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From: jrhbirder@hotmail.com
To: naturens@chebucto.ns.ca
Subject: RE: Long rant: Re: [NatureNS] comment re Empty Forests
Date: Tue=2C 13 Aug 2013 00:55:20 +0000
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Hi all:
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In response to Dave's observation that possibly more birds are coming to f=
eeders. " fewer birds in the woods may reflect more birds at feeders."
I write a birding column for the local paper in Lunenburg County and report=
s throughout the year are many with birds lacking at feeders. Initially=
=2C I was telling people that there likely was more food in the woods and t=
his is why people were not seeing much activity of birds at their feeders=
=2C or that birds were likely busy feeding young and were thus not coming t=
o feeders. I've had more emails=2C phone calls and comments so far this ye=
ar showing concerns about the lack of birds at feeders=2C far more then in=
the past 13 going on 14 years that I've been writing the column. On a per=
sonal basis I've taken note of this in my travels throughout Lunenburg Coun=
ty=2C seeing overall fewer birds at feeder locations and definitely far few=
er birds at most locations where I found a plenitude in previous years in t=
he wooded areas. Hopefully=2C this is an anomaly this year directly relate=
d to weird weather patterns or insect cycles or some other such thing going=
on in Lunenburg County. I know that during migration in May we had many =
bad storms and from some of the comments online=2C I got the impression tha=
t large numbers of our returning migrants overshot and were blown out to s=
ea and probably did not make it back to land. This might account for the =
lack of birds that we are seeing now and also over the summer. I would lik=
e other thoughts on this. Lance or Ian might be able to tell us if this is=
a possibility. I look forward to other thoughts about this.James R. Hirtl=
eBridgewater
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From: dwebster@glinx.com
To: naturens@chebucto.ns.ca
Subject: Long rant: Re: [NatureNS] comment re Empty Forests
Date: Mon=2C 12 Aug 2013 21:25:41 -0300
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Hi Mary & All=2C =0A=
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Aug 12=2C 2013=0A=
More on this later but I can't let this pass without =0A=
taking a swipe at it because=2C in my view=2C it is dangerously simplistic =
to =0A=
attribute such declines to pesticide dependent monocultures and especially =
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roundup ready crops which is after all an herbicide. =0A=
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This decline has been underway here for 70 years or more =0A=
and for a host of reasons that all fall through one funnel=3B environmental=
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destruction=2C fragmentation and degradation. It is =0A=
not realistic to beat the crap out of something delicate=2C using the =0A=
power of steam or the internal combustion engine=2C for 7 decades and expec=
t =0A=
no effect. =0A=
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The one essential ingredient has been the explosive =0A=
growth in private automobile usage since WW2=3B here and in the USA. This r=
uns the =0A=
gamut from bugs=2C amphibia=2C reptiles=2C mammals & birds =0A=
becoming road kill to the cancerous=2C destructive growth of surburbia and =
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the associated obliteration of habitat=2C air quality & water quality. Wher=
e=2C =0A=
a mere 40 years ago=2C narrow roads with tadpole-friendly roadside =0A=
puddles ran through woodland we now have residential-friendly wider =0A=
roads with deep ditches that run red in the spring directly into streams. =
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Certainly pesticides were involved but one =0A=
should not place all of the blame on 10% of the cause. =0A=
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But as Fred observed this has been a strange year. In =0A=
addition=2C fewer birds in the woods may reflect more birds at feeders. The=
re has =0A=
been no shortage of Deer Flies in the woods recently. But I was astonished =
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recently to see no Andrenid activity on a large sand bank that is normally =
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peppered with about 3 holes per dm^2. =0A=
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One other thing Mary=2C the statement that " These =0A=
pesticides are 1000 times as strong as DDT and bio magnify." conveys nearly=
zero =0A=
meaning. Many early pesticides were soluble in lipids and consequently beca=
me =0A=
concentrated up the food chain. Surely the industry has not repeated that =
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mistake. =0A=
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Or are the fund-raisers drawing on outdated =0A=
information ?=0A=
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And lastly=2C undisturbed woodland in general is not =0A=
a good habitat for insects that feed on flowers=2C especially flowers of di=
sturbed =0A=
habitats. There will be lots of insects that feed on wood in various ways b=
ut =0A=
they tend not to move much in the daytime. In season=2C and in somewhat ope=
n =0A=
woodland=2C there will be insects that feed on flowers of plants such as Co=
rnus =0A=
alternifolia=2C Prunus serotina=2C Prunus virginiana=2C Amelanchier=2C Dier=
villa =0A=
lonicera=2C Hieracium. ...=2C but insects associated with Solidago and othe=
r =0A=
plants that need more sunlight are more likely to be seen in woodland that =
has =0A=
been selectively cut or clearcut in small patches recently. I am no birder =
but =0A=
have many times noticed bird activity to increase from near zero in undistu=
rbed =0A=
forest to high in nearby disturbed areas.=0A=
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Yt=2C Dave Webster=2C Kentville=0A=
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----- Original Message ----- =0A=
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From: =0A=
Mary =0A=
Macaulay =0A=
To: naturens@chebucto.ns.ca =0A=
Sent: Monday=2C August 12=2C 2013 5:34 =0A=
PM=0A=
Subject: Re: [NatureNS] comment re Empty =0A=
Forests=0A=
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This is a global phenomenon and is largely due to roundup ready crops and=
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other pesticide dependent monocultures. There is a lot of comment about t=
his =0A=
on the twittersphere from all over the world right now. Neonicotinoid use=
has =0A=
brought it to the forefront now because of their effects in honeybees and=
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other pollinators. These pesticides are 1000 times as strong as DDT and b=
io =0A=
magnify.
Mary Macaulay=2C P.Eng.=0A=
Executive Director=0A=
Atlantic Concrete Association=0A=
www.atlanticconcrete.ca=0A=
Office: 902-443-4456=0A=
Cell: 902-489-2000=0A=
Fax: 902-404-8074=0A=
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On 2013-08-12=2C at 5:12 PM=2C "James W. Wolford" <jimwolford@eastlink.ca> =
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wrote:
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Here is a relevant note I wrote myself on Aug. 7:=0A=
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AUG. 7=2C 2013 - I walked along the Wolfville Rail =0A=
Trail this afternoo