[NatureNS] comment re Empty Forests

References: <CAFVjxaqh9p4Q7WY4amyH7sEKXK4y_1Tu86wtoTrERQ=5Z_tSrQ@mail.gmail.com> <552D4256-0533-4068-8D5E-4B8C01E3701E@eastlink.ca>
From: Mary Macaulay <marymacaulay@hotmail.com>
Date: Mon, 12 Aug 2013 17:34:09 -0300
To: "naturens@chebucto.ns.ca" <naturens@chebucto.ns.ca>
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
next message in thread
previous message in archive
previous message in thread
Index of Subjects

href=3D"mailto:naturens@chebuc
--Apple-Mail-5E221916-A66F-421F-B122-DED529CDBD97
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii"
Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable

This is a global phenomenon and is largely due to roundup ready crops and ot=
her pesticide dependent monocultures. There is a lot of comment about this o=
n the twittersphere from all over the world right now. Neonicotinoid use has=
 brought it to the forefront now because of their effects in honeybees and o=
ther pollinators. These pesticides are 1000 times as strong as DDT and bio m=
agnify.

Mary Macaulay, P.Eng.
Executive Director
Atlantic Concrete Association
www.atlanticconcrete.ca
Office: 902-443-4456
Cell: 902-489-2000
Fax: 902-404-8074

On 2013-08-12, at 5:12 PM, "James W. Wolford" <jimwolford@eastlink.ca> wrote=
:

> Here is a relevant note I wrote myself on Aug. 7:
>=20
> AUG. 7, 2013 - I walked along the Wolfville Rail Trail this afternoon, as I=
 often do, and noted just a few butterflies (mostly whites) flitting among t=
he huge array of plants in flower, especially Queen Anne's lace, common tans=
y, knapweed, etc.,  from Wolfville Harbour but especially from Elm Street ou=
t to the Acadia Arena.  BUT what really struck me was how very few other ins=
ects I am noticing  on the flowers as I walk.  Thinking back a couple of dec=
ades (or more?), I used to see a wide variety of insects and spiders on the f=
lowers, and now I am seeing few to none, plus the few butterflies.  Has anyo=
ne noticed the same thing?  And does anyone know of a database somewhere out=
 there in our world of information that has decades of data like we have for=
 breeding birds?
>=20
> Begin forwarded message:
>=20
>> From: Blake Maybank <bmaybank@gmail.com>
>> Date: August 12, 2013 2:52:49 PM ADT
>> To: naturens@chebucto.ns.ca
>> Subject: [NatureNS] Empty Forests
>> Reply-To: naturens@chebucto.ns.ca
>>=20
>> 11 August 2013
>>=20
>> I was part of a group that hiked a trail near Moses Mountain in the beaut=
iful Avon Valley in Western Hants County yesterday.  Despite walking more th=
an 12 km through beautiful deciduous and mixed wood forests, we encountered v=
ery few birds. While I suspect that most of the migrant breeding birds had d=
eparted, why were we unable to detect a single chickadee, nuthatch, or Blue J=
ay? We heard a couple of vireos and a pewee, and one flicker.  The one highl=
ight was a soaring Turkey Vulture, a new species for my Hants County list.
>>=20
>> Plenty of Goldenrod, knapweed, and other often flowers lined the trail al=
ong most of our hike, but we did not encounter a single butterfly. And there=
 were very few bees in evidence as well, which was also discouraging.
>>=20
>> On such a beautiful day it is hard to account for the paucity of birds an=
d butterflies and other wildlife.
>>=20
>> --=20
>> Blake Maybank
>> 144 Bayview Drive,
>> White's Lake, Nova Scotia
>> B3T 1Z1 CANADA=20
>> (902) 852-2077
>>=20
>> My Blog:  CSI: Life
>>=20
>> Organiser, Maritimes Nature Travel Club
>>=20
>> Author, "Birding Sites of Nova Scotia
>=20

--Apple-Mail-5E221916-A66F-421F-B122-DED529CDBD97
Content-Type: text/html; charset="utf-8"
Content-Transfer-Encoding: base64
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