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This is a multi-part message in MIME format. ------_=_NextPart_001_01CA6925.583B1D72 Content-Type: text/plain; charset="iso-8859-1" Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable Goldfinch feeding: There are three American Goldfinch feeding on White Birch seeds in my = yard. Also in my field of view is a nyger seed feeder that has not been = bothered by goldfinches for more than 2 months (mid-September). I had = not noticed the abundance of birch catkins until the leaves were all = finally blown off a couple of weeks ago. Here in eastern Cape Breton = White Spruce and White Birch both have significant seeds crops. My = guess is that goldfinches and siskins will only occasionally visit = feeders until it gets much colder and the birch and spruce seed stock is = much reduced. An aside about the large crop of cones on Balsam Fir and White Spruce in = Cape Breton. Usually large conifer cone crops attract White-winged = Crossbills. Often they arrive in late June while the cones are still = green on the trees. However I have seen and heard about few crossbills = this year. It is difficult to find a spruce that is not laden with = cones, but there are even fewer crossbills than barren spruces. =20 Some earwig notes: Most students react with disgust to earwigs, a big ICK! factor. For = more than 15 years I have been trying to get my entomology students to = convince others that earwigs should be revered (well at least = respected).=20 Humans generally think maternal behaviour is a plus. Among insects = earwigs, including the European Earwig that is so common in most areas = with lots of people in Nova Scotia, look after their young far more than = most. Females construct a little tunnel in a dark damp place. In the = tunnel she lays eggs. Dark, damp places have lots of fungi. Many fungi = readily =91eat=92 insect eggs. How to protect the eggs? Female earwigs = groom their eggs. They lick them, eating the fungus that might have = started growing on them. As well their saliva has antibiotics in it = that slow the growth of fungi on the eggs. This often continues through = the first larval instar as well. I also think earwigs get a bad reputation for other reasons. They do = not harm to people. As far as crop damage or damage to gardens, their = role is usually minor Often they feed after another pest has started = the problem. They have relatively weak mandibles and feed almost = exclusively on very soft food. For example in sweet corn they do not = eat kernels unless something else has broken the surface to allow them = access. So when you pick a cob and it has several earwigs, they have = just moved in to take advantage of food that perhaps a corn earworm (a = caterpillar) has made available for them. DBMcC PS I have considered, but so far have not acted upon my intention to get = a job as a full-time publicity agent for earwigs. DB McCorquodale Department of Biology, Cape Breton University 1250 Grand Lake Rd., Sydney, NS B1P 6L2 902-563-1260 david_mccorquodale@cbu.ca --- ------_=_NextPart_001_01CA6925.583B1D72 Content-Type: application/ms-tnef; name="winmail.dat" Content-Transfer-Encoding: base64 eJ8+IgUOAQaQCAAEAAAAAAABAAEAAQeQBgAIAAAA5AQAAAAAAADoAAEIgAcAGAAAAElQTS5NaWNy b3NvZnQgTWFpbC5Ob3RlADEIAQ2ABAACAAAAAgACAAEEgAEAFgAAAEdvbGRmaW5jaCBhbmQgRWFy d2lncwDTBwEFgAMADgAAANkHCwATAAoAHwAkAAQATwEBIIADAA4AAADZBwsAEwAKACIABAAEADIB AQmAAQAhAAAANDhDREFEMTE0QzJENTk0MTlBM0FDQjQ3Q0REMzQyQkQAYgcBA5AGAFQPAAA5AAAA AwAmAAAAAAADADYAAAAAAEAAOQCMMrr/JGnKAR4APQABAAAAAQAAAAAAAAACAUcAAQAAAC8AAABj PXVzO2E9IDtwPVVDQ0I7bD1YQ0hBTkdFMi0wOTExMTkxNDM0MDRaLTI2ODAwAAAeAEkAAQAAABcA AABSZTogW05hdHVyZU5TXSBFYXJ3aWdzAABAAE4AgFjwRbxoygEeAFoAAQAAAB4AAABuYXR1cmVu cy1vd25lckBjaGVidWN0by5ucy5jYQAAAAIBWwABAAAAWQAAAAAAAACBKx+kvqMQGZ1uAN0BD1QC AAAAAG5hdHVyZW5zLW93bmVyQGNoZWJ1Y3RvLm5zLmNhAFNNVFAAbmF0dXJlbnMtb3duZXJAY2hl YnVjdG8ubnMuY2EAAAAAAgFcAAEAAAAjAAAAU01UUDpOQVRVUkVOUy1PV05FUkBDSEVCVUNUTy5O Uy5DQQAAHgBdAAEAAAAOAAAAQW5ndXMgTWFjTGVhbgAAAAIBXgABAAAARAAAAAAAAACBKx+kvqMQ GZ1uAN0BD1QCAAAAAEFuZ3VzIE1hY0xlYW4AU01UUABhbmd1c21jbEBucy5zeW1wYXRpY28uY2EA AgFfAAEAAAAeAAAAU01UUDpBTkdVU01DTEBOUy5TWU1QQVRJQ08uQ0EAAAAeAGYAAQAAAAUAAABT TVRQAAAAAB4AZwABAAAAHgAAAG5hdHVyZW5zLW93bmVyQGNoZWJ1Y3RvLm5zLmNhAAAAHgBoAAEA AAAFAAAAU01UUAAAAAAeAGkAAQAAABkAAABhbmd1c21jbEBucy5zeW1wYXRpY28uY2EAAAAAHgBw AAEAAAAWAAAAR29sZGZpbmNoIGFuZCBFYXJ3aWdzAAAAAgFxAAEAAAAbAAAAAcpovNC4VtHCFzHV SbG3Yxw/IhSALAAaC8C5AB4AdAABAAAAGAAAAG5hdHVyZW5zQGNoZWJ1Y3RvLm5zLmNhAB4AGgwB AAAAEwAAAERhdmlkIE1jQ29ycXVvZGFsZQAAHgAdDgEAAAAWAAAAR29sZGZpbmNoIGFuZCBFYXJ3 aWdzAAAAAgEJEAEAAAAKCAAABggAAIsMAABMWkZ1KpjW0wMACgByY3BnMTI14jIDQ3RleAVBAQMB 908KgAKkA+MCAGNoCsBz8GV0MCAHEwKAD/MAUH8EVghVB7IRxQ5RAwEQxzL3BgAGwxHFMwRGEMkS 2xHT2wjvCfc7GL8OMDURwgxgzmMAUAsJAWQzNhFQC6ZkIEcG8GRmC4AQ4CDKZgngZAuAZzoKogqE yQqAVGgEkGUgCsAfsLx0aAnREWAHgAUQYwORhR2fIAIgIFdoaQ6w8CBCaXIeAREgCYAEIEELgCBt eSB5CxEuYiARYGxzbyNlHdBl4x2wIhBmIHYIkAfgBADhH8AgbnlnEyEjEh4jOxMhIBBhBUAQ8AQg bm99BUBiCeEoACfgH4IlMGL9I7BnHaYHkQIQBcAEYB/jLwORFOAEYAIwaAQgKG3YaWQtBmAFMGUG 0ASQ+ikkEUkngSUwJ9In0Q3ghyahKIEfwGJ1bmQAcJstUCVCYiLDIMB0awuAHwQgLfAtMAMgLZJs ZWHqdgeRdx+TbAMgHdEw4fMjsAJgb3cDoCVQJWAmAJ0FoHULUC5TMJBlayXhuykgJBFIH5IjcTAw cw6wWRKiYXAikRjAdCInU/xwchtwH7EuACJLKGIngfMwUCMAaWcDAB3QIMEFQKMjFAUAb3BzJBFN KQF/ClAEESXRJ0MpKjZSAJBzny8zA/Aw8QIgMXFvYyDA/wCQAiAxUyWAAJAFQCbUL2brPcEmQHQE IG0bcC7hHaH/EyE2Ui2SLqQ7YzX0JoM0YP08wGslwj9TGME2ESQAHrr+QQOgPPEBAC3BCGAFQC/j 3wrAJkA5AyVCBaBuB5EiIYJCB0BzYW0gRiLAHzZJNeUjcTTJJBFVc3X/MVNFRQIgBpATIUYiOQQf wN0CQHIA0AVAIlMtA/AegH0moUMDYAQQLqAw8DlST/8BgCgxKIEjsArABRA3wSNx2wtgIoFKLfAf sHciYDKh/y2SRiQf0jRgPDIJwyISLZLXS7AJ4DlSSDHAZTBQBcD/LHI3wigiNlIfgAsRRJUeMN8H 4DkRTRUgASXReVQhLEKfBUAl0R5gASAN4HVsROH/JHAd0VRRQSYnQyXRJ9ILYN8BAAOgA/A3cUYj LCgARNR/H6VSwQOgVNFKslUqA5Fi305hKDFBNDlSHrpTA3BbMb8KwAPwIgAn0QeQHqtNTQD5OJF0 dVlxPyEYwEvSWbP9HmBzOcBg0VeBXyRaQSYAwy6gIgBJQ0shHiBL0csFsCQRRin7MTVWAwQg91MV KBNLsHkh4leBPwEjkvdhQQNwGEFnI7BhB1eBRiG/JYAuMyiCOjVi9SMAaAhg3yUhKBBCwVLRJqEo MJAw8X8nYTAhYNEYwEEwBZAOsGTzLDEeukh1A4EEICZARkD3S8AxYlXBbkIwAMA0cgdA/ygBN6E9 EAhwJcQLUGKAJBL/KuEiAC9BbZEEIGL3HeEKQHsh0y2SRQhwOTAwMAOgRe9fNFiWJGEFoG0q4SNj YML/H9EnoVmzGFA/ISVRNOA5MKMyoSNxTm92JgBTBaCtLTBhWlAYUG9CMGFNwfUnImVHMXkIYCHx ZDAqCv920mSSK+AHQAeRRiE0YDYB93cBMBAicHRP0i3wRkA+sd9EIVbQCsBCMC4QbUXQC1G/LVAs QlG1fkRrQEUieXLx9mdjQCQRRH8BWlB/SAQg6zejd9ZmevFpOWIAcCTRD4PyYYIeYDFxXCc5Mf0w MHSFkRTgcpSBdlKRV3LfNfBfoUvhLZKBgj98Zmq3/wnAedBHAHp0gYUfcUnhDeD7QjAogW1aUIXR dAaD4mKA8yc0K2BnaCdyN8IBkAAg7yahicFMclGVbSQSMHIw8b96dEbgfcB5ESeSOHFpLqDvLSIj Uz3BJ0NzMbEtg46S/zdxg7ZRloqHJdElUE3SRiH/jBE50SACCGCNgIxUIsBg0f9FQXkQfoKOEkQx j9NDSyxw/0bBJHBv5IlHZ6FjgSyhGMD+cETQjAEiISniKHNhgiRg+wCAisZkJHAn0hDxigGHgf94 Y4+EezInoUWjf0EzYC5R/wXAoFVnYgsRCfBaQXp0A2D/eJIvYUmVK2An0AXATaoeMv96BQBwnJQ0 4GDRJ5KOFi2S/4ehAmCPY4rzN6MYwE8BTpH7MXEwkGFwIi4AkXB8wjZS/aSkbHbTDsBzwQCQqMMi If9S0WiRlXEp0QRwZJUOwH9R/3iUA+AJ4AVABaFN9Z3lhdH8IGsEkSUQL2J8wXXiB4Dfb+IiAK/h H7AnkmIDYK+g+1G0SZByZDGhQzDhktRHAP8A0F2xOVJe0E+RKDF60XGw+4tSMkJiNkM