The Canadian Field-Naturalist (E-Journal)
Not a member yet
2472 research outputs found
Sort by
Canada Jay (Perisoreus canadensis) harvesting and caching fruits of Thin-leaved Snowberry (Symphoricarpos albus)
Full text linkOn 17 September 2021, we observed three Canada Jay (Perisoreus canadensis) harvesting and caching Thin-leavedSnowberry (Symphoricarpos albus) fruits in a mixed conifer forest in western Montana, USA. Thin-leaved Snowberry hasnot been reported previously in their diet. During 3 min of direct observation, each jay harvested snowberries similarly and cached them on the trunks of nearby pines. In each case (11 caches), the jay flew by the snowberry shrubs twice, plucking a fruit while airborne, landing on the ground between passes, the first fruit carried in the throat, the second in the bill. The jays then landed, most often out of view on tree trunks, but, nevertheless, appeared to cache the fruits each time. One cache observed in the making contained two harvested fruits wedged in a crevice on the trunk and covered with a flake of bark. Thin-leaved Snowberry is considered a low-quality fall-ripening fruit because of the small energy gain for each fruit consumed. Nevertheless, the energy density of snowberries (16.65 kJ/g dry mass) collected at the same location in October exceeded that required by non-migratory Canada Jays for daily maintenance during winter. It is unlikely jays could cache enough fruits each day to sustain them for several winter months. Instead, snowberries could be an important and readily available autumn and winter food for Canada Jays resident in this region when used to supplement other stored foods with greater energy, fat, and protein content
Assessing terrestrial movements of Eastern Musk Turtle (Sternotherus odoratus) using iNaturalist Canada
Full text linkEastern Musk Turtle (Sternotherus odoratus) is known to be a highly aquatic species, yet it is occasionally found away from waterbodies. If such movements are common, then road mortality may pose a substantial risk to the species. We examined iNaturalist Canada observations of Eastern Musk Turtle on roads and found 15 in which individuals were >25 m from water. The median distance to the nearest permanent waterbody was 100 m (range 30–330 m). All observations that were ≥100 m from the nearest waterbody occurred from mid-July onward, suggesting that the movements were not related to nesting activity. At least under some circumstances, Eastern Musk Turtle can move >100 m away from waterbodies increasing the risk of road mortality
"An Immense World: How Animal Senses Reveal the Hidden Realms Around Us" by Ed Yong, 2022 [book review]
No full text"The Canada Jay: the National Bird of Canada?" by David Bird, Dan Strickland, Ryan Norris, Alain Goulet, Aaron Kylie, Mark Nadjiwan, Michel Gosselin, and Colleen Archer, foreword by Robert Bateman, 2022 [book review]
Full text link"Luschiim’s Plants: Traditional Indigenous Foods, Materials and Medicines" by Luschiim Arvid Charlie and Nancy J. Turner, 2021 [book review]
Full text linkChilostigma itascae (Trichoptera: Limnephilidae), a globally rare caddisfly new for Canada
Full text linkHeadwater Chilostigman Caddisfly (Chilostigma itascae) is an enigmatic winter-active caddisfly previously reported solelyfrom Minnesota. This note reports the first Canadian records from southern Manitoba and northwestern Ontario
