[NatureNS] Be Careful What You Pish For

From: "John Kearney" <john.kearney@ns.sympatico.ca>
To: <naturens@chebucto.ns.ca>
References: <001301cc37f6$7332bfd0$59983f70$@ns.sympatico.ca> <1309531267.73145.YahooMailClassic@web502.biz.mail.mud.yahoo.com>
Date: Fri, 1 Jul 2011 17:25:25 -0300
Thread-Index: AQJHnTCCndBzdCJ61ojVhsa6vxN+GJPhG74Q
Precedence: bulk
Return-Path: <naturens-mml-owner@chebucto.ns.ca>
Original-Recipient: rfc822;"| (cd /csuite/info/Environment/FNSN/MList; /csuite/lib/arch2html)"

next message in archive
no next message in thread
previous message in archive
previous message in thread
Index of Subjects

 Augu
That's a very interesting piece of information, Bev. Thanks very much.
John

-----Original Message-----
From: naturens-owner@chebucto.ns.ca [mailto:naturens-owner@chebucto.ns.ca] On Behalf Of bev@magickcanoe.com
Sent: July 1, 2011 11:41
To: naturens@chebucto.ns.ca
Subject: Re: [NatureNS] Be Careful What You Pish For

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.


next message in archive
no next message in thread
previous message in archive
previous message in thread
Index of Subjects