The Canadian Field-Naturalist (E-Journal)
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Observations of Long-distance Post-release Dispersal by Reintroduced Bison (Bison bison)
Get PDFKey objectives of wildlife reintroduction projects should include encouraging post-release site fidelity and high survival rates of founding individuals. Yet, few studies empirically evaluate these performance metrics for released individuals. Bison(Bison bison) restoration is receiving renewed interest by wildlife managers. To inform new bison reintroduction projects, we provide an observation of a 375-km (straight-line distance) post-release movement of three bison bulls from a release site in Yukon, Canada, in 1988. In addition, we note 250-km and 155-km post-release movements of bison in the Northwest Territories, Canada, in 1980 and 1998, respectively. These observations demonstrate the dispersal ability of bison encountering new environments. Wildlife managers planning for new bison reintroductions should consider means to enhance post-release site fidelity to limit long-distance dispersal and mortality and maximize initial population growth
Annual and Seasonal Variation in Shorebird Abundance in the St. Lawrence River Estuary during Fall Migration
Get PDFMany north American shorebird populations are declining. it is therefore urgent to identify major sites used during their annual cycle to achieve effective conservation measures. our objective was to expand some aspects of the knowledge base needed to assess the ecological value of the St. Lawrence River Estuary for shorebird conservation. Here, we present the results of the most intensive shorebird survey ever conducted in the St. Lawrence River Estuary during fall migration. Surveys were conducted between St-Jean-Port-Joli and St-Simon-sur-Mer, Quebec, Canada, in 2011 and 2012, from late June/early July through late november, corresponding to the migration period of all species potentially present in the study area. The Semipalmated Sandpiper (Calidris pusilla) was one of the two most abundant species during both years of our study (most abundant species, followed by Dunlin [Calidris alpina] and Black-bellied Plover [Pluvialis squatarola] in 2011; second to Blackbellied Plover in 2012). Considering the entire shorebird community, abundance of individuals peaked in early September. Peak abundance occurred earlier for adults than for juveniles. For most species, juveniles largely outnumbered adults. Juveniles were relatively less abundant in 2012 than in 2011. This reflected a general trend observed in northeastern north America between those years, suggesting a lower breeding success in 2012. Given its importance as a staging site for juvenile birds (study area used annually by up to a few hundred thousand shorebirds) and therein, its conservation value, we recommend that the St. Lawrence River Estuary should be included within the Western Hemisphere Shorebird Reserve network
Side to Side Swaying as a Defensive Behaviour in the Dekay’s Brownsnake (Storeria dekayi)
Get PDFWhen discovered by humans, Dekay’s Brownsnake (Storeria dekayi) exhibits a range of defensive behaviours that are likely used to cope with a variety of potential predators. After being handled, a brownsnake at Rondeau Provincial Park, Ontario, Canada, was observed to coil the anterior portion of its body and to sway the coil from side to side as it attempted to flee. Swaying has rarely been documented in Dekay’s Brownsnake and may be a tactic to distract or confuse a visually oriented predator
Increased Bufflehead (Bucephala albeola) Breeding Activity in Minnesota
Get PDFBuffleheads (Bucephala albeola) predominantly nest in the boreal forests and aspen parklands of Canada and Alaska. Historically, Buffleheads were common migrants but not summer residents in Minnesota. However, recent observations in Minnesota and surrounding states suggest increased breeding activity in the region. In 1978, the first Bufflehead brood in Minnesota was recorded at East Park Wildlife Management Area. Annually, Agassiz National Wildlife Refuge (NWR) has conducted pair and brood surveys, with species-specific records available from 1990 to 2014. We report an increase in numbers of Bufflehead breeding pairs and broods at Agassiz NWR and new pair observations in surrounding areas
Diverse Ecological Pathways of Salmon Nutrients Through an Intact Marine-terrestrial Interface
Get PDFBased on five years of field studies (1992, 1993, 1994, 1998, 2000), I quantified bi-directional movement of salmon nutrients through an estuary, stream, and old growth forest in a large protected reserve on Haida Gwaii, British Columbia. In 1993, when most data were collected, about 6000 Chum Salmon (Oncorhynchus keta) entered the river of which 22% of the total biomass of senescent carcasses were swept downstream into the estuary and were scavenged by gulls (n = 350) and subtidal invertebrates. Of the 3700 salmon (10 000 kg) transferred by American Black Bear (Ursus americanus) to the riparian zone and partially consumed along the 800 m of stream channel, 5070 kg of salmon tissues abandoned by the bears were scavenged by Northwestern Crows (Corvus caurinus; n = 200) but mostly (4100 kg) by calliphorid blowfly larvae resulting in larval densities averaging 240/m2 throughout the riparian zone. Total nitrogen input to the soils from the combined effects of bear and scavenger activity as well as carcass input was 18 g/m2 within 10 m of the stream channel. δ15N of foliar tissues of Lanky Moss (Rhytidiadelphus loreus), Red Huckleberry (Vaccinium parvifolium), Salal (Gaultheria shallon), and Western Hemlock (Tsuga heterophylla) ranged about 15‰ to 20‰ among adjacent microsites in each species, with higher values occurring in salmon carcass zones. Total nitrogen in foliar tissues ranged from 1% to 2.4% among microsites and was best predicted by positive correlations with foliar 15N values and secondarily by presence/absence of salmon carcasses. This is the first study to integrate estuarine to riparian ecological processes in the cycling of salmonid nutrients and identifies a range of ecological baselines that can inform the multiple restoration programs underway in degraded watersheds in the North Pacific
The use of an anthropogenic structure by Eastern Red-backed Salamander (Plethodon cinereus)
Get PDFEastern Red-backed Salamanders (Plethodon cinereus) are abundant in much of eastern North America. Although they typically live on the forest floor, individuals may venture off the ground while foraging. An adult salamander was observed using a backcountry privy as cover; after being displaced, it returned to the original location within 9 h. Furthermore, the salamander scaled a 50-cm vertical height to return to that location. The salamander may have been using the privy as part of its territory and feeding on flies attracted by the faecal matter inside
Snapping Turtle—Tortue serpentine—turtle mi’ kjikj (snapping; Chelydra serpentina), added to the herpetofauna of Cape Breton Island, Nova Scotia, Canada
Get PDFSnapping Turtle (Chelydra serpentina) is native to mainland Nova Scotia, but its status on Cape Breton Island has been uncertain. Although it was recorded from Cape Breton Island as early as 1953, until 1984, it was known from only three widely scattered locations. Since that time, additional reports received from the public by Nova Scotia Department of Natural Resources and the Nova Scotia Museum of Natural History suggest that the species is native to Cape Breton Island. Thus, we are adding Snapping Turtle to the native herpetofauna of Cape Breton Island, Nova Scotia
"Curieuses histoires de plantes du Canada. Tome 1: 1000-1670, Tome 2: 1670-1760, Tome 3: 1760–1867" by Alain Asselin, Jacques Cayouette, and Jacques Mathieu, 2014. [book review]
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