THE HALIFAX FIELD NATURALIST
N4
No. 116 September to November, 2004
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News & Announcements p. 3 Field Trips p. 5 Special Reports p. 4 Almanac p. 9 HFN Talks p. 4 Hfx Tide Table: July - September p. 11
Return address: HFN, do NS Museum of Natural History, 1747 Summer Street, Halifax, NS, B3H 3A6 isCanada.incorporatedTax-creditableunder thereceiptsNova Scotiawill beSocietiesissued forActindividualand holdsandRegisteredcorporateCharitygifts. Itstatusis an withaffiliateRevenueof the H~ Canadian Nature Federation and an organisational member of the Federation of Nova Scotia Naturalists, the provincial umbrella association for naturalist groups in Nova Scotia.
OBJECTIVES are to encourage a greater appreciation and understanding of Nova Scotia’s natural history, both within the membership of HFN and in the public at large, and to represent the interests of naturalists by encouraging the conservation of Nova Scotia’s natural resources. MEETINGS are held, except for July and August, on the first Thursday of every month at 7:30 p.m. in the auditorium of the Nova Scotia Museum of Natural History, 1747 Summer Street, Halifax. Meetings are open to the public.
FIELD TRIPS are held at least once a month, and it is appreciated if those travelling in someone else’s car share the cost of the gas. All participants in HEN activities are responsible for their own safety. Everyone, member or not, is welcome to take part in field trips. HFN ADDRESS Halifax Field Naturalists do Nova Scotia Museum of Natural History, 1747 Summer St., Halifax, Nova Scotia, B3H 3A6 EMAIL
ARTWORK All uncredited illustrations are by H. Derbyshire or from copyright-free sources. p.5, fossil sketches from NSMNH Peeper, The Fossil Cliffs of Joggins; Tide Tables - Canadian Hydrographic Service, Fisheries and Oceans Canada.
PRINTED ON RECYCLED PAPER — PLEASE RECYCLE 2 HFN NEWS AND ANNOUNCEMENTS EDITORIAL kills the foliage, so also does it kill all the dependent invertebrates (butterflies, beetles, moths, etc.). What I love rainy weather. The usual complaints fell around about vertebrates and invertebrates, or the ecological my ears this summer about the season’s offerings (too processes of the soil; how does it affect fungi, or symbi much rain; July was awful; etc.), but for me, it was otic mycorrhizae? perfect — a good balance of rain and sun for plants and Chris’s viable alternative for ‘releasing’ the growth of animals alike. conifers is to hire crews with brush saws to manually cut At Melmerby Beach, Pictou County there was an the regenerating cherry, alder, maple, poplar, etc. It unusual abundance of rose blooms this year, and all works just as well (or even better) than spraying. It’s a other flowering plants over the season also were overly selective approach that cuts out only those bushes that productive. Something I had never noticed before — are actually shading regenerating conifers, and it does Marram Grass seed tops along the top edges of the not affect all the herbaceous vegetation and all the dunes. Squirrels, Chipmunks, Muskrats, Deer, Great surrounding trees that are not in the silvicultural stands. Blue Heron and other shorebirds were also seen in It is cost competitive, and employs lots of people on the greater numbers, including a regular early morning flock ground and not just the airplane pilots, contractors, and of about 20 Piping Plover. multinational manufacturers of chemical agents. Also, We did remember to view the Perseid meteor show contractors with brush saws don’t ‘drift off’ in the wind to ers, and there were many nights glorious with stars and land on adjacent properties! the Milky Way. The August gales were late this year; From Lance Laviolette of Montreal; “The following they didn’t come until September. This meant more site has some information on the properties of sightings of Great Blue Heron on the flat and still ocean Glyphosate” — enter
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.:~‘:::~, ~ , ~ ~7’;~ HFN TALKS ~ ~ i,~ DRAGONFLIES ~ 2 SEPT. deposited within plant tissue); exophytically-laid eggs are round and are laid on plants, or freely in the water. Paul Brunelle brought many of his specimens and Paul’s first photographic experience with dragonflies was gave us a wonderful slide-talk full of interesting informa of an emergence. tion and tidbits ~on dragonflies and damselflies. Dragonflies’ wings are very strong. He showed a slide Next to the Coleoptera (the beetles) and the Lepidop of a Broad-tailed Shadow Dragon; its tenerals are soft tera, the Odonates are now receiving more interest than and pale; the adults are stronger, and more colourful. any other insects. They are large, and easily observed. Sundews eat both dragons and damsels, and so do Showing a slide of the common Anaxjunius, Paul said wolf spiders. Dragonflies will also eat damselflies. that for the most part, dragonflies have unequally-sized Killifish will predate both stages of Odonates, and other wings fore and rear, whereas the four wings of predators are Painted Turtles, frogs, Grackles, Killdeer, damselflies are more or less the same size. Dragonflies and other shorebirds. are usually larger than damselflies as well, and dragon Many more colourful and beautiful slides were shown flies can change colour with age. of various species in various poses; one pair were in the The eyes are the most interesting feature, with both classic ‘love-heart’ mating pose. There were compound and simple ocelli. Sight is the most important Jewelwings, Emeralds, a red Katerina, Spreadwings, sense for the Odonates. They have a large, skewed and one slide of an Orange Bluet (Enallagma s,gnatum) thorax, a very long tail, and densely veined wings. seen at the Frog Pond, which is a rarity in N.S. There Dragonflies have small antennae, whereas Damsels were also Darners, Flying Adders (or Spiketails), have large ones. Gomphids (or Clubtails), and Cruisers (which have been The Odonates’ metamorphosis to adulthood is star clocked flying up to 30 miles per hour). tling; it takes roughly one and one half hours. There is Many of our rarest species of Odonates are no pupal stage for them to go through. The larvae, Somatochlora, found in northern latitudes. Can called either nymphs or naiads, are interesting and have Odonates fly backwards? It hasn’t been observed, but several stages. They have labial palps, and teeth. They Paul likened their flight pattern to that of a Sea King have very large compound eyes; they only develop helicopter. simple eyes in the last instar. Adults don’t change in The Libellulidae, or Skimmers, fly like butterflies. The size; it is only the larvae which get larger when they go Elfin Skimmer is the the smallest dragonfly here in N.S. through their successive stages. Most Odonates will eat There are 121 species of Odonate in N.S., whereas anything alive! there are only 85 in New York State. Damseiflies are believed to have evolved first. Their ~‘ Wandering Gliders spend 11 months in the air without larvae are larger, and the three feathers on the end of landing anywhere. They are global in distribution except their tails are really external gills. All damselflies and for Europe. Amberwings are small and scrappy, much some dragonflies lay eggs endophytically (oval eggs like the Pekinese dog! — Stephanie Robertson FIELD TRIPS FNSN AGM 18-20 JUNE Fundy Bay to South Carolina. The Minas Basin is the on/y place in the world where the boundary is visible. Despite lack of an ‘official sponsor/host’ this year, the Stop 3. The line here is one of the many Cobequid/ FNSN 2004 AGM and talks/field trips and events were Chedabucto faults — the boundary which separates wonderful, all organised by Joan Czapalay and Marie north and south N. S. The long fault on which we Moverley. Based at the Wandlyn Inn in Amherst, there walked was cut by a series of smaller ones. Katherine were six field trips offered; two birding trips, one geol took us back in time and helped us to imagine what it ogy, one entomology, one botany, and one Tidal Bore. was like when the climate was rather like Mexico — hot, And, on Saturday evening, after the banquet, entomolo humid, with infrequent, flash-flood rains — a time when gist Jeff Ogden spoke on mosquitoes and ticks in Nova rock falls occurred more often than rainfall, and sand- Scotia, with particular reference to West Nile disease packed basalts were slowly being compressed into the and Lyme disease. solid masses resembling bricks and mortar that we saw. We opted for the geology ‘Fossils in Parrsboro’ with Katherine Goodwin, Lab Manager of the Fundy Geologi Stop 4 was what looked like a giant, petrified termite cal Museum, and for the ‘Botany’ trip through many mound, called a sea stack. Two theories explain it. One different habitats at the Amherst Point Bird Sanctuary. purports a natural sand casting when lava was injected The weather was co-operative, with mostly lots of into a depth of sand and then cooled; the other, more sunshine and only a bit of wind. likely, is that, given the surrounding rock types, it was formed by erosion. FOSSILS IN PARRSBORO Stop 5 was an exciting ‘bone hash site’! Katherine Date: Saturday, 19 June took us back in time again to when small ancient lizards Place: Wasson Bluff scampered among the boulders and pebbles, preying Weather: Sunny with cloudy periods; whiff of showers; upon, and being preyed upon by, other reptiles. The tiny low tide! bones of these animals, and their unfortunate meals, Interpreter: Katherine Goodwin were preserved and can be seen in the sandstones Participants: ±30 1~ here. Wasson Bluff is on the northern shore of the Minas Stop 6, the ‘Arch’, illustrated a series of five lava flows Basin, almost directly across from Blomidon. After one on top of the other. Rock falls are frequent here, meeting at the Museum with Kathy, we convoyed to the and this stop generated discussions of the perils of cliffs, and walked down the gravelly access road to the geologists and paleontologists, and some fatal accidents rocky beach below the bluffs. The cliff face here is an that participants were familiar with. ancient geological fault where sections of the earth’s Stop 7 was an illustration of what happens when crust moved in the distant past, cutting the bedrock. flowing basaltic lava meets water. Seasonal floods from The Bay of Fundy is, in fact, a failed rift. Southern Nova the mountains to the north created stream channels and Scotia, once part of Africa, began to break away from shallow lakes. When the liquid basalt rose through the the northern part, but failed to do so completely. The thinning crust into the water, its surface cooled quickly. rocky, sandy beach had been thrust downward; the The molten interior continued to move however, giving basalt cliff had been thrust up. Looking over the Basin, the solid rock a flowing appearance. Further cooling left we could see the famous ‘Brothers’, two small islands cracks in the basalt. offshore. Stop 8 was the ‘Fish Bed’ where seasonal streams fed Stop 1 illustrated the birth of the Bay of Fundy. We a temporary lake. The sediments here contain fossil fish could see where large chunks of the rock layers had scales, bones, and coprolites (petrified/fossilised fae been pushed up, distorted, and broken (or faulted) 300 ces). Famous fossils of Protosuchus, Clevosaurus, and million years ago, during the Carboniferous Period. The Prosauropods have been found near here. Cobequid Mountains, which are part of the Appalachian chain (see “Appalachian Trail”, Summer Issue #115, p. Stop 9 was the Prosauropod site, discovered in 1973, 8), were pushed up, and the maroon-coloured layers of which finally, in 1984, proved to be the richest Triassic/ rock by the stream were tilted. During the Triassic Jurassic fossil site in the world. At least six partial Period, 75 million years later, earth’s continents began to skeletons have been found along this stretch of beach, drift apart and hot lava welled up through opening doubling the number of known Prosauropods in North fissures; this cooled lava formed the basalt rocks all America. All the fossil animals had seemed to be along the Bay of Fundy. trapped and swept along in a flow of mud, or sliding Stop 2 displayed the Triassic/Jurassic boundary, sand dune. More and more fossils continue to be found at this rich site. showing the maroon and grey sedimentary rocks of the Triassic protruding from beneath the older, darker Katherine supplied each participant with excellently basalts. These rocks revealed a very long time delay in prepared illustrated material, from which this write-up has been condensed. Thank you, Katherine, for a very, formation — 100 million years — the younger, upper basalts being part of a lava flow that extends to Boston! very interesting field trip. Two Islands, Five Islands, Cape Split, Digby Neck, and — Stephanie Robertson Brier Island are all parts of this structure. This Jurassic flow is directly on top of Triassic rock layers, and this sandstone and basalt is part of what is called the Newark Supergroup which stretches and fills basins from 5 A. clypeatacracca
CUMBERLAND COUNTY BIRDS A few new participants joined us there, while some of the Date: Saturday, 19 June morning group went off on plant or butterfly walks. Place: Wentworth Provincial Park to Amherst Point Bird The wind, which had been increasing during the day, Sanctuary, with points in between kept off biting insects, but also kept down small birds, Leader: Clarence Stevens, Sr. and made it hard to hear their songs. The waterfowl Weather: Sun and cloud, +12 with strong winds, and didn’t seem to mind, however, and these are the chief showers later in the day attraction at Amherst Point. The Sanctuary is part of the Participants: ± 20 Chignecto National Wildlife Area, and is a four hundred The Nova Scotia Bird Society sponsored a day-long hectare mosaic of natural wetlands over gypsum! field trip in Cumberland County to coincide with the limestone bedrock, including gypsum sinkholes, shallow FNSN weekend in Amherst. Fulton Lavender often leads lakes, and fertile marshes. Together with the freshwater trips in this area, but this time Clarence Stevens Sr. impoundments, constructed by the Canadian Wildlife kindly obliged, and led a large group to various well- Service with the assistance of Ducks Unlimited Canada, known birding spots in the county. this area has attracted an abundance of our regular The day began early, at Wentworth Provincial Park, ducks and geese. There are also many species which where we found a number of specialties of the region. are uncommon in Nova Scotia, as they are near the The hardwood hills and lush riverside host a few bird northeastern limit of their range here. These include species which I don’t see often in Halifax County. The Pied-billed Grebe, Gadwall, Northern Shoveller, Virginia birds were active, especially in the young birches and Rail, Sora, Common Moorhen, American Coot, Black cherry trees along the floodplain of the East Branch of Tern, and Marsh Wren. We saw most of these species the Wallace River, where it flows through the Park. I during our tour around the extensive grounds. We had also saw some of our commoner species for the first the good fortune to observe both Virginia Rails and time this year. Birds seen and/or heard there included Sora, as they played hide-and seek in the cattails. several woodpeckers, flycatchers, and warblers. A There are a variety of habitats for landbirds as well in particular pleasure was seeing an Eastern Phoebe. This the Sanctuary. The impoundments are separated by species rarely breeds in Nova Scotia, but a pair has narrow dykes, with footpaths between young birches and nested for many years under the Valley Road Bridge. A other hardwoods. There are many warblers and spar Broad-winged Hawk soared high overhead, affording rows here, and muskrats burrow in the dykes. In the good views, and leading to a discussion about identifica spruce forest we found singing Cape May Warblers, tion of hawks in flight. which are more commonly found in Cape Breton. In the Another fruitful stop was a logging road at Folly lush fields there were Bobolinks, and we enjoyed Mountain, where the highlight was a pair of Scarlet watching the males perform their ecstatic song flights Tanagers, a first for many. The bright, active male was high in the air above our heads. Afternoon showers easier to see than the subdued olive female. This is an ended our walk around the sanctuary, but a persistent even rarer bird in Nova Scotia, and the first nesting of few drove into town, where we visited one of the few the species to be documented in our province was only a nesting colonies of Purple Martins in the province. few years ago. We wondered if this pair could be We saw a great variety of birds during the trip, both breeding. Not to be outdone by an exotic visitor, a familiar species and regional specialties. While it is beautiful male Rose-breasted Grosbeak sang from the always fun to see rare birds, it is more reassuring to see tree-tops, competing for the admiration of the group. our regular birds return each year in healthy abundance, Several Yellow-bellied Sapsuckers were noisily excavat to breed in protected habitats. Thank you to Clarence ing a standing dead tree that was already riddled with for showing us so many Qf them.
their distinctive grids of holes. Eastern Wood-pewees - — Patricia Chalmers and Swainson’s Thrushes sang from the mature Sugar (The following I/st is drawn from my own observations; Maple woods beyond the huge piles of logs that were others may have seen additional spec/es): destined for the mill. CUMBERLAND COUNTY SPECIES We next drove along Valley Road to West Wentworth Common Loon Ga via immer Mountain and then to Stevens Mountain, where we Pied-billed Grebe Pod//ymbus pod/ceps searched the blueberry fields in vain for the Vesper American Bittern Botaurus lentiginosus Sparrows which tend to nest there. From the slope of Mallard Anas platyrhynchos Stevens Mountain we enjoyed a spectacular view over American Black Duck A. rubripes the other hills to the Northumberland Strait, where the Northern Pintail A. acuta Confederation Bridge shimmered in the haze. There American Wigeon A. americana were no Mourning Warbiers in the wet hardwood thickets Northern Shoveler where we have found them skulking in previous years, Blue-winged Teal A. di~cors but the wind may have made them lie low. A pair of Green-winged Teal Pileated Woodpeckers called raucously over West Ring-necked Duck Aythya callaris Wentworth Mountain, along with similar-sounding Broad-winged Hawk Buteo platypterus Northern Flickers. Bald Eagle Hali~etus leucocep/ia/us American Kestrel Alcos falcosparverius At Greenville Station, we enjoyed watching an Ameri Virginia Rail Rallus limicola can Kestrel hovering as it hunted over a blueberry field, Sora . Sara porzana carolina and Killdeers called from across the road. Kilideer Gharadrius vociferus We reached Amherst in time to have a quick lunch, Black Tern Gb//don/as niger and then regrouped at the Amherst Point Bird Sanctuary. Mourning Dove Zanaida macroura 6 Belted Kingfisher Ceryle a/cyon resolved to go on, despite the poor weather, but only as Yellow-bellied Sapsucker Sp/iyra p/ct’s var/us far as we had gone before. There are many trails, not Northern Flicker Co/aptes gauratus signposted, and the boundaries of the Nature Trust Pileated Woodpecker Dryocopus p//eatus property are not yet clearly marked either. Eastern Wood-Pewee Gontopus v/rens A trail begins at the school bus parking spot beside the Least Flycatcher ______Emp/donax minimus Eastern Phoebe Sayorn/s phoebe Purcell’s Cove Road, with a steep climb up through a Red-eyed Vireo V/reo o//vaceus rough, disturbed patch of rocky open ground. There are Blue-headed Vireo V. so//tar/us lots of Jack Pine here, and rusty red soil. Once into the Common Raven Gorvus corax hardwood thickets beyond, we found Juncos and White- Purple Martin Progne sub/c throats singing. This part of the path through the woods, Bank Swallow R~oar/a r~oar/c which is not within the Captain Arnell Conservation Tree Swallow Tachyc/neta b/co/or Lands, leads up to Purcell’s Pond, and parallels the Barn Swallow H/runo’o rust/ca outlet stream. The wet stony track has been washed out Golden-crowned Kinglet Regulus satrapa in places, and looks as though it carries a lot of the American Robin Turdus miqrator/us spring run-off. Some attractive shrubs which grow in the Veery Catliarus fuscescens understory of wet hardwood forests are here, such as Swainson’s Thrush C. ustu/atus Hobblebush and Witch-hazel. The property begins at Cedar Waxwing Bombydilla ceo’rorum the edge of Purcell’s Pond, where we admired some Northern Parula Parula americanum Pink Lady Slippers and lingered to watch a Black Duck Yellow Warbler Dendroica petec/i/a family with seven little ones. Then we followed the trail Chestnut-sided Warbler D. pensylvanica across the stream onto the Trust property, and climbed Magnolia Warbler D. magnolia Cape May Warbler D. tigrina uphill through a mixed conifer forest of Black Spruce, Yellow-rumped Warbler D. coronata and several species of Pine. Black-throated Green Warbler D. c~ru/escens We soon came out onto rugged granite outcrops Black-and-white Warbler Mn/oti/ta var/a overlooking the lake, with Broom-Crowberry and Rein American Redstart Setophaga rut/c//la deer Lichen growing in the thin soil. Glacial erratics Ovenbird Se/urus aurocapi//us were covered in Rock Tripe and other lichens. We Scarlet Tanager Piranga ollvacea listened as two Hermit Thrushes sang duets from across Rose-breasted Grosbeak Pheuct/cus ludovicianus the misty lake. A pair of Ring-necked Ducks were far out Nelson’s Sharp-tailed Sparrow Ammodramus nelsoni on the pond. Lesley Butters remarked that the land Savannah Sparrow Passerculus sandwichensis scape here reminded her of Lappland, which she has Song Sparrow Melospiza melodia visited with her sister who lives in Finland. Bernice Swamp Sparrow M. georgiana Moores and I, on the other hand, both thought of New Dark-eyed Junco dunco/iyema/is foundland’s barrens. We pondered the identity of a Bobolink ~ Do//chonyx oryzivorus warbler singing in the distance, but could not be sure Red-winged Blackbird ~ J~ Age/a/us phceniceus what it was. Common Grackle .4~- Quincalus quiscula Purple Finch Carpodacuspurpurus We did not go very far beyond Purcell’s Pond before American Goldfinch Carduelis tristis we turned back, as heavy rainclouds were darkening the skies. On the return hike, one of our group fell behind the rest and retreated behind some shrubbery. I was startled to hear a loud splash, and then realized that he had stripped off and plunged in for a swim, as the locals - do at this traditional swimming hole. We saw him swim ~ ..~ —~,. .~ across the lake and back, and when he rejoined us at the end of the trail, he reported the water to be fine.
CAPTAIN ARNELL ___ — Patricia Chalmers CONSERVATION LANDS ARNELL LANDS SPECIES Plants Date: Wednesday, 23 June Balsam Fir Abies balsamea Place: Purcell’s Cove, HRM Red Maple ‘ Acer rubrum Weather: Damp, cool, with occasional showers Alder .., A/nussp. Participants: 13 Indian Pear Amelanchiersp. The first of our promised field trips to the Nova Scotia Wild Sarsaparilla Ara/,a midicaulis Nature Trust’s latest acquisition, the Captain Arnell White Birch Beta/a papynfera Conservation Lands, took place on a weekday in late Wire Birch Be/u/a popu//folia June. We met on a cool, damp evening, with intermittent Leatherleaf Gham.~daphne calycu/ata rain. We hoped to have a member of the Field family Blue-bead Lily Clinton/a borealis guide us on the route, but at the last minute Tyler was Goldthread Capt/s tr/folia unable to come. While Bob and I had been there before, Broom-Crowberry Corema conrad,l neither of us has gone much beyond Purcell’s Pond, and Bunchberry Comas canadens/s we weren’t sure of the way to Flat Lake. Burkhard Pink Lady’s Slipper ~ Cypnpecliumacau/e Bush Honeysuckle ~ Diervilla lonicera Plache was with us and he has explored the trails, but ~ Huckleberry ~ Gay/ussacia baccata he hadn’t been into these woods since Hurricane Juan, Witch-hazel ~ Hamame/is virginiana which has altered the routes and landmarks. We Sheep Laurel 4 ~ ~ Ka/mia angustifolia 7 Labrador Tea Ledum groenland/cum The wet swale between the caretaker’s house and the
Wild Lily of the Valley Ma,ant/iemum canadense smaller barn had many Eyed Browns — always a chancy
Partridgeberry Mitchella repens butterfly — and we got good looks at them. The only Mountain Holly Nemopanthus mucronata other satyr we saw at this location was Common Ringlet Yellow Pond Lily Nuphar var/egata (not so common that day). We saw several Summer Cinnamon Fern Osmunda c/nnamomea Azures, but the Silvery Blues didn’t make an appearance Black Spruce P/cea manana — perhaps it was too late in the year. We also enjoyed Red Spruce P/cea rubens some charming hummingbird clearwing moths, cute little Jack Pine P/ntis banks/ana bee imposters, but with giveaway bold black antennae. Scotch Pine P/ntis sylvestric Eastern White Pine P/ntis strobus The drumlin hill was hot and dry (and somewhat more Rhodora Rhododenron canadense vertical than usual), and while we enjoyed climbing it, Red-berried Elder Sambucus pubens there was little new to add to the list. The hoped-for Mountain Ash Sorbus sp. Common Branded-Skippers were not located this time. Startlower Tr/ental/s borealis When we returned to the parking lot, some of the Eastern Hemlock Tsuga canadens/s group broke off, but a few hardy souls pressed on the to Foxberry Vacchi/um v/tLc-/daea Pockwock Road, and were rewarded with a few more Blueberry Vaccin/um sp. species. The first new ones were our third satyr of the Hobblebush Viburnum alnifol/um day, the showy Northern Pearly-eye. Several Pink-edged Witherod Viburnum cass/no/des Sulphurs were netted and examined closely to convince Lichens us that they were not the much more common Clouded Reindeer Lichen Gladonla sp. Sulphurs. The differences are subtle and it certainly Rock Tripe Umbil/carla sp. helps to see them at close range (or through a good pair Old Man’s Beard (Isnea sp. of binoculars) in order to be certain. Our final new Birds species of the day was Bog Copper, located by the American Black Duck Anas rubnpes sharp eyes of Terry Paquet. These tiny coppers look Ring-necked Duck Ayt/iya collans much like blues underneath, but the top surface is a Hermit Thrush Catharus guttatus beautiful iridescent brownish-purple. We have seen them Warbler Family Parulidae at a bog on this road some years, but most years they White-throated Sparrow Zonotr/chla a/b/co//is appear to be absent. We were hoping for a good crop of Dark-eyed Junco .Junco hyemal/s knapweed at the bridge, because this is always a great Purple Finch Garpodacus purpureus site for large fritillaries and other nymphalids, but alas American Goldfinch Gardueljs fr/st/s the flowers were almost absent, and so we saw only a very few fast fly-byes, pretty much unidentifiable. We did get good looks at a huge damsel fly, the Ebony Jewelwing, as partial compensation. All in all a delightful day, lots of good butterflies and pleasant company!
— Peter Payzant
BUTTERFLIES II SPECIES BUTTERFLIES II Pink-edged Sulphur Go//as Inter/or Summer Azure Gelastriha arg/o/us DATE: Saturday, 17 July Bog Copper Lycaena epixanthe PLACE: Uniacke Estate Museum Park Atlantis Fritillary Speyer/a at/ant/s WEATHER: Mostly sunny, 29 C, light winds Harris’ Checkerspot Ghlosyne barr/sd INTERPRETERS: Peter and Linda Payzant Northern Pearl Crescent Phyc/odes se/en/s PARTICIPANTS: 17 White Admiral L/men/ti~ arthem/s It was an ideal day for butterflying, and the seventeen Northern Pearly-eye Enod/a anthedon eager participants saw lots of leps, both butterflies and Eyed Brown Satyrodes euiyd/ce moths. We had a total of four nets with us, and this Ringlet Goenonympha tullia allowed many people to catch, examine, identify and European Skipper Thyme//cus fineola release butterflies on their own. Peck’s Skipper Po//tes peck/us As usual, we started at Uniacke Estate Museum Park. Tawny-edged Skipper Po//tes them/stocles Long Dash Pol/tes mystic Our first lep was a bright and fresh White Admiral flitting Hobomok Skipper Poanes around the parking lot. As we moved up into the field behind the caretaker’s house, we could see a good crop of Black Knapweed, always a good sign. There were plenty of skippers this trip, as well as many Northern Pearl Crescents. Before long, we were seeing Harris’ Checkerspot, and we spent some time learning the differences between this and the similar Pearl Crescent. Unlike previous years, there were very few large fritil aries, but we did manage to have a good look at an Atlantis Fritillary and identify two good field marks: the dark border on the wings and the cool blue-gray eyes. 8 ALMANAC ~ 0 * This almanac is for the dates of events which are not found in our HFN programme: for field trips or lectures which members might like to attend, or natural happenings to watch for, such as eclipses, comets, average migration dates, expected blooming seasons, etc. Please suggest other suitable items.
‘It is only here in large portions of Canada that wondrous second wind, the Indian summer, attains its amplitude and a heavenly perfection, — the temperatures, the sunny haze, the mellow, rich, delicate, almost flavored air: ‘Enough to live — enough to merely be’.”
— Walt Whitman, Diary in Canada, entry from the summer of 1880
NATURAL EVENTS 22 Sept. Autumnal Equinox at 12:29 ADT: Fall begins in the Northern Hemisphere. 28 Sept. First anniversary of Hurricane Juan’s arrival in Halifax. 28 Sept. Full Moon — this is the ‘Harvest Moon’. Moonrise is at 10:09 ADT. 30 Sept. Average date for first frost in Halifax (Environment Canada says there is only a 1:10 chance of frost before this date). Look forward to 210 days of frosty weather. 27 Oct. Full Moon — this is the ‘Hunter’s Moon’. Moonrise is at 00:08 ADT. 27 Oct. TOTAL LUNAR ECLIPSE! The moon begins to enter Earth’s shadow at 23:14 ADT and clears it at 02:54. Optimum viewing will be around 00:20. 31 Oct. Daylight Savings Time ends (clocks are set back one hour to Atlantic Standard Time) at 02:00. 4-5 Nov. Venus and Jupiter in conjunction in the pre-dawn sky. 22 Nov. Daily minimum temperature goes below 0. 26 Nov. Full Moon. Moonrise is at 16:08 AST. 7 Dec. Daily average temperature goes below 0.. 8-10 Dec. Earliest sunset of the year at 16:34 AST. 12 Dec. Moon at Perigee; unusually high tides follow for the next two days. 13 Dec. Geminid Meteor Shower. 14 Dec. - to 5 Jan. Audubon Christmas Bird Count Period. 21 Dec. Winter Solstice at 08:39 AST: Winter begins in the Northern Hemisphere; but though the temperature drops, the days begin to lengthen. 26 Dec. Full Moon. Moonrise is at 11:07 AST. 26-31 Dec. Latest sunrise of the year at 07:51 AST.
— Sources: Atmospheric Environment Service, Climate Normals 1951 -80 HalIfax (Shearwater A) N.S.; Biomidon Naturalists Society’s 2004 Calendar; Burke-Gaffney Observatory, Saint Mary’s University.
SUNRISE AND SUNSET ON AUTUMN AND EARLY WINTER SATURDAYS 4 Sept. 06:41 19:45 2 Oct. 07:14 18:53 11 Sept. 06:49 19:32 9 Oct. 07:23 18:40 18 Sept. 06:57 19:19 16 Oct. 07:32 18:28 25 Sept. 07:06 19:06 23 Oct. 07:41 18:16 30 Oct. 07:50 18:06 6 Nov. 07:00 16:57 4 Dec. 07:35 16:35 13 Nov. 07:09 16:49 11 Dec. 07:42 16:35 20 Nov. 07:18 16:42 18 Dec. 07:47 16:36 27 Nov. 07:27 16:38 25 Dec. 07:50 16:40
— Courtesy of David Lane, Burke-Gaffney Observatory, Saint Mary’s University
ORGANISATIONAL EVENTS Biomidon Naturalists Society: indoor meetings are on the 3rd Mon. of the month, in the The K.C. Irving Environmen tal Science Centre auditorium on University Avenue in Woifviile, 7:30 p.m. Field trips usually depart from the Robie Tufts Nature Centre, Front St., Wolfville. For more information, go to
Burke-Gaffney Observatory: Public shows at the Burke-Gaffney Observatory at Saint Mary’s University are on the 1st and 3rd Sat. of each month. From Jun. through Sept. they are every Saturday. Tours begin at 7:00 p.m., Nov. 1-Mar. 30; and at either 9:00 p.m. or 10:00 p.m., Apr. 1-Oct. 31. For more information, 496-8257; or go to
9 Friends of McNabs Island: More info, Dusan Soudek, 422-1045; or go to
Maritime Museum of the Atlantic: For more information, 424-7490; or go to
Nova Scotia Bird Society: Indoor meetings every 4th Thurs., Sept. to May, at the N.S. Museum of Natural History, 7:30 p.m. For more info, Suzanne Borkowski, 445-2922; or go to
Nova Scotia Department of Natural Resources: Many outings that will take place in Provincial Parks are listed in the “Parks are for People” Programme, available free from the Dept. at 424-4321, at many museums, parks, and tourist bu reaus, and on the web at
Nova Scotia Lighthouse Preservation Society: Meets monthly at the Maritime Museum of the Atlantic, and organises visits to lighthouses, including boat trips to islands. For more information, go to Nova Scotia Museum of Natural History: For more info, 424-6099, 424-7353; or go to - to 26 Sept. “Giants of the Sea: Leatherback Turtles”, an exhibit created by the Vancouver Aquarium. - to 11 Oct. “Five Crows Silver”, with works by five Nova Scotian artists. - to 31 Oct. “Sable Island Exhibit”. 22 Sept. “The Atlantic Whitefish: Hope for an Endangered Species?”, with Dan Hasselman of Dalhousie University. 29 Sept. “Willow Withes & Basket Lore with a Master Craftsman”, with Werner Turtschi of the Swiss Open Air Museum. 29 Sept. - to 30 Nov. “Juan Remembered”, an exhibit of paintings by Halifax artist Paul Hannon. 16 Oct. “Two Fall Colours Walks at Uniacke Estate Museum Park”, with Museum botanist Alex Wilson. 20 Oct. “Mountains in the Maritimes: Exploring our Geological Heritage”, with Brendan Murphy of St. F.X.U. 10 Nov. “Nova Scotia Landmarks” with photographer Len Wagg. 13-14 Nov. “Orchid Society Fall Show & Sale.” 15 Nov. - through Apr. “Trace Fossil Mystery”, an interactive exhibit. 17 Nov. “It’s a Shore Thing; Human Impacts on Beaches”, with Bob Taylor of the Geological Survey of Canada. Nova Scotia Nature Trust: For more information, 425-5263; or go to Nova Scotia Wild Flora Society: Meets 4th Mon. of the month, Sept. to May, at the N. S. Museum of Natural History, 7:30 p.m. For more information, Charles Cron, 477-8272 (after 6 p.m.); or go to 27 Sept. “From Arizona to Southwestern California — Travels and Wildflowers” with speaker Anne Mills. 25 Oct. “Getting Your Lawn off Grass; Naturalising Urban Habitat”, with Dr. Bill Freedman, Dalhousie University. Photographic Guild of Nova Scotia: Meets 2nd Mon. of the month, and the 1st and 3rd Sundays of the month, N.S. Museum of Natural History, 7:30 p.m. Shows are held at Saint Mary’s University, Theatre A, Burke Education Centre. For more information, go to Royal AstronomIcal Society of Canada (Halifax Chapter): Meets 3rd Fri. of each month, Room Li 76, Loyola Academic Building, Saint Mary’s University, 8:00 p.m. For more information, go to — compiled by Patricia L. 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