MISCELLANEOUS SIGHTINGS

Harbour seals - 2 late in Jan. under Hillsborough Bridge (RR,SH) Red 5 uirrel - 1 on feeder in East Royalty, while sharpshinned hawk ate a Starling on the ground below, Jan. 6 (MW) - 12+ in Montague, Jan. 11 (BD,RB) — 2 at Indian River, Jan. 19 (TC) - 3 at feeder or nearby in Lewes, Feb. 1 - 20 (RR,GS) Snowshoe hare - up to 3 in Lewes during late Jan. (RR,GS) - 1 in Culloden, Feb. 17 (RR,GS) Red fox - 1 running across Rte 24 near Caledonia, Jan. 24 (GS,RR)

CONTRIBUTORS THIS MONTH: GB - Gwen Beck; JB - Jamie Burton; RB - Rick Burger; JC - Jean Carmichael; BC - Betsy Cayo; TC - Thelma Clark; AC - Alice Clements; FC - Francis Curley; FRC - F. Rosemary Curley; WC - Wanda Curley; KD - Katherine Dagg; BD - Brian Dalzell; AD - Andy Dean; HF — Helen Ferguson; RF - Rory Francis; SH,— Susan Hinton; GGH - Geoff Hogan; EBKH - Everett, Betty & King Howatt; TH — Theresa Hughes; NBL - Norah Longworth; GM - Gerald MacDougall; BM - Bruce MacLaren; SM - Sandy MacLean; DM - Dorothy MacLeod; SLM - Sandi Mahon; EM - Evelyn Meader;

HM - Harry Mellish; TM - Thelma Murchison; GP - Geraldine Peters; FJP - Frank Joseph Peters; RR - Ruth Richman; GS — Gary Schneider; JCS - Julie Schroeder; SS — Sue Stephenson; JES - John & Ella Stewart; JS - Jane Symmes; JT - Jean Thompson; MWE— Miriam West; and MW - Mary Willms.

IXEK'Bfitor:

In response to Margaret Wheatly's inquiry re: the pair of geese on the river in Bonshaw, I had several people ask me about these same birds until finally I nanaged an observation myself. In mid-May of last year Sue Stephenson, Jamie Burton and I were en route to a Breeding Bird Atlas meeting in Moncton when we passed through Bonshaw. Spotting the geese plainly in View from the highway, we pulledtmmu to getaibetterikxmn TheIdutesxxse wassfittinngxa nestcxithe low "island" in the river while her dark mate stood on guard nearby. At first glance something seemed peculiar about this pair. It had been suspected that a Smvaooeatad gfiredvdxh a CmuflbIRxme atitheytsd afizuplrmsQMEpimgin Eonsmmm.Thisvxuld nanosttnnnnwd not<xdy for una'nuxedtmuriamy'bmt beanseskmwtafisezne unflrarmsuas axiodhraxmuy flavaEwatkfisexmst wild on P.E.I. On close examination I think I have the answer. The "Snow Goose" is actually a white domestic goose (granted, rather slim”. Most particularily, there is no "grinning patch" or large blackish patch where the bill crnes together. This is a diagnostic feature of Snow Geese. As she was sitting on the nest we couldn't see leg color. It was the gander that seemed the bigger puzzle as hetsd fluaappanancecnfa.Gmuda(3xse:éhrk mxkzsU3fldng'amithetzace of a white cheek patch, but his overall color was less so. In fact, I believe the gander is a hybrid offspring between a domestic goose and a Canada Goose. This seems rather crnplicated but I have seen offspring from such a pairing before, in High Park, Toronto. They resemble Canada Geese bery closely except that the extent of white on the cheek and belly areas is more variable and leg color is not true black as in Canada Geese. Besides, they can fly stronly, unlike most domestic geese. I wonder if anyone ever saw the geese in Bonshaw flying? In any event, this is my interpretation of what was going on last summer in Bonshaw. It raised a lot of interest. I wonder if the geese knew?

Sincerely,

Gafifikgan.

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