THE 
     
     NATURAL HISTORY SOCIETY OF PRINCE EDWARD ISLAND NEWSLETTER 
     
     Newsletter No. 8 May 1975 
     
    
   
   
    
       
     
    
   
   
    
     Note: This will be the last newsletter issued until the fall of 1975. 
     
    
   
   
    
     NEXT MEETING 
     
    
   
   
    
     Date: Tuesday, May 6, 1975 
     
     Time: 8 p.m. Program before Business Meeting. 
     
     Place: Provincial Health Building, 3rd Floor, Room 47 and 48. 
     
    
   
   
    
     (Enter through underground garage on west side of the 
     
     Provincial Administrative Building). 
     
    
   
   
    
     Program: We have a special treat for the May program. Mrs Eileen 
     
     Stewart, one of the society members will bring her grade 
     
     five pupils from West Kent School. They will tell us 
     
     through stories, art work, and poetry about their activities 
     
     in natural history during the past year. You will also 
     
     hear about the Nature Pamphlet on Warren Grove that they are 
     
     producing. Be sure you arrive at 8 p.m. to avoid missing 
     
     any ofthe program. 
     
    
   
   
    
     ANNOUNCEMENTS 
     
    
   
   
    
     Unusual Spring Migrants 
     
    
   
   
    
       
     
    
   
   
    
     Spring Migration is an exciting time for the bird watcher. Every 
     
     year we manage to spot several birds which are either rare or have 
     
     travelled a thousand miles orsn outcf their way during migration. Spring 
     
     of 1975 has been no exception! Snow Geese normally use the Central Flyway 
     
     through Quebec and Ontario but this spring some migrated north on the 
     
     Atlantic Flyway. Roy Muttarsaw three snow geese on April 8 and seventeen 
     
     on April 9. They flew by his house on the West River. On April 20, 
     
    

    
     John Bain noticed three snow geese flyingvith a flock of Canada Geese 
     
     near Glenfinnan. 
     
    
   
   
    
       
     
    
   
   
    
     Another avian treat was meted out near the Queen's Road in Montague. 
     
     Barrett Horne phoned on Apri124, to tellts about the pair of Glossy Ibis 
     
     which had been there for several days. The Glossy Ibis, a rare migrant 
     
     visitor to P.E.I., is a large, long—legged wading bird with a long 
     
     decurved beak. Look it up in your Peterson's "Field Guide to the Birds". 
     
    
   
   
    
     — Kathy Martin 
     
     U.P.E.I. 
     
    
   
   
    
       
     
    
   
   
    
     Speaking of strange birds, here's another-report: 
     
     - Is It A Bird? - 
     
    
   
   
    
     This description of a strange bird was forwarded to the Fish and 
     
     Wildlife Division by a stymied observor. The bird has orange wing—tips, 
     
     a grey back fleckedvith orange, gray neck, white breast and belly and 
     
     an orange cheek pouch. It was seen at North River the first week of 
     
     April. One more clue — it was 1 1/2 times the size of-a Canada Goose 
     
     and was feeding with a flock of honkers. After much discussion it was 
     
     decided that it was a domestic Chinese Grey Goose from a near-by farm. 
     
     Some bird! 
     
    
   
   
    
     — Rosemary Curley 
     
     Fish and Wildlife Division