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Index of Subjects This is a multi-part message in MIME format. ------=_NextPart_000_000F_01C870A6.EC139ED0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset="iso-8859-1" Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable We just top your total woodpeckers Margie.....we have ten assorted hairy = and downy :) and two pileated just down the street in a stand of mixed = woods. Andy & Lelia Dean 86 Baden Powell Drive Kentville, NS. Canada. B4N 5P5 Tel: [902] 678-6243 aadean@ns.sympatico.ca ----- Original Message -----=20 From: Margaret E.Millard=20 To: naturens@chebucto.ns.ca=20 Sent: Saturday, February 16, 2008 12:23 PM Subject: Re: [NatureNS] Questions I wonder from time to time where the seed comes from and how it is = grown.=20 Some years it is all full of bugs which I took as a good sign that at = least=20 it wasn't full of pesticide and kept it outside after a moth = infestation. I checked with my supplier at the time and he said he was assured the = seeds=20 plants were healthy and untreated. Lately the seed isn't full of bugs and the black oil seed looks near = to=20 perfect. I asked at Shur Gain how it was grown and they said they = would=20 check into it. It is coming from Ontario, but I heard there was a seed = failure there and it was coming to the distributors there from = Manitoba and=20 Sask. With the price of it one would think it is part of the bio fuel=20 crop.....I went to Shur- Gain this past week, and forgot to ask what = they=20 found out. We have currently two black oil feeders out, made from 1.89 = L=20 juice bottles and they are being cleaned and refilled every third to = fourth=20 day. It is non stop chickadees there, and woodpeckers, at times to. If = the=20 starlings could figure how to get the seed from them, we would be = eaten out=20 of house and home!! Back to counting. Currently I have 9 Downy and Hairy woodpeckers out = there.=20 You should hear them!! It is a convention!! (so nice to hear) http://margmillard.ca ----- Original Message -----=20 From: "Eleanor Lindsay" <az678@chebucto.ns.ca> To: <naturens@chebucto.ns.ca> Sent: Saturday, February 16, 2008 10:36 AM Subject: Re: [NatureNS] Questions > James Hirtle wrote: >> Hi all: >> I recieved this recently and was wondering if anyone has any = knowledge=20 >> on this issue. If indeed there is any truth to the following, I = myself=20 >> would find it somewhat disturbing. I would like to send an answer = to the=20 >> individual, but I have no first hand knowledge in regards to the = topic. >> James R. Hirtle >> Dublin Shore >> I am writing about sunflower seeds which I feed birds at my = property on >> Hidden Lake in the Labelle/Chelsea area. >> >> In October my wife and I took a trip across Canada by train. On the >> outskirts of Winnipeg we saw large fields packed with sunflower = plants=20 >> that >> were brown and withered looking. I felt this to be somewhat odd=20 >> considering >> that the weather was still quite summer like and that I had seen=20 >> sunflower >> plants in Maniban gardens that still seemed robustly upright and=20 >> appealing >> to the sun. >> >> Whe I arrived at my older son's place in Kelowna BC I happened to = ask him >> whether he knew about the sunflower crops around Winnipeg. He had = spent >> some time in Winnipeg and his girlfriend comes from a town out side = of=20 >> that >> city. My son said that he was told that the sunflower plants are = sprayed >> with Round Up to facilitate the harvesting of the plants and the=20 >> gathering >> of their seeds. >> >> In January of this year I purchased an 18 kg bag of sunflower seeds = at >> Costco in Halifax. On the bag was printed the name of the company,=20 >> Keystone >> Grain Limited (they have a website) that distribute the seed and I=20 >> noticed >> it was in Winnipeg. I looked on the bag for more infornmation and = was >> surprised to see no mention that the seed wasn't for human = consumption.=20 >> So >> I wrote them an e-mail to find out if the seed was fit for humans. = I have >> had no reply. >> >> I was wondering whether you, because of your area of expertise, = would=20 >> have >> any knowledge if in fact this is a method used to harvest the seed = and >> whether use of such seed - possibly corrupted or contaminated with = a >> herbicide - would be detrimental to birds. >> >> I read and hear of the decimation and reduction in the counts of = some=20 >> types >> of birds. Could this be a factor to consider or at least make = notice of? >> >> >> = ------------------------------------------------------------------------ > This may or may not be relevant to the above, but this past winter I = have=20 > noted a very dramatic reduction in black oil sunflower seed = consumption=20 > compared with all previous 20++ years of bird feeding (seeds for = which I=20 > get locally here in Tantallon). The local supplier told me at the=20 > beginning of this season that he had changed suppliers so I have = just=20 > contacted him after reading the above to ask where he is now getting = the=20 > seeds from; he tells me they come from a distributing company, = Armstrong,=20 > in Ontario, but that at least some of the seeds, if not all, may = well come=20 > from further west. He tells me he is not hearing from other = customers=20 > about any change in feeding patterns - but he also hasn't asked - = and I am=20 > left with an even greater concern than I already had about the low=20 > consumption I am noting. Just for interest I am going to try and get = some=20 > seeds that originate from a different source to see if that makes = any=20 > difference. > I'll keep you posted.......... > Eleanor Lindsay > ------=_NextPart_000_000F_01C870A6.EC139ED0 Content-Type: text/html; charset="iso-8859-1" Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable <!DOCTYPE HTML PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD HTML 4.0 Transitional//EN"> <HTML><HEAD> <META http-equiv=3DContent-Type content=3D"text/html; = charset=3Diso-8859-1"> <META content=3D"MSHTML 6.00.2900.3268" name=3DGENERATOR> <STYLE></STYLE> </HEAD> <BODY bgColor=3D#ffffff> <DIV><FONT face=3DArial size=3D2>We just top your total woodpeckers = Margie.....we=20 have ten assorted hairy and downy :) and two pileated just down = the street=20 in a stand of mixed woods.</FONT></DIV> <DIV><FONT face=3DArial size=3D2><