[NatureNS] Be Careful What You Pish For

Date: Fri, 1 Jul 2011 07:41:07 -0700 (PDT)
From: bev@magickcanoe.com
To: naturens@chebucto.ns.ca
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John,

It has been awhile since I read the book, "The Howls of August: Encounters with Algonquin Wolves" by Michael Runtz, a biologist who has studied predator behaviour at Algonquin P.P. in Ontario for many years. However, I have a vague recollection of a note in the book about him stopping his vehicle somewhere to pish for birds, and having a wolf come running straight toward him.  I recall that he got into his vehicle as he wasn't sure what the wolf would do - I think it ran on by.  I believe he thought the wolf was attracted by the pishing which might have sounded like an animal in distress.  Anyhow, definitely something to consider if you are in a place where you might attract something much larger than a bird.

bev wigney 
Round Hill (in summer)

--- On Fri, 7/1/11, John Kearney <john.kearney@ns.sympatico.ca> wrote:

> From: John Kearney <john.kearney@ns.sympatico.ca>
> Subject: [NatureNS] Be Careful What You Pish For
> To: naturens@chebucto.ns.ca
> Received: Friday, July 1, 2011, 9:54 AM
> I would like to share with you
> a rather harrowing experience that I had when doing a bird
> survey yesterday. I had driven down an overgrown woods road
> on Browns Mountain near the Antigonish-Pictou Counties line.
> At one point I got out of my truck, looking for some of the
> local breeding birds and was pishing for some warblers in
> the nearby trees and shrubs.  I then heard something large
> moving through the brush to my right in the woods. I assumed
> it was a deer running away, something that often occurs in
> this area. However, I then realized it was not rushing away
> but coming towards me. At this point, I decided to move
> quickly back to my truck which was 20-30 metres away. Just
> as I got to my truck, an adult Black Bear burst from the
> trees on to the road, exactly where I had just stood
> pishing. It looked around, saw me and the truck, and
> disappeard on the other side of the road. Within a couple of
> seconds, another adult bear burst from the woods, and a few
> second after that, a third. These two also disappeared again
> into the brush.
>  I can think of three possible explanations for this
> incidence.1)    
> The bears were attracted by the pishing
> sound and came to investigate2)    The bears
> were engaged in some territorial interaction (it is now
> their rutting season) and I was simply in the wrong place at
> the wrong time3)    The
> bears were predatory (which would be a first in Nova
> Scotia).  I would be interested in
> hearing anyone else’s explanation about the possible
> reason for this incidence.John  PS. I did report this
> incidence to NS DNR.

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