[NatureNS] absence of insects

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From: Rick Whitman <dendroica.caerulescens@gmail.com>
Date: Thu, 23 Jun 2016 16:00:56 -0300
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We can't claim it, Donna. Ontario already has it:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3DqjLBXb1kgMo

Rick Whitman

On 23 June 2016 at 15:00, Donna Crossland <dcrossland@eastlink.ca> wrote:

> Thanks, John, for offering the thought of blackflies being keystone
> species.  Being a non-aquatic person, I hadn=E2=80=99t thought of their f=
iltering
> abilities and incorporating organic matter.   Do you think we=E2=80=99d g=
et very
> far offering the black fly as a new and official provincial  insect of ou=
r
> wonderful province?  Ha, ha.
>
>
>
> Donna
>
>
>
> *From:* naturens-owner@chebucto.ns.ca [mailto:
> naturens-owner@chebucto.ns.ca] *On Behalf Of *John Kearney
> *Sent:* June-23-16 8:25 AM
> *To:* naturens@chebucto.ns.ca
> *Subject:* RE: [NatureNS] absence of insects
>
>
>
> As always Donna, you have given an excellent explanation of the possible
> effects of forestry on Black Fly populations. In addition to the lack of
> food for birds resulting from fewer flies, the Black Fly larvae are an
> important food source for fish and the larvae of larger aquatic insects
> such as mayflies and damselflies. As filter feeders, the Black Fly larvae
> play a crucial role in incorporating organic matter into the aquatic food
> chain. As filter feeders, they could also serve as indicator species for
> aquatic pollution, and in Nova Scotia especially, for mercury pollution.
> The adult male Black Fly, which feeds on nectar, may even play some role =
in
> pollination. Here we have a species that is crucial to both aquatic and
> terrestrial ecosystems. Certainly the Black Fly is a keystone forest
> species.
>
> John
>
>
>
> *From:* naturens-owner@chebucto.ns.ca [
> mailto:naturens-owner@chebucto.ns.ca <naturens-owner@chebucto.ns.ca>] *On
> Behalf Of *Donna Crossland
> *Sent:* June-22-16 19:20
> *To:* naturens@chebucto.ns.ca
> *Subject:* [NatureNS] absence of insects
>
>
>
> In response to Susann=E2=80=99s question regarding whether other birders =
have
> noticed a lack of insects:  I=E2=80=99ve noticed the past couple of years=
 that
> black flies seem to =E2=80=98not be what they used to be=E2=80=99.   Most=
ly, the season
> seems to be noticeably abbreviated.  Also the past two spring have witnes=
s
> very cold temperatures in the mornings (last Saturday there was a frost a=
t
> Milford House and only 4 C when I arrived at 5:20 am).   I measure the
> temperature at every bird survey post and notice that 10-11 C is required
> before I need to put on some bug deterrent.  By then, on most mornings
> until the warm temps of this week, I=E2=80=99ve pretty well completed the=
 bird
> survey.
>
>
>
> Earlier this spring, some of the fishermen were commenting that the
> blackflies were biting just like in the old days.  Things started out
> =E2=80=98normally=E2=80=99 enough, but then we hit the prolonged cold sna=
p and waters were
> rapidly dropping, too.  The blackflies quickly became less of an issue.
>
>
>
> I=E2=80=99m not a bug expert, but I grew up in one of the buggiest areas =
of the
> province.  My theory with the black fly is that it=E2=80=99s traditionall=
y
> successful life cycle in NS has been altered somewhat from the rampant
> levels of deforestation.  On private lands, it seems that operations have
> reverted back to cutting right up to the stream edges with no trees
> remaining (I=E2=80=99ve got photos of last winter=E2=80=99s cuts in the s=
outhwest).  Even
> where buffers are left as per legal requirements, the lack of trees
> remaining on the rest of the landscape serve to let streams rapidly fill
> after a rain and then empty quickly, rather than retain moderate flows fr=
om
> filtering through forests.  For the black fly, if waters keep running mor=
e
> will emerge, but streams are now drying up more quickly than before when
> our great Acadian forest blanketed the landscape.  The black fly season i=
s
> shortened.
>
>
>
> Also bear in mind that breeding success of black flies is sensitive to
> water pollution in streams (which may be relevant to some areas of our
> great province).
>
>
>
> Most folks will herald the shorter black fly season, but I=E2=80=99ve bec=
ome more
> reflective about our migrant birds now than I used to be.  Neotropical
> birds have been coming to this land solely for  its =E2=80=9Cbugs=E2=80=
=9D and the
> remarkable =E2=80=98forest habitats=E2=80=99 found here for centuries!  W=
hat are we
> indirectly doing to their precious food supply needed to feed young birds=
?
> (I won=E2=80=99t go into habitat issues.)  When I watch the chimney swift=
s and tree
> swallows flying around, I wonder how things are going for them and their
> progeny...
>
>
>
> Donna Crossland
>
>
>
>
>
> *From:* naturens-owner@chebucto.ns.ca [
> mailto:naturens-owner@chebucto.ns.ca <naturens-owner@chebucto.ns.ca>] *On
> Behalf Of *rita.paul@ns.sympatico.ca
> *Sent:* June-20-16 8:48 AM
> *To:* naturens@chebucto.ns.ca
> *Subject:* Re: [NatureNS] Golden-crowned Kinglet family group
>
>
>
> Maybe birders are noticing a lack of insects Susann!
>
> but anglers seem not in agreement but maybe birders
>
> blood is not in this year! Just like wine.
>
> Enjoy the last days of spring
>
> Paul
>
>
>
> On June 20, 2016 at 7:02 AM Susann Myers <myerss@eastlink.ca> wrote:
>
> Pat McKay and I did some woods birding yesterday along the Old Mineville
> Road, a very quiet rough track that runs between West Porters Lake and
> Mineville, HRM.  In one area there were a lot of Golden-crowned Kinglet
> calls, and we saw a group of more than 4 kinglets flitting around in the
> woods together, feeding and calling.  We couldn't get a good enough look =
to
> confirm fledgling plumage, but this appeared to be a family group.
>
>
>
> A little research confirmed that this is the right season for a first
> brood of fledglings to be out of the nest and moving about with their
> parents.  Tufts gives April 16 for the average start of nesting on
> Wolfville Ridge, and roughly mid-May for the completion of egg laying.  *=
The
> Birders' Handbook* indicates that incubation takes 14-15 days, and
> fledging another 14-19; it also indicates that this kinglet typically has=
 2
> broods.
>
>
>
> Also notable were a good showing of butterflies and a lack of other flyin=
g
> insects - no black flies, and the only mosquitoes that bothered us were a=
t
> a salt marsh in the early morning, where we went to hear Sora.  Although
> the day became windy, there wa