The Canadian Field-Naturalist (E-Journal)
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Habitat use by Veery (Catharus fuscescens) in southern Ontario
Get PDFVeery (Catharus fuscescens) is a breeding migrant thrush that nests throughout much of the temperate forests within Canada. Habitat loss and degradation is thought to be responsible for a steady decline in Veery populations since 1970. We studied habitat characteristics of occupied Veery territories versus unoccupied adjacent areas in southern Ontario during the 2016 breeding season. Occupied territories were characterized as riparian deciduous forests dominated by ash (Fraxinus spp.), Black Cherry (Prunus serotina), and Red Maple (Acer rubrum) trees with an understorey of Balsam Fir (Abies balsamea) and ferns (order Polypodiales); the presence of fruit-producing plants such as Riverbank Grape (Vitis riparia) and Bunchberry (Cornus canadensis) also was important
"The Reign of Wolf 21: The Saga of Yellowstone’s Legendary Druid Pack" by Rick McIntyre, 2020. [book review]
No full textLoon abundance and behaviour over four decades at a remote ecological reserve on Haida Gwaii, British Columbia, Canada
Get PDFEarly studies (1976–1982) of the Drizzle Lake Ecological Reserve on Haida Gwaii, British Columbia focussed on the endemic Giant Threespine Stickleback (Gasterosteus aculeatus) and their predators. These surveys showed daily visits to the small lake (110 ha) by up to 59 adult non-breeding Common Loon (Gavia immer), an important stickleback predator and up to 19 breeding and non-breeding adult Red-throated Loon (Gavia stellata), which leave daily to forage in nearby marine waters. We continued loon surveys for 17 additional years (1983–1989, 2011–2020) and found that aggregations of non-breeding Common Loons occurred annually on the lake during July with maximum daily numbers of 78–83 individuals in 1987, 2018, and 2020 and a large increase from 2011 to 2020. We did not detect any relationship of these differences with the Pacific Decadal Oscillation but a significant inverse correlation with average wind speed. Average yearly numbers of Red-throated Loons declined by 50% from 1976 to 1989 and have remained low, with lowest numbers (<2) occurring in 2017. Two Red-throated Loon nesting territories on the lake were occupied from 1976 to 1995, with chicks occurring in 24 of 36 nests, but no successful nesting was observed on the lake over the last decade. The relative decline of Red-throated Loon in this reserve is similar to that reported in Arctic and Subarctic surveys of the species in the north Pacific and northern Europe. We discuss the implications for the evolutionary ecology of the sticklebacks and the conservation of the ecological reserve
"Flora of Oregon. Volume 1: Pteridophytes, Gymnosperms, and Monocots" edited by Stephen C. Myers, Thea Jaster, Katie E. Mitchell, and Linda K. Hardiston, 2015; and "Flora of Oregon. Volume 2: Dicots Aizoaceae - Fagaceae" edited by Stephen C. Myers, Thea Jaster, Katie E. Mitchell, Tanya Harvey, and Linda K. Hardiston, 2020. [book review]
No full text"Herbarium: The Quest to Preserve & Classify the World’s Plants" by Barbara M. Thiers, 2020. [book review]
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Epimeletic behaviour in a Southern Resident Killer Whale (Orcinus orca)
Get PDFSouthern Resident Killer Whale (SRKW, Orcinus orca) may be found year round in the Salish Sea. These orcas comprise three matrilineal pods (J, K, and L) and were listed as Endangered under the Canadian Species at Risk Act in 2003 and under the United States Endangered Species Act in 2005 because of prey scarcity, vessel noise and disturbance, small population size, and exposure to toxins. Since 1993, the Whale Museum has been operating Soundwatch, a boater education program for vessels. Soundwatch personnel are on the water in the central Salish Sea throughout the summer educating boaters on how to maneuver near marine mammals legally and documenting vessel regulation violations and marine mammal presence and behaviour. Starting on 24 July 2018, Soundwatch documented an adult female SRKW of J pod (J35) carrying a dead neonate calf. J35 continued to carry her dead calf for 17 consecutive days covering ~1600 km. Her story riveted the attention of the people of the Salish Sea as well as people around the world, evoking empathy for J35 and her loss as well as the plight of the Endangered SRKW population. Here, we tell her story and evaluate whether the behaviour J35 displayed toward her dead calf was an example of epimeletic behaviour, animal grief
