BIRD IDENTIFICATION COURSE BEING OFFERED: 
     
    
   
   
    
     The Society will host a bird course as its primary event starting in October and running every second 
     
     month in the autumn schedule. The first segment commenced at our regular meeting on Tuesday, October 7 
     
     starting at 7:30 pm at the Farm Centre and will continue every second month. 
     
    
   
   
    
     STRIPED BASS: by Lena Phillips 
     
    
   
   
    
     The Striped Bass is also commonly known as a striper, rock, and rockfish. It is a dark olive-green color, 
     
     with bluish-black above, silver on its sides and a white belly. They have a triangular head, a large mouth and many 
     
     small, sharp teeth. The Striped Bass grows to be about 40—45 cm. What distinguishes this fish from others, like the 
     
     white perch, are its dark stripes. They have approximately 7-8 or more dark stripes along its sides. . 
     
    

    
     When the Striped Bass are young they are eaten by silver hake and cod. However, when they are older they 
     
     have very few enemies. Striped Bass are carnivorous fish and feed on small fish such as alewives, herring, smelts, 
     
     eels, flounders, mummichog, rock eels, sand lance, silver hake and silversides. As well as invertebrates like squids, 
     
     crabs, sea worms, amphipods and lobsters. 
     
    

    
     The Striped Bass is found in coastal waters here in the Maritime Provinces. During the months of May and 
     
     June, these fish travel to fresh water to spawn in Canada. The males spawn starting at age three to four years of age 
     
     while the females start at age four or five. Spawning lasts approximately two weeks, and, in that time, the fish may 
     
     lay 11,000 to several millions of eggs before going back to the sea. After about 72 hours, the “eggs hatch into free- 
     
     swimming yolk -sac larvae.” Striped Bass reproduce here in the Maritimes in the Northwest Miramichi River and 
     
     Shubenacadie-Stewiacke River estuaries. These fish are also found on RBI. in the Hillsborough, Dunk and Morell 
     
     Rivers. . 
     
    

    
     During the summer and fall, the Striped Bass travel hundreds of kilometres away from where they hatched 
     
    
   
   
    
     on feeding migrations. This is followed by their winters, spent in fresh-water, to escape the cold and deadly marine 
     
     temperatures. 
     
    
   
   
    
     Editor ’3 Note: The Atlantic Veterinary College ’5 Cardigan Hatchery is working with the Hillsborough River Area 
     
     Development Corporation to explore the potential for striped bass population enhancement to allow the 
     
     development of striped bass sport fishing. 
     
    
   
   
    
     GOLDEN EAGLE REPORTED AT EAST POINT: by Father Torn Margevicius 
     
    
   
   
    
     Mr. Seeler picked up us three Minnesotans in Charlottetown early in the morning of Tuesday, May 20, 
     
     2003 and drove us northeastward, birding as we travelled. We reached East point late in the morning - perhaps 10 
     
     or 1 1 am. It was a gorgeous morning: mostly thin cirrus clouds, almost no wind, temperature by then perhaps 18° 
     
     Celsius. We fist studied the birds on the uncommoningly-glassy-surfaced Gulf, then began walking the point 
     
     toward the left away from the lighthouse. As we walked, we began noticing raptors kettling above the East Point 
     
     land. With the sea and morning sun at our back, and a mostly clear sky, we had excellent viewing conditions. 
     
     Throughout the morning, we identified many species. Roughly in order of most to least numerous, they were: 
     
     Sharp-shinned Hawk (10+ individuals), American Kestrel (8-10), Merlin (4—6), Peregrine Falcon (3), Bald Eagle 
     
     (3), Northern Harrier (2), Osprey (l) and Northern Goshawk (1). I 
     
     The Sighting 
     
    

    
     I’m not sure who in our group first sighted the bird; I thinkI did. I said something like, “David, what have