ISSUE # 214 JAN. - MAR., 2015

ISLAND NATURALIST

NATURE PEI - NATURAL HISTORY SOCIETY OF PRINCE EDWARD ISLANDP.O. BOX 2346, CHARLOTTETOWN, P.E.I. C1A 8C1

Meetings are held of the first Tuesday of the month from October to June at 7:30 p.m. at Beaconsfield’s CarriageHouse, corner of West and Kent Street in Charlottetown. Each meeting commences with a brief businessmeeting followed by a nutrition break and our guest speaker. Members and non-members are welcome.

Membership is open to anyone interested in the natural history of Prince Edward Island. Membership is availableat any meeting or by contacting the Treasurer at P.O. Box 2346, Charlottetown PE C1A 8C1. Annual membershipis $20 and renewals are due in January. Multi-year renewals are $20 per year for which you wish to renew. Membership expiry dates are shown in the top right hand corner of the mailing label or by a notice provided tothose receiving electronic newsletters.

The Society is directed by a volunteer Executive elected from its members.2015 Executive:

President ........................................................Rosemary Curley, Stratford 569-1209 rcurleypei@eastlink.ca Vice-President .............................Gerald MacDougall, Charlottetown 368-8092 eagle.dynasty@gmail.comPast President ................................... ...............Ian Scott, Charlottetown 892-5796 scotts@pei.sympatico.caSecretary ............................................................Diane Griffin, Stratford 569-2343 dianegriffin@eastlink.caTreasurer ........................................................Don Jardine, Winsloe South 368-2549 dejardine@eastlink.caDirector- Program & Publicity .....Bonnie McOrmond, Charlottetown 628-6994 bcmcormond@eastlink.caDirector - Field Trips ........................Ron Arvidson, South Melville 658-2566 arvidson@pei.sympatico.caNewsletter Editor........................................Dan McAskill, Donagh 569-4351 jdmcaskill@pei.sympatico.ca

NEWSLETTERS are normally published quarterly and are available in Acrobat Reader colour format via E-mailor in black & white hard copy delivered by mail. Hard copies are printed on recycled paper. Articles, notes,reports, drawings, bird sightings, plant records, pictures, etc. are welcomed from members and non-members. Ifyou have seen anything unusual, please share it with us. It is important to have your nature observations recordedso that others may learn from them. All contributions should be sent by mail to Dan McAskill, Newsletter Editor,Nature PEI (NHSPEI), 368 Brazel Road, Donagh, P.E.I. C1B 0T9 or via E-mail to jdmcaskill@pei.sympatico.ca The next deadline for articles, sightings, or other newsletter information is May 15, 2015.

Illustrations/Pictures: The Society extends a special thanks to Bill Bowerbank, Greg Feetham, Robert Harding,Kenny Jackson and Robyn Murchison Jackson, Kathie MacPhee, Jeanne Maki, Melanie McCarthy, ShawnMcCormack, Dale Murchison, Dwaine Oakley, John te Raa, and Jackie Waddell for their photographs andillustrations in this issue.

Reprinting: Editors of other newsletters and teachers wishing to copy classroom materials are welcome to reprintarticles from the Island Naturalist (except when copyrighted). Due acknowledgment must be provided to the IslandNaturalist, the author and illustrator.

Web page: www.NaturePEI.ca Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/NaturePEI

Nature PEI gratefully acknowledges support from the Department of Education and Early Childhood Developmentwhich enables distribution of newsletters to schools and libraries desiring it. The Society has representation on theboard of the Island Nature Trust. The Society is a registered charity and a non-profit organization (Part 2, PEICompanies Act). Tax receipts are issued for donations to the Society and these funds are used to further the workof the Society.

Cover Illustration:Dale Murchison captured this image of a Pileated Woodpecker at Brudenell Golf Course on January 11,

2015. This nearly crow sized woodpecker excavates its nests in large trees with softer centres. It may use multiplecavities during the season for roosting. They feed primarily on carpenter ants as well as the larvae of wood borersin dead or living trees or downed timber. They also use fruit, berries, and nuts. Their excavation holes have squarecorners and are often located at the base of trees infested with carpenter ants. Generally there will be a pile ofchips, some of which are quite large.

W. Earl Godfrey’s Birds of Prince Edward Island published in 1954 noted them as apparently extirpated. In the 1960s and 1970s, there were sporadic sightings of Pileated Woodpeckers or their apparent drilling holes inPEI (Captain E. Holdway - 2 seen off Wood Islands on May 24, 1963; Lou Daley and the late Stan Vass - drillingsat Head of Brudenell; George Smith - 1 reported at Mount Vernon in June 1977). The late Geoff Hogan discoveredfresh excavation cavities in softwoods at Greenwich on October 6th, 1987 and described these in Island NaturalistIssue #98. While sightings have increased and nesting has been confirmed, this species is still rare here.

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2014 SOCIETY’S PRESIDENTS' REPORT: by Ian Scott & Rosemary Curley

Our thanks go out to the Nature PEI’s Executive Council and the members of Nature PEI (Natural HistorySociety of PEI) for their participation and support of natural history in Prince Edward Island during 2014. Commencing in January, this year’s Executive Council was led by Ian Scott (President), Diane Griffin (Past-President), Bonnie McOrmand (Secretary), Don Jardine (Treasurer), Ron Arvidson (Field Trips Director),Rosemary Curley (Programs & Publicity Director), and Dan McAskill (Editor of the Island Naturalist). RandyDibblee served as the Society’s representative on the General Council of the Island Nature Trust in February. TheSociety’s Bylaws were amended at the January annual general meeting to add the Newsletter Editor to theExecutive Council and to allow electronic distribution of notices. On July 4th, Rosemary Curley moved to theposition of President, Ian Scott to Past President, and Diane Griffin to Programs and Publicity Director. The Vice-President position remained vacant during the year.

The Society continued its relationship with the PEI Museum and Heritage Foundation with Nature PEIholding its public meetings and Executive Council meetings at the Carriage House at Beaconsfield. Ian Scottcontinued to led the preparatory work for a “Rare Birds of PEI” exhibition in 2015 and an anthology of naturalhistory articles from the Island Magazine. Three representatives of the Society met with Premier Robert Ghiz onJanuary 15th in respect to the Province’s natural history mandate, the need for natural history curatorial staff and thedevelopment of a natural history museum for PEI. In addition, Nature PEI submitted a nomination for a Nature PEImember for the Museum’s Natural Heritage Award.

Nature PEI and the Island Nature Trust sent a joint letter to PEI Tourism and Culture Minister RobertHenderson respecting an expansion of the Crowbush Golf Course to include sensitive lands west of the coursewhich had been formerly been designated as a Natural Area. A followup letter was written to PEI Tourism andCulture Minister Robert Henderson, PEI Agriculture and Forestry Minister George Webster and Minister ofEnvironment, Labour and Justice Minister Janice Sherry respecting the designation of natural areas adjacent to theCrowbush Golf Course. During two meetings hosted by Nature PEI, Barb MacDonald and Rosemary Curleyreached out to other conservation organizations regarding a Round Table on Wildlife and the Environment. JulieVasseur developed a Nature PEI Native Plant Facebook site to expand our efforts on plant phenology anddiscussions. A rare lichen survey PEI Wildlife Conservation Fund project submission was successful and theSociety also provided funding assistance to support this work by Dr. Troy McMullin of the University of Guelph. Excellent progress was made on the initiative with UPEI to scan the old issues of the Island Naturalist so that theyare more readily accessible. Scanning has commenced and it is hoped that this project will be completed in 2015. The discussions arising from this work with Mark Leggott and Donald Moses have led to ongoing discussions onthe development of a Biodiversity Website at UPEI. Nature PEI’s Executive Council members reviewed andprovided suggestions for improvements on a draft Climate Diary developed by UPEI’s Climate Research Lab.

In the spring, the Society wrote to the Chair of the PEI Wildlife Conservation Fund and Minister GeorgeWebster requesting expansion of representation on the WCF Committee to include a biodiversity representative. InNovember, Rosemary Curley met with representatives from Parks Canada to provide comments on a draft greendevelopment plan for Cavendish Grove in the PEI National Park. Nature PEI submitted a nomination forrepresentation as a Wildlife Conservation Fund Committee member. Nature PEI also explored the starting time forNature PEI public meetings, Dutch elm disease control in Charlottetown, representation on the PEI Museum andHeritage Foundation Board, birding opportunities in the PEI National Park, shoreline cleanup at the BloomingPoint sandspit, the need for a Bird Research Group, collaboration with the PEI Invasive Species Council, a surveyrespecting Wildlife Conservation Fund license plates, Nature PEI’s status with Nature Canada, development of aSummerside chapter of Nature PEI, and Wildlife Conservation Fund project applications.

The Society held nine Executive Council meetings and two special planning meetings during the year. Efforts to recruit new Executive Council members to address changes in the Executive were somewhat successfulbut a vacancy exists in the Vice-President position. Ian Scott, Bonnie McOrmand, Lise Lafontaine, and DianeGriffin served on the Membership Committee. The Society’s new brochure with the Nature PEI word mark wasrecently completed and draft letters for a membership campaign have been developed. Don Jardine prepared andsubmitted the Charitable Income Tax Return for the Society. Rosemary Curley and Don Jardine coordinated theperiodic draw prizes which fund the PEI Science Fair natural history prizes. Diane Griffin and Ian Scott judged thenatural history entries for the PEI Science Fair at UPEI and they awarded prizes to two individuals and one team. John Klymko of the Atlantic Canada Conservation Data Centre led the final year’s field efforts for a MaritimeButterfly Atlas.

The Society’s monthly education presentations have been successful with most attracting 50 or morepeople. The presentations this year were: “The Society’s Annual General Meeting featuring Kathy Martin’s “TheRole of Tree Decay in Supporting Cavity Nesting Birds and Mammals”“; Dwaine Oakley’s “The Owls of PrinceEdward Island”; Fiep de Bie’s “Antarctic Adventures: Exploring the Southern Ocean by Tall Ship”; Mike van denHeuvel’s “Measuring Human Impacts to Island Estuaries”; Diane Griffin and Kate MacQuarrie’s “Shy and ShowyWildflowers and How to Find Them”; Sharon Clark’s “Pretty Pictures of Birds”; Beth Hoar and Jackie Waddell’s“Spot the Invasives: A Scavenger Hunt with a Twist”; Gerald MacDougall’s “Wildlife Enforcement 1980-1990:The Wild Life of Gerald MacDougall”; and Chuck Gallison’s “Whales in the Waters of Prince Edward Island” .

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On September 25th, the Society co-hosted a special presentation “Tick Talk: Ticks and the Threat of Lyme Diseaseon PEI” by Dr. Vett Lloyd and Dr. Barb Horney at AVC. In addition to the audio-visual presentations, RonArvidson organized seven field trips: Jan. 17 (Coffee, Crows, and Chat), Mar. 23 (Woodpeckers, Creepers andEarly Migrants), May 10 (Walk for Wildlife at Port-la -Joye - Fort Amherst National Historic Site), May 25(Cavendish Grove), Jun. 29 (The Gardens of Hope), Sept. 27 (International Shorebird Day), and Nov. 9 (Get YourDuck On). The Society also provided two birders, Fiep de Bie and Dan McAskill for the Hillsborough River EagleFestival Early Morning Birding. These presentations were usually publicized in The Buzz, Guardian CommunityNotice columns, CBC radio and released on the Society’s e-news list and Birding on PEIFacebook page.

David Seeler again maintained the UPEI BirdList server for use of Island birders,issued updates to birders on the records to date and compiled both the 2014 bird list, andwinter bird list. The Birdlist Service (UPEI Birdlist Server peibirders@lists.upei.ca) continuedas a primary tool for listers and others interested in birds and again contributed to thedocumentation of new sightings. Rarities identified there were included in the IslandNaturalist bird column. Ron Arvidson and Sharon Clark continued the Birding on PEIFacebook page which has attracted new people to PEI’s birding community and assistedwith the collection of bird records. In addition to these records, the Society periodicallychecks Ebird to identify records from this site. Thanks to the records of sightingcontributors, the Island’s 2014 bird list reached 245 species. The sightings from theIsland Naturalist are one of the primary sources of records that allowed the updating ofthe 2014 Field Checklist of Birds of Prince Edward Island. This publication was fundedby the PEI Department of Agriculture and Forestry in partnership with the Society, IslandNature Trust and Parks Canada.

The Society maintained its participation in various provincial and NorthAmerican bird count projects. Scott Sinclair coordinated the Montague Christmas BirdCount (CBC), Dwaine Oakley coordinated the East Point CBC, and Dan McAskillcoordinated the PEI National Park and Hillsborough Christmas Bird Counts as well as theBain Bird Count. This year there was much more favorable weather for most of theCBCs. Diane and Kevin Griffin hosted the potluck for the Hillsborough CBC while thePEI National Park hosted the lunch time potluck for the PEI National Park CBC. NancyRussell conducted interviews during the PEI National Park CBC and her interview wasplayed on CBC Radio on Dec. 31.

During the year, the Society made a contribution of $180 to the PEI Science Fair natural history prizes anda donation of $225 to the PEI Museum and Heritage Foundation. Rosemary Curley coordinated the E-maildistribution of Society notices about upcoming Natural History Society events until October and then Diane Griffintook over this task. The Society’s website, NaturePEI.ca, continued as did its Facebook page.

Thanks to the many Society members and others who contributed their wildlife observations and stories forthe Society's Island Naturalist, four issues were released (#’s 210 - 2013). Ron Arvidson, Ray Cooke, Pierre-YvesDaoust, Fiep de Bie, Lois Doan, Victoria Doan, Greg Feetham, Warren Foulkes, Diane Griffin, Robert Jenkins,John Klymko, Evelyn Martin, Marjorie Matheson, Mary McDougall, Don McLelland, Dale Murchison, SharonNeill, Dwaine Oakley, PEI Department of Agriculture and Forestry, Ian Scott, John te Raa, Shaylyn Wallace, andJulie-Lynn Zahavich contributed photographs, illustrations and/or drawings. Ron and Anne Arvidson, Bird StudiesCanada, Valerie Beer, Jean Blanchard, Vanessa Bonnyman, Sharon Clark, Ray Cooke, Rosemary Curley, Pierre-Yves Daoust, Fiep de Bie, Kyle Doucette, Shirley Gallant, Diane Griffin, Robert W. Harding, Hillsborough RiverAssociation, Kristy Hutchinson, Don Jardine, Brendan Jenkins, John Klymko, Kathleen MacAuley, CarolynMacDonald, Chris MacDonald, Gerald MacDonald, Brett MacKinnon, Layton MacAndrew, Dan McAskill, BarbMcDonald, Paul & Arlene McGuigan, Don & Glenda McLelland, Nicole Murtagh, Dwaine Oakley, PEI NationalPark, Ian Scott, David & Elaine Seeler, Scott Sinclair, Liz Townsend, Jackie Waddell, Julie Waddell, ShaylynWallace, Jean Watts, Julie-Lynn Zahavich contributed articles or their content. Members were again afforded theopportunity to obtain electronic issues of the newsletter in Acrobat reader format in full colour. Dan McAskillpackaged and mailed the newsletter to members and schools.

Society members Dwaine Oakley, Ray Cooke, and Dan McAskill served as the Society’s lead team for the15th annual Neil Bennett Autumn Birding Classic. This effort was assisted with the Trust’s Team Dodo (Jackieand Julie Waddell, Fiep de Bie, Shirley Gallant, Valerie Beer, Linda Thomas, and Julie-Lynn Zahavich), RonArvidson’s team which included Ron and Anne Arvidson, Don and Glenda McLelland, Sharon Clark, VanessaBonnyman, and Jean Blanchard) and Holland College’s Wildlife technology Course team (Nicole Murtagh, LaytonMacAndrew, Kyle Doucette, Brett MacKinnon, Shaylyn Wallace, and Kristy Hutchinson). The Island NatureTrust’s Barb McDonald coordinated the financial side of pledge receipts for Neil Bennett Autumn Birding Classic. The donors and sponsors contributing to this project provided $3,138 towards the Trust’s land conservationprogram. The PEI Department of Environment, Labour and Justice and Fitzpatrick & Company CharteredAccountants provided corporate sponsorships. (See Island Naturalist Issue 213 article)

Thanks to donors’ generosity in maintaining memberships and contributing prizes, the Society’s financial

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Hoary ElfinPhoto by Robert Harding

position again remained healthy. Several anonymous persons provided cash donations to the Society. BillBowerbank, Hillsborough River Association, Don Jardine, Glen Kelly, Evelyn Martin, Bonnie McOrmond, IanScott, Dutch Thompson, UPEI Climate Research Lab, and others contributed birding and natural history books,nest boxes and other items for the raffle prizes that raised $620.50 towards the Nature PEI’s PEI Science Fair prizesand our conservation work. The Society initiated electronic banking in November to enable the receipt of creditcard transfers through PayPal. The Society’s revenues were $3,739.50 while expenses were $3,728.80. TheSociety completed the year with assets of $7,345.93 with most of this reserved for book publishing and projectfunds.

NATURE PEI NEWS: Compiled by Dan McAskill

Nature PEI’s new Board of Directors was elected at the Society’s January Annual Meeting. GeraldMacDougall has joined the Board as Vice-President and Bonnie McOrmand and Diane Griffin exchanged theirtasking with Diane taking over as Secretary and Bonnie McOrmand taking over the Director for programs. Rosemary Curley, Ian Scott, Don Jardine, Ron Arvidson, and Dan McAskill remain in the same positions. See theinner cover for contact information .

Thanks to the work of the Membership Committee, Nature PEI recently completed its new brochure whichwas unveiled at the March meeting of the Society. In the near future, a membership drive will be commenced withcopies of the brochure being sent to former members and to those who, based on their conservation activities andinterests might be interested in joining the Society.

The Society submitted a Wildlife Conservation Fund application in February requesting funding supportfor a project to determine the status of the Common Reed, Phragmites communis, a plant of high conservationinterest on PEI and to collect spiders so as to create a more comprehensive list of Island spiders. The CommonReed project is to clarify whether the colonies of this plant are those of the native species or an Europeansubspecies. Nature PEI plans to engage the public in “citizen science,” utilizing volunteers to collect specimensand data which will fill some of knowledge gaps about Island spiders. Currently, only 38 species are knowndefinitively from PEI, but data from this project will likely confirm that there are hundreds more species of spidershere, and will tell us more about spider habitats. A university student trained in spider taxonomy through the UPEIproject-oriented course, Science 444 will identify spiders collected during summer and fall 2015 betweenSeptember and November 2015 and prepare a report on the spider diversity to fulfill the course requirements.Representative specimens of various species will be sent to arachnid specialists for verification of identifications.

Thanks to UPEI’s Robertson Library and through the support of Donald Moses and Mark Leggott, theentire 213 issues of the Natural History Society of Prince Edward Island’s newsletters have been scanned. Theseissues contain thousands of Island records of birds, other animals and plants including first records for a variety ofspecies. Once the scanned material is placed on their website, these records can be searched electronically.

The Society has written to the Field Superintendent of the PEI National Park requesting a meeting todiscuss parking sites for a few of the high profile birding sites in the park.

The Society in conjunction with UPEI’s Science 444 course students Katie Thistle and Whitney MarieBryan and their “on campus” supervisor Dr. Carolyn Peach Brown will be conducting exit surveys on purchasers ofconservation license plates. The data will be analysed to determine the interests of the conservation license platepurchasers and how this relates to the composition of the WCF Committee structure.

A followup meeting on the Round Table for Wildlife and Environment discussions commenced by NaturePEI will be arranged in the coming month. In addition, the Board will spend an evening this spring discussing theSociety’s “Future Directions”.

FIRST PEI RECORDS OF HOARY ELFIN: By Robert W. Harding

The Hoary Elfin (Callophrys polios (Lepidoptera: Lycaenidae)) isa small, brownish butterfly with a very early flight season. Obviously fromtheir English name, Elfins are a group of very small butterflies. The HoaryElfin has a 19 - 26 mm wingspan with a frosted-grey, or hoary, band alongthe underside of both wings which differentiates it from the other Elfins inthe region.

The Hoary Elfin’s known range is west to inland British Columbiaand south in the mountains to New Mexico and Virginia. It has not beenrecorded from Newfoundland and Labrador. In the Maritimes, it has beenfound across New Brunswick and Nova Scotia, so the PEI recordspresented here represent a northeastern extension of its known range.

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Male Northern Cardinal at Point PrimPhoto by Robyn Murchison Jackson and Kenny

Jackson

Elfins are typically found in appropriate habitat and near their food sources, which vary depending on thespecies. The Hoary Elfin is often recorded as feeding only on Bearberry (Arctostaphylos sp.), however it hasrecently been determined that in the absence of Bearberry, they will feed on Mayflowers or Trailing Arbutus(Epigaea repens). Mayflowers are now recognized as its main host plant in the Maritimes, and this connection toMayflowers resulted in the discovery of Hoary Elfins here on our Island.

On May 4, 2009 I was with my youngest son, Caleb, looking for Mayflowers on the Confederation Trailalong the Straghbohgie Road near Cardigan in Kings County. Even though it was early in the season, we had netswith us, just in case anything was flying. A small butterfly took off ahead of us, and Caleb was able to net it. Irecognized it as an Elfin, so I handled it very carefully to not lose any scales from the wings, which are veryimportant for positive identification of Elfins. Perhaps I handled it a bit too carefully – while removing it from thenet, it suddenly jumped from my hands and flew off! Thanks to very quick reflexes (not mine), Caleb was able tocatch it a second time. In the field, I suspected it to be the more common Brown Elfin, but upon closer examinationat home I determined that it was instead a Hoary Elfin. This identification was also confirmed by Denis Doucet, theAtlantic Canada Conservation Data Centre zoologist at the time.

The following week, we returned to the same site – and a second Hoary Elfin was netted. This time, wewere watching for Elfins, and saw this one fly directly from some Mayflowers. It appeared to be a rather freshspecimen, so it may have recently emerged, since they do overwinter as pupae.

Until recently, the Brown Elfin was the only Elfin recorded from PEI, as presented in The Butterflies ofCanada (Layberry et al). However, due to increased butterfly survey work in the region, and especially theMaritimes Butterfly Atlas activities, the PEI Elfin list now stands at five species: Brown Elfin (Callophrysaugustinus), Hoary Elfin (C. polios), Bog Elfin (C. lanoraieensis), Eastern Pine Elfin (C. niphon), and Henry’sElfin (C. henrici). Another species, the Western Pine Elfin (C. eryphon) has been found in New Brunswick andmay one day be added to the PEI list as well.

Last year was to be the final year of the Maritimes Butterfly Atlas, and a few butterflies that had not beenwell documented were identified as Target Species. The Hoary Elfin was one of these Target Species, so last springI returned to that same site in mid-May. The Mayflowers were blooming and I crept along, net in hand. A smallbrownish butterfly did jump from the Mayflowers that day, but I was not able to follow its erratic flight (I blamedthe wind). I suspect that it was another Hoary Elfin, but suspicions do not make data points for an Atlas.

The recent good news that the Atlas project will continue another year gives us all one more opportunity tofind Hoary Elfins and other Target Species for inclusion in the Maritimes Butterfly Atlas. Hoary Elfins are oftenoverlooked because of their very early flight season, their dark colour and their sometimes unpredictable flight. Thesnow banks around us now will soon give way to Mayflowers and butterflies; perhaps this spring, Hoary Elfins willbe found in more PEI sites.

FEEDING OUR BIRDS AWARD 2014: By Liz Townsend

Robyn Murchison Jackson and Kenny Jackson received a $25Award for the most innovative design to attract birds. Theirfeeders, one of which is made from lobster trap lathes with awooden roof and floor, attract a variety of birds. Theirregular feeding of four feeders by the house has attracted apair of Northern Cardinals, one of which was still coming tothe feeder daily at the end of December 2014. The MtBuchanan – Pt Prim Feeding our Birds Award 2014 issponsored by Nature PEI (Natural History Society of PEI)and the Mt. Buchanan – Pt. Prim District of the PEI Women’sInstitute. Congratulations to Robyn and Kenny for yourinnovative bird feeder design and your enthusiasm in feedingthe birds!

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Question Mark on butterfly bushPhoto by Bill Bowerbank 2012

MARITIME BUTTERFLY ATLAS EXTENDED A YEAR: John Klymko, Director-MaritimesButterfly Atlas

There's exciting news to share. The Maritimes ButterflyAtlas is teaming up with Maine Butterfly Survey to publish theresults of our work collaboratively! This international partnershipwill put the results of the Maritimes Butterfly Atlas in a broadercontext, while maintaining all the Maritimes-specific content wewould have published on our own. More information on the MaineButterfly Survey can be found at mbs.umf.maine.edu/.

Because the Maine Butterfly Survey has a 2015 fieldseason planned, an additional year of surveying is being added tothe Maritimes Butterfly Atlas. So don't hang up your nets just yet,you can still survey this coming season! This sixth season will bebusiness as usual and, as always, atlassers are encouraged to surveyin areas that are under-sampled. Once the 2014 data is tabulated,I'll send out a notice about the species that would most benefit fromtargeted surveying.

If you have any questions about this, please contact tme atjklymko@mta.ca or (506)364-2660.

TRACKING ANIMALS IN THE OCEAN DEPTHS:

How does one track animals as diverse as American lobster and whales? Some 395 international scientistsfrom 15 countries are using the Ocean Tracking Network (OTN) located at Dalhousie University. The system usesacoustic telemetry stations located at key sites in Australia, North America, Europe and Africa. OTN starteddeploying the equipment in 2010 using funding from Canada Foundation for Innovation and the Natural Sciencesand Engineering Research Council of Canada. In addition to the stations, OTN operates a fleet of autonomousmarine vehicles and collects and holds the global tracking information. (Adapted from Halifax Field Naturalists2014 Autumn Program )

TEEN BIRDERS INVITED TO APPLY FOR 2015 YOUNG ORNITHOLOGISTS’ WORKSHOP:

Each summer, there’s an incredible learning event for six young birders between 13 and 17 years of age toparticipate in our Young Ornithologists’ Workshop at LPBO in southern Ontario. Bird Studies Canada and LongPoint Bird Observatory (LPBO) select the candidates and the Doug Tarry Bird Study Award covers all on-siteexpenses for those chosen to attend. The participants receive hands-on training in field ornithology including anintroduction to bird monitoring and banding, bird identification, birding trips, preparing museum specimens, guestlectures, and more! The 2015 workshop will take place from Saturday, August 1 to Sunday, August 9. Applicationsmust be submitted April 30, 2015. For more information and an application form, email lpbo@birdscanada.org orvisit the Bird Studies Canada website. (Adapted from Bird Studies Canada’s Latest News Jan. 12, 2015)

SQUIRREL PROOFING TIP: By Trevor Wadman

A quick tip that I use to make my main feeder squirrel and raccoon proof. I use 4 inch PVC plumbing pipe(black plastic) for my pole. I cement a cap on the top and screw the feeder to the cap. The plastic is too smooth forthem to grip and climb. In the summer, I quite often find dirty paw prints that have slid down the pipe while tryingto climb it. You do have to make sure the pipe is long enough to keep the feeder about 5 feet off the ground andaway from anything that squirrels can use to jump to the feeder.

NEWS FROM ABOUT:

This winter, Nature PEI drafted and submitted a nomination for Mr. Bruce Pigot of Mount Stewart for thePEI Museum and Heritage Foundation’s Natural Heritage Award for 2014. Nature PEI was very pleased to see thatthe story in the March issue of THE BUZZ, that the PEI Museum and Heritage Foundation’s Heritage AwardsCommittee recommended to their Board that Bruce Pigot be awarded the Natural Heritage Award for 2014 award.

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American Bittern at Noonan’s Marsh in Borden

Photo by Greg Feetham 2014

Our congratulations go to Bruce for this well deserved commendation of his work! During the past 20 years, volunteers in Ontario have been

participating in Bird Studies Canada’ Marsh Monitoring Program(MMP). Over the years, the program has expanded to cover certainother parts of Canada and valuable data has been amassed andanalyzed. Besides the marsh bird and habitat data, information onfrogs has been collected in some of provinces. This year, BirdStudies Canada with support from PEI Forests, Fish and WildlifeDivision and the PEI Wildlife Conservation Fund, is commencing itsfirst Maritimes Marsh Monitoring Program. Volunteers are neededacross the Maritimes. If you’re interested, please contact HollyLightfoot: hlightfoot@birdscanada.org. (Adapted from Bird StudiesCanada’s Latest News Jan. 12, 2015)

In an attempt to address the severe decline in the RustyBlackbird population, the International Rusty Blackbird WorkingGroup and its partners commenced a three-year Spring MigrationBlitz in 2014. In this first year in Atlantic Canada, only one site inNewfoundland’s Main River recorded them. 4,750 citizen scientistssubmitted 13,400 checklists. Nature PEI encourages Island birdersto watch for Rusty Blackbird passing through the Island during thisspring’s migration. Please submit your sightings to eBird Canadausing the observation type “Rusty Blackbird Spring MigrationBlitz.” All Rusty Blackbird sightings are welcome. (Adapted fromBird Studies Canada’s Latest News February 27, 2015 and Nature PEI)

Kudos go out to the Blomidon Naturalists Society of Wolfville, Nova Scotia which celebrated its 40th yearin 2014. They celebrated the occasion with a picnic at Kentville Research Station picnic ground. The festivitiesincluded two scavenger hunts for kids (Touch Boxes and forest features), children’s games including Turtle Tag,measuring tall trees, mushrooms foraging, and an evening walk along the Kentville Ravine looking and listeningfor wildlife. The supper featured a roast pig and a 40th anniversary cake! Some 70 members participated. (Adaptedfrom Blomidon Naturalists Society Newsletter Volume 41 #3, Fall 2014)

Congratulations go out to Jim Wolford who was awarded the Nova Scotia Bird Society’s 2014 Puffin of theYear Award at the Blomidon Naturalists Society November meeting. This award acknowledges substantialcontribution for the betterment of society. (Adapted from Blomidon Naturalists Society Newsletter Volume 41 #4,Winter 2014)

For the birders amongst us, Bird Studies Canada staff has co-authored the article “Tree Cavity Use byChimney Swifts: Implications for Forestry and Population Recovery” in a recent edition of Avian Conservation andEcology. This open-access scientific journal sponsored by the Society of Canadian Ornithologists and BirdStudies Canada is available on the internet. This issue also includes articles on: distances flown by foraging ducks;occurrence of Black-backed Woodpeckers in burned and unburned forests; distributions of breeding ducks inCanada; and a variety of other articles. The ACE website is available at www.ace-eoc.org/Vol9/iss2/ (Adaptedfrom Bird Studies Canada’s Latest News Jan. 12, 2015)

Troy McMullen and Frances Anderson's Common Lichens of Eastern North America: A Field Guide wasrecently completed and is now available through the New York Botanical Garden Press. For more informationcontact nybgpress@nybg.org (Adapted from Blomidon Naturalists Society newsletter Winter 2014)

CHRISTMAS BIRD COUNTS 2014-15: Results compiled by Scott Sinclair, Dwaine Oakley & DanMcAskill

Audubon Christmas Bird Counts have been conducted for 115 consecutive years in North America. Bird Studies Canada has been the Canadian partner in the CBCs since the 101st count (2000-1). This year the weatherforecasts were good for three of the four counts contrary to the weather challenges last year. Thus, for the 44th

consecutive year, the Natural History Society of PEI AKA Nature PEI conducted the Hillsborough Christmas BirdCount while the PEI National Park CBC celebrated its 43rd as storms caused its cancellation in 1975. TheMontague CBC looked questionable for a short period this year but travelling was actually quite good the day ofthe count. The Montague Christmas count celebrated its 31st anniversary this year and was held on December 28th. The East Point count which was held on December 14th marked its 13th anniversary with one year missed for severeweather.

There was essentially no ice cover and there was no snow present for the Hillsborough CBC. This year, itwas mud that prevented access to many or most of the back roads although the intrepid Dwaine Oakley forayeddown some of these roads. Travelling conditions on paved roads were good for the East Point, PEI National Park,and Hillsborough CBCs and quite reasonable for the Montague CBC. There was only a few centimetres of snow

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Black-legged Kittiwake at East PointPhoto by Dwaine Oakley

present on the PEI National Park and Montague CBC. However, by 10:15 AM on the Montague CBC, steady rainreduced the little snow that dropped in the early morning.

Dwaine Oakley coordinated the East Point Christmas Bird Count set for December 14th. Some birders werealready assembled in the strong winds at East Point by 7:00 AM. Fourteen birders participated and birded the Pointitself as well as the north and south sides and the woods beside the road. Afterwards, three teams formed up andtook to their zones. Thanks to text messaging. A message was sent to other teams on the presence of a Blue-grayGnatcatcher. The birding was done by mid-day and hunger seems to have been one of the driving forces as almosteveryone ended up at Sheltered Harbour Café and we had a chance to have a nice meal and recap the rarersightings.

The PEI National Park CBC was held on Saturday, December 20th. A number of people who normallyparticipate in this count could not attend as it was being not being held on a Sunday. There was a fairly good turnout of participants and the food was great as usual. Kimberlee Trainor of Parks Canada hosted the potluck in theDalvay Administration Headquarters Lunch Room. Nancy Russell of CBC Radio attended the potluck andinterviewed a number of people on what they liked about the counts and their sightings. Afterwards she joined RonArvidson’s team and continued with her interviews. Her show ended up being aired nationally on CBC’s The StoryFrom Here on December 31st.

The Hillsborough CBC was held on December27th and there was a great turn out. As they have donefor a number of years, Diane and Kevin Griffin hosted asumptuous Hillsborough evening potluck and there was agreat turnout for it - two tables were required for themeal. After the meal, the participants shared theirsightings.

The Montague CBC was held on December 28th. The forecasted snow ended up being more rain and thecount had a good turn out as well.

Scott Sinclair organized the Montague count andDan McAskill coordinated the P.E.I. National Park andHillsborough CBCs.

There was a poor white spruce cone crop and apoor crop of mountain ash berries this year. However,there was a good crop of winterberry and bayberry. Aswas the case the last three years, field counters againreported low numbers of woodland birds and sparrows. Finch diversity and numbers were both low althoughthere were good numbers of American Goldfinch. Themost unusual sightings were: a Blue-gray Gnatcatcher and 2 Sanderlings at North Lake, a Glaucous Gull at LittleHarbour, a Redhead, 2 Black-headed Gulls, and two Yellow-rumped Warblers at Brackley Beach, a Snowy Owl atthe Hillsborough Bridge, a Pine Warbler at Reeves Estates, a Northern Shrike at Bethel, a Great Blue Heron atChina Point marsh (Count Week), and a Northern Cardinal at Point Prim.

As usual, the standardized system of bird numbers, birders, travel, and weather data was collected so thatthe data was comparable to that from other CBCs in North America and the other count zones. This year’s IslandCBC summaries are provided below.

OBSERVATIONS NUMBERS OBSERVED

Species East Point National Park Hillsborough Montague Total

Dec. 14, 2014 Dec. 20, 2014 Dec. 27, 2014 Dec. 28, 2014 Four Counts Canada Geese 90 12 7146 673 7921Cadwall 1 252 6 259American Wigeon 1 18 37 56American Black Duck 146 594 1021 488 2249Hybrid Black X Mallard 1 1Mallard 4 48 117 81 250Northern Pintail 1 32 33Green-winged Teal 15 10 15 40Redhead 1 1Greater Scaup 16 1000 3 1019Common Eider 3062 161 2 3225Harlequin Duck 13 13White-winged Scoter 13 13Black Scoter 500 21 521Long-tailed Duck 201 2 10 31 244Bufflehead 14 4 18Common Goldeneye 40 83 88 181 395

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Barrow’s Goldeneye 8 1 10 19Barrows X CommonGoldeneye hybrid 1 1Hooded Merganser 1 1Common Merganser 104 6 6 152 268Red-breasted Merganser 106 131 35 272Ring-necked Pheasant 2 2Ruffed Grouse 1 2Common Loon 1 2Northern Gannet 20 20Double-crested Cormorant 9 2 2 13Great Cormorant 2 2Great Blue Heron cw 1 1Bald Eagle 6 39 27 32 104

Adults 14 42Immature 13 38Unknown 6 4 24

Northern Harrier 5 5Sharp-shinned Hawk 1 2 3Northern Goshawk 2 2Broad-winged Hawk 1 1Red-tailed Hawk 1 5 8 1 15Rough-legged Hawk 6 6American Coot 1 1Sanderling 2 2Black-legged Kittiwake 1 1Bonaparte’s Gull 20 15 31 66Black-headed Gull 2 1 3Ring-billed Gull 2029 14 13 76Herring Gull 284 159 353 335 1131Iceland Gull 114 6 24 4 148Great Black-backed Gull 91 24 15 51 181Gull spp. 22 22Razorbill 8 8Black Guillemot 4 4Rock Pigeon (Dove) 190 127 93 410Mourning Dove 10 27 10 77 124Great Horned Owl 1 1Snowy Owl 1 1Belted Kingfisher 2 1 1 4 8Red-bellied Woodpecker 2 2Downy Woodpecker 1 4 7 8 20Hairy Woodpecker 1 2 5 5 13

Northern Flicker 6 1 1 8Merlin 1 1Northern Shrike 1 1Blue Jay 27 125 101 143 396American Crow 157 787 1161 442 2547Common Raven 34 67 27 31 159Horned Lark 7 29Black-capped Chickadee 22 183 156 203 542Boreal Chickadee 1 5 2 7Red-breasted Nuthatch 6 6 7 19White-breasted Nuthatch 1 1Brown Creeper 1 3 4Blue-gray Gnatcatcher 1 1Golden-crowned Kinglet 13 20 2 23 58American Robin 1 1 2European Starling 167 2450 11237 887 14741Bohemian Waxwing 197 24 76 297Cedar Waxwing 3 3Snow Bunting 5 1 6Pine Warbler cw cwYellow-rumped Warbler 2 2 4American Tree Sparrow 8 6 1 15Song Sparrow 1 cw 2 3White-throated Sparrow 1 cw 2 3Dark-eyed Junco 3 6 18 28 55UID sparrow 2 2Northern Cardinal 1 1Common Grackle 3 3Brown-headed Cowbird 2 2UID blackbird spp. 3 3Pine Grosbeak 3 3White-winged Crossbill 14 14

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Mallard at Mount Buchanan on Dec. 6, 2014Photo by Dale Murchison

Common Redpoll 15 15 30Pine Siskin 4 2 24 28American Goldfinch 2 108 49 120 279Evening Grosbeak 4 4House Sparrow 5 7 2 17 31Total Birds 5599 6504 22044 4374 38521Total Species 60 44 57 46 87Add Count Week Species 4 1Participants: Field 14 13 27 21 Count Parties 4 5 to 6 8 to 9 Feeders 0 2 5 6Mammals:Red Squirrel NR 1 7 1Flying Squirrel NR 2Red Fox NR 3 1Coyote NRMuskrat NR 1Snowshoe Hare NRMink NRHarbour Seal NRGrey Seal NR 4Roaming House Cats NR 4 1Walked: Km 10.5 2.5 17 17.3 Hours 10.5 3.05 8.91 8.8Driven: Km 158 489.6 453 474.8 Hours 9 21.17 33.16 29.5Earliest Start 6:45 AM 7:50 AM 7:11 AM 7:30 AM Latest Ending 4:00 PM 4:55 PM 4:30 PM 3:37 PM Total Party Hours 19.5 24.22 42.07 38.3Owling Hours 0 0 0 0Owling Kilometres 0 0 0 0Number of Feeder Reports 0 2 0 0Feeder Hours 0 2.5 2.5 4Snow Cover - aver. cm. 0 3 to 5 0 2Salt Water Bays - %frozen 0 0 0 0Fresh Water - % frozen 0 0 to 10 0Weather: 0 Bright Sunshine (hrs) 0 0 9 0

Precipitation heavy rain in pm nil nil2 cm snow/10

mm rain Cloud % 100 100 0 100 Temperature C. 3 -1 to 1 2 to 4 -1 to 4 Aver. Wind Speed km/hr 20.1 20.4 25Wind speed range km/hr 23 to 32 13 to 39 17 to 26 Prevail. wind direction N NNE W to WNW SSE TO SSW

where CW = species seen during the count week (three days before and after count day) NR = not recorded

For registered counts, the entire data base is accessible on line through www.audubon.org and click your way tothe results under birds and science.

Thanks to the many participants, namely: Jim Aquilani; RonArvidson; Jean Blanchard; Vanessa Bonnyman; Bill Bowerbank;Sharon Clark; Ray Cooke; Rosemary Curley; Wanda Curley; Fiepde Bie; Lois Doan; Victoria Doan; Louise Fleming; Chris & BlairFraser; Diane Griffin; Gary Griffin; Eileen Higginbottom; BenHoteling; Janice Hume; Virginia Jackson; Moragh Jang; CtystalJarvis; Layton MacAndrew; Kathleen MacAuley; LucasMacCormack, Gerald MacDonald; Margaret MacDonald; TinaMacKenzie; Brett MacKinnon; Ben MacNeill, Jeanne Maki; KathyMartin, Dan McAskill; Arlene & Paul McGuigan; BonnieMcOrmand; Emily McGuire; Sarah McGuire; Nicole Murtagh;Audrey Oakley, Dwaine Oakley; Janice Owen; Emily Pringle-Shepard; Joshua Pringle-Shepard; Leonce Richard; Ruth Richman;Gary Schneider; Julie Schroeder; Scott Sinclair; Alma and DonSteeves; John and Ella Stewart; Liz Townsend; Julie Vasseur;Rosalind Waters; Jean Watts; Jeff Watts; and John and SusanWhitaker. These counts would not be possible without theirparticipation.

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Black-crowned Night Heron atCorran Ban October 5, 2014

Shawn McCormack

2014 BIRDS IN REVIEW: By David and Elaine Seeler

I anticipate that 2015 will be a great year for new species and discoveries on PEI so I encourage everyoneto spend some time in the great outdoors, or to simply relax and watch their antics in your backyard - perhaps anentry to mindful living techniques.

In 2014, 245 species were reported by Island birders and visitors to PEI. Given weather conditionsthrough parts of the year, this is an excellent number.

Again, thank you to all who made contributions to the list. Without your efforts we would not be able toput forward such strong results for PEI

All the best to each and every one of you and may 2015 be a great year for you, your families and friends.

Species reported in 2014: 245

DUCKS, GEESE, ANDWATERFOWLPink-footed GooseGreater White-fronted GooseSnow GooseBrantCackling GooseCanada GooseWood DuckGadwallEurasian WigeonAmerican WigeonAmerican Black DuckMallardBlue-winged TealNorthern ShovelerNorthern PintailGreen-winged TealRedheadRing-necked DuckGreater ScaupLesser ScaupCommon EiderHarlequin DuckSurf ScoterWhite-winged ScoterBlack ScoterLong-tailed DuckBuffleheadCommon GoldeneyeBarrow's GoldeneyeHooded MerganserCommon MerganserRed-breasted MerganserRuddy Duck

PHEASANTS, GROUSE, ANDALLIESGray PartridgeRing-necked PheasantRuffed GrouseSharp-tailed Grouse

LOONSRed-throated LoonCommon Loon

GREBESPied-billed GrebeHorned GrebeRed-necked Grebe

SHEARWATERS AND PETRELSGreat Shearwater

STORM-PETRELSLeach's Storm-Petrel

BOOBIES AND GANNETSNorthern Gannet

CORMORANTS AND SHAGSDouble-crested CormorantGreat Cormorant

HERONS, EGRETS, ANDBITTERNSAmerican BitternGreat Blue Heron

Green HeronBlack-crowned Night-Heron

IBISES AND SPOONBILLSGlossy Ibis

NEW WORLD VULTURESBlack VultureTurkey Vulture

OSPREYOsprey

HAWKS, EAGLES, AND KITESNorthern HarrierSharp-shinned HawkNorthern GoshawkBald EagleRed-shouldered HawkBroad-winged HawkSwainson's HawkRed-tailed HawkRough-legged Hawk

RAILS, GALLINULES, ANDCOOTSVirginia RailSoraAmerican Coot

CRANESandhill Crane

PLOVERS AND LAPWINGSBlack-bellied PloverAmerican Golden-PloverSemipalmated PloverPiping PloverKilldeer

SANDPIPERS AND ALLIESSpotted SandpiperSolitary SandpiperGreater YellowlegsWilletLesser YellowlegsUpland SandpiperWhimbrelHudsonian GodwitRuddy TurnstoneRed KnotRuffSanderlingDunlinBaird's SandpiperLeast SandpiperWhite-rumped SandpiperBuff-breasted SandpiperPectoral SandpiperSemipalmated SandpiperShort-billed DowitcherLong-billed DowitcherWilson's SnipeAmerican WoodcockWilson's PhalaropeRed-necked Phalarope

SKUAS AND JAEGERSPomarine JaegerParasitic Jaeger

AUKS, MURRES, AND PUFFINSRazorbillBlack Guillemot

GULLS, TERNS, ANDSKIMMERSBlack-legged Kittiwake

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Eastern Bluebird at MountBuchanan July, 2014

Kathie MacPhee

Bonaparte's GullBlack-headed GullLittle GullLaughing GullRing-billed GullHerring GullThayer's GullIceland GullLesser Black-backed GullGlaucous GullGreat Black-backed GullCaspian TernBlack TernCommon TernArctic Tern

PIGEONS AND DOVESRock PigeonMourning Dove

CUCKOOSYellow-billed CuckooBlack-billed Cuckoo

OWLSEastern Screech-OwlGreat Horned OwlSnowy OwlBarred OwlLong-eared OwlShort-eared OwlNorthern Saw-whet Owl

NIGHTJARS AND ALLIESCommon NighthawkEastern Whip-poor-will

HUMMINGBIRDSRuby-throated Hummingbird

KINGFISHERSBelted Kingfisher

WOODPECKERSRed-headed WoodpeckerRed-bellied WoodpeckerYellow-bellied SapsuckerDowny WoodpeckerHairy WoodpeckerAmerican Three-toed WoodpeckerBlack-backed WoodpeckerNorthern FlickerPileated Woodpecker

FALCONS AND CARACARASAmerican KestrelMerlinGyrfalconPeregrine Falcon

TYRANT FLYCATCHERSOlive-sided FlycatcherEastern Wood-PeweeYellow-bellied FlycatcherAlder FlycatcherLeast FlycatcherEastern Kingbird

SHRIKESNorthern Shrike

VIREOS, SHRIKE-BABBLERS,ERPORNISBlue-headed VireoWarbling VireoPhiladelphia VireoRed-eyed Vireo

CROWS, JAYS, AND MAGPIESGray JayBlue JayAmerican CrowCommon Raven

LARKSHorned Lark

SWALLOWSTree SwallowBank SwallowBarn SwallowCliff Swallow

TITS, CHICKADEES, ANDTITMICEBlack-capped ChickadeeBoreal Chickadee

NUTHATCHESRed-breasted NuthatchWhite-breasted Nuthatch

TREECREEPERSBrown Creeper

WRENSWinter Wren

GNATCATCHERSBlue-gray Gnatcatcher

KINGLETSGolden-crowned KingletRuby-crowned Kinglet

THRUSHES AND ALLIESEastern BluebirdVeeryBicknell's Thrush

Swainson's ThrushHermit ThrushAmerican Robin

MOCKINGBIRDS ANDTHRASHERSGray CatbirdNorthern Mockingbird

STARLINGSEuropean Starling

WAGTAILS AND PIPITSAmerican Pipit

WAXWINGSBohemian WaxwingCedar Waxwing

LONGSPURS AND SNOWBUNTINGSLapland LongspurSnow Bunting

NEW WORLD WARBLERSOvenbirdNorthern WaterthrushBlack-and-white WarblerTennessee WarblerOrange-crowned WarblerNashville WarblerMourning WarblerCommon YellowthroatAmerican RedstartCape May WarblerNorthern ParulaMagnolia WarblerBay-breasted WarblerBlackburnian WarblerYellow WarblerChestnut-sided WarblerBlackpoll WarblerBlack-throated Blue WarblerPalm WarblerPine WarblerYellow-rumped WarblerYellow-throated WarblerBlack-throated Green WarblerCanada WarblerWilson's Warbler

BUNTINGS AND NEW WORLDSPARROWSEastern TowheeAmerican Tree SparrowChipping SparrowSavannah SparrowNelson's SparrowFox SparrowSong SparrowLincoln's SparrowSwamp SparrowWhite-throated SparrowWhite-crowned SparrowDark-eyed Junco

CARDINALS AND ALLIESNorthern Cardinal

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Rose-breasted GrosbeakIndigo Bunting

TROUPIALS AND ALLIESBobolinkRed-winged BlackbirdEastern MeadowlarkRusty BlackbirdCommon Grackle

Brown-headed CowbirdBaltimore Oriole

FINCHES, EUPHONIAS, ANDALLIESPine GrosbeakHouse FinchPurple FinchWhite-winged Crossbill

Common RedpollPine SiskinAmerican GoldfinchEvening Grosbeak

OLD WORLD SPARROWSHouse Sparrow

2014-5 WINTER BIRD LIST: Compiled by David Seeler

With a Black Vulture being added to the PEIWBL (December 1 to February 28), we now stand at 118species having been seen during a pretty heavy winter for snow fall. Not bad in my estimation. 2015 continuesand we are soon approaching the turnaround time whereby waterfowl begin move to more northerly breedinggrounds. I hope the thaw is slow but consistent or they may not find any resting points on PEI.

The 2014-5 final winter list is below,

SPECIES Reported: 118

DUCKS, GEESE, ANDWATERFOWLCackling GooseCanada GooseGadwallEurasian WigeonAmerican WigeonAmerican Black DuckMallardNorthern ShovelerNorthern PintailGreen-winged TealRedheadGreater ScaupLesser ScaupCommon EiderHarlequin DuckWhite-winged ScoterBlack ScoterLong-tailed DuckBuffleheadCommon GoldeneyeBarrow's GoldeneyeHooded MerganserCommon MerganserRed-breasted Merganser

PHEASANTS, GROUSE, ANDALLIESGray PartridgeRing-necked PheasantRuffed Grouse

LOONSRed-throated LoonCommon Loon

BOOBIES AND GANNETSNorthern Gannet

CORMORANTS AND SHAGSDouble-crested CormorantGreat Cormorant

HERONS, EGRETS, ANDBITTERNSGreat Blue Heron

NEW WORLD VULTURESBlack Vulture

HAWKS, EAGLES, ANDKITESNorthern HarrierSharp-shinned HawkNorthern GoshawkBald EagleBroad-winged HawkRed-tailed HawkRough-legged Hawk

RAILS, GALLINULES, ANDCOOTSAmerican Coot

CRANESSandhill Crane

SANDPIPERS AND ALLIESSanderling

AUKS, MURRES, ANDPUFFINSDovekieThick-billed MurreRazorbillBlack Guillemot

GULLS, TERNS, ANDSKIMMERSBlack-legged Kittiwake

Bonaparte's GullBlack-headed GullRing-billed GullHerring GullThayer's GullIceland GullGlaucous GullGreat Black-backed Gull

PIGEONS AND DOVESRock PigeonMourning DoveOWLSGreat Horned OwlSnowy OwlBarred OwlShort-eared Owl

KINGFISHERSBelted Kingfisher

WOODPECKERSRed-bellied WoodpeckerDowny WoodpeckerHairy WoodpeckerBlack-backed WoodpeckerNorthern FlickerPileated Woodpecker

FALCONS AND CARACARASAmerican KestrelMerlinPeregrine Falcon

SHRIKESNorthern Shrike

CROWS, JAYS, ANDMAGPIESBlue JayAmerican Crow

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Eastern Towhee at AlbertonDecember 11, 2014

Photo by Greg Feetham

Common RavenLARKSHorned Lark

TITS, CHICKADEES, ANDTITMICEBlack-capped ChickadeeBoreal Chickadee

NUTHATCHESRed-breasted NuthatchWhite-breasted Nuthatch

TREECREEPERSBrown Creeper

GNATCATCHERSBlue-gray Gnatcatcher

KINGLETSGolden-crowned Kinglet

THRUSHES AND ALLIESHermit ThrushAmerican Robin

STARLINGSEuropean Starling

WAXWINGSBohemian Waxwing

Cedar Waxwing

LONGSPURS AND SNOWBUNTINGSLapland LongspurSnow Bunting

NEW WORLD WARBLERSPine WarblerYellow-rumped WarblerYellow-throated Warbler

BUNTINGS AND NEWWORLD SPARROWSEastern TowheeAmerican Tree SparrowChipping Sparrow

Field SparrowSavannah SparrowSong SparrowSwamp SparrowWhite-throated SparrowWhite-crowned SparrowDark-eyed Junco

CARDINALS AND ALLIESNorthern Cardinal

TROUPIALS AND ALLIESRed-winged BlackbirdCommon GrackleBrown-headed CowbirdBaltimore Oriole

FINCHES, EUPHONIAS, ANDALLIESPine GrosbeakPurple FinchWhite-winged CrossbillCommon RedpollPine SiskinAmerican GoldfinchEvening Grosbeak

OLD WORLD SPARROWSHouse Sparrow

WEATHER EVENTS:

January started off well, very little snow (a few centimetres) but cool. 11 to 15 cm of snow came on Jan. 4 but itwas followed by thaw and rain the next morning. On Jan. 5-7, temperatures hovered at -17º C with wind chillsrunning to almost -30º on two days. On the night of Jan. 24-5, heavy rains bringing 24 mm caused flooding ofstreets in Charlottetown and flooded over Fullerton’s Creek marsh. Our first real blizzard of the winter occurred onJan. 27 with 85 km/hr NE winds and 26.2 cm of snow in Charlottetown before it changed to a light freezing rain thenext day (JDM). Miminegash received 48 cm of snow while Summerside received 32 cm. The second blizzardwithin the week occurred on Feb. 2-3 with 65 cm of snow in Charlottetown and NE winds up to 100 km/hr. Feb.15-16 brought up to 86 cm of snow and wind which varied from NE to NW and gusts of up to 158 km/hr. After abrief respite, another 10 cm of light snow on Feb. 19-20 and wind on the 20th caused white out conditions and roadclosures especially in East Prince County. A snow-rain event on Feb. 22 was thankfully only 5 cm and there wasminimal rain. On Feb. 25-6, another 10 cm of snow. Much of February had temperatures running from -15 to -25ºC. There was a total of 222.8 cm of snow at Charlottetown in February. On March 1st, another 15 cm on snow withhigh winds and white outs continuing through to March 2nd and another 12 cm on March 4th in Donagh (JDM). Asa prelude to St. Patrick’s Day, 47.8 cm of snow and high winds closed roads on March 15th and 16th and createdtruly impressive snow banks in many areas as little snow had melted to date and there were already high cuttingsalong many roads (JDM). The snow storms continued with 28 cm and high winds on Mar. 18-9 and another 20 cmon Mar. 22 followed by high winds on the 23rd. Mar. 27 and 28 brought some melting with the accumulated snowdropping about 30 cm (a foot) over two days. The total snow this winter up to Mar. 28 was 515 cm (~17 feet)! This probably benefitted snowshoe hare as their ability to reach new twigs and buds has quite amazing. However,many ground foraging species have struggled to find food and grit and many feeders are buried in snow banks. OnMar. 19th, the snow measurement on the ground at Charlottetown was 159 cm but by the 28th it had dropped to 110cm. Only 7 mm of rainfall occurred in February and March. Ponds, estuaries, and bays have been almostcompletely frozen over since early January. Many of the open water areas at causeways were dramatically reduced

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Wooly bear caterpillar at Hardy’s PondPhoto by John te Raa March 2015

in size and, in some cases, eliminated by mid February and remained that way on March 28th (last newsletter reportinclusion). Sea ice conditions have been extreme off northeastern PEI this winter with the Magdalens’ Ferry beingforced to use Sydney, Cape Breton as a port.

ANIMAL AND PLANT SIGHTINGS: Compiled by J. Dan McAskill

INSECTS: Wooly bear caterpillar crawling on top of snow bank atHardy’s Mill on Mar. 27 at 2º C (JtR). Fly on top of snow bank atMount Stewart on Mar. 28 (BMcK).

MAMMALS: 2 flying squirrels in globe feeder at Tea Hill on Jan. 10& 1 on Mar. 8 (FdB). A melanistic (black) red squirrel at Hartsvilleon Mar. 31 (JWa). Red fox taking peanuts from Summerside feeder onJan. 23 (G&SF). Coyote crossing the Hillsborough from Stratford to theQEH on Feb. 26 (AW). Eastern chipmunk popped out of a snowbankat Watervale on Mar. 24 (AC). Raccoons again active at Donagh onMar. 21st (JDM). First dead striped skunk seen in Stratford on Mar. 28(JDM). Short-tailed weasel (ermine) hunting the snow shadow againstthe foundation in late March at Stanhope (BH). Muskrat walking onroad at North Wiltshire on Mar. 31 (JWa).

BIRDS: Canada Geese - 3 at Belvedere Pond exit and 3 at Village Green on Jan. 15 (WFB, JDM), 40 at GowanBrea on Jan. 18 (FdB, LP), 120 at Cardigan on Mar. 8 (FdB, SGC, JBl, BCM), first flock of spring - 62 flying andlanding in an open water lead in ice offshore at Argyle Shore and second flock of 15 on Mar. 24 at Argyle Shore(LY), 6 flying very low at Albany on Mar. 23 (DO), large flock at Ellen’s Creek on Mar. 30 (KMacA); Gadwall -2 at Watervale on Feb. 8 (BMacK), 6 at Cymbria on Feb. 13 (JDM), 10 at New Glasgow on Feb. 28 (FdB, L&PH,L&BvD), 2 at North Lake creek on Mar. 1 (KMacA); Eurasian Wigeon - 1 at Belvedere Pond on Jan. 30 (G&SF); American Wigeon - 2 at Ellen’S Creek on Feb. 14 (JDM); American Black Duck - 5 at Gowan Brea & ~150 atBridgetown on Jan. 18 (FdB, LP), ~20 at Pondside Park in Stratford & ~20 at Ellen’s Creek on Jan. 29 (LM), 4going to Wilmot feeders on Feb. 5 (GMcC), 1 at China Point, 5 at Brackley Beach (Shaw’s), 35 at Cymbria loop, &12 at New Glasgow on Feb. 28 (FdB, L&PH, L&BvD), 2 at Bay Fortune, 5 at Souris & 5 at North Lake creek onMar. 1 (KMacA), 300+ at Cardigan on Mar. 8 (FdB, SGC, JBl, BCM); Mallard - 2 at Stratford Lagoon and 2 atMoore’s Pond on Jan. 15 (WFB, JDM), 1 at Gowan Brea & 6 at Bridgetown on Jan. 18 (FdB, LP), ~20 at PondsidePark in Stratford & ~20 at Ellen’s Creek on Jan. 29 (LM), 15 at Ellen’s Creek on Jan. 31 (LM), 6 going to Wilmotfeeders on Feb. 5 (GMcC), 5 at Cymbria & 12 at New Glasgow on Feb. 28 (FdB, L&PH, L&BvD), 14 at BayFortune on Mar. 1 (KMacA), 9 at Cardigan on Mar. 8 (FdB, SGC, JBl, BCM); Northern Shoveler - female inwaterway at Queens Arms in Charlottetown on Jan. 15 (LM); Northern Pintail - 4 at Ellen’s Creek on Jan. 29(LM), 1 at Route 6/Portage Road on Feb. 28 (FdB, L&PH, L&BvD), 4 at Bay Fortune on Mar. 1 (KMacA), 3 atMacLure’s Pond in Murray River on Mar. 7 (KMacA); Green-winged Teal - pair at Moore’s Pond on Jan. 7(A&PM) & 2 Feb. 4 (LM), 1 at Gowan Brea on Jan. 18 (FdB), 2 at Pondside Park in Stratford on Jan. 29 (LM);Common Teal - 1 at Watervale on Feb. 10 (BMacK, NM, LMacA, KD); Greater Scaup - 36 at Oyster BedBridge on Feb. 14 (JDM), 12 in limited open water at Oyster Bed Bridge causeway and ~80 at Rusticovillecauseway on Feb. 28 (FdB, L&PH, L&BvD), 2 at Vernon Bridge on Mar. 8 (FdB, SGC, JBl, BCM), 300 at OysterBed Causeway on Mar. 29 (KMacA); Lesser Scaup - 1 at Oyster Bed Bridge on Feb. 14 (KMacA), 1 at MurrayRiver on Mar. 7 (KMacA), 3 at Oyster Bed Causeway on Mar. 29 (KMacA); Common Eider - 280 at East Pointon Feb. 8 (SCS, GS), 70 at East Point on Mar. 1 (KMacA); Surf Scoter - 4 at Cape Bear on Mar. 7 (KMacA); Long-tailed Duck - 45 at East Point on Feb. 8 (SCS, GS), 25 at East Point on Mar. 1 (KMacA); Bufflehead - 2 atAnnandale wharf on Mar. 1 (KMacA, SCS, GS); Common Goldeneye - 8 to 12 most days at Fullerton’s Marshbridge in Jan. but by mid-Feb. it was froze over (JDM), 40 at East Point on Feb. 8 (SCS, GS), 40 at West RiverCauseway in Meadowbank on Feb. 21 (FdB), 6 at Oyster Bed Bridge, 1 at Cymbria loop, 20 at Rusticoville & 1 atNew Glasgow on Feb. 28 (FdB, L&PH, L&BvD), 10 at West River Causeway and 25 at Victoria on Mar. 1 (FdB,SGC), 20 at Annandale wharf, 1 at Bay Fortune & 24 at Souris on Mar. 1 (KMacA), 1 found on Queen Street inFeb. (DO), 6 at Vernon Bridge on Mar. 8 (FdB, SGC, JBl, BCM), at Oyster Bed Causeway on Mar. 29 (KMacA); Barrow’s Goldeneye - at Rusticoville Bridge on Jan. 11 (DO), 1 at East Point on Feb. 8 (SCS, GS), 2 at OysterBed Bridge on Feb. 14 (JDM), 2 at West River Causeway in Meadowbank on Feb. 21 (FdB), 9 at Rusticoville onFeb. 28 (FdB, L&PH, L&BvD), 60+ with 12 females at West River Causeway and pair at Victoria on Mar. 1 (FdB,SGC), 3 at Souris on Mar. 1 (KMacA), at Oyster Bed Causeway on Mar. 29 (KMacA); Hybrid Common XBarrows Goldeneye - drake at Oyster Bed Causeway on Mar. 29 (KMacA); Common Merganser - 15 at GowanBrea & 5 at Bridgetown on Jan. 18 (FdB, LP), 4 at Ellen’s Creek on Jan. 29 (LM), 20 at Oyster Bed Bridge on Feb.14 (JDM), 3 at West River Causeway in Meadowbank on Feb. 21 (FdB), 10 at Oyster Bed Bridge, 1 at Cymbria

16

American Crow harassing Snowy Owl atRavenwood, Charlottetown

Photo by Jackie Waddell

loop, 10 at Rusticoville, 11 at New Glasgow, & 1 at Ellen’s Creek on Feb. 28 (FdB, L&PH, L&BvD), 12 atVictoria on Mar. 1 (FdB, SGC), 1 at Bay Fortune, 5 at Souris, 4 at Basin Head & 7 at North Lake Creek on Mar. 1(KMacA), ~40 at Vernon Bridge on Mar. 8 (FdB, SGC, JBl, BCM, JDM); Red-breasted Merganser - 20 at EastPoint on Feb. 8 (SCS, GS), 1 at Oyster Bed Bridge on Feb. 14 (JDM), 5 at West River Causeway on Mar. 1 (FdB,SGC), 15 at Annandale wharf & 6 at Bay Fortune on Mar. 1 (KMacA); Gray Partridge - small group at Elmwoodon Jan. 16 & in March (TEM), 10 at Cymbria on Jan. 30 (G&SF) & early Feb. (BH), 12 at Summerville feeders inDec, Jan., & Feb. (RWH), 12 at Millview on Jan. 28 (RWH) & on Feb. 10 (DO), 5 taking cracked corn at NewLondon feeders in mid-Feb. (TW), 8 at Kelvin Grove on Feb. 13 (JMar), 8 at Pisquid on Feb. 14 (AK), 50 at AppinRoad in Feb. (EC), 6 at Earnscliffe in Feb. (DFG), 3 started the winter at Argyle Shore but down to 1 by Mar. 19(LY); Ring-necked Pheasant - female at Stratford on Dec. 2 (AW), female at Crossroads on Dec. 14 (RWH), maleat Mermaid on Jan. 13 & 4 on Jan. 26 (JDM), male at Pownal on Jan. 19 & male at Cherry Valley on Feb. 24(RWH), 1 on Jan. 30 (G&SF), 2 males at Donagh on Feb. 5 (JDM), male at Bunbury on Feb. 6 (JDM), male at Mt.Herbert on Feb. 13 (JDM), 1 at Watervale in mid-Feb. (AC), males and females at Bunbury on Feb. 17 (RT), 1 atBangor on Feb. 18 (LF via DCS), 2 males on woods edge at Mermaid on Mar. 25 (JDM); Ruffed Grouse - 1 atNew Perth on Dec. 29 (RWH), regularly at Watervale in Feb. (AC), 1 perched in tree at Culloden on Jan. 10 (JMa),1 at Kelvin Grove on Feb. 13 (JMar), 2 taking buds in birch at Tea Hill on Mar. 24 (FdB): Great Blue Heron - 1at Moore’s Pond in Stratford on Jan. 10 (LM), Jan. 15 (WFB, JDM), Jan. 30 (LM), Feb. 4 (LM), Feb. 14 (JDM), 1at Alberry Plains on Feb. 18 (RT); Black Vulture - 1 feeding at coyote bait pile in the High Bank Little Sands areathis winter (LFJ via BMacK, DO); Bald Eagle - 2 adults at Summerville from Dec. 16 to 24 & sporadically in Jan.& Feb. (RWH), 1 at Bunbury on Feb. 5 (RT), adult at Brackley Beach, Corran Ban, Dalvay, & Route 13 and 1immature at Earnscliffe on Feb. 28 (FdB, L&PH, L&BvD), 7 during field trip from Charlottetown to Cardigan onMar. 8 (FdB, SGC, JBl, BCM), immature on the Hillsborough River ice off of Stratford on mar. 20 (AW); Northern Harrier - 1 at Wood Islands area week Jan. 10 (GS), 1 at Tracadie in early Jan. (SCS, GS), 1 at Pisquidon Feb. 14 (AK); Sharp-shinned Hawk - 1 at Horne’s Cross on Jan. 11 (VB), immature at Reeve’s Estates onJan. 15, 1 adult at Reeve’s Estates on Jan. 18 (DO), 1 photographed at Panmure Island on Jan. 26 (DMur), 1 at TeaHill feeders on Feb. 5 (FdB), 1 took a starling on Feb. 12 at Stratford feeders and another later in Feb. (DFG), 1taking Blue Jays and Mourning Doves at Vernon Bridge feeders this winter (CB); Northern Goshawk - 1 took acrow at Monticello on Feb 12 (JGM), 1 photographed perched in a tree over feeders at Cornwall on Feb. 14 (SN); Red-tailed Hawk - 1 at Stratford on Jan. 7 & Feb. 5 (FdB), 1 at Wilmot on Jan. 11 (DO), 1 at Village Green and 1at Earnscliffe on Jan. 15 (WFB, JDM), 1 at Mt. Herbert on Jan. 21 (JDM), 1 at Wood Island’s on Jan. 24 (GS), 1being mobbed by crows at Stratford (Fox Meadows) on Jan. 29 (LM), 1 at Monticello on Feb 12 & Feb. 26 (JGM),1 hunting at Donagh on Feb. 27 (JDM), 1 at Reeve’s Estates and 1 at Union Road on Feb. 28 (FdB, L&PH,L&BvD), 1 at Parkdale on Mar. 10 (LM); Rough-legged Hawk - 1 dark phase at Ross’s Corner on Jan. 11 (DO), 1dark morph at Earnscliffe on Feb. 8 (BMacK), 1 at Cherry Valley on Feb. 9 (RWH), 1 at Parkdale on Mar. 3(DGM); Sandhill Crane - 1 at Morell estuary on Dec. 24 -5 (GwM via BS), 1 dark phase at Union Road on Mar.14 (JtR); Dovekie - 1 seen in yard during blizzard at Stratford on Feb. 16 (DGS), 1 succumbed in storm at LowerMontague on Feb. 16 (DMacN), 1 at North Milton on Feb. 17 (ACo), 1 found dead at Murray River on Feb. 15(DL); Thick-billed Murre - 1 photographed at Winsloe Irving on Feb. 18 (RJ, PMacK via GW); Razorbill - 10 atEast Point on Feb. 8 (SCS, GS); Black Guillemot - 2 at East Point on Feb. 8 (SCS, GS); Black-headed Gull - 1at Souris lagoon on Mar. 1 (KMacA); Ring-billed Gull - 1 at Ellen’s Creek in Charlottetown on Feb. 15 (SGC),fresh plumage at Ellen’s Creek on Mar. 30 with one carrying a band indicating it was banded in Jan. 2013 inMassachusetts (KMacA); Herring Gull - seen regularly in Stratford and Charlottetown this winter (JDM), 6 atEast Point on Feb. 8 (SCS, GS), at Souris on Mar. 1 (KMacA), 4 at Cardigan on Mar. 8 (FdB, SGC, JBl, BCM);

Iceland Gull - seen regularly in Stratford and Charlottetown thiswinter (JDM), 1 at East Point on Feb. 8 (SCS, GS), at Souris onMar. 1 (KMacA); Great Black-backed Gull - a few seenregularly in Stratford and Charlottetown this winter (JDM), atEllen’s Creek this winter (JDM), at Souris on Mar. 1 (KMacA),1 at Cardigan on Mar. 8 (FdB, SGC, JBl, BCM); Rock Dove - 7at Earnscliffe on Feb. 14 (JDM), 1 at Vernon Bridge on Mar. 8(FdB, SGC, JBl, BCM); Mourning Dove - 10 at Tea Hill onJan. 7 (FdB), 4 at Monticello on Jan. 29 (JGM), 1 to 4 daily inJan. at Donagh feeders reduced to 1 sporadically by Mar. (JDM),5 to 8 daily at Riverview Estates from Feb.10 to Mar. 10 (WFB,EM); Great Horned Owl - 1 at East Royalty woods on Feb. 8(via MG); Snowy Owl - 1 at Beach Point on ~Jan. 1 (S&BS), 1on the ground by Ravenwood in Charlottetown being harassed bycrows on Jan. 7 (JW, BMcD, JLZ, SW), 1 on light standard atHillsborough Bridge at dusk on Jan. 7 (AC), 1 on light standardat Oyster Bed Bridge on Jan. 11 (DO), 1 at Hillsborough Bridge

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Snow Bunting at Vernon River Feb. 2 , 2015Photo by Dale Murchison

on Jan. 14 (RWH), 1 in Charlottetown along North River Road on Mar. 4 (RA); Barred Owl - 1 at West Royaltyin late Jan. (D&PW), 1 at Stratford on Feb. 12 & on Mar. 15 (LM), Feb. 14 (MV), & Feb. 19 (LM); Short-earedOwl - 1 at Kensington on Feb. 4 (AD via MMc and DO); Belted Kingfisher - no reports; Red-belliedWoodpecker - 1 at Fortune Wharf Road on Feb. 15 (MO’C), 1 male in Stratford on Feb. 17 (LM), 1 at StratfordClearview Estates in early March (DMu), 1 at Fox Meadows on ~Mar. 23 (LM); Downy Woodpecker - 1 to 2daily at Donagh feeders in Jan. through Mar. (JDM), 1 at Tea Hill feeder on Jan. 29 (FdB), pair doing mating dancein Stratford on Feb. 17 (LM), 2 to 4 at Reeves Estates feeders this winter (AO, DO, et al), male and female atKeppoch feeders on Mar. 15 (MMcC); Hairy Woodpecker - 1 periodically at Donagh feeders in Jan. ThroughMar. (JDM), 2 at Tea Hill feeder on Jan. 29 (FdB), 1 to 2 at Reeves Estates feeders this winter (AO, DO, et al),male and female at Keppoch feeders on Mar. 15 (MMcC); Northern Flicker - 1 at Stratford on Jan. 15 & Feb. 4 &2 on Mar. 15 (LM), 1 at Tea Hill feeder on Jan. 29 & Feb. 5 & Mar. 8 (FdB), 1 at Reeves Estates feeders on Jan. 30(NM, BD, BMacK, LMacA), male at Watervale on Feb. 17 (AC), 1 at Bull Creek Road on Mar. 1 (SCS, GS), maleand female at Keppoch feeders on Mar. 15 (MMcC); Pileated Woodpecker - 1 photographed flying at BrudenellGolf Course on Jan. 11 (DMur), 1 at Georgetown Royalty (Ferry Wharf Road) on Jan. 30 (SCS), 2 heard drummingat Friston Road on Jan. 23 (SG), 2 at Watervale on Feb. 7 (AC), 1 at Gairloch on Mar. 7 (KMacA); AmericanKestrel - 1 male at Earnscliffe on Jan. 15 (WFB, JDM), 1 at Vernon Bridge on Feb. 2 (DMur), 1 at Stratford onFeb. 15 (MMcC); Merlin - 1 at Reeve’s Estates on Jan. 30 (NM), 1 at Stratford on Mar. 10 & 23 (LM), 1 at TeaHill feeders on Mar. 24 (FdB); Peregrine Falcon - 1 at Springfield on Mar. 6 (GSt); Northern Shrike - 1 atWood Island’s hunting birds around feeders on Jan. 13 (GS), 1 at Monticello on Jan. 29 & Feb. 26 (JGM); GrayJay - 1 at East Baltic in late Jan. (GGr); Blue Jay - 4 to 8 daily at Donagh feeders on Jan. 6 (JDM), 18 atMonticello on Jan. 29 & Feb 12 (JGM); American Crow - 200 at Earnscliffe on Feb. 14 (JDM); Common Raven- 8 at Earnscliffe on Feb. 14 (JDM), 1 carrying branches at Wood Islands on Mar. 16 (GS), 1 carrying nestingmaterial at Donagh on Mar. 27 (JDM); Horned Lark - 50 at Locke Shore Road on Jan. 5 (G&SF, L&JH), 6 atJohnston’s River taking grit on Feb. 4 & 25 on Feb. 6 (JDM), 3 flocks at Earnscliffe on Feb. 8 (BMacK), 86 atEarnscliffe, China Point and Scentia Road on Feb. 14 (JDM), 1 at Bear River on Feb. 18 (CG), 3 at Earnscliffe &China Point on Feb. 28 (FdB, L&PH, L&BvD), 30+ at Vernon Bridge on Mar. 8 (FdB, SGC, JBl, BCM); Black-capped Chickadee - taking honey bees at hive in 2014 (DMacN), 6 to 8 at Donagh feeders on Jan. 6 (JDM),leucocystic individual at Village Green feeder on Jan. 15 (WFB, JDM), 17 at Cape Egmont feeders on Jan. 27(WGH); Boreal Chickadee - 2 at Monticello on Jan. 29 (JGM), 1 at Hermanville on Mar. 1 (SCS, GS); Red-breasted Nuthatch - 1 at Reeve’s Estates feeders on Jan. 18 (DO) & 1 on Feb. 28 (FdB, L&PH, L&BvD), 1periodically at Donagh feeders this winter (JDM), 3 at Culloden this winter (JMa), 1 male and female at Keppochfeeders on Mar. 15 (MMcC), at Watervale on Mar. 24 (AC); White-breasted Nuthatch - 1 at Inkerman Road onJan. 24 (G&SF), 1 at Reeves Estates feeders on Jan. 30 (NM, BD, BMacK, LMacA), 1 at Kelvin Grove on Feb. 13(JMar); Brown Creeper - 1 at Summerville on Jan. 11 (RWH), 1 at Cornwall on Jan. 15 (SN), 1 found dead atSpringvale in late Feb. (JS), 1 found dead at Beaconsfield in early Mar. (LAL); Golden-crowned Kinglet - 2 atMonticello on Jan. 29 (JGM), 1 at Culloden woodlands in early Jan. (JMa), 10 at Fox Meadows Golf Course onMar. 23 (LM); American Robin - very few reports this winter (JDM), 1 at Stratford on Feb. 4 & 2 eating hollyberries on Feb. 13 & 1 on Mar. 23 (LM), 1 at Georgetown Royalty on Feb. 14 (SCS), 6 periodically this winter atWood Island’s (GS), 5 at Ellen’s Creek on Mar. 30 (KMacA); European Starling - 90 at Charlottetown wastemanagement plant on Feb. 13 (JDM), 100 to 200 in flock at Earnscliffe in Feb. (JDM), some observers reportinglower numbers since heavy snow (JDM); Bohemian Waxwing - 28 at Wood Islands on Jan. 5 & 13 on Jan. 24(GS), 12 at Tea Hill on Jan. 6 & 18 on Feb. 23 (FdB), ~65 at Stratford (Fox Meadows) on Jan. 29 (LM), 2 at

Bunbury on Feb. 17 (RT), 18 at Victoria on Feb. 21 (DD), manyfeeding on berries at Murray River this winter (DL), 12 at Victoriaon Mar. 1 (FdB, SGC); Lapland Longspur - 32 in cornfield andon wires at Earnscliffe on Jan. 15 (WFB, JDM), 25 at TracadieHarbour on Jan. 18 (SGC), 1 with flock of Snow Buntings at NewLondon feeders on Feb. 12 (TW), 1 at feeders last few days onFeb. 8 (AO, DO), 1 at Alliston feeders during the storm on Feb.16 (GCu), 8 at Earnscliffe & China Point on Feb. 28 (FdB, L&PH,L&BvD), 5 at Vernon Bridge on Mar. 8 (FdB, SGC, JBl, BCM); Snow Bunting - 100 at Locke Shore Road on Jan. 5 (G&SF,L&JH), 100 at Wilmot on Jan. 11 (DO), 1 flying at Earnscliffe onJan. 15 (WFB, JDM), 85 at Cape Egmont feeders on Jan. 27(WGH), 100 at North Rustico on Feb. 6 (HY), 1 at Tryon on Feb.8 (BCl), 30 to 40 daily taking cracked corn at New Londonfeeders in mid-Feb. (TW), 10 at Summerville on Feb. 24 (RWH),~60 at Tea Hill on Feb. 25 (FdB), 30 at Earnscliffe & China Pointon Feb. 28 (FdB, L&PH, L&BvD), 30 at Annandale feeder & 50at Souris on Mar. 1 (KMacA), seen at least ten sites with several

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Savannah Sparrow at Keppoch in Jan., 2015Photo by Melanie McCarthy

Evening Grosbeak at CullodenPhoto by Jeanne Maki

flocks of over 100 birds during field trip to East Point on Mar. 1 (SCS, GS); 1,000 came to Cape Egmont yard afterowner cleared off the snow and spread 10 litres of seed on the lawn on Mar. 15 & up to 2,000 on Mar. 23-5 afterdistributing 500 pounds of seed (WGH); Pine Warbler - 1 at Reeves Estates in Stratford on Dec. 27 to Jan. 30

(AO, DO, NM, BD, BMacK, LMacA, G&SF), 1 at RiverviewEstates up to mid Feb. (EM, WFB); American Tree Sparrow - 1to 4 at Donagh feeders in Jan. through Mar. (JDM), 1 at Tea Hillfeeder on Jan. 29 (FdB), 4 at Monticello on Jan. 29 (JGM), 2 atTryon on Jan. 26 & 4 on Feb. 8 (BCl); Chipping Sparrow - 1photographed at Mount Vernon on Feb. 13 (JBer); Field Sparrow- 1 at Reeve’s Estates feeders on Jan. 9, 15, 18 (DO), 30 (G&SF); Savannah Sparrow - 1 at Keppoch on Jan. 10 (MMcC); SongSparrow - 1 at Wood Island’s feeders on Jan. 6 (GS), 1 at Reeve’sEstates feeders on Jan. 18 (DO), 1 at Crapaud feeder on Feb. 3(DD), 1 at Wilmot feeders on Feb. 5 (GMcC), singing inCharlottetown in lat Feb. (DO), singing at Tea Hill week of Mar24th (FdB); White-throated Sparrow - 1 at Wood Island’sfeeders on Jan. 6 (GS), 2 at Cape Egmont on Jan. 14 (G&SF), 1 atWilmot feeders on Feb. 5 (GMcC); White-crowned Sparrow - 1at Cape Egmont on Jan. 14 (G&SF); Dark-eyed Junco - 4 daily

at Donagh feeders in Jan. through Mar. (JDM), 3 at Tea Hill feeder on Jan. 29 (FdB); Northern Cardinal - male atReeves Estates on Jan. 8 to 30 (AO, DO, NM, BD, BMacK, LMacA, G&SF), 1 at York Point on Feb. 15 (CMacR); Red-winged Blackbird - 4 at Wood Island’s feeders in Jan. and Feb. and periodically in Mar. (GS), 1 at Horne’sCreek Road on Feb. 15 (VB), 2 at Belfast on Mar. 3 (JMa); Common Grackle - couple at Wood Island’s feederson Jan. 6 (GS), 1 at Watervale on Feb. 17 (AC), 1 at Watervale on Mar. 24 (AC); Brown-headed Cowbird - atWood Island’s feeders in Jan. (GS); Pine Grosbeak - 5 at East Point on Jan. 18 (FdB, LP), 16 at Cymbria loop onFeb. 28 (FdB, L&PH, L&BvD), 4 at Belfast on Mar. 3 (JMa), 10 at Gairloch on Mar. 7 (KMacA); Purple Finch -6 at Summerside feeders on Jan. 27 & 7 on Jan. 29 (G&SF), 1 at Cape Egmont feeders on Jan. 27 (WGH), 1 atWilmot on Feb. 5 (GMcC), 6 at Riverview Estates from Feb10 to Mar. 10 (WFB, EM); Common Redpoll - maleat Watervale feeders on Jan. 20 (AC), 9 at Summerside on Jan. 23 (G&SF), 6 at Wood Islands on Jan. 15 & ~70 onJan. 24 (GS), 8 at Summerside feeders on Jan. 27 (G&SF), 1 at Tea Hill feeder on Jan. 29 & flurry with CommonRedpolls during storm on Feb. 25 (FdB), 18 at Culloden this winter(JMa), 20 to 25 daily at Riverview Estates from Feb. 10 to Mar. 10(WFB, EM), 35 at Annandale feeder on Mar. 1 (KMacA); Pine Siskin -at Wood Island’s feeders in Jan. (GS), up to 30 at Charlottetown on Jan.18 (SGC), 3 at Donagh feeders on Jan. 21-2 (JDM), 20 at Summersidefeeders on Jan. 23 & 30 on Jan. 27 & ~90 on Jan. 29 (G&SF), 38 at CapeEgmont feeders on Jan. 27 (WGH), 3 very tame individuals eating wetseed at New London window feeder (TW), 20 at Tea Hill feeder on Jan.29 & Feb. 5 & 15 on Feb. 23 & lots daily in late Mar. (FdB), 12 atMonticello on Jan. 29 (JGM), ~60 at Riverview Estates from Feb. 10 toMar. 10 (WFB, EM), at Annandale feeder on Mar. 1 (KMacA), 20 atKeppoch feeders on Mar. 15 (MMcC); American Goldfinch - at WoodIsland’s feeders in Jan. (GS), 20 at Summerside feeders on Jan. 27, 30 onJan. 29 (G&SF), 4 at Cape Egmont feeders on Jan. 27 (WGH), 20 to 30at Wilmot feeders on Feb. 5 (GMcC), 6 at Monticello on Jan. 29 (JGM),periodic appearance of 1 to 4 at Donagh feeders in Jan. & Feb. (JDM),small number at Riverview Estates from Feb. 10 to Mar. 10 (WFB, EM), 5 at Annandale feeder on Mar. 1(KMacA); Evening Grosbeak - 5 females at Reeve’s Estates feeders on Jan. 14-15 (A&MO), 1 male & 2 femalesat Summerside feeders on Jan. 27 & 12 on Jan. 29-30 (G&SF), 2 at Culloden on Jan. 28 (JMa), 24 at MilltownCross this winter (JH); House Sparrow - 10 at Summerside feeders on Jan. 30 (G&SF), 4 at Earnscliffe on Feb. 14(JDM).

Old Reports: Leopard slug present at Victoria Park in Charlottetown during past two years (MB).Editor’s Note: Corrections: The location of the Barred Owl report by DD in the last issue should have beenBrookvale Nordic Ski trails.

Thanks to the following contributors who provided records for this listing, namely: RA - Ron Arvidson; CB - ClairBirch; JBl - Jean Blanchard; JBer - Jennifer Bernard; MB - Melissa Belvadi; VB - Vanessa Bonnyman; WFB - BillBowerbank; AC - Alma Currie; ACo - Allison Coles; BCl - Barbara Clement; BCo - Brenda Cobb; EC- ElwoodCoakes; FRC - Rosemary Curley; GCu - Georgie Curley; SGC - Sharon Clark; AD - Andre Darville; BD - Bree

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Donovan; DD - Daphne Davey; FdB - Fiep de Bie; KD - Kyle Doucette; LD - Lois Doan; G&SF - Greg & SandraFeetham; LF - Laurel Fisher; W&SF - Warren & Sherron Foulkes; MG - Michelle Gottreau; SG - Shirley Gallant;BH - Ben Hoteling; JH - Jane Harris; WGH - Bill Hartford; L&JH - Les & Joan Homans; L&PH - Lenie & PeterHakkers; RWH - Robert Harding; LFJ - Locke Jones; RJ - Randy Johnston; AK - Andy Kelly; JK - John Klymko;DL - David London; LAL - Lynanne Love; ADM - Allie McLennan; A&PM - Arlene & Paul McGuigan; BCM -Bonnie McOrmond; BMacK - Brett MacKinnon; BMcD - Barb McDonald; BMcK - Barb McKenna; CGM -Cathleen (Gallant) MacCormack; CMacR - Cindy MacRae; DGM - Gerald MacDougall; DMacN - DaveMacNearney; DMo - Denise Motard; DMu - Doug Murray; DMur - Dale Murchison; EM - Evelyn Martin; GMcC -Gail McCourt; GwM - Gwen MacDonald; JDM - Dan McAskill; JGM - Gerald MacDonald (formerly listed asGM); JMa - Jeanne Maki; JMar - Jane Martin; KMacA - Kathleen MacAulay; LM - Lucas MacCormack; LMacA -Layton Mac Andrew; MMc - Matt McIver; MMcC - Melanie McCarthy; NM - Nicole Murtagh; PMacK - PaulMacKinnon; REM - Rosanne MacFarlane; SMcB - Scott McBurney; TEM- Tracy E. MacDonald; WJM - WadeMacKinnon; A&MO - Audrey & Maurice Oakley; SN - Sharon Neil; DO - Dwaine Oakley; MO’C - MikeO’Connor; LP - Leslie Peck; SP - Shirley Prowse; JtR - John te Raa; ASm - Ardeth Smith; BS - Bruce Smith;DC&ES - David & Elaine Seeler; GS - Gary Schneider; GSt - Greg Stroud; IS - Ian Scott; JS - John Sylvester; JDS- John D. Somers; S&BS - Steve and Becky Stewart; SCS - Scott Sinclair; JHS - Jim Sutton; RT - Reg (Dutch)Thompson; L&BvD - Lillian & Bert Dijk; AW - Anne Wootton; D&PW - Dennis & Phyllis Williams; GW - GeoffWood; JW - Jackie Waddell; JWa - Jean Watts; SW - Shaylyn Wallace; TW - Trevor Wadman; WCT - WildlifeConservation Technology Class; HY - Harry Yeo; LY - Lorne Yeo; and JLZ - Julie Lynn Zahavich.

ENVIRONMENTAL CALENDAR:Note: All Society presentations and field trips are open to the public.

Society meetings start at 7:30 PM at Beaconsfield, the Carriage House, corner of West and Kent Street,Charlottetown. YN = young naturalists encouraged to attend or participate

April 7th - A Citizen Science Approach to Understanding Climate Change on PEI - Derek Ellis of UPEI’sClimate Research Lab will be Nature PEI’s feature speaker for our monthly meeting. The Society’smeeting starts at 7:30 PM at Beaconsfield’s Carriage House, corner of West and Kent, Charlottetown. YN

Apr. 13th - Hillsborough River Association Annual Meeting at Stratford Town Hall at 7:00 PM. John Sylvesterwill be the guest presenter with his presentation "A Photographic Journey Along PEI's HeritageRivers"

Apr. 21st - Reptiles and Amphibians of PEI. Jackie Waddell will provide the last of this season’s Island NatureTrust Nature Series presentations at the Confederation Centre Library at 7:00 PM.

April 24th - Island Nature Trust Annual Dinner & Auction - is set for Top of the Park at Red Shores inCharlottetown with reception starting at 6 PM and meal at 7 PM. A beautiful buffet meal, raffles andauction will help to raise funds for the Trust’s ongoing land conservation and acquisition program. Ticketsare $50. To arrange tickets, please contact the Trust at 902-892-7513.

Apr. 25th - Earth Expo. Will feature displays from many organizations from 12:30 to 4 PM at the Farm CentreMay 5th - Arts in Nature - Mary Curtis, a botanical illustrator, will be Nature PEI’s feature speaker for our

monthly meeting. The Society’s meeting starts at 7:30 PM at Beaconsfield’s Carriage House, corner ofWest and Kent, Charlottetown. YN

May 30th - Nature PEI’s Bain Bird Count - This is the Society’s spring bird count which documents themovement of migrating birds to PEI. The counts can take place anywhere on the Island between midnightand midnight during this day. Birders are encouraged to form teams and participate in this event. For moreinformation, please contact Dan McAskill at 902-569-4351 or by email at jdmcaskill@pei.sympatico.ca

June 2nd - Conservation Conversations: Where Should We Focus Conservation Work on PEI? - Julie Vasseurof Nature Conservancy Canada will be Nature PEI’s feature speaker for this joint NCC/Nature PEIpresentation. The Society’s meeting starts at 7:30 PM at Beaconsfield’s Carriage House. YN

June 14th - Canadian Rivers Day - a great opportunity to plant a tree or shrub or to enjoy an excursion on a river.Oct 6th - Island at the Centre of the World: The Geological Evolution of Prince Edward Island - John Calder,

President of Atlantic Geoscience Society, will be the feature speaker for this joint AGS/Nature PEI’spresentation. The Society’s meeting starts at 7:30 PM at Beaconsfield’s Carriage House, corner of Westand Kent, Charlottetown. YN

Nov. 3rd - Astronomy - Nature We Can See But Not Touch - YET - Chris Vessey, Sidewalk Astronomers ofCharlottetown, will be Nature PEI’s feature speaker for our monthly meeting. The Society’s meeting startsat 7:30 PM at Beaconsfield’s Carriage House, corner of West and Kent, Charlottetown. YN

Dec. 1st - Newfoundland and Labrador Expedition, with Plants - Rosemary Curley and Diane Griffin will beNature PEI’s feature speakers for our monthly meeting. The Society’s meeting starts at 7:30 PM atBeaconsfield’s Carriage House, corner of West and Kent, Charlottetown. YN

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