next message in archive
next message in thread
previous message in archive
previous message in thread
Index of Subjects
our hug --Apple-Mail-57D906C5-1C6D-4BC2-BFE3-E11928D56F49 Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable Content-Type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii Thanks for the great report Jim. I'm planning to be in Wolfville this aftern= oon and would like to try for the Marbled Godwit. If anyone has any luck tod= ay I would sincerely appreciate an update. Cheers, Paul Evans East Lawrencetown On 2012-09-14, at 5:11 PM, "James W. Wolford" <jimwolford@eastlink.ca> wrote= : > SEPT. 14, 2012 - At about 4 p.m., in Wolfville Harbour with the tide out o= f the harbour (3 hrs. after high tide), Gisele D'Entremont & Bruce Doucette &= I looked in vain for the marbled godwit -- there were scattered yellowlegs a= nd peeps, some foraging, some just standing, plus the usual ducks (mostly in= active) and foraging ring-billed gulls.=20 >=20 > I noticed lots of human footprints at the top of the intertidal marsh on t= he east side, north of the RR tracks, and my guess is that recently there ha= ve been Intro. Biology lab classes from Acadia Univ. there getting introduce= d to biology by showing the Yummy Muds of Minas (phrase from retired Acadia m= arine guru Sherman Bleakney). >=20 > Thus I wondered if these classes and their activities might have scared th= e godwit away from the harbour (hopefully temporarily)? >=20 > To bore you further on the "yummy mud", on any Sunny day with the tide out= a bit, from the wharf the surface of the mud shows very noticeable large pa= tches coloured by a golden-brown sheen. These patches are from dense aggreg= ations of microscopic single-celled "plants" called diatoms, which have migr= ated up to the surface in order to photosynthesize. >=20 > Many sorts of organisms feed on the surface biofilm of diatoms, bacteria (= very important in this degratory & exportive ecosystem, based on the microbi= al breakdown of the salt-marsh grasses and other formerly living organisms. = Some of these biofilm eaters include mud shrimps, mud snails, several kinds= of worms, Macoma clams, and, surprise? (no), our favourite peep, the semipa= lmated sandpiper! (cf. the research papers of Dr. Diana Hamilton and student= s from Mt. Allison Univ.)(they have even studied this at night-time, when of= course the tidal cycles continue (12 hrs. 25 minutes from high to high or f= rom low to low....). >=20 > Lastly, for now, the "yummy mud" is incredibly biodiverse with both plants= and animals, and hugely productive in terms of various forms of carbon, muc= h of which is exported by our huge tides. So who knows how much of the prod= uctivity of the Bay of Fundy fisheries and whale-watching etc. (and the dre= aded salmon farming) derives from that exported energy from the upper Fundy s= alt-marshes and mudflats? >=20 > Cheers from Jim in Wolfville=20 --Apple-Mail-57D906C5-1C6D-4BC2-BFE3-E11928D56F49 Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable Content-Type: text/html; charset=utf-8 <html><head></head><body bgcolor=3D"#FFFFFF"><div>Thanks for the great repor= t Jim. I'm planning to be in Wolfville this afternoon and would like to try f= or the Marbled Godwit. If anyone has any luck today I would sincerely apprec= iate an update.</div><div><br></div><div>Cheers,</div><div><br></div><div>Pa= ul Evans</div><div>East Lawrencetown<br><br>On 2012-09-14, at 5:11 PM, "Jame= s W. Wolford" <<a href=3D"mailto:jimwolford@eastlink.ca">jimwolford@eastl= ink.ca</a>> wrote:<br><br></div><div></div><blockquote type=3D"cite"><div= ><div style=3D"margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margi= n-left: 0px; "><font face=3D"Helvetica" size=3D"3" style=3D"font: 12.0px Hel= vetica"><b>SEPT. 14, 2012</b> - At about 4 p.m., in <b>Wolfville Harbour </b= >with the tide out of the harbour (3 hrs. after high tide), Gisele D'Entremo= nt & Bruce Doucette & I<b> looked in vain for the marbled godwit </b= >-- there were scattered yellowlegs and peeps, some foraging, some just stan= ding, plus the usual ducks (mostly inactive) and foraging ring-billed gulls.= </font></div><div style=3D"margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-= bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; "><font face=3D"Helvetica" size=3D"3" style=3D= "font: 12.0px Helvetica"><br></font></div><div style=3D"margin-top: 0px; mar= gin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; "><font face=3D"Helvet= ica" size=3D"3" style=3D"font: 12.0px Helvetica">I noticed lots of human foo= tprints at the top of the intertidal marsh on the east side, north of the RR= tracks, and my guess is that recently there have been<b> Intro. Biology lab= classes</b> from Acadia Univ. there getting introduced to biology by showin= g the Yummy Muds of Minas (phrase from retired Acadia marine guru Sherman Bl= eakney).</font></div><div style=3D"margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margi= n-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; font: normal normal normal 12px/normal Helv= etica; min-height: 14px; "><br></div><div style=3D"margin-top: 0px; margin-r= ight: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; "><font face=3D"Helvetica" s= ize=3D"3" style=3D"font: 12.0px Helvetica">Thus I wondered if these classes a= nd their activities might have scared the godwit away from the harbour (hope= fully temporarily)?</font></div><div style=3D"margin-top: 0px; margin-right:= 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; font: normal normal normal 12px/= normal Helvetica; min-height: 14px; "><br></div><div style=3D"margin-top: 0p= x; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; "><font face=3D"= Helvetica" size=3D"3" style=3D"font: 12.0px Helvetica">To bore you further o= n the "yummy mud", on any Sunny day with the tide out a bit, from the wharf t= he <b>surface of the mud</b> shows very noticeable large patches coloured by= a golden-brown sheen. These patches are from dense aggregations of mi= croscopic single-celled "plants" called <b>diatoms</b>, which have <b>migrat= ed</b> up to the surface in order to<b> photosynthesize</b>.</font></div><di= v style=3D"margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-le= ft: 0px; font: normal normal normal 12px/normal Helvetica; min-height: 14px;= "><br></div><div style=3D"margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom= : 0px; margin-left: 0px; "><font face=3D"Helvetica" size=3D"3" style=3D"font= : 12.0px Helvetica"><b>Many sorts of organisms feed on the surface biofilm</= b> of diatoms, bacteria (very importan