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--Boundary_(ID_TuKi0DIaJ7+IF0sQ3O6rfw) Content-type: text/plain; charset=US-ASCII; delsp=yes; format=flowed Content-transfer-encoding: 7BIT MAY 18, 2008 - FIELD TRIP TO BLOMIDON PARK for 6 people from the South Shore Naturalists Club, led by myself (with my assistant Pat). People I knew in the group were Catherine Pross and Rudy Haase. It was a nice day in the woods, with Sunny breaks, but with a cool and strong wind off the Basin. On our drive to the Park, I stopped the group to view the BALD EAGLE NEST along the cliff in the area of place-name Blomidon. One adult was in the nest with at least 2 small EAGLETS that were visible in my spotting scope. In the Park we drove to the northeast corner of the big field by the campground to access the cliff part of the Jodrey Trail that leads to the woodland pond I always explore at this time of year. Quickly we discovered the abundant leaves of WILD LEEK, and I "sacrificed" a couple of bulbs so that everyone could have a taste of this wild onion that is so abundant in the Park but quite rare elsewhere in N.S. Also lots of red trilliums, alias stinking Willy, were in bloom and lovely. Wild strawberry and blue violet were abundant where we parked our cars in the open field. Clintonia showed flower-buds, and American fly-honeysuckle was in bloom. Later Pat and I discovered several bushes of hobblebush in bloom in the campground area after the group disbanded. The pond is along the trail about 1.5 km. from where we started our walk. Its water level is a bit low this year because of our dry Spring so far. I used a white enamel pan for showing the animals that were caught in the dip-net, and then they all were unceremoniously dumped back into the pond to continue their lives hopefully after some indignity. Immediately apparent were the lovely, fragile, and very rare FAIRY SHRIMPS, which basically occur nowhere else in Nova Scotia (but the species has a much wider range than just here). I described their life-cycle, which has overwintering eggs that can dry and freeze and then hatch when reflooded by melt-water in Spring. The tiny larvae grow and develop for several weeks and are full-sized now and reproducing -- we saw several females with egg-sacs at the bases of their "tails". They are filter-feeders on single-celled algae. The adults all die in late Spring. Other animals seen as sharing the pond included small tadpoles (probably of wood frogs?)(someone also heard a spring peeper calling?), tiny larvae of damselflies, water striders, a few adult water boatmen, 2 kinds of larval caddisflies (one common) in their cases made of plant-bits), a whirligig beetle, mosquito larvae, phantom midge larvae, a "bloodworm" which is a red-coloured larva of a midge (midges are non-biting flies), 2 kinds of water mites (combo' of slow and red-coloured -- latter is warming of bad taste), one small black flatworm or planarian. While we were at the pond, several birds were noted, and this is no coincidence, since ponds are continually providing choice bits of flying food for both the transients and residents. There was a hairy woodpecker, a black-throated green warbler, a blue-headed vireo, a black-and-white warbler, etc. Other birds heard or seen were ovenbirds, robin, junco, raven. We needed James Hirtle with us to do some more listening and spotting. THANKS SO MUCH TO THE SOUTH SHORE NATURALISTS for providing such a nice experience for Pat and myelf, and for the gift of a very nice HAND LENS, the use of which I can't advertise enough for all naturalists! I advised the group to check out two things after we disbanded: Borden Brook Waterfall still in the Park, and the bald eagle nest at Noggins Farm Market at Greenwich, where the cashiers have a monitor showing the live action at the nest through a nest-cam. To try to access this site on computer, just Google Noggins Farm and then look for the link to the eagles and live camera. ----------------------- --Boundary_(ID_TuKi0DIaJ7+IF0sQ3O6rfw) Content-type: text/html; charset=ISO-8859-1 Content-transfer-encoding: quoted-printable <html><body style=3D"word-wrap: break-word; -webkit-nbsp-mode: space; = -webkit-line-break: after-white-space; "><div style=3D"margin-top: 0px; = margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; "><font = face=3D"Helvetica" size=3D"3" style=3D"font: 12.0px Helvetica">MAY 18, = 2008 - FIELD TRIP TO BLOMIDON PARK for 6 people from the South Shore = Naturalists Club, led by myself (with my assistant Pat).=A0 People I = knew in the group were Catherine Pross and Rudy Haase.=A0 It was a nice = day in the woods, with Sunny breaks, but with a cool and strong wind off = the Basin.</font></div><div style=3D"margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; = margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; font: normal normal normal = 12px/normal Helvetica; min-height: 14px; "><br></div><div = style=3D"margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; = margin-left: 0px; "><font face=3D"Helvetica" size=3D"3" style=3D"font: = 12.0px Helvetica">On our drive to the Park, I stopped the group to view = the BALD EAGLE NEST along the cliff in the area of place-name Blomidon.=A0= One adult was in the nest with at least 2 small EAGLETS that were = visible in my spotting scope.</font></div><div style=3D"margin-top: 0px; = margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; font: normal = normal normal 12px/normal Helvetica; min-height: 14px; "><br></div><div = style=3D"margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; = margin-left: 0px; "><font face=3D"Helvetica" size=3D"3" style=3D"font: = 12.0px Helvetica">In the Park we drove to the northeast corner of the = big field by the campground to access the cliff part of the Jodrey Trail = that leads to the woodland pond I always explore at this time of year.=A0 = Quickly we discovered the abundant leaves of WILD LEEK, and I = "sacrificed" a couple of bulbs so that everyone could have a taste of = this wild onion that is so abundant in the Park but quite rare elsewhere = in N.S.</font></div><div style=3D"margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; = margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; font: normal normal normal = 12px/normal Helvetica; min-height: 14px; "><br></div><div = style=3D"margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; = margin-left: 0px; "><font face=3D"Helvetica" size=3D"3" style=3D"font: = 12.0px Helvetica">Also lots of red trilliums, alias stinking Willy, were = in bloom and lovely.=A0 Wild strawberry and blue violet were abundant = where we parked our cars in the open field.=A0 Clintonia showed = flower-buds, and American fly-honeysuckle was in bloom.=A0 Later Pat and = I discovered several bushes of hobblebush in bloom in the campground = area after the group disbanded.</font></div><div style=3D"margin-top: = 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; font: = normal normal normal 12px/normal Helvetica; min-height: 14px; = "><br></div><div style=3D"margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; = margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; "><font face=3D"Helvetica" = size=3D"3" style=3D"font: 12.0px Helvetica">The pond is along the trail = about 1.5 km. from where we started our walk.=A0 Its water level is a = bit low this year because of our dry Spring so far.=A0 I used a white = enamel pan for showing the animals that were caught in the dip-net, and = then they all were unceremoniously dumped back into the pond to continue = their lives hopefully after some indignity.</font></div><div = style=3D"margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; = margin-left: 0px; font: normal normal normal 12px/normal Helvetica; = min-height: 14px; "><br></div><div style=3D"margin-top: 0px; = margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; "><font = face=3D"Helvetica" size=3D"3" style=3D"font: 12.0px = Helvetica">Immediately apparent were the lovely, fragile, and very rare = FAIRY SHRIMPS, which basically occur nowhere else in Nova Scotia (but = the species has a much wider range than just here).=A0 I described their = life-cycle, which has overwintering eggs that can dry and freeze and = then hatch when reflooded by melt-water in Spring.=A0 The tiny larvae = grow and develop for several weeks and are full-sized now and = reproducing -- we saw several females with egg-sacs at the bases of = their "tails".=A0 They are filter-feeders on single-celled algae.=A0 The = adults all die in late Spring.</font></div><div style=3D"margin-top: = 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; font: = normal normal normal 12px/normal Helvetica; min-height: 14px; = "><br></div><div style=3D"margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; = margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; "><font face=3D"Helvetica" = size=3D"3" style=3D"font: 12.0px Helvetica">Other animals seen as = sharing the pond included small tadpoles (probably of wood = frogs?)(someone also heard a spring peeper calling?), tiny larvae of = damselflies, water striders, a few adult water boatmen, 2 kinds of = larval caddisflies (one common) in their cases made of plant-bits), a = whirligig beetle, mosquito larvae, phantom midge larvae, a "bloodworm" = which is a red-coloured larva of a midge (midges are non-biting flies), = 2 kinds of water mites (combo' of slow and red-coloured -- latter is = warming of bad taste), one small black flatworm or planarian. = =A0</font></div><div style=3D"margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; = margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; font: normal normal normal = 12px/normal Helvetica; min-height: 14px; "><br></div><div = style=3D"margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; = margin-left: 0px; "><font face=3D"Helvetica" size=3D"3" style=3D"font: = 12.0px Helvetica">While we were at the pond, several birds were noted, = and this is no coincidence, since ponds are continually providing choice = bits of flying food for both the transients and residents.=A0 There was = a hairy woodpecker, a black-throated green warbler, a blue-headed vireo, = a black-and-white warbler, etc.=A0 Other birds heard or seen were = ovenbirds, robin, junco, raven.=A0 We needed James Hirtle with us to do = some more listening and spotting. =A0</font></div><div = style=3D"margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; = margin-left: 0px; font: normal normal normal 12px/normal Helvetica; = min-height: 14px; "><br></div><div style=3D"margin-top: 0px; = margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; "><font = face=3D"Helvetica" size=3D"3" style=3D"font: 12.0px Helvetica">THANKS SO = MUCH TO THE SOUTH SHORE NATURALISTS for providing such a nice experience = for Pat and myelf, and for the gift of a very nice HAND LENS, the use of = which I can't advertise enough for all naturalists!</font></div><div = style=3D"margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; = margin-left: 0px; font: normal normal normal 12px/normal Helvetica; = min-height: 14px; "><br></div><div style=3D"margin-top: 0px; = margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; "><font = face=3D"Helvetica" size=3D"3" style=3D"font: 12.0px Helvetica">I advised = the group to check out two things after we disbanded: Borden Brook = Waterfall still in the Park, and the bald eagle nest at Noggins Farm = Market at Greenwich, where the cashiers have a monitor showing the live = action at the nest through a nest-cam.=A0 To try to access this site on = computer, just Google Noggins Farm and then look for the link to the = eagles and live camera.</font></div><div style=3D"margin-top: 0px; = margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; "><font = face=3D"Helvetica" size=3D"3" style=3D"font: 12.0px = Helvetica">-----------------------</font></div><div style=3D"margin-top: = 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; = "><br></div> </body></html>= --Boundary_(ID_TuKi0DIaJ7+IF0sQ3O6rfw)--
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