next message in archive
next message in thread
previous message in archive
Index of Subjects
--Boundary_(ID_Ppt/RPNB//ErwPML8nzSzQ) Content-type: text/plain; CHARSET=US-ASCII; delsp=yes; format=flowed Content-transfer-encoding: 7BIT Seaweed Flies or Kelp Flies are in the family Coelopidae of the order Diptera, which includes all true flies like crane flies, mosquitoes, midges, house flies, hover flies, bee flies, etc. etc. My field guides mention one species of Coelopus on the East Coast and Arctic Coasts and another species on the West Coast from Alaska to Baja California. But my memory from what Mike Dadswell or maybe Sherman Bleakney tells me there are at least two species on the Atlantic Coast. Maybe someone else on this list can enlighten us further. Those washed-up kelps and other seaweeds year-round provide a diverse ecosystem of scavengers and other species, including not just a diversity of flies but also one of my favourite groups, the amphipod crustaceans we call "beach fleas" or "sand hoppers". And these windrows of seaweeds on the shore attract a variety of larger and terrestrial critters, especially at night, like small mammals and deer plus spiders etc. Jim Wolford Cheers from Jim in Wolfville. Begin forwarded message: > From: "James W. Wolford" <jimwolford@eastlink.ca> > Date: December 2, 2011 5:58:42 PM AST > To: NatureNS <naturens@chebucto.ns.ca>, Andrew Boyne > <Andrew.Boyne@EC.GC.CA> > Subject: [NatureNS] American Kestrel, Belted Kingfisher, Lapland > Longspur, Double-crested Cormorant > Reply-To: naturens@chebucto.ns.ca > > Those flies associated with the seaweeds and longspur are, not > surprisingly, very probably SEAWEED FLIES! Without looking them > up, I am reluctant to name the family, but I do recall there are > more than one species of these in Nova Scotia. Also I am pretty > sure that washed up and rotting seaweeds can be expected to have > various stages in their life cycles at most or all times of the > year, including during our winter. Thus it's not surprising that > washed-up seaweeds, particularly after storms, are great places to > look for foraging birds of a wide variety of kinds, from shorebirds > to warblers to flycatchers to longspurs and lots of others! Jim in > Wolfville > > Begin forwarded message: > >> From: James Hirtle <jrhbirder@hotmail.com> >> Date: December 2, 2011 5:05:33 PM AST >> To: Naturens Naturens <naturens@chebucto.ns.ca>, Rare Alert <ns- >> rba@yahoogroups.com> >> Subject: [NatureNS] American Kestrel, Belted Kingfisher, Lapland >> Longspur, Double-crested Cormorant >> Reply-To: naturens@chebucto.ns.ca >> >> Hi all: >> >> Additions for the Winter list I believe. Today David Walmark and >> I managed to get in a few hours of birding. Good birds located >> were at Conrad's Island, Lower Rose Bay, where we observed and >> watched an American kestrel on the wires along the causeway going >> out to the island. Along the beach edge of Sand Dollar Beach as >> the locals call it we had a Lapland longspur. The longspur >> provided great viewing and was not the least bit concerned about >> our presence. There were lots of flys of some sort coming up off >> the seaweed that the longspur was partaking of. There was also a >> belted kingfisher present that we watched fly across towards >> Kingsburg. Oh yes, and there was a double-crested cormorant also >> sitting on the shoreline on the inside of the causeway. >> >> Other interesting species observed today but not rare, were all >> three scoter species. Surf scoters can easily be gotten along the >> LaHave River any time over the winter. The white-winged scoters >> were off of Sand Dollar Beach at Rose Bay and a lone black scoter >> was off Kingsburg Beach. For here American coots are hard to come >> by. There was one in Kingsburg Pond at Kingsburg. Off Kingsburg >> Beach there was a Barrow's X Common Goldeneye. Also there were >> two red-necked grebes and two red-throated loons. >> >> James R. Hirtle >> Bridgewater > --Boundary_(ID_Ppt/RPNB//ErwPML8nzSzQ) Content-type: text/html; CHARSET=US-ASCII Content-transfer-encoding: quoted-printable <html><body style=3D"word-wrap: break-word; -webkit-nbsp-mode: space; = -webkit-line-break: after-white-space; "> Seaweed Flies or Kelp Flies are in the family Coelopidae of the order = Diptera, which includes all true flies like crane flies, mosquitoes, = midges, house flies, hover flies, bee flies, etc. etc. My field = guides mention one species of Coelopus on the East Coast and Arctic = Coasts and another species on the West Coast from Alaska to Baja = California. But my memory from what Mike Dadswell or maybe Sherman = Bleakney tells me there are at least two species on the Atlantic Coast. = Maybe someone else on this list can enlighten us further. = Those washed-up kelps and other seaweeds year-round provide a = diverse ecosystem of scavengers and other species, including not just a = diversity of flies but also one of my favourite groups, the amphipod = crustaceans we call "beach fleas" or "sand hoppers". And these = windrows of seaweeds on the shore attract a variety of larger and = terrestrial critters, especially at night, like small mammals and deer = plus spiders etc.<div><br></div><div>Jim = Wolford <div><br></div><div>Cheers from Jim in = Wolfville.<br><div><br><div>Begin forwarded message:</div><br = class=3D"Apple-interchange-newline"><blockquote type=3D"cite"><div = style=3D"margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; = margin-left: 0px; "><font face=3D"Helvetica" size=3D"3" color=3D"#000000" = style=3D"font: 12.0px Helvetica; color: #000000"><b>From: = </b></font><font face=3D"Helvetica" size=3D"3" style=3D"font: 12.0px = Helvetica">"James W. Wolford" <<a = href=3D"mailto:jimwolford@eastlink.ca">jimwolford@eastlink.ca</a>></fon= t></div><div style=3D"margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: = 0px; margin-left: 0px; "><font face=3D"Helvetica" size=3D"3" = color=3D"#000000" style=3D"font: 12.0px Helvetica; color: = #000000"><b>Date: </b></font><font face=3D"Helvetica" size=3D"3" = style=3D"font: 12.0px Helvetica">December 2, 2011 5:58:42 PM = AST</font></div><div style=3D"margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; = margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; "><font face=3D"Helvetica" = size=3D"3" color=3D"#000000" style=3D"font: 12.0px Helvetica; color: = #000000"><b>To: </b>