- The Alouette Field Naturalist Notes W. Robinson winter coming

.- The Alouette Field Naturalist Notes

W. Robinson

Now that the rains have come again and with them, the onset of cooler and damper weather, we can look forward to a change in our birding activities. The bulk of the warbler migration will soon be over, the Osprey has gone, and so, too, has the Nighthawk. Robins, Meadowlarks, Starlings and Jays, we will have with us all winter, but the Barn Swallows are gathering in the hundreds on all the power lines and they, too, soon will be leaving on their long journey south.

But the skies are not deserted with their leaving. |- Soon the Short-eared Owls will take over the meadows, and Red-tailed Hawks and Bald Eagles will share the bare branched trees of the Valley. The bleak gray days of winter may not inspire the poets, but they are the best days for viewing most of our raptors. True, the Marsh Hawks and Red-tails are with us all summer, but the Rough legged Hawks and the rarer Golden Eagles are not usually seen until the winter months.

Sparrow Hawks soon will reappear on the pole wires, watching the fields for signs of mice. Perhaps this winter will see the return of the Snowy Owls, although after last winter's large migration, it is not likely that they will appear in quite such large numbers.

The Barn Owls are active around our place on these moonlit nights. A few squeaks will bring them, on their big soft wings, to within inches of one's head. After a few passes, though, they realize it's not a mouse they hear and flutter off to sit on the trees nearby to watch and wait for their real quarry. - Screech Owls, too, can be attracted in this same way. They get very upset hearing their calls repeated in their own territory and will sit a few feet away from the source of the calls, trying to out-shout the sound of their own voice. Their small body will shake with emotion as they lean forward and give the intruder everything they've got. When the annoying calls are stopped, the little Owl, satisfied that he has routed the enemy, flutters away in search of more important things, like his nightly quota of mice. The recent showers coming as they did, after a long period of unusually dry weather, will be welcomed, also, by the mushroom seekers. By now, the woods and fields should be offering their varied specimens.

Just how many "mushroom freaks” there are was made evident by the large attendance at the recent Mushroom Fair at the Centennial Museum. An estimated 2,000 enthusiasts gathered to exchange information and marvel at the beauty of the great variety of mushrooms and fungi on display. It was surprising how many they managed to find in spite of the dry weather.

Our next Naturalist meeting will be held on Thursday, the 10th of October. A slide show featuring the flora and fauna of Cod Island and Whonnock Lake will be our programme for the evening. The show is part of the result of an O.F.Y. Project undertaken by four of our more active young members and will be an interesting and informative presentation.