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were starlings.&nbsp; I was too mise This is a multi-part message in MIME format. ------=_NextPart_000_018C_01D15D2C.8D59C5B0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset="Windows-1252" Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable Hi Jim & All, Feb 1, 2016 I agree Jim, in Eastern Kings Co. Highbush Cranberry seem to be = taken by birds as a last resort. But it may be a mistake to assume that = all Highbush Cranberry are equal; even to birds. We have two Highbush Cranberries Viburnum trilobum Marsh. (aka V. = Opulus var americanum Ait.) which is reputed to be excellent for cooking = and V. Opulus L. (Introduced and sometimes escaped) which is bitter. And = I suspect that by now there have been many crosses and back crosses; = just a guess. I tried cooking what I thought to be Highbush Cranberries ~1947 from = the edge of the Cornwallis Meadow at Cambridge, having read something = about the berries being good for jelly, and they tasted like puke so I = suppose they were Opulus L. or a hybrid. I have never looked for = intermediate plants. In any case, my experience with wild food plants is that they can be = extremely variable with regard to palatability. =20 Yt, DW, Kentville=20 ----- Original Message -----=20 From: Jim Wolford=20 To: naturens=20 Sent: Monday, February 01, 2016 5:45 PM Subject: [NatureNS] re high-bush cranberries & cedar waxwings and = creepers Very interesting, Donna, thanks, but a bit puzzling to this = naturalist. In the Wolfville area, high-bush cranberries often last for = most or all of the winter, providing some nice colour against the snowy = landscape. My impression has been that they are somehow less palatable = than the other wild fruits like mountain-ash or hawthorns or others. = Thus I am wondering if, in Donna=92s area, either Bridgetown or near = Keji=92 Park, some of the wild fruits are already depleted? Cheers from JIm in Wolfville. P.S. Since my earlier report of unidentified waxwings here (perhaps = cedars?), no others have been reported lately (that I have heard about). = Begin forwarded message: From: Donna Crossland <dcrossland@eastlink.ca> Subject: [NatureNS] cedar waxwings and creepers Date: February 1, 2016 at 3:05:17 PM AST To: naturens@chebucto.ns.ca Reply-To: naturens@chebucto.ns.ca I came across a flock of ~ 25 cedar waxwings on a =91spring walk=92 = today. They were consuming our high bush cranberries with gusto. One = swallowed 5 berries in a row, then took off. I returned with = binoculars, and confirmed that there was not a single Bohemian among = them. A brown creeper and a group of chickadees all seemed to be = attracted to the festivity, and all matching the same high pitches = emitted by the cedar waxwings. There are lots of Canada holly berries = this year as well, but the high bush cranberries were getting all of the = attention. Donna Crossland No virus found in this message. Checked by AVG - www.avg.com Version: 2016.0.7441 / Virus Database: 4522/11526 - Release Date: = 01/31/16 ------=_NextPart_000_018C_01D15D2C.8D59C5B0 Content-Type: text/html; charset="Windows-1252" Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable <!DOCTYPE HTML PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD HTML 4.0 Transitional//EN"> <HTML><HEAD> <META content=3D"text/html; charset=3Dwindows-1252" = http-equiv=3DContent-Type> <META name=3DGENERATOR content=3D"MSHTML 8.00.6001.23588"> <STYLE></STYLE> </HEAD> <BODY=20 style=3D"WORD-WRAP: break-word; -webkit-nbsp-mode: space; = -webkit-line-break: after-white-space"=20 bgColor=3D#ffffff> <DIV>Hi Jim &=20 All, &nb= sp; =20 Feb 1, 2016</DIV> <DIV> I agree Jim, in Eastern Kings = Co. Highbush=20 Cranberry seem to be taken by birds as a last resort. But it may be = a=20 mistake to assume that all Highbush Cranberry are equal; even to = birds.</DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV> We have two Highbush Cranberries Viburnum = trilobum=20 Marsh. (aka V. Opulus var americanum Ait.) which is reputed to be = excellent for=20 cooking and V. Opulus L. (Introduced and sometimes escaped) which = is=20 bitter. And I suspect that by now there have been many crosses and back = crosses;=20 just a guess.</DIV> <DIV> I tried cooking what I thought to be Highbush=20 Cranberries ~1947 from the edge of the Cornwallis Meadow at Cambridge, = having=20 read something about the berries being good for jelly, and they tasted = like puke=20 so I suppose they were Opulus L. or a hybrid. I have never = looked for=20 intermediate plants.</DIV> <DIV> In any case, my experience with wild food plants = is that=20 they can be extremely variable with regard to=20 palatability. </DIV> <DIV>Yt, DW, Kentville </DIV> <BLOCKQUOTE=20 style=3D"BORDER-LEFT: #000000 2px solid; PADDING-LEFT: 5px; = PADDING-RIGHT: 0px; MARGIN-LEFT: 5px; MARGIN-RIGHT: 0px"=20 dir=3Dltr> <DIV style=3D"FONT: 10pt arial">----- Original Message ----- </DIV> <DIV=20 style=3D"FONT: 10pt arial; BACKGROUND: #e4e4e4; font-color: = black"><B>From:</B>=20 <A title=3Djimwolford@eastlink.ca = href=3D"mailto:jimwolford@eastlink.ca">Jim=20 Wolford</A> </DIV> <DIV style=3D"FONT: 10pt arial"><B>To:</B> <A = title=3Dnaturens@chebucto.ns.ca=20 href=3D"mailto:naturens@chebucto.ns.ca">naturens</A> </DIV> <DIV style=3D"FONT: 10pt arial"><B>Sent:</B> Monday, February 01, 2016 = 5:45=20 PM</DIV> <DIV style=3D"FONT: 10pt arial"><B>Subject:</B> [NatureNS] re = high-bush=20 cranberries & cedar waxwings and creepers</DIV> <DIV><BR></DIV>Very interesting, Donna, thanks, but a bit puzzling to = this=20 naturalist. In the Wolfville area, high-bush cranberries often = last for=20 most or all of the winter, providing some nice colour against the = snowy=20 landscape. My impression has been that they are somehow less = palatable=20 than the other wild fruits like mountain-ash or hawthorns or others.=20