EROSION CONTROL INITIATIVES

Erosion on Prince Edward Island has been a pervasive force for over 100
years. Stories in the newspapers of the 1880s talked of the deplorable state of
our rivers as they ran red with silt. This century of soil movement has cost us
a great deal in habitat losses so several recent video initiatives aimed at
abating the problem were well received by naturalists. The Department of
Agriculture screened the video "Just Trying To Make A Living" at the MacKinnon
Lecture Theatre on April 9th to kick-off National Soil Conservation Week. They
concluded the week with the showing of this video on agricultural soil erosion
control techniques and the havoc erosion is rendering on our shallow topsoils
on CBC on April 13th. In addition, the Department of Environment has produced
two videos in conjunction with their federal conterparts. One is on estuaries
and the other is on freshwater systems. These were screened at the April
meeting of the Natural History Society. If you know of a group who would like
to see these videos please encourage them to contact the departments concerned
to arrange for a loan of the tapes.

BIRD AND MAMMAL SIGHTINGS

Great Blue Heron - 1 at Hunter River, January 9 (KM)
- 1 at Ellen's Creek, January 24 (BM)
- 1 at Cardigan, February 14 (RC)
Canada Geese - 10 at Burlington, February 21 (RC)
- 2 at Beach Grove causeway, March 14 (JDM)
22 at Wood Islands West, March 15 (CK)
- 30 in Montague River, March 16 (JDM
4 at Glenfinnon River, March 17 (JDM)
20 flying at Baldwin's Road, March 19 (GS)
9 at Sherwood, March 19 (DW)
15 at Battery Point & 100 at Inlet , March 20 (WP)
6 at Gowan Brae, March 20 (GM)
- 100s in fields at Victoria, March 25 (MAL)
Snow Geese - 6 at Bedeque, March 26 (RC)
Black Duck - 50 at Montague River, March 16 (JDM)
- 12 at Gowan Brae, March 20 (GM)
- 10 to 30 daily at Hermitage Creek, February & March (JDM)
Northern Pintail - 7 at Gowan Brae, January 24 (BM)
Common Goldeneye - 10 at Parkdale, 3 males displaying with head throw back
postures and lowered head rushes, March 17 (JDM)
Harlequin Duck - 1 female at Oyster Bed, January 23 & 25 (JC)
Northern Goshawks - 1 at Cardigan North, February 14 (RC)
- pair in aerial display courtship deep in woods at Lyndale,
March 20 (WM)
- 1 regularly taking birds at feeder for past 4 years at Crapaud (-)
Sharp-shinned Hawk - 1 adult found dead near dead starling at Winsloe in
mid-January (MS)
Red-tailed Hawk - 1 at New London Bay, January 20 (BMP)
- 1 at Perth Station, March 5 (GS)
Rough-legged Hawk - 1 at Bangor, January 9 (AM)

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