Club, as were Council Prizes. They were given irregularly through the 1880s to members who produced excellent natural history specimen collections. The record of Club awards from 1982 to date is given in Table 1. Honorary Members are included (although already iden- tified above) in order to bring together all the results of Awards Committee actions. Club members have continually been encouraged to submit nominations for the designated OFNC awards and Honorary Member- ships. We remind members that they can and should submit nomin- ations, supported by reasons for their choice(s), whenever they like. Announced deadlines will have to be observed, however, if a nomination is to be considered for a particular awards year. OFNC AWARDS AND HONORARY MEMBERSHIPS 1981 - 1986* C/3 c e E c 00 G o CL • rH 1 o o o c ' 1 c 4— > o 00 c/3 • iH r“: c x u • rH CL -o CQ O Q cd OS < CD U CD cd •“3 OS o a» o 3-i •u» o ■U o c/3 3-4 i— i c r— 1 C3 C > — i D >, O D CL 3-. 03 X 2 CQ CQ H CO CD On Q OS CL U C C/3 f— 1 c • rH C/3 O 03 •rH C/3 x X3 Q • rH > X 00 D X CL • rH O u o 03 3-4 00 OJ £ o 03 u CL 03 D OS CO Q CD CQ > 01 N C C 3-4 ■1—1 o CL O X C/3 i— H 00 CJ •rH CJ 03 03 c • rH 2 H os Q X OS CQ X CL C * rH oo X G 3-4 03 c u O 3-4 4—4 • rH o c/3 i—4 CL C c X3 -IS 03 X O r-4 c XJ CJ 00 ^4H H 03 CL • rH 3 03 03 03 2 OS Q Q XXX H X) CD < R. D. p. c wm • 4-1 WJ CL 4-4 CO S* O 3-i 03 e a; Q 1- 1- 03 (L > 03 ►* w os (A ai 3-4 CL U 3-i X 03 M 3-4 < U XI CL Cx •H (L P o -o 03 3 o s X > CO CL 3 4-1 >- X X < a ai a CL 3-1 C C 4-4 ui ra •H E o x CL X 03 o c 03 •H J 3-4 0/ m 2 ■u CO a < Z an < H 2 24 2 The year for which the award was given. Finally, the Awards Committee watches awards offered by other organizations, including government agencies, and has made some successful nominations of OFNC members. Examples of these "outside" awards include Pollution Probe's Environmental Aware- ness Award, the Federation of Ontario Naturalists' conservation awards, the Governor-General's conservation award and Parks Canada's Heritage Award. If awards are presented by an organization to thank indi- viduals for exceptional achievement and to promote contributions by others, then the Club awards work well. There is obvious pleasure in the hall when recipients' names and citations are read aloud by the President at the annual Soiree. If the reci- pient is present (and each is asked to attend as a guest of the Club), the enjoyment is that much greater. Whether we're hon- ouring an internationally acknowledged scientist for profession- al contributions or a club member for achievement on behalf of the Club, the awards point out - with pride - the wealth of talent and dedication that exists within The Ottawa Field- Naturalists' Club. n Call for Nominations for OFNC Awards Nominations are requested from Club members for the following awards: Honorary Membership Member of the Year Award Service Award Conservation Award Anne Hanes Natural History Award. Descriptions of these awards are given in Trail & Landscape 17(4): 20 1 (1983). With the exception of Honorary Members, all nominees must be members in good standing. Nominations and supporting rationale should be submitted no later than December 15, 1987, to Daniel F. Brunton Chairman, Awards Committee 2704 Marie Street Ottawa, Ontario K2B 7E4 . 243 Sand-spurry in the Ottawa District Stephen J. Darbyshire Sand-spurrey ( Spergularia spp.) is a small genus of plants in the Pink family (Caryophyllaceae). All species are halo- phytes living in areas of high salinity, either in alkaline areas of interior plains or in coastal areas. There are no species native to southern Ontario, but in this century three species have been introduced and have become established in saline areas. With the extended use of salt on our highways, many halophytic plants have found favourable habitats in the highway ditches and snow dumps where salt accumulates (Catling and McKay 1980, Brunton and Catling 1981, Zgierska 1986). Three species are known to occur in Ontario, and they have had an historical pattern of distribution in Ontario similar to that described for them by Voss (1985) in Michigan. Also, collections from the Martimes and Quebec predate those from Ontario. Specimen records suggest a much earlier invasion in Michigan than in Ontario. In recent years, there has been a terrific spread of Sand-spurry populations in northeastern North America. In southern Ontario, Sand-spurry can be found along most major highways, having adapted well to the high levels of salt in moist to dry roadside ditches. In the Ottawa District, there are two species of Sand- spurry occurring along the ditches of the Queensway (Highway 4 17): Spergularia marina (L.) Griseb. and S. media (L.) C. Presl. The presence of 5. marina in the Ottawa District has been reported previously by Catling and McKay (1980), but 5. media has not been detected in the District before (Gillett and White 1978). Although there is only one collection of S. media and two of S. marina in the District (citations below), it would seem likely that both species will be found at other sites along Highways 417 and 17. The problem is to find botanists crazy enough to risk their lives in the highway medians and willing to suffer the wrath of police officers for walking on a restricted roadway. A specimen of S. marina from the Albion Road snow dump (Zgierska 1986), collected in 1984, suggests that the species is being carried from the roadsides to snow dumps. 244 Key to the Spergularia in the Ottawa District* 1. Sepals at least 4 mm long (usually 5); seed with a wing ca. 0.3 mm broad**; stamens 6-10 5. media 1. Sepals mostly not over 4 mm long (usually 2-3.5); seed usually wingless; stamens 1-3 (rarely more) S. marina * adapted from Voss (1985 ) ** see Catling and McKay (1980). Specimens of Spergularia from the Ottawa District S. marina: several points along median of Queensway between Pinecrest Rd. and Woodroffe Ave., 45° 23ft, 75° 46'W, P.M. Catling and S.M. McKay (8), collected in vegetative condition 24. V. 1976, cultivated in greenhouse until 8. VII. 1976 (DAO, TRT); snow dump west of Albion Road, I. Zgierska, 2. VIII. 1984, (DAO). 5. media: Highway No. 417 at Cyrville Road, 45° 25'N, 75° 37'W, S.J. Darbyshire (2105), 3. IX. 1983 (CAN, DAO). Literature Cited Brunton, D.F. and P.M. Catling. 1982. The Slender Sedge / new to the Ottawa District. Trail & Landscape 16(3): 152-157. Catling, P.M. and S.M. McKay. 1980. Halophytic plants in southern Ontario. Canadian Field-Naturalist 94(3): 248-258. Gillett, J.M. and D.J. White. 1978. Checklist of vascular plants of the Ottawa-Hull region, Canada. National Museum of Natural Sciences, Ottawa. 155 pp. Voss, E.E. 1985. Michigan flora. Part II. Cranbrook Insti- tute of Science. Zgierska, I. 1986. The vascular plants in snow dump habitats in Ottawa, Ontario. Canadian Field-Naturalist 100(4): 502- 505. n 245 Blooming Periods of Ottawa District Orchids Allan H. Reddoch and Joyce M. Reddoch Orchids can be found in flower in the Ottawa District from the time the trilliums turn pink in the spring until the maples turn red in the fall. The season starts in late May with the Showy Orchid, some lady's-sl ippers and two coralroots. June and July are the best months for orchids. By the end of August, only two species of ladies'-tresses remain to close the season. For those who want for find, admire, photograph or study the local orchids, the following table shows the best time to find each one. It is based on herbarium records and our own field observations in the District over some 20 years, and should be more accurate than most books, which are concerned with a wider and usually more southern range. To specify the optimum times, we give a blooming period in which about two-thirds of the plants are likely to be in flower (one standard deviation for the statistically-minded). Flowers can be found outside this period, sometimes by a considerable time, but these are more random events which are not very sig- nificant. Compare, for example, the blooming dates of Arethusa (the first week of June to the first week of July; Trail & Landscape 21(4): 196 (1987)) with the blooming period listed here (the second and third weeks of June). In the list, the order follows that used by Whiting and Catling (Orchids of Ontario, 1987) so that readers can compare blooming periods in the District with the rest of Ontario. The Roman numerals I to IV are used to indicate the four weeks of the month. All 42 species known to have occurred in the District are listed. However, five (marked by asterisks): Calypso, Putty- root, Small Round-leafed Orchid and two of the twayblades, are not known here at present. Some of these species are probably extinct locally, but others may simply be hidden in some unex- plored spot or may even reappear in the future. * Part V in a series on Ottawa District orchids. 246 BLOOMING PERIODS OF OTTAWA DISTRICT ORCHIDS Common Name Scientific Name Blooming ; Period Lady 's-slipper Cypr ipedium Pink acaule Jun I - Jun II Ram ' s-head arietinum May IV - Jun I Yellow calceolus Jun I - Jun III Showy reginae Jun III - Jul I Small Round- Amerorchis Jun III - Jul I leafed Orchid* rotundifolia Showy Orchid Galearis May IV - Jun I spectabilis (Rein) Orchid Platanthera White Fringed- blephariglottis Jul III - Jul IV Club-spur clavel lata Jul II - Aug I Tall White d ilatata Jun III - Jul IV Tuberc led f 1 ava Jul II - Jul IV Large Purple Fringed- grand if lora Jun III - Jul II Hooker ' s hooker i Jun I - Jul I Tall Northern Green hyperborea Jun IV - Jul III Ragged Fringed- lacera Jul I - Jul III Prairie Fringed- leucophaea Jul I - Jul III Blunt-leaf obtusata Jun IV - Jul II Large Round-leaved orbiculata Jul II - Jul III Small Purple Fringed- psycodes Jul II - Aug I Long-bracted Coeloglossum May IV - Jun IV Orchid viride Rose Pogonia Pogonia Jun IV - Jul II ophioglossoides Arethusa Arethusa bulbosa Jun I - Jun III Helleborine Epipactis Jul III - Aug II helleborine Ladies '-tresses Spiranthes Case ' s casei Aug IV - Sept II Nodding cernua Sept I - Sept III Slender lacera Jul III - Aug II Shining luc ida Jun IV - Jul III Hooded romanzof f iana Jul III - Aug III Twayblade Lis tera Auricled* aur iculata Jun IV - Jul I Southern* australis Jun II - Jun III Heart-leaved cordata Jun II - Jun IV 247 Common Name Scientific Name Blooming Period Rattlesnake-plantain Goodyera Downy pubescens Aug II - Aug IV Dwarf repens Jul III - Aug II Tesselated tesselata Jul III - Aug II Grass-pink Calopogon tuberosus Jun IV - Jul III Coralroot Coral lorhiza Spotted maculata Jul I - Jul IV Striped striata May IV - Jun I Early trif ida May III - May IV Adder ' s-mouth Malaxis White monophyl los Jun IV - Jul II Green uni fol ia Jul I - Jul IV Twayblade Lipar is Loesel ' s loesel ii Jun III - Jul II Calypso* Calypso bulbosa May III - May IV Putty-root* Aplectrum hyemale Jun I - Jun II * not known at present in the Ottawa District. Figure 1. Calypso is the first orchid to bloom in the spring in the Ottawa District. Unfortunately, it has not been recorded here since the 1950s. Photograph by Allan Reddoch . 248 Absent Records of Fishes in the Ottawa District Brian W. Coad Ichthyology Section National Museum of Natural Sciences Ottawa, Ontario K1A 0M8 The inimitable Fred W. Schueler, Research Associate with the National Museum of Natural Sciences, has pointed out that obsession with spots should be matched with an obsession for their absence (Ontario Herpetofaunal Summary 1985, in press). Spots on maps are used to show where a species has been found and are often backed up by museum specimens. Unsuccessful efforts by competent collectors, however, often languish in field notes, yet they can be as important and informative as successful captures. an Absence records are more difficult to assess than a demon- strable specimen confirming a dot on a map, but even dots based on specimens are only as good as their data (see Coad (1985) for a comedy of data errors). There are several reasons for record- ing absences. If a species once found can now be demonstrated to be absent, we may have good reason to be concerned over our environment. Absences with good ecological data appended will tell us about the preferred habitat of the absent organism. Old or uncertain records can be placed on a firmer footing if a thorough search comes up negative. Absence can also tell us something about how post-glacial history of the environment has limited or facilitated dispersal. Absence may indicate that a field survey should be done to form a baseline for present and future work of concern to scientists and environmentalists. We are still not sure whether the Atlantic Salmon ever reached Ottawa; it used to reach Lake Ontario but has long been absent through pollution. Absence records require a measure of faith in the recorder. Records backed by specimens can always be checked. Did the recorder really expend an acceptable amount of effort in the right place at the right time under the right conditions? What is an acceptable effort anyway? Some people just seem to have more luck at finding unusual or rare specimens. Nevertheless, absence records can be accepted where a variety of people over a period of years in a restricted area have consistently turned up nothing. As an example, we can consider fishes in the Ottawa District. Fishes are relatively large, easily caught and easily identified organisms which have been surveyed by several organi- zations in this area over the past 20 years, with historical 249 m co — eg O oo I 3 CO o Q U cn >■» to X x: c aj o oo -h C AJ 0) CCJ r-J ^ A-J I— I w CT3 3 250 ATLANTIC SALMON Salmo salar surveys going back to 1939, 1906, 1883 and 1865. (McAllister and Coad (1974) and Coad (1987) summarize these efforts.) McAllister et al. (1987) give details of post-Pleistocene fishes found as fossils in Champlain Sea deposits. Freshwater fishes found included the Longnose Sucker, the Spoonhead Sculpin and the Deepwater Sculpin, none of which is found within the Dis- trict today. Table 1 gives a list of fishes not found in the Ottawa District (a 50-km radius circle from the Peace Tower), their distribution around the region in increasing circles, and tenta- tive reasons for their absence. Sources for distributions from beyond our District are principally Scott and Crossman (1973), Lee et al. (1980), and a search of the Ichthyology Section's IKUR data base. The main reasons include local extinction, where fish for- merly known to occur in the region have not been collected for many years. Pollution is both a cause (along with overfishing, which is pollution with humans from the fishes' point of view) and a limiting factor. As a cause, it has depleted our fish fauna and as a limiting factor is doubtless preventing some species from outside the region from entering our waters. Habi- tat requirements were gleaned from Scott and Crossman (1973). The Northern Brook Lamprey, for example, avoids large rivers and lakes, perhaps the two main routes of entry into the region via the Ottawa River and the Rideau River and canal system, which are a mixture of large river and lake-like habitats. There is always some element of speculation in assigning unsuitable habitat as a reason. Many fishes reach their nor- thern limit of distribution at varying distances to the south of our District. Habitats in our District may be suitable for such fishes, but temperature limits, for example, their reproductive success and they cannot establish themselves here. The biology of most fishes is poorly known, and some at least are found all around the region in waters which, superficially at least, are similar. The Lake Chub is a prime example of this. It should occur here but doesn't; perhaps we are inept collectors of this species. Inadequate collecting is another reason for absence. Obstructing dams will limit entry into the region of those fish which run up river to spawn. Dams also form major barriers to fishes which are still dispersing in a roughly northward direc- tion since the last glaciation. The ice sheet retreated north of our region only 12,000 years ago, and some species of fish are, perhaps, slow dispersers and just haven't reached us. Certainly, the Alewife (.Alosa pseudoharengus ) seems to be a recent arrival in our region (Coad 1983). These are the tentative reasons for fish absences in a 50- km circle of the Peace Tower. This data naturally begs the question of what would be missing if we circled another area in Canada, say in well-known southern Ontario. I think we would 251 Northern Brook Lamprey Ichthyomyzon o jz o U CM + + + + + — o* a i + + + i q o U o 3 — I I I + + + I + I I + + I I I I c- «-• I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I + I | | 3 2 3 3 3 3 UUUUUUUUUUU CO CO CO CO CO CO CO CO 2 Z Z 2 3 3 3 ^ 3 3 3 3 3 33333 U u U U U U U U U U u u U U U U3CxJUJUJU3 COCOCOCOCOCOCOCOCOCOCOCOCO CO CO CO CO CO CO CO CO 2 2 Z 22 Z 2 Z 2 O »H N CD 10 § c <0 c: Q3>«) Q, ^^iio«ioE-«i33EE -H'003QjQ;C>3333'T3qqOO10l0 OfDTjqOOOC^ -i -u -u a to to •C 3 tj 5 .q tj « « 5 S u O io •h ^ o q o o o 10 to tQ CQ q q q o ■ o p p q _C CD to x: q a» tu o o> u u ^ c c a» 03 u c -h C Q 3 •h £3 £ 'H CO E 3 CO £ HI ■ co to a» a> V) QJ c o to cd — 3 a> *-> o CO < CQ •I o )--Ha^a>- GO -h cd C .X:cDCDCO<-'qcDai(UCD,3-^3U.^O l O »-J «— J 3QC< — cn m cr a (D a i IIIIIIIIIIII++II+I I i l I I I I I i I l l i I i i I + + i I i I i i I l I i l I l I i I i l l I I i I I l l I i i I I i + i I l I i + + i + I + + I I I l I I I l I ++ l I l l l I I i i I I I I i i — fMn^iosONcooNO-tNn^ 253 reason for absence; - = not a reason for absence; ? = reasoning disputable find that we really know surprisingly little about the fine distribution of many groups of organisms, let alone the reasons for the distributions. The local naturalist can play an impor- tant role in observing and monitoring distributions and changes in distributions. Absences must form a part of such studies. Ac know 1 edgemen ts I thank Dr. Fred W. Schueler, Research Associate, Herpeto- logy Section, National Museum of Natural Sciences, Ottawa, for the idea of absences and his comments on this manuscript. Dr. Don E. McAllister, Research Curator, and Claude B. Renaud, Assistant Curator, Ichthyology Section, are thanked for their comments on the manuscript. References Ci ted Coad, B.W. 1983. The Alewife, Alosa pseudoharengus (Wilson) a fish new to the National Capital Region (Osteichthyes : Clupeidae). Trail & Landscape 17(5): 256-258. Coad, B.W. 76-77. Coad, B.W. trict . 1985. Out damned spot! Trail & Landscape 19(2): 1987. Checklist of the fishes of the Ottawa Dis- Trail & Landscape 21(1): 40-60. Lee, D.S., C.R. Gilbert, C.H. Hocutt, R.E. Jenkins, D.E. McAllister and J.R. Stauffer. 1980. Atlas of North Ameri- can freshwater fishes. North Carolina State Museum of Natural History, Raleigh. x + 854 pp. McAllister, D.E. and B.W. Coad. 1974. Fishes of Canada's National Capital Region/Poissons de la region de la capitale du Canada. Fisheries Research Board of Canada Special Publi- cation 24: 1-200. McAllister, D.E., C.R. Harington, S.L. Cumbaa and C.B. Renaud. 1987. Paleoenvironmental and biogeographic analyses of fossil fishes in per i-Champlain Sea deposits in Eastern Cana- da. Special papers of the Geological Association of Canada. 37 pp. , 1 tab., 11 figs, (in press). Scott, W.B. and E.J. Crossman. 1973. Freshwater fishes of Canada. Bulletin of the Fisheries Research Board of Canada 184: xi + 966 pp. n 254 Hairy-tailed Mole III Mark Gawn To find a dead mole is almost commonplace. However, to see a live one is a rare event. To see one in broad daylight, on a hot summer's afternoon, is even more unusual. Thus, when Tony Beck spotted one running across the trail at 1 p.m. on June 14th, 1987, I sprinted after it. Closer examination revealed another surprise; instead of the "expected" Star-nosed Mole ( Condylura cristata), we found ourselves clutching a Hairy- tailed Mole ( Parascalops brewer i). Fully aware of the paucity of records of this species in the Ottawa District, we decided to obtain a documentary photo- graph. The mole, however, had other ideas and did its best to squirm away. (incidentally, moles are very strong!) Not being overly keen to have it dine on my hand, or any other part of my anatomy for that matter, I tried to pin it between my feet while Tony took some pictures. The mole, meanwhile, vented its fury by sinking its teeth into my sneakers. The sneakers held out. (I wonder if Nike will pay me to do a testimonial?) Photograph obtained (Figure 1), we released the mole and watched it tunnel away through the leaf litter. Figure 1. The Hairy- tailed Mole on Mark's sneaker. Photograph by Tony Beck. This sighting was made along a sandy track in a deciduous woodland near Otter Lake, Pontiac County, Quebec. While outside the Ottawa District, it follows two other recent reports from near Thurso and Wakefield (Trail & Landscape 21(1): 15-17 and 21(2): 87 (1987)). As noted in the first reference, this species is represented by only a handful of records in the District. These recent records indicate that it may be wide- spread and should be looked for. n 255 decent 3ird Sightings Tony Beck June - July 1987 Period Ah ... those lazy days of summer. Vacation time, beaches, parties and refreshments, but, best of all, a good time to go birding. While we take vacations, most of our feathered friends are getting down to the job of raising their families. No partytime out there in nature. Males are busy singing out their territor- ies. On occasion they confront each other, collide in mid-air, and tumble to the ground in feathered fisticuffs. Others can be seen carrying various natural materials to be used for nest construction. Any bird seen carrying food and not eating it on the spot is a sure sign that the food is for some tiny beaks awaiting the return of the family breadwinner. And, of course, there are those romantic interludes when pairs participate in amorous play. This is the stuff of summer birding and the stuff to be looked for while gathering evidence for the Breeding Bird Atlas . The purpose of "atlassing" is ultimately to produce maps for each species of bird and its breeding status and distribu- tion around the globe. Locally, breeding evidence can be gath- ered as early as February", but summer, extending as late as mid- September, is the most active period. There is still one year left to go on the five-year Quebec atlas project. The Ontario atlas was completed two years ago and turned up some interesting things such as Ruddy Ducks breed- ing at the Alfred sewage lagoon. In 1986, they bred at the Casselman lagoons. This year, the birds were present at Cassel- man, but no evidence of breeding was found. Maybe next year. This year, the Quebec atlas project, through "square-bash- ing" sessions as well as regular surveying, turned up a few noteworthy records like the confirmed breeding of Ring-necked Duck at Thurso along with an increase in the Canada Goose popu- lation. Also at Thurso, a colony of Willow Flycatchers was found. A Turkey Vulture nest with two downy young was discover- ed just outside the 50-km radius of the Ottawa District near Calumet Island. This constitutes the first breeding record for the province. 256 Yellow-throated Vireos and Golden- w inged Warblers were popping up sporadically, and both Red and White-winged Cross- bills were recorded. Later in the season, Black-billed Cuckoos were both heard and seen throughout the Outaouais. Late June and early July turned up a number of Tennessee Warblers. Are these just early migrants or are they breeding in the Ottawa area? This is the type of question the atlas project hopes to answer . Another project worth mentioning is the Peregrine Falcon program. A total of 15 juveniles were released at two different locations. The Ottawa Field-Naturalists' Club was called on to assist the Canadian Wildlife Service in helping keep an eye on the birds during their first critical days of freedom. It is sad to report that as of August 27th, there have been four casualties, but the good news is that the rest seem to be faring very well. The birds have been given brightly-coloured bands which are identified by a number/letter combination. If you should be so lucky as to see any one of these birds in the wild, try to document as much information as possible including location, weather, colour or number of band, and circumstances surrounding the sighting. Call an member of the Club's Birds Committee, or the Canadian Wildlife Service at (613) 952-2412 with your sight- ing information. One of the more interesting phenomena of summer birding is the imperceptible convergence of spring and fall shorebird mi- grations. This year, there was a short two-week hiatus of migrant shorebirds. The first week of June produced a White- rumped Sandpiper and a Red Knot, along with 20 Semipalmated Sandpipers. On June 8th, a summer squall brought down 133 Semipalmated Sandpipers, 23 Ruddy Turnstones, one Black-bellied Plover, one Dunlin and two Semipalmated Plovers. No migrant shorebirds were reported until June 23rd, when a a flock of six Lesser Yellowlegs was seen at the Casselman sewage lagoons. Was this an early fall migrant or a late spring migrant? A large number of shorebirds moved in on June 26th including six Short-billed Dowitchers, six Lesser Yellowlegs, and individuals of Greater Yellowlegs, Semipalmated Sandpiper, Least Sandpiper, all at Shirleys Bay, and a Solitary Sandpiper at Ottawa Beach. This would indicate an early fall migration. On June 29th, an unusually early sighting of Stilt Sandpip- er was made at Shirleys Bay. Many more Yellowlegs with Least and Semipalmated Sandpipers were first noted on July 1st. A Pectoral Sandpiper and Wilson's Phalarope also showed up for Canada Day festivities. The best shorebird this summer was a brief visit by a Reeve at Ottawa Beach on July 24th. At least 30 Double-crested Cormorants spent the summer 257 along the Ottawa River. Although there was no evidence of breeding, it may be just a matter of time before colonies polka dot the river. Many other interesting birds were seen, such as a Great Egret which flew by the southern limit of the Ottawa District . On July 1st, a Redhead was seen at Shirleys Bay and a Lesser Scaup at Ottawa Beach. My personal favourite bird of the summer (probably because I managed to get a good look at it) was a Parasitic Jaeger that spent the day at Britannia Point on June 1 8 1 h . A Little Gull paid a visit to Deschenes Rapids on June 14th, while Caspian Terns favoured the rapids and Parc Brebeuf between June 26th and 29th, where they sat on the rocky expanses exposed by low water levels. On July 1st, two adult Bonaparte's Gulls with an immature were flying around Shirleys Bay. Yellow-billed Cuckoos were found at Richmond Fen on June 1 1th. Certainly one of the most peculiar visitors this summer was a Snowy Owl. This bird spent most of the summer in our area and was last reported in mid-July. This was also a good summer for Short-eared Owls. There were many reports of successful breed- ing throughout the Ottawa area. Between June 10th and 14th, a male Orchard Oriole was singing around Innis Point. During this time, the bird was captured and banded by the Ottawa Banding Group. The big news for the summer came from the great excitement generated by members of the sparrow family. A Lark Sparrow was seen on July 16th on the 5th Line east of Berry Side Road. This is only the second record for Ottawa, but even more amazing is that the first record was seen on June 13, 1984, less than a kilometre away from this year's sighting. Could this be a local breeder? Breeding sparrows had a great summer with Clay-coloured Sparrows in high numbers throughout the Ontario side of the Ottawa River. Grasshopper Sparrows are being found on a high number of atlas squares on the Quebec side. This species is proving to be a lot more common than originally indicated. Sharp-tailed Sparrows were heard and then seen at Richmond Fen on June 11th. They were not found afterwards, so it is believed they were just passing through. On June 7th, in a typical field near Hallville (southeastern portion of the Ottawa District), a Le Conte's Sparrow was found which was later confirmed as a breeder when juvenile birds appeared to many viewers. This is the first breeding record for the species in the District. 258 Acknowledgements : Many thanks go to Bruce Di Labio, Mark Gawn, Larry Neily and Daniel St. Hilaire for their sightings, notes and general information. A special thank you to all partici- pants involved in the Quebec Breeding Bird Atlas and the Pere- grine Falcon release program, n Christmas Bird Count 1933 J.W. (Jack) Holliday The winter of 1933 - 34 was one of the coldest, if not the coldest, winter on record in Ottawa, with day after day of "below zero" (Fahrenheit, that is) temperatures. Doubly cold, because '33 and '34 were in the depths of the Depression. Houses were heated by stoves or by large furnaces in the basement, fuelled by wood or coal. At bedtime, the fire was allowed to die out or was "banked", and the air supply was cut off so it was barely glowing by breakfast time (7 a.m. in our house). The first up, commonly Father, would climb out from under the layer of six or seven blankets, quickly dress in the 45°F (7°C) inside temperature, then go down to the basement to open the drafts and shake the fire into vigorous burning so that the house would be warm for breakfast, at least in the kitchen. And frugal breakfasts they were in many homes. This was the Age of the Horse in North America. The milkman came early, 6 a.m., to leave his quart or two of fresh milk on the doorstep; the breadman came later, 10 a.m., to deliver fresh bread to the door. Their wagons in summer and their sleighs in winter were pulled by a single horse. Teams of two horses pulled the heavy lumber and coal wagons. Trucks and cars were few, but horses were everywhere. After a snowfall, horse-drawn plows cleared the sidewalks. Ear- ly risers, the plow-men. Streets were clear before we left for school at 8:30 a.m. Here and there throughout the city were stables to house the thousands of horses. Large stables for the dairies and bakeries with their hundreds of horses, and small ones for the butcher for his single horse. Part of the horses' diet was oats. Plenty for the lucky horses working for the wealthy, and few for those unlucky beasts toiling for the frugal or downright poor owners. "Where do the birds come in?", you ask. Right here. They come in to the stables to eat the spilled oats and the seeds of clover, timothy and other plants, fallout from the hay fed to 259 the horses. And what species of birds are they? Why, our friend Passer domesticus, the House Sparrow. This sparrow was the common bird of the winter in Ottawa then as now. Pigeons? No. Pigeons were kept by some people to race, or fancy types such as Tipplers, Pouter Pigeons, Fan-tails, etc. to breed, but few managed to survive outside the special dovecots built espec- ially for them. Escaped pigeons that didn't fall to guns were soon caught by birds of prey or succumbed to our winters. Remember, there were no bird feeders in the 1930s in Otta- wa. Most people were too unsure of their next meal to worry about birds, except as food. Some of us put out a few crumbs and crusts of bread for the sparrows, and it was on Christmas morning 1933 that this observer walked the five blocks to Canada Bread on Catherine Street at Bronson Avenue with two pennies to buy some stale bread for the birds. Once home, I poked pieces of the loaf out through the slot in the storm window upstairs, from where they rolled part way down the sloped roof of the shed beneath. Soon, about 25 spar- rows gathered for the feast. Suddenly, they were scattered by the arrival of three dark-coloured birds with long beaks which quickly began to stab at the crusts as if starving. Excited calls brought Mother running, and she immediately identified the newcomers as starlings. This was our first sighting of this now common bird in Ottawa, the European Star- ling. Taverner, in his Birds of Eastern Canada (1919) doesn't mention them, nor are they mentioned in his Birds of Western Canada (1926). In The Birds of Canada (1986), Earl Godfrey reports that European Starlings were recorded at Niagara Falls, Ontario, in 1914. They had reached Ottawa perhaps some few years before I sighted them in 1933.* Christmas Bird Count 1933 Observers: 1 in 1 party Species House Sparrow European Starling Weather: clear, cold Number 25 3 n * The Species List for Ottawa-Hull Christmas Bird Counts (1919 - 1986) beginning on the opposite page lists 1924 as the first year that the European Starling was recorded. Pigeons (Rock Doves) were first recorded in 1932. Jack noted in his covering letter for this article that sparrows also fed on predigested oats from horse manure, prompting a joke current in the 1940s. The response to "two can live as cheaply as one" (referring to newlyweds ) was answered with "yes, a horse and a sparrow". JMR 260 Species List for Ottawa-Hull Christmas Bird Counts (1919-1986) Bruce M. Di Labio The following list is an updated version of the summary of Ottawa-Hull Christ- mas Bird Counts which appeared two years ago (Trail & Landscape 19(5): 247-249 (1985)). The current list details the following information: First Record - the year a species was first recorded; Years Recorded - the number of counts on which the species has been found; Record High - the highest number of individuals of a species found on any one count; and Record Year - the year in which the Record High was recorded. When the Record High was tied for more than three years, the number of years is given rather than the years themselves. Less specific records (for example, scaup sp., accipiter sp., hawk sp., gull sp.) are not included in this treatment . Species First Record Years Recorded Record High Record Year Red-throated Loon 1970 1 1 1970 Common Loon 1962 3 1 62,77,84 Pied-billed Grebe 1968 4 i 4 yrs. Horned Grebe 1973 i 2 1973 Red-necked Grebe 1949 5 2 68,84 Great Blue Heron 1952 3 2 1965 Canada Goose 1957 12 502 1984 Wood Duck 197 1 4 3 1979 Green-winged Teal 1979 I 1 1979 American Black Duck 194 1 40 786 1984 Mallard 193 1 30 292 1984 Northern Pintail 1975 2 2 1975 Canvasback 1968 2 1 68,73 Ring-necked Duck 1952 12 9 1966 Greater Scaup 1952 7 4 1979 Lesser Scaup 1969 1 1 4 1984 King Eider 1983 1 1 1983 Harlequin Duck 1971 1 1 1971 Oldsquaw 1956 8 6 69,84 Surf Scoter 1984 1 1 1984 White-winged Scoter 1970 4 1 4 yrs . Common Goldeneye 1924 63 501 1984 Barrow's Goldeneye I960 17 2 5 yrs . Buf f lehead 1953 10 4 71,72 Hooded Merganser 1937 27 5 1984 Common Merganser 1926 57 79 1952 Red-breasted Merganser 1948 22 13 1949 Bald Eagle 1972 2 1 72,73 Northern Harrier 1984 1 1 1984 Sharp-shinned Hawk 192 1 20 8 1985 Cooper's Hawk 1960 16 5 1970 Northern Goshawk 1924 30 8 73,76 Red-shouldered Hawk 1948 2 1 48,55 Red-tailed Hawk I960 17 9 1973 Rough-legged Hawk 1956 23 28 1973 American Kestrel 1940 43 18 1974 Me r 1 i n 1931 10 2 39,59 Peregrine Falcon 1972 2 1 72,75 Gyr falcon 1972 2 3 1980 26 I Species Gray Partridge Ring-necked Pheasant Spruce Grouse Ruffed Grouse American Coot Common Snipe Common Black-headed Gull Ring-billed Gull Herring Gull Thayer's Gull Iceland Gull Lesser Black-backed Gull Glaucous Gull Great Black-backed Gull Black-legged Kittiwake Thick-billed Murre Rock Dove Mourning Dove Eastern Screech-Owl Great Horned Owl Snowy Owl Northern Hawk-Owl Barred Owl Great Gray Owl Long-eared Owl Short-eared Owl Boreal Owl Northern Saw-whet Owl Belted Kingfisher Red-bellied Woodpecker Downy Woodpecker Hairy Woodpecker Three-toed Woodpecker Black-backed Woodpecker Northern Flicker Pileated Woodpecker Eastern Phoebe Horned Lark Gray Jay Blue Jay American Crow Common Raven Black-capped Chickadee Boreal Chickadee Tufted Titmouse Red-breasted Nuthatch White-breasted Nuthatch Brown Creeper Carolina Wren Winter Wren First Record Years Recorded Record High Record Year 1948 37 675 1980 1932 52 56 1944 1944 1 2 1944 1919 66 93 1979 1969 2 1 69,84 1970 3 1 70,78,83 1986 1 I 1986 1937 8 53 1984 1923 35 1,870 1984 1973 3 1 73,79,81 1956 17 15 1986 1979 1 1 1979 1943 27 35 1982 1957 13 100 1986 1981 1 1 1981 1952 1 1 1952 1932 47 7,369 1980 1952 17 106 1984 1923 22 2 4 yrs. 1929 39 47 1971 1954 24 10 1967 1922 5 2 1965 1933 25 6 1977 1983 1 23 1983 1973 5 1 5 yrs. 1957 7 9 1962 1973 2 1 73,76 1971 8 2 1986 1964 8 2 4 yrs . 1979 2 2 1979 192 1 65 2 1 1 1980 192 1 65 224 1975 194 1 19 29 1976 1927 26 20 1980 1958 7 5 1984 1926 37 18 1986 1969 1 1 1969 1948 19 167 I960 1921 19 19 1972 192 1 61 663 1984 192 1 65 1,716 1984 197 1 15 24 1980 1919 68 2,660 1982 1927 2 1 24 1972 1979 1 1 1979 1920 51 388 1976 192 1 66 263 1980 1920 57 51 1979 1971 4 2 1980 1950 6 2 1974 262 Species First Record Golden-crowned Kinglet 1927 Ruby-crowned Kinglet 1949 Swainson's Thrush 1984 Hermit Thrush 1960 American Robin 1921 Varied Thrush 1979 Northern Mockingbird 1964 Brown Thrasher 1968 Water Pipit 1954 Bohemian Waxwing 1930 Cedar Waxwing 1932 Northern Shrike 1921 Loggerhead Shrike 1962 European Starling 1924 Yel low-rumped Warbler 1967 Black-throated Green Warbler 1984 Pine Warbler 1982 Common Yellowthroat 1979 Northern Cardinal 1945 Rose-breasted Grosbeak 1968 Rufous-sided Towhee 1969 American Tree Sparrow 1920 Chipping Sparrow 1969 Field Sparrow 1965 Savannah Sparrow 1966 Fox Sparrow 1984 Song Sparrow 1924 Swamp Sparrow 1968 White-throated Sparrow 1922 White-crowned Sparrow 1948 Dark-eyed Junco 1932 Lapland Longspur 1937 Snow Bunting 1921 Red-winged Blackbird 1928 Eastern Meadowlark 1931 Rusty Blackbird 1964 Common Grackle 1930 Brown-headed Cowbird 1960 Northern Oriole 1978 Pine Grosbeak 1919 Purple Finch 1920 House Finch 1980 Red Crossbill 1950 White-winged Crossbill 1927 Common Redpoll 1919 Hoary Redpoll 1952 Pine Siskin 1919 American Goldfinch 1923 Evening Grosbeak 1923 House Sparrow 1927 Years Recorded Record High Record Year 33 47 1982 3 4 1982 1 i 1984 3 1 60,71,84 30 7 1 1984 1 1 1979 1 1 4 73,79 4 1 4 yrs . 1 1 1954 23 4,953 1985 23 403 1984 54 24 1977 1 i 1962 63 6,742 1984 8 7 1979 1 1 1984 1 1 1982 1 1 1979 20 65 1983 2 1 68,82 5 1 5 yrs. 53 477 1984 4 1 4 yrs . 3 2 197 1 1 1 1966 1 1 1984 40 25 1979 10 6 1977 22 16 1976 6 4 1970 32 232 1984 1 1 30 1961 59 1,876 1975 28 15 1972 5 2 1980 12 7 1977 32 12 72,73 15 29 1980 1 1 1978 45 1 ,446 1985 32 519 1976 4 79 1986 17 108 1976 23 300 1984 54 3,264 1981 1 1 15 1952 53 1 ,133 1986 53 1,591 1984 40 2,62 1 1972 60 6,655 1968 a 263 A Visit from the Magi Ross Anderson Anyone who has read my modest contributions to Trail & Landscape will realize that they fall somewhere between academic curiosity and folklore. So when I say we had a visit from the magi on Christmas night, 1986, in our garden next door to Clyde Woods, you should understand that the story, like the visit to Bethlehem many years ago, is subject to interpretation. The story has a deeper meaning! During the Christmas Bird Count, my team was tops on the list for European Starling, House Sparrow and Rock Dove. But the miracle we expected, to see at least one of the owls seen or reported in Clyde Woods last fall - the Snowy, the Short-eared, the Long-eared, the Great-horned and, finally, the Northern Saw-whet Owl - did not occur. The week before, Katharine and I, and Garvie, our Newfound- land dog, were regaled, as we skied in the moonlight on the first winter snow, by a Short-eared Owl and then a Long-eared Owl, which drifted and turned over our heads in search of mice, and then perched on the elm stumps close enough to mesmerize the dog and to be identified even without the aid of binoculars, although we learned to carry these with us before the show was over! Previously, in the day time, we watched a gaggle of crows chase a beautiful white Snowy Owl over the reservoir and into the trees, and Jim Harris told us about the Great-horned and the Northern Saw-whet which he reported. Still, at census time - nothing ! ^ ' jQjOJL £cZ- (ytv^Ls 264 Then, the miracle. A visit from the magi. On precisely the night you should expect, a so- lemn little face appeared among the cedars surround- ing the deck at the back of the house outside the bedroom window. The face, like the spirit of the wise men, gradually at- tached itself to the tiny round form of the Northern Saw-whet Owl. The newf was asleep inside the door, all unaware. The owl stayed in the light while I sketched in the dark on the first thing which board from a Christmas shirt. came to hand, a piece of card- Time to capture a little of the spirit. Then he was gone. I didn't see him fly; he simply disappeared like the lights on the tree, to join the memories and folklore of the magi, and the owls of Clyde Wood. Reference and Field Guide: Although we didn't hear it, our Na- tional Geographic Field Guide, Field Guide to the Birds of North America (1983), says the Northern Saw-whet Owl gets its name from its voice, like the rasping sound of a saw being sharpen- ed. n ^ cocas' LO~$jd- O-udL S-’o jl V&Cz, 7*.A. 265 The Ottawa Valley Fall Roundup 1987 Bruce M. Di Labio This year's Fall Roundup was held on September 6th, the Sunday of the Labour Day Weekend. A total of 173 species was recorded compared to last year's 175 species. Participant num- bers were down, as the count was on the long weekend. There were only 29 field observers compared to last year's 42. A few people telephoned in observations, reporting mainly Northern Cardinals and House Finches. The day was very quiet, and birds were hard to find, parti- cularly landbirds. Even with record low water levels, shore- birding was poor. Interesting finds included a Connecticut Warbler in the Britannia Woods, an Orchard Oriole along the Eastern Parkway, two Blue-gray Gnatcatchers at Leamy Lake in Hull, and an immature Bald Eagle near Rockland. Notable high counts included 122 Pied-billed Grebes (with 90 birds found between Masson and Black Bay), 39 Double-crested Cormorants along the Ottawa River (mainly between Remic Rapids and Shirleys Bay), 92 Northern Harriers, two Sedge Wrens at Richmond Fen, and two Grasshopper Sparrows along Barnsdale Road between Moodie Drive and Cedarview Road. It was a gorgeous day for lying around the back yard, not birdwatching! The high was 25.9°C. There were southwest winds at 6 km/hr, and it was sunny with some cloudy intervals. Some early morning fog was reported. Section leaders were Bruce Di Labio (southwest), Robert Brouillet (southeast), John Dubois and Tony Beck (northwest) and Jim Harris (northeast). As compiler, I would like thank all leaders and participants for their combined efforts. Ottawa Valley Fall Roundup Results Species SW SE NW NE Total Common Loon 4 1 5 Pied-billed Grebe 4 28 90 122 Double-crested Cormorant 33 3 3 39 American Bittern 3 3 1 8 15 Great Blue Heron 30 22 16 7 1 139 Green-backed Heron 4 7 1 5 17 Black-crowned Night-Heron 6 3 9 266 Species SW SE NW NE Total Canada Goose 305 7 37 22 37 1 Wood Duck 181 27 35 4 1 284 Green-winged Teal 120 72 30 222 American Black Duck 79 287 16 3 1 4 13 Mallard 192 972 26 120 1,310 Northern Pintail 7 4 1 1 Blue-winged Teal 802 54 6 320 45 1,713 Northern Shoveler 36 3 1 40 Gadwal 1 2 7 9 American Wigeon 10 2 6 18 Ring-necked Duck 4 4 Greater Scaup 1 1 Lesser Scaup 6 1 1 8 Common Goldeneye 3 17 20 Hooded Merganser 19 13 18 50 Common Merganser 7 20 48 75 Turkey Vulture 2 1 3 2 8 Osprey 1 2 1 4 Bald Eagle 1 1 Northern Harrier 16 52 6 18 92 Sharp-shinned Hawk 2 3 2 7 14 Cooper's Hawk 2 1 1 4 Northern Goshawk 1 I Red-shouldered Hawk 1 1 2 Broad-winged Hawk 8 4 12 Red-tailed Hawk 1 1 19 6 5 4 1 American Kestrel 20 53 23 19 1 15 Merl in 2 2 Peregrine Falcon 1 1 Gray Partridge 29 29 Ruffed Grouse 1 4 1 7 13 Virginia Rail 1 2 1 3 7 Sora 5 5 Common Moorhen 1 18 50 69 American Coot 5 5 Black-bellied Plover 5 1 6 Lesser Golden Plover 75 75 Semipalmated Plover 6 6 Kil ldeer 74 233 7 1 76 454 Greater Yellowlegs 10 3 1 1 15 Lesser Yellowlegs 30 13 43 Solitary Sandpiper 5 4 9 Spotted Sandpiper 13 3 8 4 28 267 Species SW Upland Sandpiper Ruddy Turnstone 2 Sanderling 3 Semipalmated Sandpiper 80 Least Sandpiper 20 Baird's Sandpiper 1 Pectoral Sandpiper 7 Stilt Sandpiper 1 Common Snipe 3 American Woodcock ! Bonaparte's Gull 2 Ring-billed Gull 4,952 Herring Gull 1,825 Great Black-backed Gull Rock Dove 64 Mourning Dove 50 Black-billed Cuckoo Eastern Screech-Owl 1 Great Horned Owl 4 Barred Owl Common Nighthawk 8 Whip-poor-will 2 Chimney Swift Ruby- throated Hummingbird 2 Belted Kingfisher 25 Red-headed Woodpecker Yellow-bellied Sapsucker 6 Downy Woodpecker 6 Hairy Woodpecker 6 Northern Flicker 60 Pileated Woodpecker 1 Eastern Wood-Pewee 7 Yellow-bellied Flycatcher 2 Least Flycatcher Eastern Phoebe 5 Great Crested Flycatcher 6 Eastern Kingbird 7 Horned Lark Purple Martin 46 Tree Swallow 5,289 SE NW NE Total 1 ] 2 3 3 4 2 89 10 4 34 1 2 2 9 1 8 18 5 34 7 8 3 5 765 250 732 6,699 18 ] 34 20 1,897 1 455 117 388 1,024 176 1 33 28 287 1 13 2 1 4 1 23 1 25 2 35 2 4 8 4 1 5 3 2 7 14 1 1 7 35 78 2 1 3 9 1 20 12 3 5 26 8 4 18 36 74 52 48 2 34 2 4 4 1 1 10 5 1 1 33 1 3 1 2 4 7 9 9 19 42 6 1 13 1 1 4 22 127 127 52 98 55 5 5,349 268 Species SW SE NW NE Total N. Rough-wing Swallow 2 2 Bank Swallow 50 2 52 Cliff Swallow 127 5 3 135 Barn Swallow 39 9 1 2 22 154 Blue Jay 194 172 99 193 658 American Crow 76 402 81 180 739 Common Raven 1 2 8 18 29 Black-capped Chickadee 72 197 69 333 671 Red-breasted Nuthatch 6 2 2 67 77 White-breasted Nuthatch 3 12 1 1 36 62 Brown Creeper 4 4 House Wren 2 9 1 12 Winter Wren 1 2 3 Sedge Wren 2 2 Marsh Wren 7 4 1 1 Golden-crowned Kinglet 8 1 50 59 Ruby-crowned Kinglet 1 1 2 Blue-gray Gnatcatcher 2 2 Eastern Bluebird 4 7 37 48 Veery 18 6 2 26 Gray-cheeked Thrush 2 2 Swainson's Thrush 20 12 28 60 Hermit Thrush 7 1 8 Wood Thrush 2 2 American Robin I 12 143 49 22 1 525 Gray Catbird 16 38 1 1 7 72 Brown Thrasher 6 6 Cedar Waxwing 92 73 130 230 525 European Starling 1 , 157 2,130 1,130 3, 192 7,609 Solitary Vireo 1 1 3 5 Warbling Vireo 10 9 12 4 35 Philadelphia Vireo 1 1 3 5 Red-eyed Vireo 10 5 4 14 33 Tennessee Warbler 1 5 2 12 20 Nashville Warbler 10 6 17 33 Northern Parula 1 1 1 1 4 Yellow Warbler 2 1 2 5 Chestnut-sided Warbler 1 3 I 9 14 Magnolia Warbler 2 2 1 23 28 Cape May Warbler 2 4 2 8 Black-thr. Blue Warbler 6 5 1 1 269 Species SW Yel low-rumped Warbler 52 Black-thr. Green Warbler 2 Blackburnian Warbler Pine Warbler 1 Palm Warbler Bay-breasted Warbler 2 Blackpoll Warbler 1 Black & White Warbler 4 American Redstart Ovenbird 3 Northern Waterthrush 1 Connecticut Warbler 1 Mourning Warbler Common Yellowthroat 49 Wilson's Warbler 1 Canada Warbler Scarlet Tanager Northern Cardinal 13 Rose-breasted Grosbeak 4 Indigo Bunting ] Chipping Sparrow 2 1 Field Sparrow ] Vesper Sparrow Savannah Sparrow 22 Grasshopper Sparrow 2 Song Sparrow 19 Lincoln's Sparrow Swamp Sparrow 23 White-throated Sparrow 21 Dark-eyed Junco Bobolink 47 Red-winged Blackbird 1,522 Eastern Meadowlark 1 Common Grackle 198 Brown-headed Cowbird Orchard Oriole Purple Finch 3 House Finch 19 Pine Siskin American Goldfinch 75 Evening Grosbeak House Sparrow 100 SE NW NE Total 95 37 52 236 7 5 34 48 6 5 9 20 1 2 1 10 1 1 1 1 2 7 22 1 1 2 5 5 1 16 26 9 15 24 10 7 20 1 2 1 1 1 2 138 14 27 228 2 3 1 2 3 1 3 2 6 1 1 15 8 4 20 36 2 3 26 177 2 18 442 1 2 6 2 6 14 201 47 81 351 2 137 29 88 273 5 1 6 144 4 25 196 40 9 42 1 12 7 7 20 2 84 153 2,054 332 5,000 8,908 15 12 7 37 19 726 311 1,254 2 8 1 1 1 1 5 2 45 1 55 4 23 4 4 312 18 1 173 74 1 2 31 33 101 28 165 394 Number of Species 126 139 105 118 173 a 270 The Seventh Annual Seedathon Bird Count Miserable weather conditions made birding difficult for the two teams which took part in the Seedathon Bird Count on Sunday, September 13th. It started raining on Saturday and didn't stop until mid-afternoon on Sunday, putting a damper on the results. The combined total was only 102 species. Remember that last year a combined total of over 130 species was recorded. Anyway, it was a challenge for all involved. We would like to thank the record 150 sponsors whose con- tributions will benefit the continued bird-related activities of The Ottawa Field-Naturalists' Club. I would like especially to thank Barbara Campbell, Colin Gaskell and Jane Topping for their efforts in helping to get pledges. Team A: Bruce Di Labio, Bernie Ladouceur, Roger Taylor We decided to start later than usual on account of the rain. By 6:15 a.m. we were owling along Highway 307 working our way towards Saint-Pierre-de-Wakefield. Not surprisingly, there were no owls; the only nocturnal bird was an American Woodcock, which we saw. After wandering around Poltimore, Buckingham and down to Masson, we concluded that there were very few birds around, particularly landbirds. Birding along the Ottawa River between Masson and Thurso - Black Bay lifted our spirits a bit. We left Quebec with fewer than 40 species and crossed to Rockland by ferry. At Rockland, a brief stop was made to dry out and warm up. At the Rockland sewage lagoon, a few more species were picked up including a Redhead which we scrutinized for a while trying to decide whether it was a Canvasback, a Redhead, a Common Pochard or a hybrid. You had to have been there . We arrived in the west end of Ottawa and began checking along the Ottawa River from Bate Island to Shirleys Bay. By the time we reached Ottawa Beach, it was obvious that we weren't going to set any records, except for the lowest number of species. Even with record low water levels, very few shorebirds could be found along the river between Britannia Pier and Shirleys Bay. By mid-afternoon, the rain had tapered off and birds became more active. Our final checks were at Richmond and Munster sewage lagoons. This pay-off added a number of new species, 27 1 including Long-billed Dowitcher and Short-billed Dowitcher at Richmond, and one Baird's Sandpiper, one Red-necked Phalarope and three Hudsonian Godwits at Munster. The day ended at 7 p.m. ; we had driven a total of 320 km. The most memorable event of the day was looking through Roger Taylor's Questar spotting scope at a Least Sandpiper at 80 power . A total of 88 species was seen. The best birds were a Long-billed Dowitcher, three Hudsonian Godwits and a Peregrine Falcon (adult). Bruce Di Labio Team B: Gordon Pringle, Allan Cameron The route we took (in wheelchair and on foot) was from Ottawa Beach to Stillwater Park, returning via the bicycle path across Acres Road and continuing on to the water filtration plant at Britannia. A. total of approximately 5 km was covered between 8 a.m. and 5:15 p.m. The previous day we experienced our first solid rain in many weeks, raising expectations for at least some fallout of migrating birds; however, this was not to be. The unprecedented low water levels attracted no shorebirds, and we encountered only two flocks of mixed warblers. The entire fall migration to date has been exceptionally uneventful. We can only speculate that the consistently fine weather had sent all migrants straight through. The only memorable moments were those spent in pedestrian walkways under Carling Avenue waiting for the rain to stop. We saw a total of 53 species. The best birds were a Pere- grine Falcon (immature), two Merlins and a Great-crested Fly- catcher. Gordon Pringle The full weather report: a.m.: overcast, rain; p.m.: overcast, more rain finally tapering off in mid- afternoon. A total of 12.6 mm of rain fell. Winds: east southeast , light at 3 km/hr . Temperature: Low 16.4°C, High 18.7°C. 272 Seedathon Bird Count Results Species Team A Team B Pied-billed Grebe 23 1 Double-crested Cormorant 30 6 Great Blue Heron 15 12 Black-crowned Night-Heron 2 Canada Goose 2 15 Wood Duck Green-winged Teal American Black Duck Mallard Northern Pintail Blue-winged Teal Gadwal 1 American Wigeon Redhead Lesser Scaup Common Goldeneye Common Merganser 2 1 56 42 3 1 2 70 4 3 1 16 1 1 2 50 200 30 8 3 Osprey Northern Harrier Red-tailed Hawk American Kestrel Merlin Peregrine Falcon Virginia Rail Common Moorhen 2 4 2 6 2 I 2 1 1 4 7 Semipalmated Plover Kil ldeer Greater Yellowlegs Lesser Yellowlegs Solitary Sandpiper Hudsonian Godwit Semipalmated Sandpiper Least Sandpiper Baird's Sandpiper Pectoral Sandpiper Short-billed Dowitcher Long-billed Dowitcher Common Snipe American Woodcock Red-necked Phalarope 1 1 1 2 2 9 1 3 36 13 1 8 1 1 2 1 1 273 Species Team A Team B Bonaparte ' s Gul 1 1 Ring-billed Gull 675 150 Herring Gull 32 3 Great Black-backed Gull 1 Rock Dove 42 20 Mourning Dove 5 3 Belted Kingfisher 6 1 Downy Woodpecker 2 2 Hairy Woodpecker ! Northern Flicker 14 4 Eastern Wood-Pewee 1 Eastern Phoebe 2 Great Crested Flycatcher 1 Horned Lark 4 Purple Martin 1 1 6 Tree Swallow 800 2 Bank Swallow 1 Cliff Swallow 2 Barn Swallow 25 Blue Jay 37 12 American Crow 50 6 Black-capped Chickadee 16 25 Red-breasted Nuthatch 2 White-breasted Nuthatch 1 2 House Wren 1 Eastern Bluebird 7 Swainson's Thrush 1 American Robin 35 75 Gray Catbird 1 Water Pipit 1 Cedar Waxwing 2 European Starling 575 25 Solitary Vireo Warbling Vireo Red-eyed Vireo 274 Species Team A Team B Tennessee Warbler Nashville Warbler Magnolia Warbler Cape May Warbler Yel low-rumped Warbler Black-thr. Green Warbler Blackburnian Warbler Palm Warbler Bay-breasted Warbler Blackpoll Warbler Black & White Warbler Ovenbird Common Yellowthroat Canada Warbler 65 3 1 3 7 1 25 2 Northern Cardinal Chipping Sparrow Savannah Sparrow Song Sparrow Swamp Sparrow White-throated Sparrow Red-winged Blackbird Common Grackle Brown-headed Cowbird Northern Oriole 70 32 15 7 25 ,000 1 I 4 40 8 1 1 Purple Finch American Goldfinch 3 2 1 1 20 House Sparrow 26 Total Species 88 53 n CASSIN'S KINGBIRD PHOTOGRAPH NEEDED Does anyone know who took a photograph of the Cassin's Kingbird at Britannia Filtration Plant during the fall of 1970? If so, please contact Bruce Di Labio at 729-6267. The Ontario Bird Records Committee is reviewing old records and would be interested in a copy of this photograph. 275 Index to Volume 21 AMPHIBIANS AND REPTILES Garter Snake, An albino, 80 BIRDS Atlantic Puffin confirmed in Ontario, 29 Bird feeders, Update on area, 39 Bird feeders for the winter season, OFNC, inside back cover, this issue Bird Records Subcommittee, Activities of the, in 1986, 98 Birdwatching with a prejudice, 143 Canada Geese, Neck-banded, 216 Christmas Bird Count 1933, 259 Christmas Bird Count roundup, Sixth annual, 100 Christmas Bird Counts (1919 - 1986), Species list for Ottawa- Hul 1 , 261 Cornwall - Beauharnois field trip, The, 114 Early winter field trip, 1 14 Fall Roundup 1987, The Ottawa Valley, 266 International Ornithological Congress, The 1986, 111 Loggerhead Shrike, The: status report for the Ottawa Dis- trict, 154 Loggerhead Shrike Survey, The, 214 Peregrine Falcon Release Program in Hull, The, 104 [Owls] A visit from the magi, 264 Point Pelee excursion 1987, 225 Presqu'ile, Spring birding at, 226 Recent bird sightings, 93, 146, 202, 256 Robins came back!, The, 149 Ruddy Duck breeding in the Ottawa District, 148 Ruddy Duck in Eastern Ontario, The, 32 Seedathon Bird Count, The seventh annual, 271 Save those seeds, 10 September at Dow's Lake, 224 Shorebird at Ottawa Beach, A colour-marked, 150 Spring Roundup 1987, The Ottawa Valley, 218 Waterfowl east of Ottawa, Where to see migrating, 88 CLUB HISTORY AND AFFAIRS Club publications and other items for sale, 185 Council report, 66, 182 from the Editor..., 234 History of OFNC awards and the Awards Committee, The, 236 Honorary Memberships and OFNC awards, 1986, 190 Life Membership?, Have you considered a, 184 President's message, 4 OFNC committee members, 122 Soiree, The 1987, 188 Trail S Landscape circulation, 70 Welcome, new members, 2, 70, 122, 178 276 CONSERVATION More garbage, 1 1 Natural Heritage League, The, 68 Queen's Park: friend or foe of Ontario's vanishing wetlands?, 7 River Redhorse, The threat to the, 82 Wildlife '87, 3 Wildlife '87 garden: get involved!, 180 FEDERATION OF ONTARIO NATURALISTS Federation of Ontario Naturalists report, 186 FISH Absent records of fishes in the Ottawa District, 249 Checklist of the fishes of the Ottawa District, 40 Fathead, The sex life of the male, 84 River Redhorse, The threat to the, 82 Spotfin Shiner in the Ottawa District, The, 141 INSECTS Butterflies of the Ottawa District 1986 update, 138 MACOUN FIELD CLUB If you've got kids, think of the Macoun Club, 125 Macoun what's what, 124, 195 MAMMALS Hairy-tailed Mole, An unusual winter record of the, 15 Hairy-tailed Mole in the Ottawa District, Another record of the, 87 Hairy-tailed Mole III, 255 PLANTS Black Morel, The, Spring treasure from the Gatineau:, 136 Bladdernut shrub, More on the, 26 Blooming periods of Ottawa District orchids, 246 [Chaix's Meadow-grass] Deletion of a vascular plant from the Ottawa District flora, 129 Colour forms of Ottawa District orchids, 71 Notes on three Ottawa District orchids, 18 Orchids, The three "pink" peatland, 196 Ragged Fr inged-orchid in the Ottawa District, The, 130 Sand-spurry in the Ottawa District, 244 Spring-beauty, The other, 126 Vascular plants in the Ottawa District, Some new and inter- esting, 135 n 277 THE SCOUT SHOP 1345 Baseline Road Ottawa, Ontario telephone 224-0139 For those who may not have thought of it, the Scout Shop is a possible source of equipment and resource materials of inter- est to naturalists. The Boy Scouts of Canada, like The Ottawa Field-Natural- ists' Club, has an appreciation of nature and an interest in conservation. Equipment such as compasses, knives, rainwear, daypacks, camping gear, and outdoor resource books are among the many items offered at highly competitive prices. The Scout Shop's interest is primarily in function and economy, not high- price fashion. Profits support the scouting movement across Canada. The Scout Shop has invited OFNC members to visit and exam- ine the materials on view. John Sharp is the manager. NATURE CANADA BOOKSHOP In November, the Nature Canada Bookshop will be relocating to : 453 Sussex Drive Ottawa, Ontario KIN 6Z4 . Look for our store opening announcements in the Ottawa Citizen or call 238-6154 for the exact date. 10% Discount. From opening day until December 24, Ottawa Field- Naturalists' Club members making purchases in the new store will receive a 10% discount on books and other selected items (ex- cluding sale books). This is the same discount presently en- joyed by Canadian Nature Federation members. In addition, 5% of the total of all in-store purchases made by OFNC members during this period will be donated to the Alfred Bog Fund. (CNF members who are also OFNC members will receive their regular discount; the 5% donation to the Alfred Bog Fund will be made on their behalf.) 278 mts arranged by the Excursions and Lectures Committee Ross Anderson (224-7768), 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. Restricted trips will be open to non-members only after the indicated deadl ines . Saturday 7 Nov . 8:00 a.m. GULLS AT THE CORNWALL AND BEAUHARNOIS POWER DAMS Leader: Bruce Di Labio (729-6267) Participants will visit two power dams on the St. Lawrence River to observe gulls and late fall mi- grants. Dress warmly, wear waterproof footwear, and bring a hearty lunch for this all-day trip. Binocu- lars and/or scopes are essential. Transportation will be by private cars. Only a limited number of participants will be accepted. To register and learn further details, telephone the leader. Sunday 8 Nov . 10 a.m. - 5 p .m . SECOND ANNUAL CLUBS DAY AT THE VICTORIA MEMORIAL MUSEUM The National Museum of Natural Sciences extends an invitation to OFNC members to attend its second an- nual Clubs Day, to be held in the Museum's Salon. A wide range of displays will be provided by various clubs in the Ottawa area, with subjects related to the natural sciences. Admission is free. Tuesday 10 Nov. 8:00 p .m . OFNC MONTHLY MEETING EXPLORING CANADA BY CANOE Speakers: Janice Dowling and David McNicoll Meet: Auditorium, National Museum of Natural Sciences, Metcalfe and McLeod Streets Join David and Janice to relive two four-month canoe journeys along the historic fur-trade routes between Saskatoon and Ottawa. Their slide/talk show lets us visit the fabulous people that live along the water- ways of our nation and view the spectacular scenery that most Canadians may never see. Whether they are living in the lap of luxury at a fishing resort or clinging to the side of a wind-swept shore, their story is one that you will want to share! 279 Saturday 14 Nov. 9:00 a .m . GENERAL INTEREST WALK IN GATINEAU PARK Leader: Philip Martin (729-3218) Meet: Supreme Court Building, front entrance, Wellington Street Participants will have an opportunity to explore some woodland trails and observe how plants and animals prepare to meet the challenge of a long winter sea- son. Dress warmly, wear appropriate footwear and bring a lunch. Transportation will be by private car . Saturday 5 Dec . 8:00 a .m . LATE FALL AND EARLY WINTER BIRDS Leader: Tony Beck (224-1683) Meet: Carlingwood Shopping Centre, Carling Avenue at Woodroffe Avenue This half-day trip will visit several areas to see some of the interesting birds that make Ottawa their winter home as well as the late fall stragglers. Binoculars and/or a scope are essential. Dress warm- ly and bring a light snack. Transportation will be by private car. Tuesday 8 Dec . 8:00 p .m . OFNC MONTHLY MEETING AN EVENING IN THE PARKS Speakers: Dan Brunton, Bill Gummer and Roy John Meet: Auditorium, National Museum of Natural Sciences, Metcalfe and McLeod Streets Three outstanding members of the OFNC share their views on the beauties and the qualities of three different parks: Dan Brunton, Woodland Caribou Pro- vincial Park in northwestern Ontario; Bill Gummer, Ellesmere Island National Park in Canada's arctic archipelago; and Roy John, Minsmere Nature Reserve in Suffolk, England. Sunday 20 Dec. THE OTTAWA-HULL NATIONAL AUDUBON SOCIETY CHRISTMAS BIRD COUNT Participation fee: $4.00 first count, $3.50 second count, $3.00 third count or more. Compilation Meeting: after the count at the National Museum of Natural Sciences, Metcalfe and McLeod Streets. Coffee and cookies will be served; also a chili din- ner will be available for $2.00 after 5 p.m. Final results of this count can be obtained by send- ing a stamped, self-addressed envelope to the compil- er. For more information, contact the compiler, Allan Cameron, 48 Third Avenue, Ottawa K1S 2J8, telephone 232-5292. 280 New York Botanical Garden Libra 3 5185 00267 6656 Count Pakenham - Arnprior Carleton Place Dunrobin - Breckenr OTHER OTTAWA AREA COUNTS Da te December 26th December 27th idge January 3rd Compiler Michael Runtz ( 1-623-6975) Mike Jaques ( 1-257-4 105) Bruce Di Labio (729-6267) Tuesday ANNUAL BUSINESS MEETING 12 Jan. Meet: Auditorium, National Museum of Natural 8:00 p.m. Sciences, Metcalfe and McLeod Streets This will be the 109th Annual Business Meeting of The Ottawa Field-Naturalists' Club. At the conclusion of 'official business, members of the Club's various committees will be on hand to answer questions re- garding Club policies and activities. Light refresh- ments will be served. OFNC BIRD FEEDERS FOR THE WINTER SEASON Again this winter, The Ottawa Field-Naturalists' Club will be operating four Ottawa area feeders, plus the Pink Road feed- er, which operates in conjunction with Le Club des ornithologues de l'Outaouais. For a detailed account of the locations of these and other area feeders, refer to the November - December 1986 issue of Trail S Landscape or contact Daniel Perrier at 746-6716. Please note that the Rockliffe feeder has been relo- cated to the National Research Council lands south of Montreal Road near the Bathgate entrance. Thanks go to the participants and their sponsors who took part in the seventh annual Seedathon on September 13th; the Club bird feeders are funded from the proceeds of the Seedathon. The National Capital Commission provides the feed for its two feed- ers in the Stony Swamp and Mer Bleue Conservation Areas. Daniel Perrier DEADLINE : Material intended for the April - June issue must be in the Editor's hands before January 1 at the latest. 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. K1Y 4J5 Return postage guaranteed 02 C 2 -83208 HAMILTON NATURALISTS' CLUB K) BOX 51 SZ'OTN --E- |\)OA /AO Printed by LOMOR PRINTERS LTD.