.3 GIANT FALLS: by Dan McAskill

During the past 130+ years, many storms have raged across this province. A small number of trees have survived these blows, sometimes with the assistance of their neighbours and sometimes through their own strength and tenacity. One of the longest living veterans of these struggles in the Charlottetown area came to sudden end on the night of February 4th. This gentle giant had yielded limbs to these onslaughts in the past but, on this fateful night, it succumbed in total as it collapsed into the Royalty Oaks woodlot to which it helped give birth. This massive oak, the largest known oak in the province, measured 1.5 meters (5.0 feet) in diameter at 1.3 meters above the ground.

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I i (-f‘.» \ , by Brian Dalzell

WHO WILL SEE THE FIRST HUMMER?

If you make a point of feeding Ruby-throated Hummingbirds during the .aring and summer, then you could make a valuable contribution. towards understanding the timing of this species' migration. Volunteers are needed on P.E.I. to record the first arrival dates of male and female ruby-throats at hummingbird feeders in 1995.

Simply make sure your feeders are up by the first of May, and record the date when you see your first male ruby-throat (the males arrive first), and then the first female. Send this information to Hummertime, c/o Queen's University Biological Station, Box 31, RR # 1, Elgin, Ontario KOK 1E0. You can phone the results to 613-359-6423. Be sure to leave your name and mailing address if you do.

All participants will receive a copy of the results of the project sometime during the fall of 1995 or early in 1996. If you are reading this notice after the spring arrival of hummingbirds in your area, you can still make a note of when male and female hummers are last seen at your feeders in August and September and forward the information to the Hummertime.

Editor's Note: The Society will forward hummingbird sightings for this project so if you send in the information to the Editor of the Island iaturalist it will be sent along to Hummer.

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