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. 
     
    
   
   
    
     -13-