OSPREY Vol. 18 No. June, 1987

CONTENTS

Watt's Point Calcareous Barrens letter

The James L. 8ai11ie Merooria l Fund ... . ........... . ... .

XX International Ornithological Congress 1990 ...... .. .

Wings, Tracks and Thoughts at Campsites in Labrador

The Newfoundland Region Christmas 8ird Counts - 1986

The Large Salmon Parr of St. John's, Newfoundland

The Winter Season {!986-1987} in Saint-Pierre and

The Spring Season (1987) Miquelon ...... . . . •..... .

ISSN 0710-4847

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A Bird in the Hand is worth Two in the Bush .......... . 93

Centre for Newfoundland Studies Queen Elizabeth Library M. U.N.

THE NATURAL HISTORY SOCIETY OF NEWFOUNDLAND AND LABRADOR

P. O. 8o, 1013

ST. JOHN'S, NEWFOUNDLAND Ale 5M3

The Osprey is a journal of natural history for Newfoundland and Labrador and

adjacent regions. It is published quarterly by the Natural History Sociery of

Newfoundl and and Labrador.

Editori ali nformat; on: All items for pub 1 i cation shaul d be sent to the Editor

whose address appears below. As well as major art; cl es, notes, anecdotal items

on ; nteres ti ng observations. and other relevant materi a 1 will be accepted.

Letters to the editor are welcome and will be printed as space allows. Sketches and other graphic material are also welcorred.

Items should be typed SINGLE SPACED on 8~" x 11" paper. This paper size should

also be used for all tables, graphs, charts. et cetera. A ONE INCH MARGIN must

be left on the edges of every page to allow for binding. This includes all maps,

illustrations and graphics. Printing;s done by photocopy. so any material

submitted must copy well. TEST any questionable material BEFORE SUBMISSION, as

unsuitable materials may be omitted.

Society members and non-members alike may contribute.

SOCIETY OFFICERS

President: Vi ce-Presi dent: Secretary: Treasurer: Past Presi dent:

Members-at-l arge:

Dr. Jennifer Dodd Dr. John Gi bson Ms. Norah Lippa

Dr. David Rendell Mr. Roger Burrows Dr. Donald Steele Mr. Douglas Phelan Dr. Wi 11 i am Mon tevecchi

t·1r. Bruce Mactavish Mr. John McConnell

Telephone 726-8912 Telephone 753-8862

Osprey Editor:

Mr. Roger Burrows 23A Goodri dge Street st. John I s Newfoundl and AlC 2Y2

Telephone 753-8862

The Natural History Society

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ED I TOR ' S PAGE

Hany o f y o u will have r eceive d an e xtr-a iss ue o f The Os prey in advance o f this issue , while o thers will fin d it attached . The unequal treatment is entirely a result of how you receive y our mail. High postal rates and strikes make it impossible for the Natural History Society to absorb rising costs , so we use every economy possiQle . f-1any copies are hand-delivered in s t. John ' s or sent through the univers ity mail system , but t hat still leaves a substant i al number of subscribers outside St. John ' s and the university community . We hope you understand if you seem to be getti ng less than first class service .

Th is is another i ssue from ma ny parts of the globe and on a variety of top i cs . We have t he f i rs t half of a very i nteresti ng le t ter from Sweden--Johan Hammar's r e min isce nces of a work i ng holiday in Newfou nd l and and Labrador:Wings, Trac ks and Thoughts at Campsites in Labrador. We also have John Maunder's usual thorough summary of The Newfoundland Region Chri s tmas Bird Counts and Roger Etcheberry' s reports on The Winter and Spring Seasons in St. Pierre et Miquelon . Salmon enthusiasts can read al l about The Large Salmon Parr of St. John "s. Fo r those who t ake a special in t eres t in the environment, the brief on the Watt's Point Calcareous Barrens is included , as is Bill Montevecchi's address to the St . John ' s Rotary Cl ub on fenitro thion spraying : A Bird in the Hand is Worth Two in the Bush.

Publ ication of this issue has been delayed a little by the retrospective issue , but I promise we 'l l be back on track for t he September iss ue. Deadline for t he submission of a r tic l es for

}~!io!~~~e W!:k A~l~:~ ~~~ r I !::ks ~; I ~h~: i ~~c~h~~~~i ~~! ~ai~a~~~ you then !

Th e extra iss u e b r ought h ome the continui ng esca l a t ing expense of maili ng out The Osprey . Our origi nal intention wa s t o s u pp l y a copy to all high schools i n the p r ovince . Th is was clearly impossible as there are over 200 , a nd ou r fundi ng from Environmen t Canada on l y al l owed us to prin t 250 . We, therefore , supplied enoug h copies to th e Depa rtment o f Educat i on to send to al l sc hools offeri n g the Environme ntal Science program , and are se nding the balance t o our members . This is an additional issue t o the regul a r f our issues , and we h o pe that me mbe rs will fin d it wo rthwhile enough to c o nsider adding a s mall donati o n

renewal time .

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THE NATURAL HISTORY SOCIETY OF NEWFOUNDLAND AND LABRADOR

P. O. 80, 1013

ST. IOHN'S, NEWFOUNDLAND A le 5M3

Wilderness and Ecological Reserves Advisory Council

April 1, 1987

Re. Watts Point Calcareous Barrens Management Plan

Dear Sirs.

I am writing this letter 8S a member of the Natural History Society, for whom I am the editor of their newsletter The Osprey, and as someone who travels extensively on the west coast of the Northern Peninsula. I had the opportunity to visit Watts Point in August last year without knowing about the WERAC proposals. This was my first trip along the old Big Brook road since the new highway was completed and many of my remarks are made in the context of the access afforded by this road.

I support the proposal for an ecological reserve and I think the site chosen is an excellent one fo r preservation purposes. What I don't agree with is the suggested division into preservation zone by the coast and interpretation zone next to it and towards the interior barrens. The suggested p r eservation zone is

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~~~a~::;i !is~~~b~:C~~. my I r:~~~~!~g~t t:h~~l~o::i:~~d c~~!:r f~~m t~:t~~:! :~d the e total reserve and should include more of the water bodies that affect plant Ufe here. The only stream included serves as the boundary of the preservation zone and there are no bog ponds at all. If the area is to be considered representative it must include a ll microhabitats. SO MY FIRST SUGGESTION IS ENLARGE THE PRESERVATION ZONE.

My major problem is with access. The Big Brook-Eddies Cove East road is no longer a highway. It serves no purpose except as a short cut for l ocal residents who have business in Flower's Cove or further down the coast. It is at present not recommended for vehicles , and the Department of Highways recognizes this. Its definition of "essential maintenance" must be different from mine because the road was almost impassable when I travelled it in early August 1986. If my car bad been full-size I would not have been able to get past Watts Point except by driving off the road surface onto the barrens. Is there any necessity to maintain this road? I believe not for several reasons: it has deteriorated to a point of no return; it cannot be used to transport fish or supplies; and there are alternative routes for local residents. SO MY SECOND SUGGESTION IS CLOSE DOWN THE ROAD TO PUBLIC ACCESS.

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THE NATURAL HISTORY SOCIETY OF NEWFOUNDLAND AND LABRADOR

P. O. Box 10 13

ST. JOHN·S. NEWFOUNDLAND A le 5M3

The interpretation zone proposal is full of contradictions. Access will introduce Hexotic species" and threaten "native species". Providing sites for drying and maintenance of fishing nets is certainly at odds .... ith the idea of maintaining the area in a pristine state-- there is nothing more calculated to introduce "exotic species" than a fishing net brought from .... ho knows where by a fisherman who may have walked through who knows what to get there . I don't mean to be facetious, but you can ' t protect the plants and the fishermen ' s traditional use of the land at the same time. There are numerous other places to do this work . especially beaches and shores close to Eddies Cove East and Big Brook. Eddies Cove East in particular is covered with drying nets in summer. To emphasize my point above, I watched fishermen washing slub-filled nets in the stream flowing in by the new road--similar activities at Watts Point would threaten the integrity of both the interpretarion zone and the preservation zone . SO MY THIRD SUGGESTION IS DO NOT ALLOW ANY ACTIVITY IN THE RESERVE NOT RELATED TO PRESERVATION,

This brings me to the question of interpretation. As an eight- year veteran of National Parks interpretation in the 19705 and 1980s, and having seen what even limited public access can do to natural zones (e.g . the petroglyphs at Kejimkujik National Park and the dunes in PEl National Park), I honestly believe on-site interpretation is not the answer here, at least not in the Watts Point area. The provision of a self-guiding trail is not a good idea (such trails are often vandalized, and brochures get scattered allover God's calcareous acre) . That's OK if someone is on hand, but Watts Point is not a placw where someone will be. A much better idea is to use local residents to provide protection and interpretation. This can be best achieved by having any interpretation done off- site, or more accurately on a similar site where there are other advantages, e . g. better access, a measure of protection, the chance of offering local employment for construction, maintenance and interpretation . SO MY FINAL POINT IS BUILD ANY FACILITIES BY A COMMUNITY.

This is my four-point plan for the preservation and interpretation of the plants of the calcareous barrens :

ENLARGE THE PRESERVATION ZONE CLOSE DOWN THE ROAD TO PUBLIC ACCESS RESTRICT ACTIVITY IN THE PRESERVATION ZONE BUILD ANY INTERPRETIVE FACILITIES ELSEWHERE

The plan has the advantage of protecting the area to a greater degree than tbat proposed, making access easier, and creat1:ng local jobs, It should receive support from local residents and would certainly be supported by any schoolbus drivers required to take school groups to an interpretive site.

Roger Burrows

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THE JAMES L. BAILLIE MEMORIAL FUND FOR BIRD RESEARCH AND PRESERVATION

TRUSTEES f'ndBodsworl.lL,Chainn ...

CliVI E. Goodwi" AJ. • . LA. MiddlllO" OovldJ.T. H".MIl D.viclM. Scou

PRESS RELEASE 15 April 1987

BAILLIE FUND GRANTS 1987 -APPLICATIONS WELCOME FOR 1988

The Trustees of the James L. Baillie Memorial Fund for Bird Research and Preservation were pleased to support four projects in 1987. totalling $2300.00. Grants were awarded to Beaverhill Bird Observatory for construction of a building at Beaverhill Lake, Alberta. to Luke de Wit of Calgary, Alberta for an American Kestrel enhancement p't'oject. to the Maritimes Breedina Bird Atlas, and to Leo A. Smith of Brantford, Ontario for a bluebird nest box project. In Novembet: 1986, the Trustees also avarded the Ontario Breeding Bird Atlas a further $1000.00 to help with part-time employment in the completion of the publication .

Applications are welcome for funding in 1988. All projects must be conducted in canada . with preference given to projects conducted by amateur researcher s to those professionals w-ho use a high level of amateur participation in their projects. Vhlle thesis projects w-i11 not be excluded for consideration. they are unlikely to receive

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!~:::: :!~;:e~~~ !::l;;e:::~;S C!~l:~~!:c~~~u:~ :m:~::!f!~;~~t:~ta set or e All applications must be submitted on fo't1llS available from the Secretary. and

should b. postmarked by 31 December 1987 to be guaranteed consideration by the Trusteea. As the reviev process r uns on a tight schedule, late applications stand a poor chance of being considered.

The current board of Trustees consists of Fred Bodsworth (ChairtDan). Robert Curry. Susan H. Gibson. Clive E. Goodwin, David J. T. Russell, Alex. A. L. Middleton, and David H. Scott. The chief source of funding is the Jim Baillie Birdathon conducted annualiy by the Long Point Bird Observatory, but direct donations are welcome and tax deductible in Canada. Applica t ion forms , instructions and furthe r information can be obtained from the Secretary, James L. Baillie Memorial Fund , c/o Long Point Bird Oba.rvatory, P.O. Box 160, Port Rowan, Ontario NOE 1MO. Donations should be sent to the same address.

-Martin K. HcNicholl. Secretary (to 31 May/87)

cl o Long Point Bird Observatory, P.O. B OI: 160, Pen Rowan, Ontario. NOE IMO. TeI:(519)586-2909

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XX INTERNATIONAL OR lITHOLOGICAL CONGRESS 1990

Preliminary Notice No 1

The XX International Ornithological Congress will take place in Christchurch, New Zealand , from 2-9 December 1990. Professor Charles G. Sibley (USA) is President and Dr Ben D. Bell (NZ) is Secretary­General. The anticipated Congress programme will include plenary lectures, symposia, contributed papers (spoken and posters), workshops, discussion groups and films . There will be a mid-Congress excursion day. Pre- and post-Congress excursions are planned to interesting ornithological sites in New Zealand and adjacent regions. Requests for the First Circular and suggestions regarding Congress organisation should be addressed to:

Dr nen D. Bell, Secretary-General, XX International Ornithological Congress, Department of Zoology, Victoria University of Wellington, Private nag, Wellington, NEW ZEALAND.

XX CONGRESSUS INTERNATIONALIS ORNITHOLOGICUS

Christchurch. New Zealand 2 · 9 December 1990

SECRETARY GENERAL: DR. BEN D. BELL Zoology o.p.rtrnlfl1, VlCton. University Priv.te Bag. Willington NEW ZEALAND

PRESIDENT: PROFESSOR CHARLES G. SIBLEY Tiburon Center for Enll;'OOI'I'\entil Studies

San Fr.nclscoSt.te Unille,sity 80_ 855, TIburon, California 94920 , U.S.A.

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We are happy to include this article from Johan Hanmar in Sweden (IT()re next issue)

Wings , Tracks a nd Thoughts at Campsites in La brador

These are thoughts of birds and mammals observed, remembered and missed around the test-fishing camps in the Sand Hill, Fraser and Ikarut River valleys of Labrador during the summer of 1984.

The dipper, the fisherman's friend, is missing

The dipper Clnclus c inclus , a small white-breasted bird, is quickly curtseYlng on a rock in the rapids . Sudde n ly he is gone into the white water after a "snack"--an insect larva or a trout fry. Then, there he is again curtseying on another rock after his cold swim as if nothing had happened. The dipper (in Sweden he is called "stream starling" or even more popular "winter priest") is a common sight along cold, clear and unacidified brooks in the areas where I · work as a fisheries biol ogist. To me he indicates healthy waters , and I enjoy his company .

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So why are there no dippers in all these typical dipper habitats in Newfoundland and Labrador? Although I have been working along b r ooks , streams and rivers throughout the province all summer, I haven't seen a single dipper. Everything else seems to be there. Is the Arctic and Atlantic Ocean a barrier to invasions of European dippers? What stops the North American dipper Cinclus mexicanus from colonizing the running waters of eastern canada-­~n caddis larvae, plecopterans and fish fry? My field guide tells me the American dipper is restricted to a region west e of the Rockies. In Labrador , the northern waterthrush seem to occupy the "dipper rocks", but only above the water-surface. What occupies the vacant niche?

One of the most fascinating aspects of birdwatching in different parts of the wor ld is finding the ecological resemblance o f birds in similar ecosystems. Even very different birds on different continents may use the same niche .

More thoughts along Atlantic bird cliffs.

There was something very familiar about the situation as we followed the edge of the cliffs from the lighthouse towards the spectacular white rock. The rain and fog was suddenly gone: the air was refeshed. The fresh smell, the unfiltered sounds, the grand view and the loneliness of Cape St. Mary ' s on the southern shores of Newfoundland reminded me of areas further north. I somehow felt at home, just the way I felt during the previous exciting six weeks in Labrador. Maybe some of the horned lark s around us had likewise just come from the mountain slopes of Hebron, Labrador. Perhaps the merlin and the roughlegged hawk, too. They had hovered over us when we crossed the alpine meadows on our way to "Small but t'Hndy Lake" with its landlocked Arctic char . In a way, north and south were present at the same time •

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e Aft.er- observ ing the white cliffs of gannets, even the time of year seemed to be a compromise . There were all stages of youngsters. from newly-hatched to young ones already well trained in the art of flying and diving . Slender white and gray bodies in hund reds left and retur-ned t o this remarkable c liff while we watched from the stalls.

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The fabulous experience of looking at huge numbers of nesting individuals of the same species is a care sight t oday . You have to visit bird cliffs in subarctic oceanic regions, nunataks in the Arctic, or the marginal zones of Antarctica. Once the bird c liffs along the Canadian east coast astonished early visitors from Europe by the innumerable amounts of alcids. The "pinguins" . as the Spanish voyagers ca l led the great auk. or spearbil l, were treated as a living bottomless pantry. ~vhat

happened then is one of this planets most frightening stories . Today people are studying and enjoyi ng small remnants of a world of seabirds that once formed their own islands of life .

In Hebron we sat down among scattered herds of curious caribou on carpets of mountain avens. In Cape St. Mary ' s the grasseaters looked more bored and had no antlers , but they did have large patches of blue paint sprayed on their wooly bodies . I have seen the sheep of the Connemara Mountains of northwest Ireland run around with similar patches of paint in colours that would make any Kodak pUblic relations agent go wild. The coast of Newfoundland l ooks almost identical to the coast of western Ireland , and even many of the birds are similar . From the high cliffs of Dingle you could see the gannets (Sula bassana) passing by on creamy-white wings with kittiwakes (Rissa trldactyla), Manx shearwaters (Pu ffinus puffinus) and great cormorants (Phala c rocorax carbo). The puffins (Fratercula arctica) , black

~~~~!~T~~~ ~~i2~h~~rd~11~:!~ ~~~~o~h:u~~~:. (U~~~ ~~!~) t~~~ the guards of the rUlns of human history were not ravens but the redbi lled black. choughs (Pyrrchocorax pyrrchocorax) --alpi ne equilibrists on wings. The robln at Aran Island who announced his small and fenced home at a corner of the old primrose-

~~~0~:~~1 ;~~~p;~n a r~~I~ ~~r~~~~~u!T~~S!~~r~;S a~dOR!o~~de:) h:~~e sparrow (Prunella modularis) tor a nelghbour.

East and west--Ireland and Newfoundland, north and south-­northern Labrador and the Avalon peninsula: four barren corners of the North Atlantic Ocean wi th so much history and biology in common but so different. Two large landmasses--the Western Palearctic and the Eastern Nearctic regions, linked together by the Arctic cean ice open only to those species who managed to conquer the Arctic or Atlantic Oceans. The island of Newfoundland is even more isolated than Labrador where the mainland influence is more obv ious . The physical barrier is just one o f the four maj or causes of an animal ' s range: the others are climate , vegetation and other animals.

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Test fishing and birdwatching in Labrador

Flying down to Labrador from Newfoundland means passing deep coniferous woods vut by large salmon rivers in the south, lakes and marsh-rich areas north of Lake Melville, deep fiords and ice­ground alpine hills around Naio, and the majestic Torngat Mountains and their arctic char rivers north of the treeline . My wife and I went to Labrador at the end of July , 1984--not from Cape St. Mary's nor Ireland, but from Sweden by way of St. John's. We spent six rich and successful weeks in three diffel;ent areas of Labrador.

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• - I was invited by the Department of Fisheries and Oceans in st­John ' s to do a compacative st;Jdy on the systematics and ecology of arctic char populations thcoug hou t Labrado r with the aid of a Wor:ld University of Canada scholarship.

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Test fishing for arctic char in Labrado r ' s no rthe rn lakes means days filled with stormy , cold and wet experie nces . But a l so a pastoral camplife--frying some of the day ' s catch over an open fire o n the shore whil e silently absorbing the l ake ' s mirror image o f the spectacular northern light s . The r e was always time t o contemp late the wo nde rs of nature above the surface.

Sa nd Hill River with its tributaries sou th o f Ca rtwr ight i s a rather pro t ected r egion with a very dense vegetation of conif e r ous wood s .

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Our days were filled with information and expe ri ences . To keep e o.Jr minds ope n and sensitive to every new sou nd , every new orchid , every new change in the surrou nding s , we documented wiuth O;.lC came r as , Qu r diaries , our wate r colo;.lcs--somew here a checklist of excit ing memories is taking form.

Tasaliuk and Tasisuak Lakes west of Nai o are two isolated canyon­like river valleys on the edge of the treeline .

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Ikaru t Rive t:" with its s y s t em o f tribu taries in the He bro n Fi o r d is an alpine envico nme nt with end l ess meadows grazed by cat:"ibo~ .

As a biologist and research scientist , I desperately try to put a name on species I see a nd hear, and I must conf ess it's not easy to distingu i sh all blac k si lhouettes of thrushes a nd sparrows si nging from sp ru ce tops i n the sett ing sun . If I were home in Sweden, the species would be quite easy to identify without any fur ther investigation . But I couldn ' t use co l ours to find the bird in my fieldbook which had so many identical flycatchers , brown thrushes with spotted breasts , immature o l ive or yell o w warblers wi th o r without wingbacs, and all the diffecent spaccows ... Nevectheless some wece identified and l isted .

Ed . And vf!ry well, too, as we'll fi nd out in the next issue.

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The Newfoundland Region Chrisms Bird Counts - 1986

A total of 11 counts were done this year in the Newfoundland region.

St.-Pierre et Miquelon got back on track with a fine count after missing last

year [55 Carmon Loon. Phew !]. The "St. Paul's-COW Bead COUnt" of Plst years

seems, at first glance, to have been renamed the "st. Faults-Parson's Pond

Count"; but, in fact it is really a new count. While there is oonsiderable

overlap (the southern portion of the new "st. Paul's" circle is essentially

the northern portion of the old "St. Paul's" circle), the center has been

moved about 10 Jan NNE.

With the cold early winter weather, the n1.lt'bers of birds seemed to be

down going into the count period. However, the totals of individuals seen was

not nuch changed fran the previous year O\Terall (if the drop of 46 ,088 in­

dividuals this year at the st. Anthony count is excepted). Only the Cape st.

Mary's and L'Anse-aux-Meadows counts took significant nosedives in their

species-tot:als, 6 counts of 10 actually did better than last year.

Corner Brook was "gull heaven" again with 11,750 individuals (88% of the

total count). The count of 4800 Great Black-backed Gulls set a ~tional High,

and the count of 4700 Iceland Gulls is nothi.n:J at all to sneeze about.

Real. finds included a well-observed Pacific Looo (formerly inoluded with

the Arctic Loon) which is listed only as a hypothetical species in the

"Checklist (1986) of the Birds of Insular NeWfoundland" (Osprey 17 (4): 192-

200) . Also at Cape St. Mary's was a meadowlark (the only other meadowlark on a

NeWfoundland CBC was one at Cape Race in 1978). Cape Race had a oount-period

Short-eared ().Il wtdch was new to Newfoundland COWlts. Corner Brook had yet

another Rufous-sided Towhee (a oount-period bird), they had a oount-day bird

in 198.4 I

'!\rIo counts reported hybrid gulls: an ap[:8rent Herring X Glaucous cross

at Bonne Bay, and an apparent Herring X Great Black-backed cross at St.

Paul's-Parson's Pond. Hybrid gulls do turn up periodically (an aP{:arent Ber-

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ring X Lesser Black-backecl cross was present at Carbonear this winter), but a

certain amount of care should be taken by anyone considering delving into the

canplex pllmages and other distinguishing features of the gull family.

And last, but by no means least, SXJ,./y Owls were plentiful all (Nee this

year , with a count-perioo bird at St. Anthony, 1 at Cape St . Mary's, 1 at st.­

Pierre et Miquelon, 7 at St. John's, and (I) 39 at Cape Race .

All i n all, a fairly successful year, though not spectacular.

e The underlined sections of the counts listed belON' are explained by the fol­

lowing key:

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- a single underlining of a sJ;eCies name means that the bird is new for

that count

- a single underlining of a nurrt:er means that the mmber equals or

exceeds the previolls highest count of that species on that oount

- a double underlining of a sI~cies name means that the bird is new for

Newfoundland counts

- a double underlining of a nlJfber means that the nt.lfber equals or

exceeds the previous highest count of that species on a NewfOW1dland

oount

- a triple underlining of a nmber means that the nll'li::er equals or

exceeds the previous highest count of that species on a Canadian count

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Bonne Bay Christmas Bird Count - 1986

Bonne Bay, NewfOlmdland. 50~1'N 570s3'W. Center as described 1972, at

Gadd's Point Light. - Dec . 31, B:OO a.m. to 5:00 p.m. TE!!p. 23"F t o 29"F (-

50c to -2"c). Wind m 17-6 m.p.h. (27-10 kph). snow 6-30 inches (15-75 em).

Fresh water frozen. Salt water r;:e.rtly frozen. A.M.: IBrUy cloudy. P.M. :

clear. Cbservers 12 in field in six parties, plus 3 at feErlers. Total r;:e.rty­

hours 42.5 (28 on foot, 5.5 by car, 6 on skis , 3 by ooat); total p3.rty-miles

152 (27 on foot, 95 by car, 6 on skis, 24 by boat).

Red-necked Grebe..!, American Black Duck 3 , Camen Eider.,2., Camon Merganser.!,

Red-brea.sted Merganser 2, Bald Eagle 2 (1 a . , 1 im..), Northern Goshawk.!, Wil­

low Rannigan 4, Rock ptarmigan 4, Camon Black-heeded GullI, Ring-billed

Gull.!, Herring Gull 26, Iceland Gull 768, Lesser Black-backed Gul l ..!.,

Glaucous Gull 57, Great Black-backed Gull 689 , [Herring X Glaucous Gull

(hybrid) 11, iloITekie B, Thick-billed Murre 1, Black GUillemot 21, Downy Wood­

pecker 6, Bairy Woodpecker 1, Gray Jay 6, Blue Jay 3, American Crow 301, Cart­

mon Raven 141, Black-capped Chickadee g, Boreal Chickadee 40, Red-breasted

"N.tthatch 5 , Go1den-crowned Kinglet 19, Arrerican Rebin 1., Northern Shrike 1,

European starling 23, Pine Grosbeak 2, Red Crossbill 5 , White-winged Crossbill

83, CCmnon Redpoll 17, Pine Siskin 7, Evening Grosbeak 3 , House Spirrow 30e

TOtal species 39 (about 2361 individuals).

Jeff Anderson, Pager Baird, Roger Burrows, Martine- Dufresne, Jacqui Bunt er,

Gerald Janes, Don LeaIJllOllth, lsobel Leannonth, Daniel Lesauteur, Madelaine

Lesauteur, Blake Maybank (canpiler - Gros foDme National Park, Rocky HaIbour,

Nfld. ), Rob Walker.

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Cape Race cbrisbnas Bird Collnt - 1966

Cape Race, Newfound!am. 46 0 44 'N 5S009'W. Center as described 1978, 6 miles

N-I by N of Cape Race Lighthouse. - Dec. 18: 6:50 a .m. to 5:00 p.m. Te!lJ? 18"F

to 27"F (-7"c to -3"c>. Wind N-I 0-10 m.p.h. (0-16 k~. Sna.' 0-10 inches (0-25

an). Still fresh water frozen, moving fresh water partly frozen. Partly clear.

Cbservers: 16 in field in 5 parties. Total party-routs 43.5 (32 on foot, 11.5

by car) j total party-miles 150 (34 of foot, 116 by car) •

Red-throated Loon~, camon Loon B! Red-necked Grebe l' Greater Scaup 1, Can­

mon Eider 751, King Eider ll, Oldsquaw 607, Bla:k Scoter 5, Ccmoon Goldeneye

4, Red-breasted Merganser~, Bald Eagle 2 ad., hawk sp. 1, Ruddy Turnstone 1,

purple Sandpiper 309, CamlOn Black-headed Gull 1, Herring Gull 101, Iceland

Gull 22, Glaucous Gull 10, Great Black-backed Gull 34, Black-legged Kittiwake

275, Dovekie 1464, Ccmoon Murre 1, Thick-billed Murre~, rrurre sp. 43, Razor­

billl' Black Guillemot 538, Atlantic Puffin 2, Sncwy eNl~, American CrCM

17, Coom:m Raven 29, Black-capped Chickadee 1, Boreal Chickadee 20, Golden­

crCMned Kinglet 2, water Pipit 4, Northern Shrike.!., EurOt;ean Starling 93 ,

White-throated SparrOll.!, Dark-eyed Junco 12, Lapland Longspur 1.' SnCM Bunting

29, Pine GrO&>eak 30, Carmon Redpoll 10, Pine Siskin 1, EVening Grosbeak 1,

House Spa[[011 ..!.

TOtal species: 45 (about 4652 irxUviduals). Birds seen during count week, but

not seen count day: Short-eared eMl .

Chris BrCMl., Mike Borek, Roger Clark, David Graham, Holly Hegan, Cathy Lane,

Bruce Mactavish (carpiler - 37 Waterford Bridge Road, St. John I s, Nfld., AlE

lCS), John Maurx:]er, John Piatt, David Rd:lbins, Ray SCtMartz, Jytte Seln6,

David Sibley, Rob Silrpson, walter wasneier, John Wells.

68

cape St Mary' 5 Christmas Bird Count - ] 986

Cape St. Mary's, Newfourdland . 460s2'N S400S'W. Center as described 199:1,

miles N of Point Lance. - Dec. 21, 7:15 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. TeI1p. 280p to 360

(-2"c to 2"c). Wiro m 30 m.p.h. (48 kph) gusting to 50 m.p.h. (80 kFhl. Sno<

0-2 inches (0-5 em). Fresh water frozen except for rivers. salt w:lter open.

Wild cone/berry crq> (X)Or. OVercast. Cbservers: 9 in the field in 4 parties.

TOtal partl"""hours 33 (27 on foot. 6 by car), total part~iles 173 116 on

foot) 157 by car) •

Catrna1. Looo 5, Pacific Loon (foonerly Arctic Loon) l: Red-necked GrEbe 3,

Great COrmorant 47, Carroon Eider 3158, King Eider 3, Oldsquaw 157, Harlequin

Duck 38, Black SCOter 172, White-winJed Scoter 11, Red-breastErl Merganser 14,

Bald Eagle 1.(ad). Rxldy TUmstooe I. Purple sandpiper 40. Iceland Gull 25.

Glaucous Gull1!' Great Black-!lacked Gull 159. Herring Gull 128. Black-legged

Kittiwake 46, Black Guilleroot 20, Dovekie 16, 'rtlick-billed MUrre 2, lII.l[re sp.

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2, ~ l' Belted Kingfisher 1, COOIron Raven 40, American CrCM 29, Black- e capped Chickadee 5. Boreal Chickadee ll. Golden-crCMned Kinglet 4. EurOpean

Starling 553, oark-eyed Jurx::o Z7, Pine Grosbeak 3, sncw Bunting 114, House

Sparrow 40, Cannon Grackle.!, meadowlark SP. Jo

TOtal species: 36 (about 4924 iroivlduals).

Mike Borek, Roger Burrows, Holly Bogan, Bruce Mactavish, Ray Schwartz, Jytte

Sol",1. Davisd Sibley. Wally Wasmeier. John Wells (carpiler - 134 GoWer St ••

st. John's, Nfld., Ale lP3).

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• 69

Codroy Valley Christmas Bird Count - 1966

Ccx:1roy Valley, Newfoundlarrl. 47049'N 59'i9'W. Center as described 1985, at

jW1Ction of hig~ays 407 am 408. - Dec. 28; 8:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. Tatp.

25"F to 28"F (-4"c to -2"c). wind N'I 17-22 m.p.h. (27-35 k!¥1). SnC>l 1-10

inches (2 .5-25 ern). Fresh water frozen. Salt water open. A.M.: cloudy P.M.:

partly clear. Cbservers: 3 in field in 2 parties. Total party-routS 14 (12 on

foot, 2 by car); total party-miles 133 (9 on foot, 124 by car).

Great Cormorant 1, camon Goldeneye 68, Bufflehecrl 1, Red-breasted Merganser

15, Bald Eagle 3 (im.), Sharp-shinned Hawk 1, RUffed Grouse.i' Herring Gull

26, Icelam Gull 37, Glaucous Gull 3, Great Black-backed Gull 31, Thick-billed

Mur re !, Black Guillemot 2, Horned Lark 1.., Blue Jay 2..' American Cr"", 289, ~

mon Raven g, Black-ca~ Chickadee 19, Boreal Chickadee g, Red-breastoo

Nuthatch.it Winter Wren.!, Golden-crowned Kinglet l§., European starling ~,

Arrerican Tree SpanO¥' 1, Sam Sparrow 1.' Dark~ed Junco 8, Sncw Bunting IQ., e Pine Grosbeak ~, Red Crossbill 1&, White-winged Crossbill 121, Ccmoon Re:1poll

5.

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Total species: 31 (about 900 iOOividuals).

R:>ger Burrows, Martine Dufresne, Blake Maybank (conpiler - Gros Mome National

Park., Rocky Harbour, Nfld.) •

70

Corner Brook Christnas Bird Count - 1986

Corner Brook, NewfoWldlaro. 4SOs7'N S70s0'W. Center at Ballam Bridge, at

mouth of HUrtber River, within city limits of Comer Brook. - Dec . T/; 8:00

a.m. to 5:00 p.m. Tenp. 26"F to 30"F (-3"1: to -1"1:) . Wind W 25 m.p. h. (45

kph). SlOW 26 inches (66 en). Still fresh ... ter Il'rUy frozen. Cloudy, light

snow. Q>servers: 24 in field in 9 p;lrties, plus 6 at feeders. Total };Brty­

hours 48 (30 on foot, 4 by car, 6 on skis, 8 by boat) pluB 12 at feeders; to­

tal Il'rty-miles 143 (54 on foot , 56 by car, 20 on skis, 12 by boat) .

Ccmoon Loon 1, canada Goose 6, American Black Duck 4, Cammn Goldeneye 72,

Carmon ~ler9anser 15, Sharp-shinned Hawk l.t Northern Goshawk.1., Merlin J.., Ruffed Grouse 4, Herring Gull 2100, Icelam Gull 4700, Glaucous Gull 150,

Great Black-backed Gull ~ !k>urning Dove 1, Hairy WOOdpecker 1, Blue Jay

13, American Crow 225, Carm:m Raven 270, Black-ca(:ped Chickadee 65, Boreal

Chickadee 7, Red-breasted NUthatch 1, Be""," Creeper b Golden-crOllmed Kinglet

4, BohBnian waxwing~, cedar Waxwing.!flt Euro~an Starling 200, Dickcissel..! ,

Dark-eyed Junco 2, Snow Bunting ,g, Brown-headed Cowbird 1, Pine Grosbeak 30,

Purple Finch 2, Red Crossbill ll, cam-on Redpoll 42, Pine Siskin 1&2, Evening

Grosbeak 75, House Sparrow 280.

TOtal species: 37 (about 13,334 individuals). Birds seen count week but not

seen count day: Spruce Grouse , Rock IXwe , Doiomy Woodpecker, Northern Qlrike,

Rufous-sided Towhee, White-winged Crossbill.

Julie Briffitt (compiler - Box 122, Corner Brook, Nfld. A2H 6C3), Anna

BUffinga, Bob Butt, Connie BUtt, susan Butt, Roger BUrrows, Alfred Doyle,

Simon EVans, stetilanie Evans, ~vid Geddes, Art.hlr Grebneff, Janet Grebneff,

Kathleen Grebneff, David Jennings, Henry Mann, Blake Maybank, Keith Nichols,

John Parker, Ian SiJrtlson, Mark Si.rrpson, Shiela Sinpson, Jennie steinburg, Ed

Walsh, Martin Wier, Henry Williams.

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71

L'Aose=aux-Meadws Christmas Bird Coynt - 1986

L'Anse-aux-Heac;k:f,.,ls, NewfOllJ'rllaro. Sl0:36'N 5S0:30'W. Center as described 1978,

at center of Round Head sunmit in L'Anse-aUX-Headows. - Jan. 3 (1987) ; 7:30

a .m. to 3:30 p .m. Te!rp. 28"F to 34"F (-2'1:: to 1'1::). Wind No/, 15 m.p.h. (24

kph). Snow 39 inches (99 em). Fresl'Mater frozen . saltwater partly open. A.M.

clear. P.M. partly cloudy. (bservers: 3 in field in 2 parties. Total; party­

hours 12.5 (7.75 on foot, 4.75 by car); total party-miles 101.5 (5.5 on foot,

96 by car).

Carmon Eider 357 , Oldsquaw 1 , Gyrfalcon"!., WillCM Ptarmigan 4 (1 seen, 3 by

tracks) , Glaucous Gull 29 , Dovekie 2351 , Thick-billed Murre 8 , Black Guillerot

115, Gray Jay 2, American Crow 2, carmon Raven 113, Black-capped Chickadee..!!

Boreal Chickadee.Q, Carmon Redpoll 138.

Total species: 14 (about 3175 individuals).

It>ger Burrows (cOO1?iler - 23A GoOOridge St. , St. John' 5, Nfld., Ale 2Y2),

Blake Maybank., Robert Walker.

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St Anthony Chrisbnas Bi rd Coopt - 1986

St. Anthony, Newfoundlarrl. 51~4 ' N 5S00:3S'W. Center as described 1974, at

jWlCtion of Route 430 with side road to St. Anthony Bight. - Jan. 2 (1987) 1

7:30 a .m. to 4:30 p.m. TeIp. 22~ to 27~ (~Oe to -3Oe). Sn<>< 33 inches (84

em), blown clear and ice-covered on headlands. FreslJ,.,later frozen. Salt water

open. A.M. partly cloudy, light SflCM. P.M. clear . (bservers: 6 in fiel d in 2-

5 parties. TOtal party-hours 27.75 (24 on foot . 3 .75 by car) . total party­

miles 86.5 (26.5 on foot. 60 by car).

carmen Eider 418, Oldsquaw 1, Re3-breasted Merganser 1.' Bald Eagle l:.. (1 im.>, Gyrfalcon 3, Willow Ptarmigan 2 (1 seen, 1 by tracks), Iceland GJll 68,

Glaucous Gull 95, Great Black-backed Gull 2, Dovekie 14, Thick-billed Murre 7,

Black Guilleroot 96, Blue Jay 2, Arrerican Crow 21, carmon Raven 90 , 8lack­

cawed Chickadee 12. Boreal Chickadee 7. C<mron Redpoll 50.

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Total species: 18 (about 891 individuals). Birds seen in count circle count e week, but not seen count day: Berring Gull, Sno.rIy OWl , Gray Jay.

Bruce Bradbury, lb3er Burrows (canpiler - 23A Goodridge St., St. John 's , Nfld.

Ale 2Y2), Charlene Fi tzgerald, Slake Maybank, Melvin McNeill, Robert Walker .

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st. Paul's - Parson's Pond Christmas Bird Count - 1986

St. Paul's - Parson's Pond, t.1eWfoundlaoo. 49"s7'N 570 45'W, center at Shallow

Bay campground Kiosk, center formerly st. Paul ' s Bridge as described 1980, in­

cludes Broan Point, stearing Island, Parson's Pond . - Dec. 30: 8:00 a.m. to

5:00 p.m. Temp. 20"F to 28"F (-7°C to -2'1::). Wind W 16 m.p.h. (26 kph). Snow

6-36 inches (15-91 em). Fresh water frozen. Salt water open. A.M. cloudy.

P.M. ~rtly cloudy. Obsez.vers: 6 in field in 4 p:trties, plus 1 at feeder. '!'o­

tal party-hours 29 (24.4 on foot, 4.5 by car); total p:trty-miles 111 (20 on

foot, 91 by car).

Carmon Eider 14, Harlequin Duck 1, SUrf Scoter 1, Canrron Goldeneye 87, Canrron

Merganser 19, Red~reasted Merganser 5, Bald Eagle 2 (1 ad., 1 inm.), Northern

Goshawk 1, Willow ptannigan 1 (by tracks), Herring Gull 21, Iceland Gull 320,

Glaucous Gull 101, Great Black~cked Gull 143 , [Herring X Great Black-backed

Gull (qybdd) 1], Black Guillemot 11, Gray Jay 4, Blue Jay 2, American Crow e 51, carmon Raven 168, Black-capped Chickadee 7, Boreal Chickadee 25, Go1den­

crowned Kinglet 10, Northern Shrike 1, European starling 3, American Tree

Sp:I.rrow 1.... Dark-eyed Junco 1, Lapland Longspur 11 Snow Bunting 13, Pine Gros­

beak 1, Red Crossbill 6, White-winged Crossbill 26, camen Redpoll 51.

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Total species: 31 (plus 1 hybrid) (about 1101 individuals). Birds seen count

week but not seen count day: Oldsquaw, Barrow's Goldeneye.

Roger Burrows, Martine Dufresne, Don Learmonth, Isobel Learmonth, Blake

Maybank (canpiler - Gros Morne National Park , Rocky Harbour, Nfld.), Rob

Walker •

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St Jabo's christmas Bird Coynt - 1986

St. John's, Newfoundland. 470:33'N 520 42'W. center as described 1972, at Carr

federatioo Building. - Dec. 26, 7:10 am. to 4:45 p.m. Telp. 28"F to 32"F (- 2"c

to O"c). Wird 5-SSE, 22-29 np,. (35-46 kph). Sn"" 1.5 inches (J.8 em). Still

water partly open. Moving water partly frozen. A.M. : cloudy. P. M. : clrudy,

light rain. Cbservers: 30 in field in 12 parties, plus 11 at feeders . Total

party-hours 76 (54 on foot , 22 by car), plus 20.5 at feeders , total (>Irt;­

miles 313 (49 on foot, 264 by car) •

Carmon Loon 1, Green-winged Teal {Am.} 6 , Arrerican Black Duck ~, Mallard 4' Commoo Eider 90, King Eider..2.' 01dsquaw 8, Bald Eagle 1. ad., Sharp-shinned

Hawk J4, Northern Goshawk 5, Rough-legged Hawk 1 , Alterican Kestrel..!, Merlin

J.I Gyrfalcon.!, Ruffed Grouse 1.' Purple 5a00piper 1, CCmron Snipe 1, Camon

Black-headed M1 32, Mew M1 1, Ring-billed Gull 1, Her rmg M1 74'f1,

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Iceland. Gull 897, Lesser Black- backed Gull 2:f Glaucous Gull 41 , Great Blcck- e backed Ml 1522, Black-legged Kittiwake 15, gull sp. 111, Dovekie 42, Thirk-

billed Murre!., Black Guillerot: 46, Rock Dove 1043, MoUrning Dove 1 , SnOllY eMl

1., Belted Kingfisher 2, Downy Woodpecker 2 , Hairy Woodpecker It Northern

YellCM-shafted Flicker 7, Blue Jay 24, American CrChl 1021, Cararon Raven 134,

Black-ca(:ped Chickadee 135, Boreal Chickadee 82, Golden-crGmoo Kinglet 35,

American Robin 2, European Starling 3701, Dickcissel 1, Fox Spirrow 2 , ~

~ l' Whit~throatoo Sparrow 3, Dark-eyed Junco 1458, Sncw Bunting 43,

Red-winged Blackbird 1, CCmoon Grackle 1, Pine Grosbeak 20, Purple Finch 14,

W'hite-winged Crossbill 24 , Evening Grosbeak 721, House Sparrow 844.

Total species: 57 (about 19738 irdividuals) . Birds seen durmg count period

but not seen count day: Brcwn Creeper, Red Crossbill, Pine Siskin.

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Don Barton, Mike Borek, Chris Brown, ROger Burrows, Clarence Burry, Howard

Clase, Libby Creelman, John Fekete, Bill Furey, Paul Linegar, Norah Lip~,

Lisa Lippa, Bruce Mactavish, Donna Mactavish, John Maunder, Bllth Maunder,

Bcbbie Mayer, Bill Montevecchi, Elizabeth Noseworthy, Mike Pamenter, Doug

Phelan, John Piatt, Ian Roseby, Pierre Ryan, Jytte Seln,6, Don Steele, Jane

Threlfall, William Threlfall (compiler - 67 Larkhall St., St. John' $, Nfld.,

AlB 2CS), Greg Warbanskit Walter Wasmeier, John Wells.

St -Pierre et Mignglon christmas Bird Count - 1986

St.-Pierre et Miquelon. 47001'N 56<>J..8'W. Center as described 1979, at EtaDJ

aux OJtardes on Grande Miquelon. - Dec. 18; 8:00 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. TeIIl? 320p

to 41"F (OOc to SOc). Sn,", 0 to 5 inches to to 12.7 em). Still water frozen.

Moving water partly frozen. Salt water lagoon 50% frozen. salt water ofen.

Clear. (t)servers: 3 in field in 2-3 parties. Total party-hours 21.4 (18 on

foot, 3.4 by car): total party-miles 41.7 (30.45 on foot, 11.25 by car) •

Cormnon Loon~, Red-necked Grebe 4, Great Cormorant 5, Canoo.a Goose 37,

American Black Duck 194, Carroon Eider 279, 01dsquaw 1034, Block Scoter 29,

Surf Seoter 1.' Camon Goldeneye 182, Red-breaste:1 Merganser 104, Northem

GoshaWk 1.' Purple Sandpiper 4, Herring Gull 1375, Iceland Gull 3, Great Black­

backed Gull 284, Dovekie 452, Thick-billed Murre 4 t Black Guillemot ~ ~

eMIl, Homed Lark 1, Arrerican Crorw' 19, Camon Raven 10, Boreal Chickadee 2,

European Starling.fl., Oark-eye:1 Junco 2, SnCM Bunting 37, finch sp. 10.

TOtal species: 28 (about 4181 individuals).

Alain Desbrosse, Roger Etcheberry (compiler - B.P. 328 Saint-Pierre, Saint­

Pierre et Miquelon via Halifax, N.S.), Bruno Letournel.

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Terra tp.ra National Park Christmas Bird Count - 1986

Terra Nova National Park, Newfoundlaoo. 4S034'N 530s2 'W, center 0.1 mi. m­of Minchin Bead, as described 1972. - Dec. 18. Clear. Te!!p . 60p to 28"F (-

14 .5"c to -2"c). Wind light N-/-Si-SE. snow to 39 inches (100 an). Freshwater

mostly frozen. saltwater rrostly cpan. Thirty-one observers in field in 15

!>Irties, plus 5 at feeders . TOtal !>Irty-hours 80.5 (55 on Sll<>/shoes, 4.5 on

skis, 7.5 by car, 4 by snowmobile, 4 by ATII, 5.5 by boat ), total !>Irty-1lliles

200 (49 on snowshoes, 4 on skis , 70 by car , 12 by snCMOObile , 23 by MV, 42 by

boat) •

American Black Duck 113, Oldsquaw !, CarrrDn Goldeneye lIB, Barrow I s Goldeneye

1, Bufflehead 18, Cannon Merganser 7, Red-breasted Merganser 34 , Bald Eagle 6,

Sharp-shinned Hawk 1, WillCM Pt.amtigan 4, RUffed Grouse 7, Spruce Grouse 1,

Herring Gull 145, Iceland GullI, Great Black-backed Gull 31, Dovekie 30,

Thick-billed Murre 19, Black Guillemot 1!, Rock Dove 6, Downy Woodpecker 4,

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Bairy Woodpecker !£, Three-toed Woodpecker 1, Black-backed WOodpecker 1, Gray e Jay ~, Blue Jay g, American Crow 283, Ccmron Raven Ill, Black-capped Chick-

adee 57, Boreal Chickadee 72, GolderH:rCMlE!d Kinglet 12, European starling 3,

Fox SPU[OW 1., Dark.-eyed Junco 25 , Purple Finch 1, Pine Grosbeak 2, Camen

Redpoll 1, Pine Siskin 12, Evening Grosbeak 18, House SI;arrow 15 .

Total species: 39 (al:x>ut 1259 individuals).

Linda Arnold, Kevin Blaciaoore, Betty Brenton, R:xJer Burrows (co-canpiler),

Bank Deicmann (~iler - Terra Nova National Park, Glovertown, Nfld.),

Joanne Deichmann, Kirsten Deicmnann, Hector Chaulk, Eugene Delaney, David

Farrier, Ray Farrier, warren Ford, JOM FUlton,'l11erese FUlton, Larry Genge,

Ral.[.h Gen;e, Phil BaJrm:>rd, Gaileen Harsh, Logan Marsh, William Nethery, Schen­

ley Orr, Mel Parsons, Jim Reynolds, Paulette Reynolds, Clarence Roberts, Rapti

Sethi, Doris Walsh, Rebert Walsh, Carolyn White, Graham worrall, Roy Yebnan .

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77

The large Salmon Parr of St . John's, Newfoundland

by

R. John Gibson Department of Fi sheri es and Oceans

and

Richard L. Haedrich Memorial University of Newfoundland

Our exciting discoveries of the enormous production of brown trout in the r; vers f1 ow; n9 through St. John I s have been pub 11 shed in prey; ous issues of The,oSPeiey (1. 2). In some of the sect ions where the habitat was undisturbed we Dun rt'()re than 20 times the amount that would be expected in a good trout stream. Bf 0 109; sts refer to the wei ght of an organ; sm as the I b; amass I I and if divided by the area of the stream a useful index is derived. For example, a 'good' salmon or trout stream would have a 'salmonid' (trout and salmon) biomass of about two grams per square meter (2 g.m2). In learys Brook and Vi rgi ni a River we found up to 50 and 60 g .m2• We made our co 11 ecti ons by the usual method of barricading off sections with barrier nets and removing the fish in the sections by stunning them with an electro-fisher .

These discoveries led us to wonder how salmon would fare amongst these high densities of trout. We therefore stocked newly-emerged salmon fry in upper Learys Broolc. (above the OILeary industrial park) in 1982, and i n a sect; on of the south branch of the Wate rford Ri ver (South Brook) i rrmedi ate1y downstream from the Pitts Memorial highway in 1983, 1984, and 1985. In Learys Brook at the end of the surrmer, the sa lmon fry had an average fork l ength of 6.8 cm and weight of 4.0 g, about the size of one-year-old sa lmon parr in the Salmonier River. In a riffl e they were numerous and about three times more abundant than brown trout fry, whereas in a pool-riffle section the trout fry were about three times more abundant than the salmon fry. Unfortunately encroachment on the stream by development changed the habitat, so we deci ded to continue our experiments in South Brook. A planting of 1000 fry in 1983 and 1900 fry in 1984 produced in our 39 m-10ng experimental riffle, or rapids. section the equivalent of 30 large parr and 102 fry per 100 m2 i n the fall of 1984. The large parr were 1+ (the scientific denotation for one year since emergence pl us part of another growi ng season). They had an average 1 ength from the snout to the fork in the tail (fork length) of 11.7 em. Large parr are 10 cm or over and are the ones that will become smolt (the stage that goes to sea) the fo 11 owi ng spri ng. The fry, or 0+, had average fork 1 engths of 6.7 cm. We made a further pl anti n9 in the spri n9 of 1985. In the fa 11 of 1985 we found the equivalent of 153 fry, or 0+, per 100 m2, with a mean length of 6.6 em and 28 l arge parr per 100 m2, with an average fork length of 12.0 cm . The total biomass of young salmon was 12.3 g .m2, some six times what might be expected. The total salmonid biomass was 14.9 9·m2 in 1983, 18.3 gom2 in 1984, and 17.5 90m2 in 1985 . The relative biomass of the sa lmon increased from 3% in 1983 to 7()2; in 1985 at the expense of the trout .

78

To put this all in perspective, previously reported highest numbers of large parr were from the Pollett River in New ~runswick (3). These were also 1+ and numbered 10-12 per 100 m2• These produced from 6 to 7 smolts per 100 m2 , since about half the young fish die over the winter. In Newfoundland our good rivers produce about 2 to 3 smolt per 100 m2 • In our experimental s ection in South Brook there would be an expected production of about 13 smolt per 100 m2. These are the highest densities yet found in North America.

As part of our research we also put 1000 salmon fry into Kennys Pond. behf nd the Holf day Inn. The pond is about 225 m wi de, with an area of about 4.0 ha, a mean depth of 1.9 m, and maximum depths of 3.7 m. Some 15 years ago t his pond was well k.nown for its very large (bigger than 5 lb) brook trout (R. J. Wiseman. pers. COllin.). Unfortunately the outlet stream (Queen's River) was put underground and is now a sewer draining into Ren nies River by t he Memorial Stadium. Since this outlet provided the only spawning and reari ng habitat for the pond. the trout disappeared and only sticklebacks. which spawn 1n the pond. remain. Nevertheless the water quality 1n the pond remains good. On June 14. 1985. we introduced our fry with average si ze of 2.8 cm and 0.16 g. We took a sample of these Ot fish on September 13 of the same year and they had grown to 7.8 cm and 5.1 g. the size one would expect a year later if they had remained in their native river. A year later. on October 20, 19B6. the 1+ fish had an average size of 19.0 em and 80 g. This is larger than most smolt. which are usually 3+ or 4+ 1n Newfoundland. and a young salmon this s i ze is nonnally 4+ or 5+. Although hatchery fish can grow this fast by artificially giving them a longer growing period with constant food, these are the largest wild 1+ parr that we can find recorded anywhere in North America or Europe.

The management imp 11 cati ons of these fi ndi ngs are obv; ous. If, for example'. we can increase the run of salmon 1n a river by at least five times si mply by adding certain nutrients or micro-organisms, there would be benefit to anglers. corrmercia1 fishermen, and other employment. Hatchery- reared smelt are expensive (at least $3 per smolt) and have much poorer survival than wild smolt. Also large smolt give better returns of adult fish than small smo1t. Therefore, cheaply produced large wild smelt would be of enormous benefit to aquaculture and sea-ranching. Scientists at Memorial University intend to continue with these studies in the city waterways, looking at a l l level s of production, with salmon smolt as the final product. We have within the city the vari ety of streams wi th different types of habitat and wi th different water chemistry to provide a superb natural laboratory. The new f i shladder at the outlet of Quidi Vidi Lake would also allow monitoring of returning salmon.

The scientific answers should prove to be most interesting. For example. our salmon rivers are relatively less productive than many European rivers. such as for example the river Foyle in Ireland which is touted as the best salmon river in the world. It produces IOOre salmon than the famous Miramichi River in New Brunswick. although the Miramichi has three times the drainage basin of the Foyle. The Foyle produces 10 to 16 smolts per 100 m2. whereas the best attainable in North America (up to now) was thought to be about 6 smolts per 100 m2 (3).

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79

The reason for such differences in production is put down mainly to c l imate, which may be correct, but here in St. John's we have found salmon production to be as good as any in Europe. We have heard a number of people say. uOh, it's due to St. John's sewage". However, it is not as simple as that. Sewage degrades rivers and in our experimental areas there was no sewage. There may be enrichment by nitrates and phosphates, which can enhance production if t hese nutrients are limiting. With elevated nitrates, detritus (rotting leaves. etc . ) is broken down more quick ly by bacteria or fungi , which are the food of aquatic organisms eaten by fish . Also phosphates enhance the growth of algae in open areas of streams , i ncreasing the production of grazing invertebrates. Also production is better where the water is not acid. Our water chemistry analyses showed that the water was not unduly acid (pH 6.2 and above) and nitrates and phosphates may not have been limiting. However with simi lar water chemistry there were big differences in salmonid biomass. For example. in learys Brook in 19B2 we found 48 . 9 gom2 whereas in South Brook in 1983 we fou nd 14.9 9 0 m2. This is most likely due to the type of habitat .and to the range in discharge. Rivers with stable discharge (like learys Brook which drains large boggy areas) are more productive than rivers with a less stable flow. South Brook is very productive but has a less stable discharge than learys Brook. In our South Brook study area the salmon became more numerous than trout, and appear to have displaced the trout . However. there was occasional heavy si l ting from a construction site in Mount Pearl at Heavy Tree Road (the company was fined for careless work). Silting kills incubating trout eggs . Al so our exper i mental station was a riffle area, which ;s typical salmon habitat. Other studies have shown trout to be mainly pool dwellers so the two species can be ecologically compatible by sharing the habitat if stream diversity is availabl e. However. where food is abundant, competition is I1lJch reduced, so that it is possible there wou l d be much more overlap of habitat. We have heard concern that introduction of sa l mon wou l d displace the brown trout. It;s probable that young salmon would displace trout from riffles (4). However, where pools and ponds are present the trout would thrive and although

there coul d be fewer young trout, dependi ng on the habitat, we can say the trout fishing wou l d remain good. We could cite as an example the ponds and streams in the Goulds area where both ouananiche or landlOCKed salmon and brown trout are abundant and where both provi de superb fi sh1 ng.

One factor i n the enormous production of salmonids in our city rivers is the lack. of competing and predacious fish. For example in the most productive Engl i sh trout rivers there can be a fi sh producti on of 60 g .m2• but only 2en. of this ;s made up by salmonids (5). Any fertilization of streams and ponds to increase fish production in Newfoundland would therefore be seen mainly in the salmonids, which maKes such enhancement more cost effective here than most other countries .

The Department of Fisheries and Oceans is interested in the number of eggs and other factors related to maximum smolt production. Although the numbers of eggs affects smolt production, our studies have shown that growth and survival rates are equally if not more important. Obviously research in our city rivers is going to give some very useful answers . The rivers of St. John's will be of wonderful benefi t to salmon fi shermen.

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We are grateful for the provision of salmon fry by Vern Pepper of DFO in 1982 and by Don Hustins of the Sa l mon Association of Eastern Newfoundland in 1983, 19H4, and 1985. Kei th Hillier of OFO assisted in all the worle. Thanks also IllJst go to a host of MUN students who have helped at various times.

References

(1) Gibson, R. J. 1982 . Brown trout in St . Joh n's . The Osprey 13(3) : 72-76.

(2) Gibson, R. J. 1985. The rivers in the city of St . JOhn's - a precious heritage. The Osprey 16( 1): 54-59.

(3) Elson. P. F. 1975 . Atlantic salmon rivers, smolt production and optimal spawning: an overview of natural production. Int. Atl. Salmon Found. Spec. Publ. Ser. 6: 96-119.

(4) Gibson, R. J .• and R. A. Cunjak.. 1986. An investigation of competitive interactions between brown trout (Sa1o'lO trutta L.) and juvenile Atlantic salmon (Salmo salar l.) iii"""'rTVers"Orthe Ava lon Peninsula. Newfoundland. Cali:"Te'cn.t<ep. Fish. Aquat. Sci. 1472: v + 82 p.

(5) LeCren. E. D. 1969. Estimates of fish populations and production in small streams in England. H. R. MacMillan Lectures in Fisheries, Univ. of British Columbia: 269-280.

Figure Legend

These salmon parr are all yearl ings (1+). The upper fish i s a I no nna ' I size. from Northeast Brook. (Trepassey). The middle fish is from our experimental area i n South Brook.. The lower fish is from our experime ntal stocking in Kennys Pond.

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'A r J r o/' -T ~

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THE WINTER SEASON (1966-1987) IN SAINT-PIEARE AND MIQUELDN

Common Loon Apa rt 'from the 55 saan durina the cec decembe r 18 , less then 10 at .., tima ha v e baen reported for the rest of the season

Red-necked Grabe : Vary faw so far, only 4 on the cec. Moximu m num-bers wera respectively? end 9 in St-Pierre Jon 2 end Feb 4 .

Northern F',lmer Altho u&h common in St-Pierre bonk (JM) it is r are­ly repo rted in winter, probably be c au se wa rarely ao et sae in thilii .aellon. AD lIiIIW a faw individuaJ s between St-Piarre i!lnd Fort u ne fe­bruary 2. ona was e dark phese bird .

Grall!llt Cormorant : As usual , ove r wintarina. Thera ere a few not 100" confirmed raports of Dou bla-crest e in the area. (AO/AE).

Cana da Goose They ware 24 in Grand-Barechoi. december 3, we co u n­ted 3? (CeC) december 16 and 36 january 3 and 10. The l a st o b serva­t io n, in spite of .everal visit i n the area ' ince , was 41 jan ua ry lB. (AD/BL/AE) .

Blaclo. Duck 194 were counted durine t he cec december 16 at Grend Barechoi • . AD estimeted their number et 150 in the l eme erea jenuery 16 . They then diminish ed eradua lly to: 103 jenuary 2?i 65, 60 and 64 re.pectively february 5 6 a nd? (AD) then: about 3 0 feb r ua ry 14 and 45 february 15 . In the meantime a few ware reported in tide pool. around St-Pierre (RE /J PA) .

Greater Sc aup : Only one report: 3 at Grand Barachois Feb? ( AD )

Common Eider About 3 00 have baan .een re&ul"rly, (eometimes 500) around St-Pierre for the whole liealon (RE). In Miquelon AD a nd Bl are report ina several h undreds reaularly with peak. of 1000 t o 1500, due probably to better co nditions of observations.

Harlequin Ouck. Two immature male. j anuary 2 ; 3, feb r uary 4 in Saint-Pierre (A O/R E a nd RE)

Oldlqua"" : The hiah lli t count slie r common a. usual .

CBC: 1034 i ndividuals . Then

Black. Scotilr 29 counted duri"'a the CeG, 5 in Miqualon jan 11 (AD) .

Surf Scoter Rather

White-winged Seater .eason (AD).

in winter , one in Mi quelon dec 16 (eSC) RE

F ew reports of few individuals throuahout the

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: ~~;~~a G~~~~:;:e (3~~~4~~un:~d g~:~~a ~:;e~~~i!Bb.~:::~ a ~ e ~::~~t;~: e february 1? (AO/ Bl ).

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Red - bree st ed Mer-genser ports .

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104 durini cec in Miquelon. Few other re -

B<!Ild Eegle Re2u1<!lr observetion of one peil' end et leest one imme-ture mos tly in Miquelon .(BM/ JPA / AO). Februery 28, we s ew two II!Idults end one imm<!lture et Lenalede (AE/AO).

Sherp-shinned Hewk One individuel et Len&lode februery 28 (RE).

Northern Gosh ewk We hod on8 on the cec in Mique!on dec 18. Then 5 reports of 1 or 2 individutlls et MiquBlon end Lenalellda (AD/8L/JH). between janutlry 3 end februery 27.

Rough -le gged Hewk One individuel in Saint-Pierre februery 21 (Bll.

Americen Kestrel One seen eetina e Robin december 15 (EG); then one december 30. One injured individuel wes rellcued by e hunter je­nuery 2, brc uaht to e vet end releesad . One individual was el so sean january 30 (AE). All these reports from St-Pierre.

Purple Sendpiper rhe only shorebird reported this winter. First seen in St-Pier re december 14, 12 individuals (JM). Other reports as foll ows' ~ durin" CBC (io ... ~. 7, St-Pierre harbour dec 21, 18 eround the South coast of ·:it-Pierre dec 22, 10 St-Pierre harbour dec 27. (AE / AD). Then, at Grand Barachoili : 11 and 13 respectively febru­ary 6 end 8 (AD) .

Commo n 8leck-he eded Gull : 3 immatures in St-Pierre herbour decembe r 3 and 22 end 2 december 27.

Icelend Gull herbour .

Common uliual edults end immetures in St-Pierre

Gleucous Gull JM) .

Two immetures in St-Pierre horbour december 23 (AE /-

Greet-bloc .... -becked Gull : 284 counted durina the CBC in Miquelon . AD reported 90 et Grand Barechois january 10 .

Blec .... - legged Kittiwake AD reports them alreedy on the cliffs of Cape Miquelon februery 22.

Dovekie An importent fliaht too.... pIece december 17 naer the northwestern point oT St-Pierre, ell haedina lIouth - wellt . We counted respect ive ly 138 end 150 in two 5- minutell-parfod (AO/RE) . They were still quite numerous tha next day in Mfqualon where we counted 452 (CBC) I then they diminished slowy with very Taw reports since . Un ­Tortunetely we ere ell lend-based observers and we recei ve only oc­casionel reports t' rom the se a .

Bleck Guille mot Cummon around Saint-Pierre as usual .

e Mourning Dove One still in the villaae of Mlquelon january 22 (AD)

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Snowy Owl A very aood winter. We h a ve 26 reports for the season . 4 individuals wer'e i n St-Pierre december 3D, they were two for s ome time at Grand Barachois (AD) a few in Miquelon and we had fo ur a·t Lanalade f e brua ry 28. The total population this winter could b e es­timated to about 12 to 1S individual s. (numerous observers).

Boreal Owl 5everal unconfirmed reports (by non-birders) of 15 smell Owl in St-Pierre, one jenuery 31 and one in town a ro und mid-feb ruary c ou l d probably be attributed to this s pRcies.

Bleck-b a ck ed Woodpec ... er : One in Mi quelon december 28 (Bl) .

Horned Lerk : one durina cec dec 11:1. 3 in Miquelon jenue ry ? (AD) .

Golden-crown ed Kinglet e few in ClIpe Miquelon december 21 ( AD) . One or two in St-Pierre in jenuery (RE) .

Americlln Robin : 2 or 3 in Seint-Pierre december 15 (EG) one decem­ber 1? el s o in St-Pierre (RE/AO).

Weter Pipit : One in Seint-Pierre december 24 (AD) .

Bohemilln WlIJ(wing about 10 in Saint-Pierre december 2 D ( HS) is the only report so far.

Northern Shri.... 8 " .ports of one individual in the three is lands

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between december 3 end february 2? e Dar ... - eyed .Junco few, c " e 01 two here and there in St -Pie rre and .. iquelon (RE/NB/Bl) ,

Snow Bunting 3? in Miquelon ( CBC , dec 18). Rare in St-Pierre, fairly common in Miqu elon but in small numbers (AD/al).

Pine Grosbeek few r eports : 3 in Miquelon dacember 21 (AD); a f ew in cen ter Miqualon january 4 (AD) i a floc ... of ten in Seint-P iarre januery 10 (RE) i a few in western Miquelon january 22 (AD). 2 in St ­Pierre january 22 .

White - winlZed Croeebill in Cape ' Miquelon jenuary 1~ ; One at -t ec .... d by a Shri .... in Miquelon the neJ(t dey e leo in Miqualon {Bll, -

Pine Siekin : On. only in Saint -Pierre december 21 (.J .. ) ,

E vening Groebe a'" Ve r y faw, report.d several times in Saint - P ie r re and in Miquelon but never more than one individual at a time ,

Roaar Etc h eberry P,D box 328 Seint-Pierr e Saint-Pierre and Miqua lon Via Halifax N. S . Canada .

Contributore : '.J een-Paul,A pesteau y, Nicol e e.rthier, Al ain Desbrosse Roa er Et c heberry , E u a'ne Gaston, Ja c ky Heb e rt , erun o letournal , J ean Wauv!.lle, Henri Salomon.

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e THE SPRING MIGRATIO N I N SAINT PIERAE & MIQUELD N ISLANDS (198?)

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Red throeted Loon First heerd end seen April 28 ( ever-eKe 29) (I t Mironde lcl\e, Eest coost of Miquelon. 6 other sia htings mostly Miquelon (AE) ond one at Lengiede (le ss visit ed) Mc y 3 ( al) ..

Co mmon Loon '-Hahest count wos 36, concentreted in on tlc-ee free of ice I.tiquelon v illege where unfortunetely some were shot ! .. (00).. We Me vA hed a very unusu e l situ e tion of ice surroun -ding our cooats for severell d e y" this spr1na_ A faw Loons we re still eround by Moy 25 . Of two seen CI t clot, e ronae one WtlS in breeding plumege the other ..... es net (AE) .. The bird doss not nest here ..

Red-neck.ed Grebe Our isl e nds were known for sever- ti l yaars CI S e n importent c ,:, nc entretion Clt'ee 1n lete winter e nd spr1na . This we s not the cese this year. Hiahest numbers were 14 on West CO<!ls t of Miq uelon April 26 <!Ind elso 14 off east co a st the next day. Prob<!l­bly due to ic e condit i ons ::oome were seen on Mirande lek.e around April 15 (YO). last observation: 3 off West coast of Miquelon May 2 . (A E I.

M"nx Shea rw <!lter and Green island

About ten were seen <!It se<!l between St-Pierre Mey 6 by MO .

Nort hern G<!Innet The first one wes reported by CS on St-Pierre b enk. (3PS!) March 20 . Two or 3 imm<!ltures were reported by lL by 46Q 05'N e nd 54Q OO ' W April 3 . The first ones seen from the land were 2 adults off Cape Miquelon April 25 (AE) .

Doubl e-crested Cormorent First miar a nts (4) noted on Miquelon Ma y 2. Aeau l ar e nd feirly .commo n since. Some siahtinas allio in St ­Pierre ( MO /AE). One in dividual wi~h nest ina meteriel seen Mey 23 . in Miq uel on CAE).

Americen Bittern One in Seint-Pierre Mey 11. Two Mey 22 end one Ma y 23 ot Lanalade (AE).

Gre o t Egret One i ndividuel found dead by 1.40 in St-Pierre Ap ril 17 . Is k.ept in freezer. Th e Co!luse of the deo!lth has not been inves tiaated .

Great blue Heron Only one siahtina : 1 in St-Pierre May 20 (AE) .

Can ada Goose Altho uah seen in early winter ( 41 j anuary 16 (AD]) they apparent ly didn't overwint er . Th e first sprina miarants were noted by Bl, 3 in Miquelon April 21. Highest number around Grand Barachois was 7 (AE).

Green- win ged Teol not far from Grond-Barachois seen by OED then by AE Moy 17 were fairl y l ate ( overage d ote is April 221 .. ) . Selleral siahtinas since (AE).

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Bleck Duck : Scma ove rwintered at Grand Barachois mckina orri v a l of miarant . difficult to notice . A rather eerly n • • tina record: one brood of 12 ducklinas .. ~~q~.d 4 or 5 days was s een on southern pert of the isthmus Moy 25 (A E .) i one nest with 9 aaas found neel" Grand Barechoi. May 30 (XV) .

Mallard: One peir in Saint-Pierre Merch 29 (MO/al). The mal. wo s ~ . . The female wcs seen until April 4 (MO) .

Northern Pintail : One poir on tl":. isthmus April 20 (al). Several peirs ••• n since. 6 or? mol •• tOlether Mcy 29 miaht indicat •• that femel •• cre nestina. (AE).

Blue-winged re al : One pair at Lona1ade Mey 1? is the only known occurence this sprina (AE) .

Northern Shoveler : A pair was observed south of' the isthmus Ma y 1? They were still there May 22. Sub"'quent observations in tha tlretl ftliled to revetll their pr •• ence (AE).

Aing-necked Due,", 3 mtlles tlnd one femtlle. were present near Grtlnd Barachoi. April 26 (RE). On. pair wa. in St-Pierre Mtly 14 ( MD/AE) .

Greeter SCtlUP 2 meles cnd one femol. at Grand Bar-tlcnoi. April 26. One mal. alone same cree May 2 (AE) .

Common Eider: About 1500 were on Miquelon's roods Mtlrch 23 (AE) . ?OO to ?50 off St-Pierre's We.t coast April 13 wa. considerably more than usu ol . Hiahest e.timation off W.st coast of Miq u elon wa s about 3000/3500 April 20 to 30. No departure dote due to ab­sence of observers in Miquelon this sprinai 25 were off Co pe "i­quelon May 24, and 26 off West coast of IUquelon May 25. CRE).

Oldsgutlw : lost report, about 10 off We.t coast of Miqualon Apri l 26 (AE) . (averoa_ departure dote i. May 8).

8loc,", Scot.r 3 off Miquelon'. We.t coast April 26, one femal . and on. immetu re mele semll .ore o May 3 (AE) .

White-wingad Scoter : 20 were off the North coe.t of Seint - Pierre in en arae of opan weter, on unu.uel location dua to ice condi ­ti ons (AE) . Ab out 60 cro ••• d the i.thmu. fr om East to We.t in the e",anina of May 25 (RE). Important number of' Seater. wara noticed le.t year on May 23, tho.e identified to .pacies were White ­win,s .

Common Goldeneya Lost obsarvet ion wa. 3 near Miquelon April 21 (8ll . LOlt sprina ob.ervotion in 1966 wei May 3 1 j e v areaa depar­ture dote il Mey 2.

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:;~ :::.:~~ad p:~~: e::~ : laan T~!~ ~:r~y P:~;~::~!u~e:~=e~:o::~ . • ;~;! e impprtont aroups 32, Mey 3; 3?, May 25j 24, Mey 26 end 56, Me y 30 ware ob •• rved e t Grend 80rechoil (RE).

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~ : Only two sightings lOne in St-Pierre Mey (3 (MO). end one ct Longlede Mey 30 (AE) .

Bold Eegle Dna immeture ""tiS seen in St-Pierre end Miquelon on April 13 end 29 respectively (el/RE). Tha pell' 1. nesting oatlin in Cepe Mlquelon. On Mey 24 the nest seen from e dlstence seemed to hova one end probebly two yaunas (AE).

Northern Herrier The first ona WClS noticed tit Lenaleda Mey 3 CAE). One mela WIOS 01110 ot Lan-a1.·eda Mtlly 1? 3 other .1ihtina_ Miqualon: Mey 25 26 end 28 (AE/DD).

Shore-shinned Hewk The first one ••• n in St-Pierre April 16 possibly overwintered in the ",reo; nliilxt ones only Mey 25 27 tlnd 28 in Mlquelon (AE).

Northern Goshewk One elt!lrmed i ndividua l wes 8ean tit Longlode, in 0 v olle y where one poll' nested lest yaor, April 2S CML) . Not liurpris1na with tha numarou!ll s1aht1nas 1n recant ye ers wes e pe1r elermed in Miquelon April 28 (AE), the nest wes loceted but ect1v1ty wes noticed on e subsequent visit Mey 2?

Aough-lelured Hewk Althouah ona 1ndividuel wes .a.n by Bl in f ebruery no other siahtinas were reported bafore Mey 1? whare MO sew two individuels in St-Pierre. Two other siahtinas. one 1n St­Pierre Poley 20 end one on the isthmus heedina north "'ey 30 (AE).

Americen Kestrel One et Lenalede April 20 (Bl); on. or two in Seint-Pierre the next dey (1010) were feirly .erly on.s. The only other observ ert ion wes one fiahtina with e Merlin in Cepe Miqua­Ion Moy 24 (AE). ( e vereaa errivel dete is Mey 1).

Marlin : One mele in Miquelon M1'lY 2 wes the first observetion of the se e son (evereae deta 110 Mey 4). Than reaul er, es usuel (AE).

Semipelmeted Plover ; A vary aerly one wes spotted by MD in Seint­Pierre April 2S ond 26 (previous beat det. wes Mey 2 19?? 4 peirs were pr.sent on South coest of Grend Berechoi. Mey 23 (RE) .

Killdeer : Dna individuel in Seint-Piarre Mey 15 (OA).

Graetar Yellowlegs One in Lenaloda April 26 we. feirly eerly (RE) . Another wea aven aorlier in Miquelon (00) no preci •• dete . Then reaul er ; they were four in southern port of the isth­mus Mey 30 (AE) .

Spotted Sendpipar The first one wes seen with 10 Killdeer in Seint-Pierra by OA Mey 14 . Seen or heord reaulerly from Poley 23 on, in rether smell numbers .

Whi mbrel ; Dna individuel of the Europaen subspecies wes spotted ~n Miqualon i n April . (exoct dete on request I the observar i s now ebliiant of the is lends end I he va lost tha det e.) This ill e seco nd re c ord for us .

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Lea l t Sendpiper : 3 in 5eint-Pierre • • • n by 1010 Me y 14; the n r ea u l or end es usuol elso in Miquelon end Lona1cda .

Oun11n: One ind ividuel wes first s p otted b y EP e nd J l ot Gro!!n ~oi. Moy 12 cnd everydey until Mey 22 . I s ew end photo ar'1!I ph.d the bird Moy 23 in the seme aBnerel er e e (AE ). This is the. •• cond known aprina occur-enCB in our islend .

Common Snip. : The firet one wee reported by 1040 April 19 in Se int Pierre, ••• n or heard re,u16!'!.Y from April 21 on (AE) .

American Woodcock April 20 (AE) .

One briefly ••• n in the town of Soint-Pill r r e

LAUGHING GULL A lona-expect ed addition to our evifeune. One adult ••• n end pnotoarephed on We.t coast of Grond Berochois Me i 3 (RE/BL) .

Ainll-billed Gull : First arrilole l noticed Apr i l 4 in Seint-Pi e r re harbour (MO). Common .e.nd widespread since.

!.!.!:.!L..!.e. : First miarants saan at Grand Barachois by EP and JL Ma y 15 . Hundreds ar riloled May 21 (seme obserlolers) . Some indilolid u a ls were identified es Common Tern Mey 23 (RE) .

~ : Lest one ••• n by MD March 25 i n Sa i nt-Pierre.

Razorbill : 13 off North coa st of Se i nt-Pierre May 6. Two off Cape Miquelon May 22 and one .een on lend May 24 same Nes ­tina in Cepe Miquelon .hould be inlole.tiaetad ( RE) .

Black Guillemot More then one hundred toaether in ere e of open weter in St-Pierre April 11 (OA) . First breedina plume,e noticed April 6 ( AE) .

Atlentic Puf'f'in : Numerous neer Grend Colombier April 23 (PL).

Snowy Owl An .xcitina sprinK for this specia • . A meMimum of 5 indilolidue ls wes . ••• n in Seint-Plerr. on Mey 5 (BL/PC) . Th.y w.r. 3 Mey 14 end two .till pr ••• nt wh.n I left St-Piarr. Mey 20.

Short-eared awl A sinal. individual wes spotted by NB then b y RE April 23 in Saint-Pi.Fr •.

Boreal awl an. found daad in the town of' Saint-Piarre March 5 (AO/AE) I winK 159mm !luaa.st a me l • . Anoth.r one was f'ound dea d by OA March 24 .

Belted Kingfisher r eport .0 far (RE ) .

A mela i n Se i nt - Pier re Ma y 2 0 is the o nly

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Sleck-becked Woodpeck.ar : One mel. et La n aled e Mey 25 ( RE I NS) . e

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Northern Flick.er The first reported by BL for Seint-Pierre weli April 23. A noticecble miaf"cticn occur-ad Ma y 14. One WClS hecrd sinaina ct l c nal ode Mo y 17 (AE) .

Eeste rn Wood-Pe wee On e indi vidu al Ec&t coast of Miquelon Moy 27 (A E) •

EI!!Istern KinR.bl.rd The first ona wos spotted in Saint-Piarr. Mo y 24 (MO). The first observation for Miqua!on 10108 3 individuals East coost of Miqualen May 27 May 30 ona individual spant the whola dey in 0 Kordan in Miquelon (MLE). No other siahtinas .

Tree Swollow numbers so for.

3 or 4 in Saint-Piarre May 11 (AE/MO) . Vary low

Bonk Swol10w Severol in Saint-Piarra Moy 11 (AE/MO). Two othar siahtinas Ma y 13 cnd 21 olso in Seint-Pierra . Nona so fbr in the usuel nestina site on the isthmus CAE) .

Bern Swellow The firs one wes spotted by OA in Seint-Pierre Me y 12. Severe I other siahtinas of only 1 to 3 indi viduels .

Americen Crow: One n •• t found in Miquelon Mey 23 (RE).

Co mmon Reven One nest et Cope Miqualon hed 2 aaas April 2? but WClS found empty Me y 24 . Another nest in Cope Miquelon wes elso found occupied April 27 wes not investiaeted further (RE).

Red-breested Nuthetch A very irraauler bird harej this sprina the first one we. spotted Mey 17 CIt lenalClde than seen or heerd in severel pIeces in Miquelon lonalade and Saint-Pierre (REf MO) .

Winter Wren : Only three siahti~as: The first ona heClrd end saan i n Miquelon April 27 then one heard sinaina at Lan"lede in two di fferent s potlO resp ectively Mc!ly 24 and 30 (RE) .

Golden-crowned Kinglet Seems more common than 2 or 3 past ye Clr s j sinaina here and there since May 3 ( RE ).

Ruby-crowned Kinglet : First miarants arr ived April 21 (RE/C l') . Avera,,_ ar r ival dete ia April 28; commo n ond ainaina everywhere since April 27.

Groy-cheeked Thrush : First one heard collina o t l ona l ode and in Miquelon Moy 23 (AE). Very few so fal'"; first one heard s i naina Mo y 28 and first one seen Ma y 31. (RE).

Sw oi son's Th rush : not e v ery aood year for Thrulih8s so fer. This species wos seen by MO : one individual i n Saint-Pierre May 21 . The only ones se en on Miqualon were one c!lt Mironde c!lnd one in the v ill ol e Mo y 28 (RE.).

Hermit Thrush Very 5CClrce . One in Sc!lint-Pierr. see n by OA Moy 11 c!lnd on. exhausted CIt GrClnd BClrClchoi s (in the hond) seen by EP ~nd Jl Mo y 21.

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Americen Robin Firs t mia;rents noticed Merch 31: 3 mtl la s in S tlint -Pi.rra (DA) end 8 individuels tllso in Stlint-Pierre (MO) . An importent mi arat!on Wtls recorded b y DA April 3 !nvolvina hundred s of !ndividuels end e lot of Fox s perrows . On. fly!na; you na; ou t of the n.st WtlS f ound i n Saint-Pierre Mtl y 21 ( AE).

Weter Pip! t Pi.rr. Moy 4.

Only individue l sean so ftlr by MO in Stl in t -

Solitery Vireo: On. ot lenalod. ~e y 1? (AE). On. mal. ainaina 1n Miqu.lon (A E) ~nd on. individuol in Seint-P1.rr. May 24 (MO) . Two mel ••• inaina in Miqu.lon Moy 31 (RE) .

T.nn ••••• Warbler: Very "few: On. male .inaina; 1n Miquel o n Moy 24 and on •• aan on . a at coast of Miqu. lon Mey 2? (AE).

Northarn Fe r ule : One individutll in lenaleda Mtly 30 (RE).

Yallow Werblar : Dna in the town o "f Stlint-Pi.rr. Mtly 23 (MO); ona in the v illeaa of 'Uqu.lon Mey 25 (RE). First .ona' haard tit lan­al tld. Mey 30i very "f IlW '0 far.

Megnolitl Wtlrblar I on May 28 ( AE) .

One in Saint-Pierre May 21 (MO) one in IUqu.-

Capa-May Warblar A "ftlirly aood y.or "for .uch tin uncommon .pe-cia. : Thll fir.t WtlS a f.mel. in Saint-Pierre town Mtl y 16 ( AE). 5 oth.r .iahtina' (.mala. and f.mel •• ) in the 3 i.lenda un ­til Mey 31 ( AE/MO) .

Yall ow-rump.d Werbler Althouah the first on. WtlS seen by OA Apri l 22 it we. common only from Mtl y 11 until the end o f the month i Mtly 31 it we. found la •• common i n both Miquelon e nd Seint ­Pi.rre ( AE / UO) .

Slaek-throe t .d Graan Werbler Fir.t on •• a.n by MO in So int­Pierre Mtly 21 end fir.t ona. in Miqu.lon 2 mel •• Mey 23 (AE) • S.v.ral oth.r aiathina' .ine • .

Bl e ckbu rnien Werbl.r : One mel. in Saint-Pi.rr. Moy 21 (MO) . On. in Miqu.lon .avaral dey. I tltar (00)

P elm Warbl.r Savaral in Seint-Piarra May 11 (MO/AE) . Rethe r uncommon this aprina. Lest siahtina : ana et Lanaltlde May 1?

Sleekpoll Werbler One mele in Sei':nt - Pi. r r. Me y 1? (MO) . Nume-rou. from Mey 19 on MO /AE).

Sl e ek-end-white Warbler : A faw 1n Seint-Pierre Mey 13 (JF). One tha naxt dey tl lso in Saint-Piarre ( Mo) . A.aular sinc. Me y 23 ( RE) .

Amarie e n Aadst ert first on ••

individuel. 1n Seint-P1.rre .. oy 21. Th. in Miqualon only Mey 28 ( AE). Still vary

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Ovenbird: One in the lIil10gB of Miquelon Mey 25 (MLE). One hstlrd ~COtlst of Miquelon Mey 27 (AE). No other sightina;s.

Northern Weterthrush One heord sinaina (AE ) ,one seen (MO) beth in Stlint-Pierra Mey 14. Abundont since. os Uliuel.

Common Yallowthroet . One in Seint-Piarra May 21 (MO). The first ona hal!!lrd sinaina in Miquelon wes only Moy 27 (AE). Feirly rera so fC!lr.

Wilson ' s Werbler : Dna in Soint-Pierra Ma y 21 (1010). Tha first ona in Miqualon wee sesn Moy 23 (AE). Aaau1.!lr sinea.

Indigo Bunting : One femole ot Lona1oda MIO Y 25 (AE) i

Amaricon tree Sper-row : Dna in Stlint-Pierra Moy 21 (RE). One neer Gr end Bort!lchois Moy 21 (JL/EP) . One in Seint-Pierra Moy 23 (MO).

SOl/onnoh Sporrow First mlarents seen April 21 (AE/MD). First heard sinaina May 3 and common only since May 12 .

Fox Sparrow The belit arrival date known: 3 1n Saint-Pierre March 29 (JPA). Good m1a;ration took place April 3 (OA) . One youna; out of the nest but not fly ina yet was seen May 31 in M1quelon ("El.

Song Sparrow : I know only of one pair , the male .inain& in Saint­Pierr!l Ma y 4 6 and 12 (AE).

Lincoln Sparrow : first seen in Saint-Pierre May 11 (AE). severel other observations in the three islands (AE) . Of these two males sinaina in Miquelon May 23 and 24.

Swamp Sparrow A few in Saint-Pierre May 11 (OA). First sona s heard the nex t day (AE) . Common since May 19 .

White-throated Sparrow : Good miaration 1n Saint-Pierr.:. noticed by OA Ma y 11 . First heard sinaina; the next day . Not common, just a few seen here and there since (RE).

White-crowned Sparrow ; The first one arrived at Grand Bcrachois May 21 (EP/JL) One wali in the villaae of' Miquelon May 23 and !!It Lanalade May 30 (AE) .

Dark-eyed Junco! Very few reports and for Saint-Pierre only: April 19; 4, April 21 and 5, April 22 (MO).

Snow Bunting Last observation wes 2 individuels neer tne isth-mus seen by BL April 21 .

Bobolink one female the isthmus May 30 (AE), is the only record this sprina·

Rusty Blackbird First recorded by MO, ona in Scint-Pierre April 17 . Aeaular in ratner low numbers since .

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Common Greek.l. Dna in Seint-Plal"'ra April 14 (AE.) Dna in 5e1nt-Piarre Moy 9 (MD) .

Brown-heeded Cowbird A pcir in Saint-Piarre Apr!l 25 (1010) end ona famola In Miqualon "ley 28 CAE).

Pin. Grosback Vary rere I Two report. only: ona 1n Mlqualon April 2? and one pcir c t Lcnaleda Mcy 3 CAE).

Purple f'inch : Dna In the town on Saint-Piarre Me y 21 (RE), a bout tan in Saint-Piarre (Mo) end 9 in Miqualun May 23 (RE). Aaiule rly MaeI'd end ••• n linea.

Pin. Sl1k1n : Dna in the town of Saint-Piarre April 23 (MO) .

Americ en Goldfinch Dna famel . in St - Piarre May 24 (MO).

(v.nina GrOlbe ak Two melea Mc y 13 and on. pc!r Nay 24 in 6,,1nt-Piarre (MD) .

Contributor.: Jaen -Pcul Ap •• t8,uy (JPA) i Nicola earthier (Na) j

Philippa Cleiraeux (PC) i Mere Oerible (MO); Oevid Oetcheverry (OO); Yvon Oetcheverry (YO) i Oeni. Oetcheverry ( OEO ); Aoae r Et-

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~::::~r-~e~~:~~ ~:~); L. L:!:~~b~:~;e~:~El ~L~~l ~:~:. L::~~~e~~L ~ ~:!~ e chel Leae ••• (Ml); Cleude l'E.peanol (C l'); Bruno Letournel (Bl) j Elizebeth P.rry (EPj Cleude Serrezin (CS); Xevier Vi i neeu (XV) ;

The eb •• nce of Alein Oasbr06!'1e i. very obvious in this re port Chiefly for the .cercity of dete from Miqu8lonj perticulerly from Grend Berechoi.

Miquelon , June 1.t 1967

Aoaer ETC~E8EAAY.

~ere i. the report on .prina miaretion 19B7. Af te r it we. written I met pe ople who had intera.tina ob •• rva­tiona here they ere:

Ao.e-breested Grosbeek: 3 mele. in Miquelon vill,oa8 eround Mey 28 (louise Oetcheverry) .

Bleck-bellied Plover: One in Miquelon Mey 31 (00)

Americen Coot: One in Seint-Pierre eround Mey 26 (Georae. ~ernendaz) .

Snowy Owl: one atill in Seint-Pierre Mey 30 (Bernerd Fol1ot .

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• 93

A Bird in the Hand is worth Two in the Bush

(Lullcheon Address Delivered to Northwest St. John's Rotary Club, 7 April 1986)

W.A. Montevecchi

Psychology Departme~t

Memorial University of Newfoundland

St. Jobn 's AlB 3XQ

Although I speak from a biased viewpoint, I believe it is fair to say that most people find birds esthetically attractive and pleasing to the ear and eye. They appeal to our sense of wonderment and in doing so enrich and enlarge the dimensions of our lives. .

To give another's perspective and to set the stage (or today's theme, I e borrow two brief excerpts from Arctic Dreams by Barry Lopez:

• Animals confound us not because they are deceptively simple but because they are finally inseparable (rom the complexities of lifc. It is precisely these sub tleties of fact and conception that comprise particle physics, which passes for the natural philosophy of our age . -

- The animal's environment, the background against which we see it, can be rendered as something like the animal itselr-partly unchartable. And to try to understand the animal apart (rom its background , except as an imaginative exercise, is to risk the collapse of both. To be what they are they require each other. -

The second passage sets the theme (or the brief remarks that ) offer you today . The scienficic extension of this concept or the inseparability of animals from thei r environments is basically our understanding of animals as vital, integral components of marine and terrestrial ecosystems. Because birds are highly mobile and feed in the richest and most productive areas within their hab itats and because they are highly visible and vulnerable to envi ronmental degradations, such as pesticide or herbicide contamination and o il pollution, they are ultimate natural monitors of environmental quality. It is this aspect of our e understanding of bird life that I speak about to you today .

94 Montevecchi

The most pressing environmental concern that is facing the province at this moment is the proposed mass.jve application of the organophosphate pesticide, Cenitrothion, this summer to combat the hemlock looper in festation. There is no question that the hemlock looper is a problem, a real problem, and one that needs to be dealt with to protect the (orest industry. What is in question is the means oC dealing with the problem.

Fenitrothion is unsafe and ecologically unsound. By all counts, the evidence weighs against Cenitrothion. While Cenitrothion is not persistent in the environment, as was the DOW banned DDT, its eCCects on nontarget organisms (that is organisms other than hemlock loopers) are devasta.ting. This is the problem. Fenitrothion killsi it kills indiscriminately. Fenitrothion kills the natural controllers of the hemlock looper, its predators (birds) and parasites. It also effects our trout and salmon by wiping out their insect food sources, and it kills insect pollinators; such as bees and wasps, as well. It has been estimated that millions of dollars worth of blueberry crops have been lost in New Brunswick due to nontarget kills of chemical spray applications for insect pests. Fenitrothion, like DDT in the past, is being phased out by other provinces and states and is considered unsafe by the Canadian Wildlife Service.

W.hat makes the problem in Newfoundland an easy one to solve is that there is a much safer biological control agent Bacillus thuringiensis or B.t. that is available. B.t. is basically an insect disease agent that is target specific to moth­like insects, such as the hemlock looper, and it has little deleterious eCCect on nontarget organisms. The Natural History Society of Newfoundland and Labrador I the Wilderness Society, the sa.1mon associations in the province and many other groups and individuals are using what innuence they can bring to bear on the Department of Forest Resources and Lands to use B.t. in place of fenitrothion in this summer's spray programs. This is why I raise this issue before you today.

Well , what's the evidence? Where do the birds fit into aU of this? These are not personal opinions that I oCCer you todaYi the scientific evidence is compelling. The most compelling evidence comes from an environmental impact study that was called for last summer by the provincial Department of the Environment and commissioned by the Department of Forest Resources and Lands. The study was carried out in the central Newfoundland spray area in the vicinty of Millertown. It 's rmdings just released last week indicated that 38% of the birds sampled showed potential lethal effects of the fenitrothion spray and that 80% oC them showed eCCects oC pesticide contamination. \Vith respect to using birds as natural monitors oC eO\'ironmental quality , these findings are striking and dramatic . Here's a short excerpt Crom the conclusions in the Executive Summary or that report:

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t\'1ontcvccc hi

- Based on the results of this study the re is reason to be concerned a.bout the crrccts of renitrothion sprayi ng operations a.t 2 10g AI / ha 0 0 (orest songbi rds in Newfoundland . Ev idence from this study sugges ts the potentia.lly life t hreatening exposure to fenitrothioD of some songbirds sampled (38. 1% ) had occurred ... •

A fund amental recommendation (rom the report is that the Department of Forest Resources and Lands research and develop alternative (orest insect control sprays, formulations and application rates. That alternative is available in the (ofm of B.t. To summarize the stand of the Natural History Society, the Wilderness Society and the salmon associations of Newfoundland and Labrador, they contend that the Department or Forest Resou rces and Lands should simply follow the true spirit or the recommendations put Corth in the ent ironmental impact study that it commissioned. It's clear, it's simple, it's straight-rorward. The citizens or th is province paid ror that study, and they are entitled to have it acted upon appropriately.

A rriend or mine who's been involved with environmental assessment research ror much longer than I have, Once said that it's taken about 20 years ror government agencies to realize the need for carrying out environmental impact studies and that it will probably take another 20 years Cor them to act on the findings and recommendations in a serious and meaningrul way. I agreed with him at the time. But I now think we were wrong. The opportunity is at hand , and the Department of Forest Resources and Lands can lead the way.

With respect to pesticide spraying there is no controversy. The bird findings clearly indicate that • A bird in the bush is worth at least two in the band."