next message in archive
next message in thread
previous message in archive
previous message in thread
Index of Subjects
man --Apple-Mail=_187657E1-0BE1-459C-98C8-6940A52F2157 Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable Content-Type: text/plain; charset=windows-1252 Dave is again right on about the mourning dove. When I arrived in Nova = Scotia in 1975, mourning doves were almost entirely winter birds here, = and the first nest was found in 1978 or 79 by Eva Urban at Avonport, = where Eva had been feeding large winter numbers for many years? After = the early 1980s mourning doves gradually and eventually spectacularly = increased in their summer numbers and distribution, so that now for a = couple of decades they are one of our most widespread and common summer = nesting species. Cheers from Jim in Whistler, B.C. but soon to be back in N.S. Begin forwarded message: > From: David & Alison Webster <dwebster@glinx.com> > Subject: Re: [NatureNS] re wild lily of the valley fruits & dispersers > Date: December 22, 2014 at 5:32:39 PM PST > To: naturens@chebucto.ns.ca > Reply-To: naturens@chebucto.ns.ca >=20 > Hi Jim & All, > You reminded me that I was going to withdraw Mourning Dove as a = dumb idea. It could be involved now I suppose but >60 years ago they = were absent or very rare and some other creature(s), which has/have been = here all along, must be involved. > DW > ----- Original Message ----- > From: Jim Wolford > To: naturens > Sent: Monday, December 22, 2014 9:12 PM > Subject: [NatureNS] re wild lily of the valley fruits & dispersers >=20 > Just a brief comment from one who knows very little. Despite Nick=92s = or Dave=92s comments that the berry-like fruits of this species are = nearly fleshless, they are very widespread and abundant in edge habitats = as well as forested ones, I suspect these fruits are popular with many = species of birds as well as small mammals like deer mice & red-backed = voles & squirrels & what else? >=20 > Cheers from Jim, currently in Whistler, B.C., and enjoying the = naturens gabs. >=20 > Begin forwarded message: >=20 >> From: Nicholas Hill <fernhillns@gmail.com> >> Subject: Re: [NatureNS] Scat >> Date: December 22, 2014 at 1:33:27 PM PST >> To: "naturens@chebucto.ns.ca" <naturens@chebucto.ns.ca> >> Reply-To: naturens@chebucto.ns.ca >>=20 >> Seeds are mostly singletons in fruits of 29 fruits, 21 are = one-seeded, >> 6 two, and 2 three seeded. Seeds range from 2.5 to 3.5mm in long >> dimension (roughly spheres) and the grits in the scat, judging from >> the photo I posted , look like they are quartz from granite and = appear >> the same size as the seeds. >>=20 >> We haven't seen mourning doves yet but there are lots of junco. The >> dispersal of wild lily of valley is pretty much done except for >> populations in isolated areas, such as where I just got the fruits. >> The animal dispersal of native plants is relatively unexplored in = Nova >> Scotia. >> Nick >>=20 >> On Mon, Dec 22, 2014 at 3:30 PM, David & Alison Webster >> <dwebster@glinx.com> wrote: >>> Hi Nick & All. Dec 22, 2014 >>> I assume you are referring to Mainthemum canadense because Wild >>> Lily-of-the-Valley is the usual common name for this. It has two = locules and >>> one to four seeds. I suppose seeds may be unusually large if only = one ovule >>> is fertilized. >>>=20 >>> I know almost nothing about bird crops but isn't 3-mm large = grit for >>> something the size of a Junco ? That is about the size of grit we = gave >>> poultry I think. Is Mourning Dove possible ? They frequent = Mainthemum >>> habitat and gravel roads.. >>>=20 >>> On the subject of seed spreading, years ago I found several = hoards of >>> fruiting M. canadense plants, piled neatly in the chinks of a = woodpile when >>> hauling wood. [I cut firewood into 16" lengths, tier it in the woods = and >>> cover the tier top with polyethylene. The cumulative length of tiers = over 33 >>> years would be about 8000' and I have found hoards of M. canadense = only >>> once.] Either it is rarely hoarded or hoarded in other locations.. >>> I suspected Gapper's Red-backed Mouse because they were common = there for >>> many years and often seen when I was hauling wood; usually leaving a = nest >>> they had made in a tier. Unless the seed coat is unusually hard, = Mice would >>> likely destroy the seeds when eating the dried fruit But if they = carried >>> fruiting plants away from a patch, hid them in soil or under litter = and did >>> not return then dispersal could be effected. >>> Yt, Dave Webster, Kentville >>>=20 >>> ----- Original Message ----- >>> From: Nicholas Hill >>> To: naturens@chebucto.ns.ca >>> Sent: Monday, December 22, 2014 12:49 PM >>> Subject: [NatureNS] Scat >>>=20 >>> I wondered if any naturalist had an idea about what possible bird = would eat >>> fruits of wild lily of the valley. It was a small scat and its crop >>> contained grit about the same diameter..maybe 3mm.. as the small = seeds. >>> An aside: the Young Naturalists had a Christmas Bird count in = Berwick and we >>> found a coyote scat that was all apple pomace then we found a = squirrel's >>> feeding log that had bits of apple scattered about but no seeds. >>> Could juncos be dispersing the wild lily of the valley seeds? The = single >>> seed takes up most of the fruit interior. >>> Nick >>>=20 >>> No virus found in this message. >>> Checked by AVG - www.avg.com >>> Version: 2015.0.5577 / Virus Database: 4257/8781 - Release Date: = 12/21/14 >=20 > No virus found in this message. > Checked by AVG - www.avg.com > Version: 2015.0.5577 / Virus Database: 4257/8781 - Release Date: = 12/21/14 >=20 --Apple-Mail=_187657E1-0BE1-459C-98C8-6940A52F2157 Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable Content-Type: text/html; charset=windows-1252 <html><head><meta http-equiv=3D"Content-Type" content=3D"text/html = charset=3Dwindows-1252"></head><body style=3D"word-wrap: break-word; = -webkit-nbsp-mode: space; -webkit-line-break: after-white-space;">Dave = is again right on about the mourning dove. When I arrived in Nova = Scotia in 1975, mourning doves were almost entirely winter birds here, = and the first nest was found in 1978 or 79 by Eva Urban at Avonport, = where Eva had been feeding large winter numbers for many years? = After the early 1980s mourning doves gradually and eventually = spectacularly increased in their summer numbers and distribution, so = that now for a couple of d