on one and/or the other of the counts. Rick left at the end of 1972 to go to Kejimkujik National Park and Joan Saunders became Park Naturalist. She guided us on some walks in the P.E.I. National Park, joined our Society, and compiled the second Christmas Bird Count. Since then, John Wright, David Cairns, Winifred Wake, Geoff Hogan, Rosemary Curley, and Dan McAskill coordinated the counts. For many years there was keen competition for the "Cookie Ladies'“ zone where the lucky counters were treated to the finest Christmas baking. In 1983, Winifred Cairns started the Montague "fun count" for birders in eastern Prince Edward Island. When she left for Ontario, Rosemary Curley and later Gary Schneider took over the organization of this count. Over the years various individuals hosted the social potlucks at which counters gloated over their rarities or defended their sightings. The Hillsborough Count was featured as the kickoff event for Wildlife '87, the centennial of wildlife conservation in Canada.

Some years, in the autumn, a small group of Island birders left their cars at Wood Islands and took a ferry trip across the Northumberland Strait to see what landlubbers usually miss. The last time, they counted 18 species of birds and some seals. They took their lunches and had a picnic on board. What a great idea!

BONSHAW HILLS TRAIL

October 27, 1973 saw the opening of the Bonshaw Hills Trail. Eight persons from our Natural History Society met at the Crapaud Curling Club with about 50 other persons. The ladies of the Englewood Water Safety committee served coffee and doughnuts on arrival. A series of Bonshaw Hills Trail slides were shown by Dave Morgan, Chairman of Renewable Resources, Holland College. The slides certainly were timely and greatly enjoyed by all. Dr. Walter R. Shaw was in his element as he happily endorsed the making of the Bonshaw Hills Trail and reminisced about wildlife encounters in his own woods in St. Catherine's where the Bonshaw Hills Trail begins. We went to Appin Road where Dr. Shaw cut the ribbon to open the trail. About 20 persons set out to walk the trail to Green's Brook and back. Light rain was falling but it stopped after a while.

MEMORABLE OUTINGS

Four other walks stand out in our memories from among many other nature outings that we had. 0n Valentine's day 1970 there was bare ground, the temperature was zero F.(-18 degrees C.), and Bob Gray led a walk in Sir. Andrew MacPhail Provincial Park at Orwell. At lunchtime we made a fire in a fireplace. Ruth Ross hung some Valentine hearts on a tree and she even cooked some sausages. We ate our lunch while standing around the fire. At the next meeting, on March 5, 1970, there was no trouble to get a decision that, for going on a field trip, the bottom line temperature should not be lower than 15 degrees F.(-9.4 degrees C.).

On Sept. 30, 1972, on a cloudy, warm day on the north end of Appin Road Mr. and Mrs. T. M. Lothian joined us for a ramble through field and forest to a lane that led back to Appin Road at a point about a quarter mile from our cars. The Lothians graciously invited us to their Sylvan hideaway "Appinwood" to have our lunch by their outdoor fireplace. There was a charming little spring brook running past that supplied running water in the house.

Another outing is memorable because of the wonderfully sunny day 20 degrees F. (about -6 degrees C.). Leaving our cars on the East Suffolk Road, a group of eight snowshoed or just walked (either was fine) along the old East

(4)