-2- ‘I. 
     
    
   
   
    
     IN LATE DECEMBER, a female Baltimore Oriole was attacked by a cat at 
     
     67 Ambrose Street. Andre Lavoie has the bird in captivity and is 
     
     feeding it "Harvest Crunch" cereal. 
     
    
   
   
    
     BETWEEN DECEMBER 25 AND JANUARY 3, Daryl and Margo Guignion sighted 
     
     robins on several occasions on or near their property in Green Meadows. 
     
     The morning of January 6 where food had been provided 24+ Blue Jays, 
     
    

    
     2 Slate Cblored Juncos and 2 Evening Grosebeaks were sighted feeding. 
     
    
   
   
    
     A SUMMARY OF THE TWO CHRISTMAS BIRD COUNTS showed a total of 47 dif— 
     
     ferent species seen on count days, and another, a Gray Jay, seen in 
     
     count week. A grand total of 6983 individuals were observed in the 
     
     P.E.I. National Park area and the Hillsborough area combined. 
     
    
   
   
    
       
     
    
   
   
    
     THE ANNUAL MEETING 
     
    
   
   
    
       
     
    
   
   
    
     The annual meeting of the Natural History Society of P.E.I. was held 
     
     January 4, 1977. Two new directors were elected; the other officers 
     
     were re—elected. The 1977 Executive is: Past President, Eleanor Lowe; 
     
     President, Diane Griffin; Vice-president, Dr. Winston Johnston; 
     
     Secretary—treasurer, Margaret.Mallett; Assistant Secretary-Treasurer, 
     
     Helen Duffey; Directors, Dr. Katherine Clough and R. Bruce MacLaren. 
     
     Kathy Martin will continue to edit the newsletter. 
     
    
   
   
    
     Items of business included the motion to extend commendation to Minister 
     
     of Environment, Hon. Gilbert Clements for new regulations banning non~ 
     
     returnable bottles in Prince Edward Island. There was a motion that 
     
    

    
     10 cents at least be added to'the purchase price of each bottle of 
     
     liquor or wine, to be refunded when the bottle is returned. It was 
     
     further suggested that the government inquire into means of recycling 
     
     these bottles. One motion requested that a letter be written to the 
     
     Liquor Commission asking why the commission is not accepting empty beer 
     
     bottles as is done in some other provinces. Reply is requested. All 
     
     motions carried unanimously. 
     
    
   
   
    
       
     
    
   
   
    
     DUCKS UNLIMITED POND AT MT. ALBION 
     
    
   
   
    
     On the Hillsborough Christmas Bird Count, Margaret Mallett and Mary 
     
     Willms walked 1/4 mile along the railway east of Mt. Albion siding and 
     
     found a pond where none had existed the year before. A dam had been 
     
     thrown up across an old beaver meadow, and a steel culvert with a small 
     
     fish ladder had been installed in the brook. Several small islands had 
     
     been bulldozed up to make nesting grounds for ducks. Fringe benefits 
     
     are: the pond is used for irrigation, and it made a fine place for 
     
     children to skate--and they were doing just that. In time, trout may 
     
     find their way in and it may become a fishing pond. It is reported to 
     
     cover 30 acres. A "beaver meadow" is what develops after a beaver dam 
     
     breaks and the pond drains away. Various swamp-type grasses and plants 
     
     grow up on the old pond bottom. "Ducks Unlimited" is a habitat- 
     
     oriented group which, with the consent of land owners, provides improved 
     
     breeding areas for ducks. 
     
    
   
   
    
     Margaret Mallett 
     
     53 Fitzroy Street 
     
     Charlottetown, P.E.I.