[NatureNS] comment re Empty Forests

To: NatureNS <naturens@chebucto.ns.ca>
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From: "James W. Wolford" <jimwolford@eastlink.ca>
Date: Mon, 12 Aug 2013 17:06:14 -0300
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Here is a relevant note I wrote myself on Aug. 7:

AUG. 7, 2013 - I walked along the Wolfville Rail Trail this  
afternoon, as I often do, and noted just a few butterflies (mostly  
whites) flitting among the huge array of plants in flower, especially  
Queen Anne's lace, common tansy, knapweed, etc.,  from Wolfville  
Harbour but especially from Elm Street out to the Acadia Arena.  BUT  
what really struck me was how very few other insects I am noticing   
on the flowers as I walk.  Thinking back a couple of decades (or  
more?), I used to see a wide variety of insects and spiders on the  
flowers, and now I am seeing few to none, plus the few butterflies.   
Has anyone noticed the same thing?  And does anyone know of a  
database somewhere out there in our world of information that has  
decades of data like we have for breeding birds?

Begin forwarded message:

> From: Blake Maybank <bmaybank@gmail.com>
> Date: August 12, 2013 2:52:49 PM ADT
> To: naturens@chebucto.ns.ca
> Subject: [NatureNS] Empty Forests
> Reply-To: naturens@chebucto.ns.ca
>
> 11 August 2013
>
> I was part of a group that hiked a trail near Moses Mountain in the  
> beautiful Avon Valley in Western Hants County yesterday.  Despite  
> walking more than 12 km through beautiful deciduous and mixed wood  
> forests, we encountered very few birds. While I suspect that most  
> of the migrant breeding birds had departed, why were we unable to  
> detect a single chickadee, nuthatch, or Blue Jay? We heard a couple  
> of vireos and a pewee, and one flicker.  The one highlight was a  
> soaring Turkey Vulture, a new species for my Hants County list.
>
> Plenty of Goldenrod, knapweed, and other often flowers lined the  
> trail along most of our hike, but we did not encounter a single  
> butterfly. And there were very few bees in evidence as well, which  
> was also discouraging.
>
> On such a beautiful day it is hard to account for the paucity of  
> birds and butterflies and other wildlife.
>
> -- 
> Blake Maybank
> 144 Bayview Drive,
> White's Lake, Nova Scotia
> B3T 1Z1 CANADA
> (902) 852-2077
>
> My Blog:  CSI: Life
>
> Organiser, Maritimes Nature Travel Club
>
> Author, "Birding Sites of Nova Scotia
>
>
>
>
>
>


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<html><body style=3D"word-wrap: break-word; -webkit-nbsp-mode: space; =
-webkit-line-break: after-white-space; ">
Here is a relevant note I wrote myself on Aug. =
7:<div><br></div><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>AUG. 7, 2013 =
</b></font><font face=3D"Helvetica" size=3D"3" color=3D"#001ee6" =
style=3D"font: 12.0px Helvetica; color: #001ee6">- I walked along the =
</font><font face=3D"Helvetica" size=3D"3" style=3D"font: 12.0px =
Helvetica"><b>Wolfville Rail Trail</b></font><font face=3D"Helvetica" =
size=3D"3" color=3D"#001ee6" style=3D"font: 12.0px Helvetica; color: =
#001ee6"> this afternoon, as I often do, and noted just </font><font =
face=3D"Helvetica" size=3D"3" style=3D"font: 12.0px Helvetica"><b>a few =
butterflies (mostly whites)&nbsp;</b></font><font face=3D"Helvetica" =
size=3D"3" color=3D"#001ee6" style=3D"font: 12.0px Helvetica; color: =
#001ee6">flitting among the </font><font face=3D"Helvetica" size=3D"3" =
style=3D"font: 12.0px Helvetica"><b>huge array of plants in flower</b>, =
especially<b> </b>Queen Anne's lace, common tansy, knapweed, =
etc.,&nbsp;</font><font face=3D"Helvetica" size=3D"3" color=3D"#001ee6" =
style=3D"font: 12.0px Helvetica; color: #001ee6"> from Wolfville Harbour =
but especially from Elm Street out to the Acadia Arena.&nbsp; BUT what =
really struck me was </font><font face=3D"Helvetica" size=3D"3" =
style=3D"font: 12.0px Helvetica"><b>how very few other insects I am =
noticing&nbsp; on the flowers</b></font><font face=3D"Helvetica" =
size=3D"3" color=3D"#001ee6" style=3D"font: 12.0px Helvetica; color: =
#001ee6"> as I walk.&nbsp; Thinking back a couple of decades (or more?), =
I used to see a wide variety of insects and spiders on the flowers, and =
now I am seeing few to none, plus the few butterflies.&nbsp; Has anyone =
noticed the same thing?&nbsp; And does anyone know of a database =
somewhere out there in our world of information that has decades of data =
like we have for breeding birds?</font></div><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">Blake Maybank &lt;<a =
href=3D"mailto:bmaybank@gmail.com">bmaybank@gmail.com</a>&gt;</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>Date: =
</b></font><font face=3D"Helvetica" size=3D"3" style=3D"font: 12.0px =
Helvetica">August 12, 2013 2:52:49 PM ADT</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></font><font =
face=3D"Helvetica" size=3D"3" style=3D"font: 12.0px Helvetica"><a =
href=3D"mailto:naturens@chebucto.ns.ca">naturens@chebucto.ns.ca</a></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>Subject: </b></font><font face=3D"Helvetica" size=3D"3" =
style=3D"font: 12.0px Helvetica"><b>[NatureNS] Empty =
Forests</b></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>Reply-To: </b></font><font face=3D"Helvetica" size=3D"3" =
style=3D"font: 12.0px Helvetica"><a =
href=3D"mailto:naturens@chebuc