JOURNAL OF THE HAMILTON NATURALISTS’ CLUB Protecting Nature Since 1919 Volume 72 Number 9 Celebrating 100 Years! May 2019 Our “Passport to Nature” pamphlet: To record HNC events that you attend in our celebration year. This pamphlet can be downloaded from our website or can be picked up at Monthly Meetings or Bird Study Group meetings - pamphlet photo Bronwen Tregunno. The background image is Bronte Woods on 15 May 2018 - photo Bob Curry. In This Issue: Member Profile - Mike Street Results of the 2018 Hamilton Christmas Bird Count Slaty-backed Gull - New to the Hamilton Area In Memoriam - Norman Pomfret Reflections from late-1940sWood Ducks Table of Contents Birds in the Heart of India with Peter Middleton Michael Rowlands 196 Species New to the Hamilton Bird Checklist Bob Curry 197 Member Profile - Mike Street Bill Lamond 199 A Vision of Feminine Beauty Ronald Bayne 200 Jr. Volunteer of the Year for 2018 - Herman van Barneveld Jim Stollard 201 Sr. Volunteer of the Year for 2018 - Dean Gugler Jim Stollard 201 Dundas Turtle Watch - Media Release Joanna Chapman 202 In Memoriam - Norman Pomfret – Nature Lover Mary Pomfret 203 Dates to Remember – May & June 2019 Rob Porter/Liz Rabishaw 204 Reflections From the Past - Wood Duck Articles From the Late-1940s Various 206 Slaty-backed Gull - New to the Hamilton Study Area Rich Poort/James Lees 207 Monitoring Lichen for Air Quality Carolyn Zanchetta 208 The 98th Hamilton Christmas Bird Count Rob Porter 209 HNC Wins Group Award of Merit from NPCA NPCA press release 211 Environmental Changes in Ontario Bill Lamond 213 WELO (West End of Lake Ontario) Survey Report - 9 February, 2019 Chris Motherwell 214 HNC Hike Report – Looking at Lichens Alf Senior 215 100th Anniversary Dinner Tickets Now Available !!! “A special anniversary should have a special celebration and when it’s your 100th anniversary, that celebration should be extra-special! We are capping our 100th anniversary year with a prestigious dinner event at the beautiful Liuna Station in downtown Hamilton on Saturday, 2 November. Michael Runtz, a natural history lecturer, writer, photographer, and broadcaster, will be our guest speaker. See Debbie Lindeman after Club meetings to purchase your ticket for $75.00. You don’t have the money right now? Don’t worry, she’ll be selling tickets at the Monthly and Bird Study Group meetings during the months leading up to the big event. Ordering tickets is available now on-line at EventBrite, with the link on our website, hamiltonnature.org.” Page 194 The Wood Duck - May, 2019 Volume 72 Number 9 May 2019 CN ISSN 0049-7886 - Publications Mail Contract No. 40048074 http://www.hamiltonnature.org [email protected] Publications Committee: Christine Bishop, Martin Daly, Rob Dobos, Kevin McLaughlin, Don McLean, Herman van Barneveld, Glenda Slessor, Jean Stollard, Jim Stollard and John Struger. The Wood Duck is the official publication of the Hamilton Naturalists’ Club and produced by members of the Club. It is published nine times a year from September to May, inclusive. Deadline for receipt of material is the 5th of the month preceding publication date. As long as credit lines are included, articles may be reprinted without permission, unless otherwise specified. Opinions expressed in the Wood Duck are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of the Editor or of the Hamilton Naturalists’ Club. The Hamilton Naturalists’ Club promotes public interest in the study, conservation and appreciation of our natural heritage. Meetings are held monthly September to May inclusive and field events are scheduled throughout the year. Visitors are welcome. The HNC is a registered charity and all donations as well as membership fees are tax deductible. HNC BOARD 2019 - 2020 Executive Past President Maggie Sims 905 331 1496 [email protected] President: Bronwen Tregunno 905 637 7136 [email protected] Vice-President: Chris Motherwell *** *** **** [email protected] Secretary: Joyce Litster 905 627 1203 [email protected] Treasurer: Jim Stollard 905 634 3538 [email protected] Directors Bird Study Group: Bruce Mackenzie 905 973 4869 [email protected] Conservation & Education: Gord McNulty 905 525 9927 [email protected] Field Events: Rob Porter 905 920 3148 [email protected] Director-at-Large: Jackson Hudecki 905 516 4253 [email protected] Membership: Jill Baldwin 905 679 6447 [email protected] Programs: Lou Mitton *** *** **** [email protected] Publicity: Andrea MacLeod *** *** **** [email protected] Sanctuary: Brian Wylie 905 627 4601 [email protected] Volunteer: Cleo Coppolino *** *** **** [email protected] Wood Duck Editor: Bill Lamond 519 756 9546 [email protected] Coordinators Website Coordinator: vacant Social Coordinator: Catharine Flatt 905 628 2030 [email protected] Junior Naturalists: Brian Wylie 905 627 4601 [email protected] Mailing: Jean Stollard 905 634 3538 [email protected] Land Trust Program: Jen Baker 905 524 3339 [email protected] Report rare bird sightings to: Cheryl Edgecombe 905-637-5923 Send Noteworthy Bird Records to: Bill Lamond, 238 St. George St, Brantford, N3R 1W7 email: [email protected] MEMBERSHIP FEES – Please remit to The Membership Director, HNC PUBLICATIONS - To order, contact Bill Lamond Hamilton Naturalists’ Club P.O.Box 89052, Hamilton, ON, L8S 4R5 519 756 9546 or [email protected] Life Membership $900.00 Hamilton Nature Counts 2003 $75.00 Single Membership $45.00 Hamilton Area Bird Checklist 2019 NEW $2.00 Senior Single Membership $40.00 Head of the Lake Nature Guide $8.00 Date Guide to the Birds of the Hamilton Study Area NEW $5.00 Student Single Membership (on-line-only free access to Wood Duck; for those 25 or under) Checklist of Ontario Butterflies $1.50 Senior Joint Membership $45.00 Birds of Hamilton and Surrounding Areas $25.00 Family Membership $50.00 (order from Glenn Barrett at [email protected]) Junior Naturalists - 1st child $80.00 Hamilton Mammal Atlas $15.00 Junior Naturalists - additional children $70.00 A Monthly Guide to Nature and Conservation $5.00 Honorary Life Member n/a Reptiles and Amphibians of Hamilton Area (check local library) The Wood Duck - May, 2019 Page 195 Editor’s Notes........ Hello everyone — I trust everyone is enjoying nature - the birds returning, the flowers blooming, the frogs calling. So many things here that I need to remind you of of in our centennial year. First is the Passport to Nature, the cover of which is reproduced on the front cover. This pamphlet is available at Club meetings and outings but can also be down-loaded from the website. Dinner tickets for our most special night at Liuna Station on 2 November 2019 are discussed on the inside of the front cover. The newDate Guide and the new Hamilton Area Bird Checklist 2019 are now available at Club Meetings and can be ordered with the info provided on page 195. On the back cover is the first of the Anniversary shirts that the HNC is providing. Ordering is available until 14 May so if you want one you will have to act fast. Not to be confused is the HAMR BRDR tee (Hammer Birder). Ordering for that shirt ended in April but a limited selection of shirts will be available for sale at the May Monthly Meeting. Progress on our Centennial Book is moving along and the book should be available in August or September. More on this exciting project later. There are several interesting articles in this Wood Duck. I hope you enjoy them. One of the articles describes the new species that were added to the new Hamilton Area Bird Checklist 2019. One of the species is Slaty-backed Gull, the most recent addition to the checklist. Another article herein describes the circumstances of this first record of Slaty-backed Gull in the Hamilton area. It is a great read. For me, it was an amazing experience to see one Slaty-backed Gull at the Brantford dump let alone two. It was surrealistic when our second view of the Slaty-backed Gull, shortly after our first view after the gulls had all taken flight, did not look the same. “Hey, didn’t this bird have an unmarked bill?” And wasn’t the head a lot more streaked”. We soon realized this was a different bird. The first bird was definitely a Slaty-backed Gull as we saw the “string-of-pearls” on the spread wing. What was this second bird? It had pink legs too, so thinking there couldn’t possibly be two Slaty-backed Gulls, this must be a pink-legged Lesser Black-backed Gull, a rare occurrence, but known to happen. But on studying this bird in flight we saw the “string-of-pearls” on this other bird too! Two Slaty-backed Gulls! Bird Study Group Meeting Summary – 18 March, 2019 Birds in the Heart of India with Peter Middleton by Michael Rowlands ird Study Group director Bruce Mackenzie met our evening’s of lowlands and highlands, it’s mostly a dry Bspeaker, Peter Middleton, on the Petrel Point Trail on the tropical rainforest. It also features the remains Bruce Peninsula last June. Peter had an early interest in birds, of an old fort and some sizeable padams having watched his father banding birds in Scotland, where he (ponds) that attract wildlife such as Sambars was born. After coming to Canada in 1952, Peter became an and Cheetals (deer-like mammals), Indian outdoor educator, principal, and respected field ornithologist and Boars, Grey Langurs, and Bengal Tigers. Birds of note were Indian Peafowl (like a pheasant), guide. He served 11 years on Toronto Islands helping younger Mike Rowlands generations understand and respect nature and 25 years at the Spot-billed Duck, Wood Sandpiper, Pheasant- selfie. Bruce County Education Centre.