HalifaxFiQidNaturalist

QWSlQtt rDECEMBER 1983 - FEBRUARY 1984 No. 34

DID YOU REMEMBER TO PAY YOURDUES FOR 1984?

$7 single; $10 family; $15 sustaining ., to cover period from Jan.1to December 31, 1984.

Mail your cheque or cash to:Treasurer, Halifax Field Naturalists, do N.S. Museum,1747 Summer Street, Halifax, NS..,B3H 3A6.or bring along to the next monthlymeeting.

Halifax FiQid

NaturalistsDECEMBER 1983- FEBRUARY 1984 No. 34

MEETINGS: First Thursday of every month at 8.00 pm in the Auditorium ofthe Nova Scotia Museum, 1747 Summer Street, Halifax.

FIELD TRIPS: are held at least once a month.

MEMBERSHIP: is open to anyone interested in the natural history of NovaScotia. Memberships are available atany meeting of the Societyor by writing to --- Membership Chairman, Halifax Field Naturalists, c/o Nova Scotia Museum.

Individual memberships $7.00 per yearFamily “ $10.00 “

Sustaining I’ $15.00This covers our fiscal year — January 1 to December 31.

Members receive the lEN Newsletter and notices of all meetings,field trips and special programs.

EXECUTIVE President John van der Meer Cr) 455-1029. (o) 426-8276for 1984: Vice—President Edna Staples Cr) 868—2919

Treasurer Bernice Moores Cr) 422—5292 Co) 445—2500Membership Cohn Stewart Cr) 455-6576Secretary Michael Downing Cr) 823-2081Past-President Doris Butters Cr) 463-0033

Directors:Projects John BrownlieProgram Co-ordinator. Filip Volckaert

Bill FreedmanEric MalrnbergAileen MeagherMary PrimrosePierre Taschereau

NEWSLETTER Editor Doris Butters 463—0033

Edna StaplesAileen Meagher

MAILING Halifax Field NaturalistsADD1~SS: c/c N.S. Museum, 1747 Summer Street, Halifax, B3H 3A6.

HFN is a member organisation of the Canadian Nature Federation.HFN is incorporated under the Nova Scotia Societies Act.HFN NEWSLE~ER is produced by courtesy of the Nova Scotia Museum.~ Now that running a car is so expensive, it would be appreciated if those

travelling in someone else’s car on field trips share the cost of the gas.Thank you.

3

This is but a brief summary ofHFN activities during what proved toto be a busy year.

Membership increased to almost200, and while we did have a fair

~turnout for most regular meetings,we have yet to fill the Auditoriumto capacity every month! Our slide

~talks were diverse, informative andvery well received. Topics rangedfrom seed shrimp to pilot whales,bats to boojums, and we even‘travelled abroad’ to Kluane, Indonesia and Arizona. Many thanks toall who gave of their time andefforts to make our meetings sovaried and interesting.

Thanks are also due to those whoarranged or led our field trips,making it possible for us to enjoy19 outings of widely differenttypes. Favourite spots were revisited, such as Cape Split,Smiley’s, Conrad’s and the Mapletonsugar—bush, balanced by trips toless familiar areas including TaylorHead, Clam Harbour, Tancook, NoelShore, St.Catherine’s River Beach,the “bat caves~ at Maitland and anovernight trip to Kejimkujik atthe time of the Perseid meteorshower.

Despite often uncertain weatherwe had a good turnout for most hikes;participants ranged in number from11-35. One hike had to be calledof f — gale force winds and heavyrain making it impossible for usto take the Shore Bird and Waterfowl trip with Eric Cooke. However,this one is being re-scheduled formid—April. -

Four Newsletters were issued. Wewere gratified at the excellentsupport received from members inthe way of articles, verse, sketchesand field trip reports. Do keep itcoming!

Refreshments — despite a fewsetbacks - always appeared at theend of our meetings. For thatservice we owe thanks to LesleyButters and her team of tea—makers.

be

(Lesley and Linda are at presenttouring New Zealand and we hopefor details and a slide—show whenthey return).

The Conrad’s Beach Area Surveyhas been revitalised and it ishoped that members will assist bynoting details of their findingswhenever they visit the area, (formsare available for anyone wishing tohelp in this way). The N.S.MuseumScience Department Director has askedus to continue our program of AreaStudies as they are of considerablehelp to the painfully under-staffedMuseum.

Prizes for natural history projects were awarded to two studentswho entered the annual High SchoolScience Fair in April. Later, thesetwo young ladies brought their projects to an HFN meeting and presentedan excellent short talk on theirwork,

Several letters were sent to theProvincial Government appealingfor the protection of nesting Piping Plovers at St.Catherine’sRiver Beach; protesting againstthe damage caused by off—roadvehicles at Crescent Beach,and alsoprotesting the super highway proposed for the Salmon Lake regionwhich would run to the Airportthrough an important nature andfishing area. A letter was sent toCity Council and a petition signedagainst the erection of two towersoverlooking the Public Gardens,

Finally, we owe a debt of gratitude to the Nova Scotia Museumfor making available to us facilities for our meetings, providinga mail drop—off service, libraryshelf space, printing our News—letters, identifying our unusual‘finds’ and always going out oftheir way to give help whenever itis needed.

PRESIDENTIAL REPORT 1983

Doris Butters,

4

Halifax Field NaturalistsStat~nent of Receipts and Disburs~T~ntsFor the Year Ended Dec~ther 31, 1983

!~rbership dues

Total receipts

Receipts

$1,032.00

$1,032.00

Disburs~nts

!v~etings expensePublications and stationeryPostageaies - Can. Nature FederationDonation - Can. Nature Federation~ank chargesProjects - Science Fair prizes

Excess of receipts over disburs~ents1~dd - Opening balance, January 1, 1983

Surplus account balance, DecE~ther 31, 1983

of:Petty Cash FundBank Account balance, Dec&tter 31,Tern Deposit - Bank of !~bntrea1,6 3/4%, 6 months maturing June 25,

Sig~d ~Treasurer

$ 68.27203.35295.3325.0050.00

8.3045.00

$ 695.25

$ 336,751,164.72

$1,501.47

Accountant’s Caffr~nts

Receipts andyear endedand information

I have prepared the above Stat~nent ofDisburs~nts of Halifax Field Naturalists for theDecerr~er 31, 1983, fran the records of the Societysupplied to rr~ by its officers,

Consisting

1983

1984

$ 25.00176.47~

1,300.00

$1,501.47

Halifax, Nova ScotiaJanuary 28, 1984

5

newsPRESIDENT’S MESSAGE

The annual meeting is behind us for another year anda new slate of officers is in place (By acclamation, asusuall) There were no big surprises with a lot of familiarfaces in new positions sort of ‘cabinet shuffle’. DorisButters decided to step down as president so she couldconcentrate her energy as editor of the Newsletter. Thusit is that you find yours truly struggling to take up thereins. Fortunately I’~ve been promised a lot of help. Anideal president of HFN would be a compendium of informationabout wildlife, and even better would have immediate recallof Latin binomials, I will not be that ideal president.I will however do my best to encourage the smooth functioning of our Society. In this connection we have alreadytaken the first steps towards organizing the responsibilitiesof various members of the Executive so that no one personhas an unreasonable work load. Hopefully we will soon havecommittees in place to look after everything from programmeto refreshments. Don’t be surprised if someone taps you onthe shoulder and asks if you~ can lend a handl Let’s make1984 another great year for HFN!!

FROM THE EDITOR -

John van der Meer,

A sincere “Thank you” to all whocontributed during the past year towards the production of the Newsletter. Not only to those whosubmitted articles and art work, butthe teams who helped with thecollating, stapling and mailing,and especially to Edna Staples whodoes the very necessary job ofcorrecting grammatical errors andtypos, in addition to doing a superjob of handling the lay-out andpasting—up of the Newsletter toproduce camera—ready copy for theNSM printer.

BUT — there are three more issuesto get out during 1984, so we stillneed your support . .. nature articles, unusual or humourous anecdotes,first sightings, book reviews, helpful hints, poetry — original or oldfavourite related to natural history —

and, of course, field trip reports.Pen—and—ink drawings are alwayswelcome, especially those illustrating articles.

Doris Butters.

6CORRECTION — to the Kejimkujik

Eleld Trip Report in thelast issue of HFN Newsletter —

In the~ November issue of theNewsletter, John Brownlie reportedon the trip to Kejimkujik NationalPark (pg.9). He told of a specialside trip to see the rare WaterPennywort. As we have a policy ofgiving scientific names for atleast rare species, in typing thearticle Doris looked up ‘WaterPennywortr in Petersonrs A FieldGuide to the Wildflowers.

Unfortunately Peterson~s onlylists H~d~oco~y~e ctme~Jc.ctnum underWater Pennywort. The plant in thePark is H. umb £4-tLZ. To add tothe comedy, Edna added as an illustration, the sketch of H.a.mut.L—cctnum from Newcomb’s Wild FlowerGuide. pub,1977.

To rectify this we are includinga sketch of the correct species(Hy~L’z.oco.ty~ee umbeUcz-ta) from ~ritp~and Brown New Illustrated Flora.

Hydrocoty i.e

umbeliata

Interestingly, H. arne.nLc~ctnum,which is a creeping plant, is described as common in Nova Scotia,but has never been found in Kejim—kujik National Park.

H~id~oeo-ty-?e umb fcL-tcL is (inKeji) a floating—leaved plant. Ithas been found in five locationsincluding one site about the sizeof a room. However, as the‘plants’ are actually branches offa prostrate stem, with roots atthe nodes, this room—size area mayonly be a few plants. Flowers arerare.

It is classed as an AtlanticCoastal Plain Flora species, andNova Scotia is the north easternextreme of its range. It is rarein Nova Scotia.

Cohn Stewart.

NEW ENVIRONMENTAL COMMITTEEFORMED —

The Nova Scotia Bird Society hasformed an Environmental Committeeconsisting of eight members of tfteSociety, to identify areas of en—vironmental concern within NovaScotia and to a lesser extent otherareas, with a view to advising theExecutive of the Society. This advice will be based on carefulresearch and contact with membersof the scientific and environmentalcommunity.

Input from the Committee will beused by the Executive in arrivingat official positions to be takenby the Society in response tospecific environmental issues.Although the prime area of interestis birds and the environment, themembers of the committee are wellaware that any environmental threatis potentially a threat to all formsof life.

The N.S. Bird Society was foundedin 1955, and today has grown to amembership of over 600. It publishesan authoritative and respected newsletter, administers (and owns)several small sanctuaries, conductsannual population censuses, and.offers regular field trips for birdobservation and study,among otheractivities. It is the largestnaturalist organization in the pro—vi nce.

The Society and its new Environmental. Committee welcome suggestionsfrom anyone on matters of environmental concern. They can be reachedby mail at:

N.S.Bird SocietyEnvi ronmental Commi tteedo N.S. Museum1747 Summer StreetHalifax, N.S., B3H 3A6.

7

INTERESTED IN SHELLS ? —

If you would like to know moreabout them, where and how to findthem, how to identify them and whatbooks are available on the topic,the Shell Collectors Association ofNova Scotia can help you.

The aim of the Society is to promote shell collecting in thisprovince through collecting trips,swap shops and auctions. Its otheraim is to promote an understandingof mollusks in general through research, exhibits, lectures and othermeans.

Should you be interested inlearning more about the club, call

Dr. Derek Davis, Science Lab,N.S.M. — 429—46iO.~

or contact the N.S. Museum at 1747— Summer Street, Halifax, B3H 3A6.

~MAN AND WILDLIFE IN A SHAREDENVIRONMENT” -

A 57—page booklet on the wildlife situation in Canada has beenpublished by the Canadian WildlifeService. Illustrated with beautifuland informative photos, the bookletpresents a sobering analysis of theplight of our surviving native birdsand certain mammals.

It contains a historical perspective, a report on the currentsituation and a look to the future.It has sections on the role andimportance of wildlife; the natureof wildlife habitats and the threatsto them; the role of volunteergroups and provincial and federalgoveVrnment departments; birdsurveys and sanctuaries; wildlifeareas and interpretation centres;the stories of three endangeredmammals; and, how we can becomeinvolved. For a free copy contact:Information Services, RegionalDirector General’s Office,Environment Canada, Atlantic Region,3rd floor, Queen St., 45 AlderneyDrive, Dartmouth, N.S. B2Y 2N6.or phone: 426—8374.

“VOYAGE OF THE ICEBERG” by RichardBrown -

To those who enjoyed Dick’s slide!talk on Icebergs, on February 2, andwho would like to get a copy of hisbook, Pair of Trindles in HistoricProperties and the Classic Bookstorein Penhorn Mall still have a fewcopies. “Voyage...” is in shortsupply just now, having sold quitewell in Metro and Upper Canada, butany bookstore will take an order.Price is $16.95. (Free autographsto all HFN members - says Dick!)

DIRECTIONS TO POCKWOCK WALK -

Take the Bedford Highway toHammonds Plains — 9 km. along thatroad there is a fire station on yourleft. One km. past that you come toa “Y” in the road; take the righthand fork. There is a “No Exit”sign on this road but don’t worry,you cannot go over the end.

SiVx km. on this road, to yourleft is a fairly large modern houseca sick light brown with dark doorsand butterflies). The walk runsalong the side of the house — justa woods trail, similar to a loggingroad.

This is a beautiful walk at anytime of the year, and the trailsare well marked.

Ricki Garrett—Smith.

8SUMMER SCHOOL - an Introduction

to MARINE BIOLOGY -

A 3-week introductory coursein Marine Biology will be offeredagain this summer by DalhousieUniversity’s Biology Department.

The course starts on July 3and runs until July 25. Morninglectures will be followed byafternoon lab or field trips, andtopics will cover:Phyto— and Zooplankton, Algae,Crustacea, Molluscs, Echinoderms,Fish, Birds, Whales and Seals andinclude a field trip to an oysterfarm to look at one aspect ofAquaculture.

The schedule affords an opportunity for study of marine lifein its natural setting. DalhousieAquatron, lab space and technicalassistance, and boats from Bedford Institute will be available.Chris Corkett~ PhD., of DaltsBiology Dept. will condUct thecourse — for more information callChris at his office 424—2565, orhome 479-1134.

This is a half—credit course andthe credit can be used towards anHonours or major in Biology at Dal—housfe University. However, thereis a class limit of 25 students soany interested person should contactthe Registrar’s office at Dal for therelevant forms as quickly as possible.

We .‘tegn.et -~to announce ~.thedea.th o~ VR. JOHN SLAYTER,who pa44ed away LuddenZy a.-thL~ home -l~n Che4ten. 8a4~n,N.S., eaiiiy -Ln Febnuany.

A -P~ong-~t~me membek o~ HaLL~çaxF-Le~d Na .‘~.a~UiLt,, V.’t. S~ay.ten.had onZy ~‘tecenUy ke~tun..ned{~tom a 2-3 yea~ ~s~ay .Ln Eng.e.andand had ke4amed h-L~s (aayak.Lngand HFfr.t acv~Le~. HLsqu~Le.Uy cL’Ly 4en4e ~ humou,twLU be mL54ed on oun.

A TREE -

(Th-L4 no~Lce ha4 been po4.ted£n .the ~jo)te4..t ~‘ce4etve4 o~Pouga.~ ~joJt oven. 1000 yean.6)

“I am the heart of your hearthon the cold winter nights, thefriendly shade which screens youfrom the summer sun; and my fruitsquench your thirst as you journeyon.

I am the beam which supportsyour house, the board of your table,the bed on which you sleep and thetimber which builds your boat.

I am the handle of your hoe, thedoor of your home, the wood of yourcradle and the shell of your coffin.

I am the bread of kindness andthe flower of beauty.

You who pass by, pleaselisten to my prayer - ‘HARM ME NOT’”

Lesley J. Butters.

9

ON THE. SHELF

As usual, the latest newlettersfrom the Blomidon, PEI, St.John andCatherine Trail nature societiesand the January issue of NatureCanada, can be found on the libraryshelf. And, also as usual, all contain articles of interest.

One of particular interest to HFNcan be found in the October issue ofParkscan. It concerns the oldWood’s property encompassing the tipof the Port Mouton Peninsula betweenthe bays of Port Mouton and PortJoli, located 25 km southwest ofLiverpool. Expropriated by the province in 1974, it is now to be turnedover to Parks Canada for developmentas a coastal adjunct to KejimkujikNational Park. Steps have beentaken to protect the site pendingnegotiations of terms and condi tionsfor the transfer of the land toParks Canada. Hopefully, the PipingPlover population will be able tonest successfully again this year.

a note from Tim Randall onSeagull control — seagulls alwayslay tftree eggs, replacing if oneor more are removed to bring thetotal again to three; a long thinwire inserted through the egg destroys the embryo, leaving thetotal number of eggs constant.

the unusually cold weatherbrought a Red Squirrel from ShubiePark onto the porch of DorothyMorris’s house to eat breadcrumbsput out for the birds.

Early in December, FultonLavender spotted four WhistlingSwans on Bissett Lake and sent outa ‘rare bird alert’ in mid-November he noticed a little BrownBat behind the Capital Store onPortland Street, Dartmouth, aroundthe air-conditioning unit andat Russell Lake, behind the oldpiggery, Fulton noticed among thetracks of a ‘resident’ family ofDeer, the fresh tracks of a calfor cow Moose a pair of RiverOtters wintering at Russel Lake(what will happen to this wildliferich area when the new housingdevelopment goes in?)

• . . a report from Mrs. Stella Westof Conrad’s Road, of a flock of Redbreasted and Common Black and WhiteMergansers, male and female, matingearly because of the unseasonablymild weather.

10

Place:Date:Parti ci pan

Leaders

Weather:

field

Our meeting place for thisouting was a different one fromthe usual. We made our vehiclearrangements prior to the tripand met at the Kedgie car parkat Ii a,m, Several Halifax members went down the day before andstayed overnight at a nearby Bed—and—Breakfast house.

We divided into two groups —

one for cross—country ski—ing ledby David Lawley, the other for snowshoeing led by Jim Wolford of theBlomidon Field Naturalist club.I can attest to the cross—country ski—ing, which was wonder—ful on well—groomed trails in thefresh snow. A perfect time foridentifying animal tracks — theones spotted are listed at the endof this report,

Interesting plant sightingsincluded a clump of Dwarf Mistletoeat the top of a White Pine; gallson a Red Maple at a point oppositePeel Island; and on Peel Island itself, some of the oldest trees inthe park - Ash and Maple; and anIronwood tree (also known as HopHornbeam). We were told thatlichen in the park is being closelywatched for evidence of damage byhigh ]evels of SO2 in the air,

The snowshoers reported signs ofat least two species of birds — aViriole nest and large holes peckedout in trees by Pileated Woodpeckers.Birds spotted include a Raven(distinguished from the Crow by itsfan—shaped tail), a Blue Jay, shyBoreal Chickadees and the morebrazen Black—capped Chickadee.

AN AFTERNOON OF WINTER FESTIVITIESKejimkujik National ParkSunday, January 22, 1984

ts: HFN’ers — 8 (2 from Bridgewater)Blomidon Field Nats, — 14

David Lawley (X—Country Ski leader)Jim Wolford (Snowshoe group leader)Glorious! bright and sunny with clear blue skies

temperature between -5 and -10°C.

11Both groups were out for almost

two hours before taking a lunchbreak in a cozy shelter at Merrymakedge where water was alreadyboiling on the stove. Here oneHFN’er (me) made use of a littleskating rink cleared on the lakeby the Park staff.

The afternoon of ski—ing and snowshoeing ended about 4.30 p.m.Driving out of the Park in the duskwe saw five deer on the main road -

not exactly ‘in the wild’, but noless exciting.

It was a wonderful day on allcounts, and looks like a ‘natural’for a regular outing — providing wecan be as lucky with snow conditions!We certainly enjoyed meeting andspending the afternoon with theBlomidon Field Naturalists. Ourthanks to David Lawley for extending the invitation to the two groups,and to Jim Wolford for ‘volunteei”ing’to lead the snowshoers.

Tracks observed: Shrew, vole, deei~—mouse, otter, weasel, Spruce Grouse,rabbit, porcupine, buck and roedeer, and bobcat.

At this particular time of theyear, the attraction of ClamHarbour is its beauty and itscranberries, which form at timesdense beds along the lower reachesof the dunes and on some of thedrumlin slopes. Judging by themany footprints, tens of kilogramsof berries must have been pickedbefore our~visit. Moreover,despite cold hands several of usmanaged to dig a few buckets ofclams. Having just spawned theywere a little bit thin or “spent”as they call it.

Exploration of the park resultedin sightings of a Loon, a fewHerring Gulls and White—wingedScoters on the water. Myrtle Warblers were still searching in thewoods for late insects; 8 Robinsand Black—capped Chickadees inspected the local scenery. Three Black—bellied Plovers, a Greater Yellow—leg and a few “peeps” probed themud flats for worms and crustaceans.

The park has a very rich growthof ltchens, such as Old Man’sBeard (U4vL~z sp.), XanthoizJ~cZ andothers. Fascinating are thevariety of habitats in the park:

salt marsh and mud flats, exposedand sheltered rocky shores withoverhangs and crevices, densegreen forest, willow stands, greyand white dunes and exposedbeaches. As in so many placesalong the Eastern Shore, the seahere is transgressing and erodingthe headlands.

Bernice’s discovery of a half-decomposed Angler Fish (LophJ~u4P~4~a~to~Lu4) ~ias fascinating~the fish gets its name from a longoutgrowth on its head which luresprey into its huge mouth.

Pleased to discover such a niceplace, we headed home in the laterafternoon.

Nancy Sherwin.A FALL VISIT TO CLAM HARBOUR

Date: Sunday, 30 October 1983 Place: Clam Harbour, Eastern Shoref~ri±çIp~ants: 24Weather: Cool (10°C) with clear to slightly overcast skies — wind,

brisk southwesterly.

White-winged scoter

Filip Volckaert.

12Mary’s report on the Cranberj~yConnection’__a~pçj the trip —

On October 30, a sunny daygreeted about 24 members of theHalifax Field Naturalists who turned up for a trip to Clam HarbourBeach. There was some wondermentas to who was leading this trip,the others all looked at me becauseon the flier advertising this outing it was noted that I knew wherethe best cranberries grew. ThePrimrose Path is the only path Iknow, but the others followed alonganyway. Who needs a leader whenthere are mussels to be plucked,clams to be dug and cranberries sop1entif~l I didn’t even need topoint a finger!

Everyone was on their own to dowhat pleased them, some went for along walk along the beach and returned at the end of the day to tellus about the birds they had seen andthe mussels they had found. A fewhappily dug clams, then joined therest of us who were picking cranberries.

A man — who appeared to be thecaretaker of the park - told us oldtales about the many who had cometo pick cranberries there. He alsotold us that cranberries sweat; hismother used to spread them out on

newspapers under tF~eir beds untilthey were needed for cooking - nofreezers thenJ

After we tired of picking cranberries, not that we couldntt findany more, we walked along severalof the beaches and ended up finding more cranberries, bigger thanthe ones we had been picking, sowe had to pick a few more.

It was a most enjoyable day. Theonly question I was asked the wholeday was “When are we going to eat?”and with great authority I said“Now!”

Mary Primrose.

Someone has said that membership in any association is madeup of four kinds of bones.Thereare wishbones who spend all theirtime wishing someone else woulddo the work. Then there are thejawbones who do all the talkingbut very little else. Next comethe knucklebones who knock everything anyone else tries to do.Finally, there are the backboneswho get under their load and doall the work.

THINK IT OVER *******

WHICH ONE OF THESE ARE YOU?????

13

SATURDAY AFTERNOON FEB.ij~l984-

Off to hunt gyrfalcons in GrandPre

Liz Townsend and I met with someothers led by Fulton Lavender, whohad been there all morning. UI thewarm, damp, grey day, over acres ofmuddy and slightly snowy fields, weplied our field glasses and one‘scope. Liz and I had already seenone Rough—legged Hawk, with his snowybreast and mottled stomach, on ourway in to meet with the rest. Theseraptors like to sit, unmoving andalmost invisible, on fence—posts,able to spot any possible prey moving over the fields.

When we met up with Fulton, wemoved on a bit, and saw a stubblycornfield chock—full of pheasantsfeeding on discarded cobs. Up inan elm nearby was a beautiful BaldEagle, its white head and yellowbill and feet, clearly visible. Heflew off after a while, with slowstrong steady wingbeats. More eagleswere seen in the trees on the wayto a spot nearer the dikes and thesea. Here also were flocks andflocks of Snow Buntings — flashing,dipping and wheeling.

Now began the long walk — stalking a bump on a distant fence post.Fulton had previously reckoned afemale gyrrs flight path and territory, so he knew there was a good

chance that it might be her. Alongthe dikes and over the muddy,snowyfields we went, often stopping tocheck our prey’s position with theglasses and ‘scope. Finally we cameclose enough to ascertain the gyrfinishing off some entrails clutched in her talons, perched on herfence post dining table. Muchpreening took place after she wasfinished, and her distinctive long,pointed wings were easily seen asshe brought them forward and downto reach her back. We went nofurther, but left her in satedpeace.

Back to the cars, and on the way,a sighting of two rather old crowkills in the gyr’s field (wings andscapulae); and then - a post toppedwith down, and on- the ground aroundit, pheasant feathers, legs, wings,and oddly enough, the intact stomach.Animal tracks, either fox or raccoon,were there and the blood and meat onthe legs were very,very fresh. Itwas even possible to piece togetherthe path of the attack as many feathershad been left behind in a straightline through the bare scrub nearby.My seven—year old, Stephen, took theblue legs for good luck!

Altogether it was a most satisfying day. I had never before seenany of these birds live in the fieldand, miraculously, the rain onlybegan just as we got in our carsfor the ride back to Halifax!

Stephanie Robertson.

NEXT VEAVLINE25 Apit).Z 1984 ~ofl.the. Ma.U £44ue..Ma~U ~on~bu~t-Lon~6-to M.S. Mu4~tm 01?phone. ~the. EdLto~ a-t

463—oo33.

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14

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BUYING BINOCULARSfTh.~L4 tt~c~ee ~L4 a. condenoa.t-Lon ojç ChcuL-e.e6 A.8e~gman, “TheG~ea44 o~ Fa4h-Lon”, Audubon, Wovembe~’t 1981, pp.74-SO. Mo~edetaLe can be j~ound £n ~he ot~Lg~LnaZ a’~Lc~e)

Most birdwatchers and naturalists find binoculars an indispensabletool for pursuing their hobby or profession. The following is intendedas a guide to binocular specifications and what to look for when choosing a pair of binoculars.Magnification. A primary feature of binoculars is that they magnifyand allow us to see detail not otherwise apparent to the naked eye.All are labelled with a formula: 6x20, 7x35, 8x40, 10x50, etc. Thefirst number — 6, 7, 8, 10 — is the degree of magnification. That is,a 6-power binocular makes the image appear six times larger, or six timescloser, than when seen with the naked eye. However, magnification alonemay not make detail more distinguishable because binoculars magnifyhand tremor as well as the image. Conventional wisdom suggests 7 isthe most all—purpose power, but birders find 8- and 10—power worksbetter for their purposes.

Brilliance. The higher the magnification, the more light required,ast~e magnification refers only to the linear measurements of an object. While magnifying an image sevenfold results in an object oneinch square becoming 7 inches tall, the area increases 49 times. Thetotal area that needs to be illuminated is thus found by squaring thepower.

The illumination power of the binocular is given by the size ofthe objective lens, that is the second number of the formula given.For example, in a 7x35 binocular the second number, 35, describes thesize of the objective lens in millimetres. Because magnification andillumination are related, the brightness of a pair of binoculars isfound by dividing the second number, the size of the objective lens,by the first, the magnification. In our example this ratio is 5. Thisnumber is termed the “exit pupil’, which indicates how much light istransmitted through the binoculars to the eye. The exit pupil shouldcorrespond to the size of the pupil of the eye. Since the pupil isvariable, about 3mm in bright light expanding to 7mm in dark, an exitpupil of 5 is well-suited to most viewing conditions from twilight tonoon. However, if you plan to use binoculars primarily at night, youwould need one that has an exit pupil of about 7, e.g.7x50. However,be aware that such glasses are not better for day as well, since lightentering past the pupil of the eye is wasted light, falling on the irisinstead.

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Larger objective lenses weigh more1 so a compromise must be madebetween weight, power, and brilliance. Naturalists might choose 7x35,8x40, or 10x40, while backpackers might choose 6x20,8x30,10x35.

Resolution. Resolution or clarity is defined by the smallest double-line pair that can be distinguished through the glasses. The resolutionwill depend on the quality of the optical glass, the presence or absenceof striae (ridges or streaks in the glass) and the accuracy of thepolish. Resolution is also affected by how well the lenses correctfor various aberrations. All binocular lenses are now ‘doublets’, i.e.a second lens is cemented to the converging lens to correct for chromatic (colour) aberrations. This eliminates coloured haloes that wouldotherwise flare in the image.

To test for optical quality, focus on an object with many finelines, such as a brick wall or a tree trunk (do not do this whilelooking through a glass window). The edges will have a slight curvatureeven in the best lenses. Slowly move the image from the centre of thelens to the edge, watching for distortions. In excellent binoculars,the change Is slight; but will be noticeable in poor binoculars.

Another test is to move the binoculars out of focus. In the highest quality binoculars, the Image resolves well even when slightly outof focus. Poorer binoculars slide quickly out of focus, blur easily,and must be focused very precisely to be clear. Excellent resolutionover a wide range is an obvious advantage to a birder following a non—stationary bird.

Testing can be deceptive since the human eye will make correctionsfor defects in poorer binoculars. But this means the eye is workingharder. If the binoculars are used for long periods, the eye muscleswill become strained and fatigued. Although testing offers some information to the buyer, the safest procedure with regard to choosing opticsis to trust the reputation of the manufacturer.

Field of View. The field of view is measured in terms of yards or feetseen at a distance of 1,000 yards or feet. Field of view decreases asmagnification increases. Although some binoculars are advertised aswide angle’ , it is rarely a bargain because of the optical work in

volved , and is generally not needed.E,~e Relief. The retina of the eye must be positioned at the properdistance from the ocular lens to see the full field of view. Called‘eye relief’, this distance is usually one half—inch. Since most eyesautomatically accommodate slight variations of eye relief, this isusually an issue only for eyeglass wearers, Eyeglasses constrict thefield of vision by lengthening the distance between the ocular lens andthe retina. This problem has been solved more or less satisfactorilyby retractable eyecups — although some brands are more effective thanothers.

Alignment. To ensure that the two lenses produce one image, focus ona fairly distant horizontal line. Gradually extend the binoculars awayfrom your eyes, until two circular images of the line are formed, onein each barrel. The line should still appear perfectly continuous.

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Criteria for Choosing Binoculars. When choosing a pair of binoculars,examine for the following features. Focus onan object with fine parallellines, but do not look through a window when doing soBrightness. Is the image bright? The lenses and prisms should be 100%coated on all glass—to-air surfaces.Resolution. Defects to look for include:

How sharp are the margins (edge of field)? They should be as sharpas possible. Edge—of—field defects are an easy guide to therelative quality of the optics.

Do parallel lines crossing the image appear to curve slightly toward the centre?

Does a flat surface appear concave (bowl—shaped)?Is sharp focusing difficult?

Range of Resolution. Excellent optics will seem to go in and out offocus slowly, implying a wide range of resolution. This is more useful and less aggravating in the field.Alignment. The images formed by the two barrels should merge impercepta~1y into one unified image. Watch especially for a shadow down thecentre of the image and for vertical misalignment (described above).~y~e Relief. If dark shadows blot part of the field of view, eyerelief is at fault. Eyeglass wearers should rigorously test the retractable cups for eye relief. Quality in eye relief for eyeglasswearers varies considerably.Axis Hinge. The hinge should be strong and work smoothly. Avoiddouble hinges as they may be tiring to hold for long periods of timeand it may be difficult to maintain the proper alignment.Focusing Mechanism. A centre focus mechanism is more convenient thanone on each barrel. It should be conveniently located, easily reachedwithout looking for it, and smoothly adjustable.Balance and Comfort. Size, weight and balance should result in acomfortable-feeling binocular.

Some Recommended Brands —

Good but expensive — Leitz, Zeiss

Next best and cheaper — Bausch and Lomb, Swift, Bushnell,Nikon, Pentax

Expect Prices to range from $300 to over $1000.

Leigh Mazany

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