The Canadian Field-Naturalist (E-Journal)
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Apparent wing-assisted incline running in a Common Grackle (Quiscalus quiscula)
Get PDFWing-assisted incline running (WAIR) has been observed in bird taxa from multiple clades. Its wide phylogenetic distribution in modern birds suggests that it is an ancestral trait for class Aves. WAIR as a behaviour is speculated to predate the evolution of full-powered flight, and to have formed a behavioural and physiological stepping stone between terrestrial and aerial life. Here I report an observation of apparent WAIR in a Common Grackle (Quiscalus quiscula) photographed incidentally on a trail camera deployed in an urban backyard in Guelph, Ontario, Canada. To my knowledge this is the first documented observation of apparent WAIR for the family Icteridae. Furthermore, it highlights the value of non-systematic use of trail cameras for making unique natural history observations
Confirmation of Shining Firmoss (Huperzia lucidula; Lycopodiaceae) in Manitoba
Get PDFThe occurrence of Shining Firmoss (Huperzia lucidula; Lycopodiaceae) in Manitoba has been suspected since 1943 but unconfirmed. The discovery at the herbarium of the University of Manitoba of a non-accessioned specimen, collected in Riding Mountain National Park (RMNP), Manitoba, confirmed that the species occurred in the province. At about the same time, a thriving colony of Shining Firmoss was discovered at Gunisao Lake, ~380 km to the northeast of the RMNP site. Shining Firmoss is now established as a rare, widely dispersed element in Manitoba’s flora
Comments on: Tyler Wheeldon and Brent Patterson. 2022. Dispelling myths about the origins of wolf–coyote hybrids and related Canis species in Ontario. Canadian Field-Naturalist 136: 139–144.
Get PDFWithout an over-arching biodiversity protection act, what protections exist for biodiversity in British Columbia? A case study of Oldgrowth Specklebelly Lichen (Pseudocyphellaria rainierensis)
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Distribution, status, and habitat characteristics of Columbia Quillwort (Isoetes minima, Isoetaceae) in Canada
Get PDFIn Canada, the globally rare lycophyte, Columbia Quillwort (Isoetes minima), is currently known from four subpopulations, all within a 25-km radius of Castlegar in the Selkirk and Monashee Mountain ranges of southern British Columbia. These constitute just over a quarter of all known subpopulations in Canada and the United States. The species is found in Canada in sloping pocket meadows that are naturally fragmented within a larger forested matrix. The plants grow in spring seepage areas in thin soils that discourage the establishment of larger, more vigorous vascular plant competitors. Long combined within Isoetes howellii (sensu lato), I. minima has only recently been confirmed to be a distinct species, and, in 2019, it was assessed as Endangered by the Committee on the Status of Endangered Wildlife in Canada (COSEWIC). We build on information in the COSEWIC status report by describing the species’ morphology and ecology in greater detail and provide a comparison of critical identification features of closely related species as well as a dichotomous key for Isoetes species in British Columbia
Mallard (Anas platyrhynchos) drake observed consuming an adult Western Tiger Salamander (Ambystoma mavortium)
Get PDFWe observed a Mallard (Anas platyrhynchos) drake consuming an adult Western Tiger Salamander (Ambystoma mavortium) in the southern interior of British Columbia, Canada. To our knowledge, this is the first published report of this predator–prey interaction. We outline the events of the short observation, briefly discuss natural history of the predator and prey relevant to the observed interaction, and provide chronological photographs of the event