[ValleyNature] nature notes (plants, bugs, birds), Apr. 27 to May 2/09

[James W. Wolford]

APR. 27, 2009 - The WHITE-CROWNED SPARROW is still at our feeders.

In Wolfville Harbour as the tide was coming well up, a WILLET was  
standing on a mud hillock (one day too late for our annual field trip).

In town, I saw 3 SAVANNAH SPARROWS, very probably new arrivals.

Under the horizontal pieces of wood making up the fence along the  
gravel trail paralleling the RR tracks in Wolfville, by the new  
Railtown development, were oodles of larval/pupal cases of SNAILCASE  
BAGWORMS? These are small, wingless, worm-like moths in the family  
Psychidae Latinized name Apterona helix, whose larvae feed by leaf- 
mining in leaves of a variety of plants and make a snail-shell-shaped  
case of mud in which they lay eggs that overwinter, the case being  
attached to something solid, like a tree or wooden fence or house  
wall.  The wingless adult females are parthenogenic, and in North  
America no males have been found.  In Wolfville these were discovered  
a few years ago by Charlane Bishop and ??

In bloom at the Wolfville Waterfront Park are planted HAZELNUT  
bushes.  To see them, look to the left (north) of the entrance path  
at the west end of the park.  And in town FORSYTHIA is just starting  
to flower.

I checked the Greenwich or Noggins Farm BALD EAGLE NEST at noon.  The  
presumed female eagle was standing on the nest-rim, and her mate was  
perched closely below the nest.  I'll bet there are very small  
eaglets in the nest, but they were not visible during my short  
visit.  Wendy & Bob McDonald checked the Noggins Farm Market monitor  
of the nest on Saturday, but it was not yet working.  I think the  
access to the NEST-CAM last year was via the Noggins Farm Web-site?,  
which would be worth checking as the season progresses.

APR. 28, 2009 - Along Earnescliff Ave. in Wolfville, several planted  
tall BALSAM POPLAR or BLACK POPLAR trees have their long red hanging  
catkins open.  They also exhibit the deeply furrowed bark I associate  
with "cottonwoods".

The WHITE-CROWNED SPARROW is still at my home feeders, and also  
present are 4 white-throated sparrows etc.

APR. 29, 2009 - A single brown-plumaged PURPLE FINCH (female or  
immature male) visited my feeders.

APR. 30, 2009 - I drove to Halifax, to the Provincial Legislature  
building, for a RALLY of the coalition called BUY BACK NOVA SCOTIA,  
regarding the 170,000 to 214,000? acres for sale by J.D. Irving  
forestry company, in three southwestern counties.  There were 75+ to  
100 demonstrators there, many with placards, and included Elizabeth  
May, Kermit DeGooyer and Ray Plourde of the Ecology Action Centre,  
Tamara Lorincz of N.S. Environmental Network, Gretchen Fitzgerald of  
Sierra Club of Canada, Rudy Haase of Friends of Nature, Dusan Soudek  
of paddlers clubs and public lands coalition, Peggy Cameron?, John  
Sollows (see photo in Herald article May 1), several Mi'kmaqs with  
their drum and strong wailing voices, et al.  There were speeches  
from a woman from the coalition?, Carolyn Bolivar-Getson (Min. of  
Nat.  Resources), Darrell Dexter of N.S. NDP, Leo Glavine (Liberal  
for Kings West), a message from Peter Stoffer (NDP MP), and Elizabeth  
May (Nat. Leader of Green Party).  Also present but silent was David  
Morse (N.S. Environment Minister).  The timing of the rally was to  
greet the MLAs who were sitting today at 2 p.m. after a long "vacation"

At Port Williams sewage ponds, there were 2 RING-NECKED DUCKS (m,f  
together), 2 drake MALLARDS, and at least 3 TREE SWALLOWS.

MAY 1, 2009 - Pat noticed a cute little PSEUDOSCORPION in the  
bathroom this morning.  She described it later in such a way that I  
am sure that is what she saw, and I assured her that they are "good  
guys" to have around, indoors or out.  Then I Googled  
"pseudoscorpion" on my computer and quickly found photos and "facts"  
about them etc.

I blundered into finding a MOURNING DOVE NEST in the planted spruce  
tree just north of the Wolfville Post Office.  I saw a dove fly into  
the branches and found the very shoddy nest of just a few flat twigs  
about 7 feet high in the south side of the tree.  Through the twig  
platform I could see at least one egg.

MAY 2, 2009 - We saw a very large BUMBLEBEE, presumably an  
overwintered queen, at our home.  This was my first of this Spring.

In our neighborhood, NORWAY MAPLE has begun to bloom, and male  
catkins of WHITE or PAPER BIRCH are just beginning to open. Also PINK- 
FLOWERED MAGNOLIAS have begun to open their flowers.

Port Williams sewage ponds: a m,f pair of GREATER SCAUPS (head shapes  
rounded and not at all angular), 2 m,f pairs of RING-NECKED DUCKS, 4  
MALLARDS (3m,1f), 5+ TREE SWALLOWS, and a few RED-WINGED BLACKBIRDS.   
I was surprised any birds were there at all, because on my drive to  
get to the ponds, 2 HELICOPTERS were flying back and forth there at  
very low altitudes!  Why?

Canard Pond: 1 drake GADWALL, 1 drake N. PINTAIL, about 4 m,f pairs  
of AM. WIGEONS, GREEN-WINGED TEALS abundant (2 dozen at least), 20  
GREAT BLACK-BACKED GULLS, etc.

Canning Aboiteau (Habitant River): 40+ CANADA GEESE, 3 female COMMON  
MERGANSERS, 12+ GREEN-WINGED TEALS.

Harris' Pond (Canning): 1 drake RING-NECKED DUCK, 2 AM. BLACK DUCKS,  
1 drake MALLARD, 2 CANADA GEESE (tame?) on lawn in front of home at  
west end of pond, 1 PALM WARBLER, 1 YELLOW-RUMPED WARBLER (latter was  
female, I think), plus red-winged blackbirds, grackles, 1 cock  
pheasant crowing.

Cheers from Jim in Wolfville

Jim (James W.) Wolford
91 Wickwire Ave.
Wolfville, Nova Scotia, Canada
B4P 1W3

phone 902-542-9204
e-mail <jimwolford at eastlink.ca>

"In wildness is the preservation of the world" -- Henry David Thoreau


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