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Feb. 1969 published by the g VICTORIA NATURAL HISTORY SOCIETY Victoria B.C 65 THE VICTORIA NATURALIST Published by THE VICTORIA NATURAL HISTORY SOCIETY Vol,25, No.,6 February, 1969 COVER PICTURE by Enid K. Lemon COVER STORY CANADA GOOSE (Branta canadensis) by Enid K. Lemon My first introduction to the Canada goose was when, as a small child, I was taken by my mother to St,James1 Park, London, England, to feed the geese. Little did I know that thirty years later I would see the magnificent sight of these splendid waterfowl strung out in a V formation, silhouetted against a full moon on their migration north. It is unlikely that Canada geese can be confused with any other species. But it is quite likely that the many subspecies can be mixed up. At the moment there are 11 sub• species that have been identified. These vary in size from the small cackling, about the size of a mallard duck, to the Giant Canada which may weigh from 18 to 20 pounds. It was thought that Branta canadensis maxima had become extinct about 50 years ago. Fortunately in 1960 Mr. Harold C.Hanson of the Illinois Natural History Survey identified some in a flock of Canadas near Rochester, Minnesota. In Canada, Giants are found in Saskatchewan, Manitoba and Ontario. In June,1968, I visited Mr. Oliver Wells, Sardis, who has a pair of these magnificent birds. Canada geese breed from east to west and from north to south of the country. The larger races breed in the south, the smaller subspecies breed on the islets of the tundra. The cover picture was taken at Pike Lake on May 18,1968. I am most grateful to Miss Terese Todd for allowing me to photograph on her property, and to Mr. T, Sowerby for the black and white reproduction from my 35 mm. colour slide. ************ 66 67 FREEWAY BIRDING The little community of Pacific Grove near Monterey is In earlv December my wife and I set out from Victoria famous as the-winter home of many thousands of Monarch to motor to Arizona for a winte? holiday. We wanted to get butterflies. These butterflies apparently gather from a large there quickly so speed took precedence over leisurely bird- area and spend the winter clinging in semi-dormancy to the ing. We did, however, encounter some interesting concentra• tall trees, mostly pines and Monterey cypress in a rather tions of birds. In addition the roadside telephone wires limited area in the community. We saw them on a cloudy windy provided front row seats for some of the birds. day with some sunny periods. Some of the butterflies were Along the coast of Oregon the weather was wild with fluttering around but most were clinging in groups to the wind and rain. We saw a score of sea-lions swimming in the upper boughs of the trees looking like moss or lichens. The surf off the sea-lion caves. Further on we saw surf scoters tenacity and endurance of these frail insects is amazing. swimming between the breakers just before they dashed on From Monterey we travelled to Bakersfield and across the beach and so really living up to their name. the Mojave Desert to Needles and into Arizona. Our last bird- In Northern California as we drove around Humboldt Bay ing in California was at the Porter Dam on the Colorado River. near Eureka there were concentrations of shore birds of all Here we saw black and Say's phoebes, cactus wrens, phaino- sizes on some of the muddy banks, but there was no place to peplas and lesser goldfinches as well as other more familiar stop so closer inspection was impossible. Over a distance of birds„ about five miles around the bay we saw at least 30 common While birding from a freeway is unsatisfactory in many egrets feeding in the pastures close to the sea, sometimes ways, one does cover a lot of territory and, if one can stop among herds of cattle. for a short time at strategic spots, one can see a lot of In the redwoods we saw Steller's jays, varied and different birds. Swainson's thrushes. A little further south a flock of 20 A. Douglas Turnbull turkey vultures circled over one spot. After spending the night at Santa Rosa (made famous by Luther Burbank) we left ******** the Freeway at Petaluma (famous for chickens and eggs). While BOOK NEWS FOR NATURALISTS my wife examined the house, I birded in the park of about The- following books were added to the Greater Victoria ten acres surrounding it. There were scores of western blue• Public Library during December, 1968. birds, meadowlarks, purple, house and goldfinches, water Bergmann P.G. Riddle of Gravitation pipits, golden-crowned sparrows as well as several loggerhead Cohen, B.L, Heart of the atom shrikes, sparrow hawks, mockingbirds, scrub jays and one Ages of Life black phoebe. Milne, L.J. Trefflich, H, Jungle for Sale South of San Francisco at Moss Landing there is a Rudloe, J. Sea brings forth marshy bay behind a sand dune where a small river flows to Chambers, R.E. Net of Naturalists the sea. Here we found a bewildering number of shore birds Gillham, M.E. Sub-Antarctic sanctuary: of all sizes - numerous willets, marbled godwits and smaller Macquarie Island shore birds, several long-billed curlews, avocets, snowy and Raaen, V.F. Carbon-14 common egrets. Ordish, G. Pigeons and People On a sand bar were dozens of brown pelicans, with numer• McCoy, J.J. Complete book of cat health and ous Heermann's, western, herring and California gulls plus a care few terns. I did not have time to identify all the smaller Milne, L.J. Living Plants of the world shore birds but there were many varieties. Briggs, P. Men in the Sea Lansdowne, F. Birds of the Eastern Forest List supplied by Mr. G. McBride ************** Circulation, G.V.P.L. ****** 69 68 Smaller debris sinking in shallow water becomes part of SCAVENGERS (No.3) the mud covering the sea bottom, in certain areas. Here, among the scavengers, we find the lugworms, Arenicola. They The seas and oceans of the world cover a large area ingest Che detritus and extract from it any particles of and support tremendous populations of fishes and other remaining organic material. organisms but there is only a limited area, mostly its A. Dehen shallower coastal waters, capable of supporting plant life. Thus there is a comparative scarcity of herbivores. The BIRDS COMMON TO VICTORIA ARE NEW RECORDS IN MANNING PARK remainder are carnivores that prey on one another. It seems to be the destiny of fishes to be eaten by other fishes. During my two summers in Manning Park as a naturalist, But there is in the sea a continuous rain of bodies and 16 new records have been added to that park's bird list. Con• fragments of plant and animal remains sinking to the bottom sidering that this mountain paradise of 1763431 acres is where they furnish food for many scavengers, mostly small little more than 100 miles east of Victoria, it is interest• crustaceans and other invertebrates. ing to know that all but one of the new sightings are rather We have all heard of shipworms or teredos. This is a common fare to local birders. misnomer as they are not worms but molluscs. In a sense Three of the new finds were a great surprise to me: the they can be classed as scavengers also. While better known houee sparrow, American goldfinch, and common snipe. The for their attacks on piling and the wooden bottoms of ships, first mentioned is readily found in Hope only 16 miles to they can also be found in floating driftwood or logs. They the west, and in Princeton which is 30 miles by highway east enter as minute larvae and never leave their burrows again. of the park boundary. The goldfinch is found in at least the Soon the logs become so riddled with these burrows that they southern portions of every province, and the snipe is even become waterlogged or collapse and sink to the bottom where more widely distributed. other scavengers take over until they completely disinte• It was a wonderful experience to me to see3 as new grate. A few years ago, at Discovery Island, I anchored out records, water-frequenting birds so well-known and numerous a cedar log of about eight to ten inches diameter and pro• here on Vancouver Island. These include the Arctic loon; tected with copper paint. In a little over a y^ar it sank. ring-necked, horned, eared and pied-billed grebes; shoveller; When retrieved, it showed no damage on the outside. But ruddy duck; white-winged scoter; mew gull; and one graceful when it was cut through there was hardly any WO<"*H 1eft and Arctic tern. it was held together by the linings of the man> burrows. Two birds, perhaps not as numerous here as most of the I believe that the teredo proper is an import. The above although they have long been on our check lists, were a native species is Bankia setacea. delight - the red-head duck and the cliff swallow. The latter On the beach we often find piles of decomposing sea• species has nested successfully the past two years and it weed. This is mostly disposed of by the numerous beach appears that these birds will be permanent summer visitors. fleas or hoppers, Orchestia or Orchestoidea. These are So far I have mentioned 15 birds - the 16th, the black- small crustaceans.

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