MEMBERSHIP RENEWALS ARE NOW DUE. PLEASE RENEW AT THE NOVEMBER GENERAL MEETING OR BY clicking here for mail in form.

"When I moved here last year, after living and working in the Niagara area, I knew I would have an opportunity to be more involved and have more time to indulge my passion with the outdoors. Well...the involvement has certainly stepped up!

I grew up around the water, we hiked the Niagara Gorge and camped all summer at Lake Couchiching. Our parents shared with us their love and respect for Nature.

I was a member of the Peninsula Field Naturalists and have been on Christmas bird counts. More recently I helped my daughter, Lesley, in her research and monitoring of the Creek Park Coyote Pack, Niagara-on-the-Lake. We checked den sights, had Town Hall meetings (run for cover!) and hopefully changed a few attitudes about these animals.

I am enthusiastic about this latest challenge and hope to see you all out there somewhere having fun!

In the few weeks that I have been involved at the board level I have been impressed with the level of commitment, that you, the members, have contributed to all aspects of the Club's functions and goals. I salute you all in your efforts to keep this club such a vital and viable organization. I look forward to meeting you all and I hope to see many of you at the Christmas Pot Luck Luncheon----the food will be delicious and the company couldn't be any better!

-Audrey."

Did you know that in the summer of 1996, a group of people met for the formation of a prospective field naturalists club? That group was comprised of Bob Doesburg, Sabine Atteln, Kirsten Hedgecock, Bernie King, Georgena MacDonald, Erwin Meissner, Madeleine Miller, Andrea Lee-Burnet, Marg Reckhan, Jim Reckhan, and Hans Uhl. This new club became the Penokean Hills Field Naturalists.

"Keep a green tree in your heart and perhaps the singing bird will come." -Chinese Proverb

David & Ella Olson, Dorothy Kutt, Edith Kaiser, Hazel Thomson ( already on the Board), Alfred & Helga Neumann, Alan & Linda Davis, Slavko Koscevic, and Diana MacGowan.

This is the last issue of "The Wolf Howl" in 2001. May I take this opportunity to wish all our members and their families the best of the Holiday Season and Good Things for the new year of 2002. Trusting that everyone will have a safe and enjoyable winter, watching all those great birds, and feeding them too. Our annual Christmas Bird Count is on Dec. 14, and the Pot Luck Lunch is on Dec. 8. Hope to see many of you at both events.

Regards.... Ev Brooks

NEWFOUNDLAND........A FINAL WORD

In recent newsletters, we have written about one of Canada's provinces known as "The Rock".

We have made references to its history, its geography, its flora and fauna. During our trip across the island, we have been struck by its incredible beauty, particularly by its scenic coastal villages.

However, we have not yet spoken of what we believe to be Newfoundland's most valuable resource.....its people.

Adjectives to describe the character of its inhabitants are difficult to define. The courtesies and sincerities extended to us by many Newfoundlanders - people we had never met and may never meet again - are not easy to put into words, nor could we cite all of them.

For example, in the picturesque village of Durrell, near Twillingate, a fisherman who saw us admiring his wharf, exited from his residence, introduced us to his cat "Muffy", then proceeded to give us a tour of his boats, his fish house and adjacent facilities. He explained the fish processing, then unfolded his nets, throwing one into the sea. He retrieved it to demonstrate how a catch is made.

In the coastal village of St. Bride's, on the gorgeous Avalon Peninsula, we had rented a room with a kitchenette. It was situated in a nice but simple resort with a wonderful ocean view. At one point, there was a knock on our door. The young woman who looked after the rooms, informed us that her husband and young son had just returned from cod fishing on the high seas. (On the Labour day weekend licensed fisherpersons were allowed to catch 10 cod per day per person over a three day period,) She insisted on us accepting several nice fillets and handed us some flour and cooking oil to prepare them at once. We offered to pay her but she graciously and insistently declined. We never saw her again.

The Newfoundland government has frequently referred to itself as managing an economy in a "Have-not Province". We wholeheartedly disagree! They face a wonderful future!

"Oh beautiful Newfoundland!......When will we see you again?"

-Bob & Marthe Doesburg

Another reminder to all our members, that Renewals for the 2001 - 2002 year are now due. Fees can be paid at the meeting on November 13, or if you wish, you may mail your renewal to our address. Renewals are due by November 30.

ANOTHER REMINDER NOTE:

The Pot Luck lunch is being held on Saturday, December 8, at the Renaissance Centre. Be sure to come along, bring a favourite dish, your cutlery, plate, and yourself. Lunch will begin at 12 noon. This luncheon is held instead of our regular monthly meeting in December.

JOIN IN ON THE

PHFN 6^th ANNUAL - CHRISTMAS BIRD COUNT

FRIDAY, DECEMBER 14, 2001

A sign-up sheet will be sent around at the Nov. 13 General Meeting

WHAT IS IT ALL ABOUT?

AUDUBON CHRISTMAS BIRD COUNT (CBC)

More than 50,000 people participate each year in this all-day census of early-winter bird populations.  The results of their efforts are compiled into the longest running database in ornithology, representing over one hundred years of unbroken data on trends of early-winter bird populations across the Americas. Simply put, the Christmas Bird Count, or "CBC", is citizen science in action.
The 2001-2002 CBC is the one hundred and second annual count.

Up until the turn of the century, people commonly engaged in a holiday tradition known as the Christmas "Side Hunt":  They would choose sides and go afield with their guns; whoever brought in the biggest pile of feathered quarry won.  Conservation was in its beginning stages at the turn of the century, and many observers were becoming concerned about the indiscriminate slaughter of wildlife, and concurrent declines in bird populations. On Christmas Day 1900, ornithologist Frank Chapman, an early officer in the then budding Audubon Society, called for an end to the slaughter. He suggested that, rather than shooting birds, people count them instead. So began the Christmas Bird Count.  Thanks to the inspiration of Frank M. Chapman and the dedication of twenty-seven birders, twenty-five Christmas Bird Counts were held that day.  The locations ranged from Toronto, Ontario to Pacific Grove, California with most counts in or near the population centers of northeastern North America.

OBJECTIVES

The data from 100 years (and counting) of Christmas Bird Counts yield valuable insights into the shifting patterns, distributions, and population trends of bird species during the count period, which is from mid-December to early January.

Everyone has an event in their lives that is a first; their first Car, their first house, their first real job. Mine was to tour Western Canada for the first time since I was born, and lived out in Brandon, Manitoba, in 1966, for 2 Months.

My Dad and I left on September 16, 2001 for 2 weeks. We stayed in a Camper on top of his Pickup. Everything from Wawa, Ontario west was new to me.

I saw my first sighting of a Magpie at the town of Kenora, in northwestern Ontario, and thereafter, many more times all the way out to Banff, Alberta. A Magpie is a very large bird, about the size of a BlueJay, with a long tail.

From Manitoba to Calgary the landscape is very flat, with farms all over the countryside from North, to South, East, and West. Throughout the Prairies you can find bodies of water called Sloughs, and smaller bodies of water called Potholes. At most of these spots, you find a lot of different kinds of waterfowl from Ducks to Canada Geese.

In Saskatchewan, I saw Antelope for the first time, not very many; just 5 in different parts of the Province. Also in Saskatchewan and Alberta, we saw three large herds of Buffalo at different times.

By the middle of the first week we were camping at Dinosaur Provincial Park in Alberta, a smaller version of the Grand Canyon. All the campsites are down in the Canyon floor. The first evening we were visited by eight Mule Deer, and not being afraid of people, they wander all over the campground.

On Thursday, Friday, and Saturday we made it all the way to Banff and Jasper National Parks. Along with the Mountains and Ice Peaks and the famous Lake Louise Resort, came sightings of animals. In Banff, we saw Big Horn Sheep, Magpies flying all over the place, and Mule Deer; and in Jasper we saw a Mother Moose feeding her young. Big Horn Sheep, and for a real neat show - on the Saturday night - Elk came walking through our campground. They sounded like they were blowing horns as they moved throughout the sites. There was one Bull Elk in the Herd with half an Antler on his head.

On Sunday, it was time to start to make our trip back home. Between Jasper and Edmonton, we spotted three Coyotes at different places along the Highway. That evening we camped at Vermillion Provincial park in Alberta. There was a lake in the park and we were entertained by large flocks of Canada Geese and Snow Geese.

By Tuesday we had made it back to Manitoba, and we camped 2 nights at Riding Mountain National Park. It got it's name because of this big Mountain in the middle of Manitoba. We went for a drive in the park on Wednesday. In the morning, we spotted thirteen Flickers along one road, and also came upon a herd of twelve Buffalo. After lunch we went out again for another drive and spotted a Hawk.

Thursday we were well on our way back home. Around 9:00 am, we had reached Ontario, and just past Kenora, we spotted a Bald Eagle perched on the tip of a tall tree near the Highway.

We made it home on the Friday, and I was missing the mountains a little, the animals we saw, and also the visit through my home town. I will remember this trip through years to come, and will return again sometime soon.

Article by R. Scott Helman.

THE THINGS WE DID LAST SUMMER

The club arranged quite a few outings during the spring and summer of '01 and what follows is a "summery" of "sum" of them.

The canoe outing, led by Andy Penikett to the Mississagi River Delta Park on 26^th May 2001 was well attended, although some people were put off by an overcast sky. In the event, the weather was good and, for the most part, sunny, although a stiffish breeze meant harder paddling than normal at times and caused us to abandon the intention of going out on to "the big lake". A highlight of the trip was a visit to the site of a former Hudson Bay Company trading post and the still very visible cemetery there. We were able to see the grave of the first factor, William Cowie, who died at an early age in the spring of 1836, when his canoe went under the ice and he and a companion drowned. Our lunch was enjoyed among the gulls on a small, rocky island in Fisherman's Gut, after which we paddled back against the wind and, after a while, a light rain shower cooled us before we reached the sandy shore at the eastern edge of the delta.

Oskar and Sabine led the Trillium outing to Chutes Park on 30^th May. Although the thousands of White Trilliums (Trillium grandiflorum) there were a little past their peak, they still made a brave, if a trifle pink show and were worth the visit. Apart from the main event, there were many more plants to find from Bastard Toadflax (Comandra umbellata) to Nodding Trillium (Trillium cernuum) to Blue Bead Lilly (Clintonia borealis) and many more. We were fortunate to have Marg Reckahn in the group - she is a veritable mine of floral info and, together with Sabine, provided a very interesting commentary along the trails. The outing ended in the Massey cemetery which adjoins Chutes Park, where we found many interesting old graves.

June 22nd's Manitoulin Botany and Birding Bash was well attended and this event, led by local botanist Judith Jones was beautifully described by Marg Reckahn in the September 2001 :Wolf Howl".

Although the "Take a Hike" outing in Mississagi Park was scheduled earlier this year, to take advantage of cooler weather (it's usually in July) and on the Ontario Parks open day to provide free access to the park, the turnout was, to say the least, disappointing. Only three people turned up at Brunswick Walk on 24^th June, including yours truly. Two thirds of these were also members of the hiking club who were, unbeknown to the me, also running a hike on the Helenbar that day. The logical thing to do was to join them and a group of about twenty thus hiked the Helenbar on a truly gorgeous June day. This was pretty embarrassing for me as I was the only one not a member of the Courier de bois section of the Voyageur Trail Association (I like to take my time on a hike and smell the roses). Walking along that glorious trail with the scent of Pine-in-the-sun and taking in those wonderful views, I felt so sorry for all those who just couldn't be bothered, or maybe had attended the Manitoulin trip a day or two before.

The trip to Lorrain on the other hand was a delight enjoyed by quite a few. The 19^th July turned out to be a little "iffy" weather wise but this did nothing to damp the spirits of all who attended. The day was spent in exploring some of the secrets of Sabine and Oskar's extensive tract of wilderness and reveling in the shear unadulterated sense of freedom one can get from just being in such a wonderful location. One of the more civilized attractions seemed to be sitting in the newly built outhouse while reading from the extensive library therein and admiring the wide expanse of lake visible through the picture window. Sabine, Oskar, we envy you your hideaway but not the amount of hard work which obviously went into creating it! Thank you for sharing a little of your fortune.

The sixth annual "Picnic in the Park" on 25^th August saw, as usual, a good attendance and good weather. The pot-luck lunch was superb and varied and the company was, of course, of the best The co-conspirators were again the Friends of Mississagi Park who this year posted notices in the camping area inviting campers to our festivities. In the event, there were not too many campers in the park but two turned up for the event. They were from London Ontario and thought they had driven to the north pole to get here. They planned to take the Retirement Living tour during the next week and just loved the area (would you believe!). A little rain in the afternoon scattered the faint hearted while several people walked and canoed to try to work off the lunch. Praise must go to Bob Clark and Doreen Hill who arranged the event and to Tracy Snarr of Ontario Parks who graciously gave all "Friends" members complimentary passes to the park and arranged to have the picnic tables and canoes delivered to the beach area for all to use and enjoy.

On 8^th September, 4 canoes and seven paddlers sallied forth onto Little Rapids marsh north of Thessalon. The day was overcast but warm, with a few patches of blue sky to lure one into thinking things would soon improve. We paddled round the area on the northern side of a dividing road and decided to make our way through a narrow channel in the direction of the Thessalon River. The tall banks provided examples of many plants and shrubs including High Bush Cranberry, Joe Pye Weed, Bullrush and Aster. A Beaver repeatedly slapped the water ahead of us and a Kingfisher, first heard and then observed put in an appearance. Great Blue Herons and Cormorants were there and ducks aplenty. Some of us were learning to paddle and caused some joking rebuffs when the wrong manoeuver was made, especially in regard to the "draw" and "reverse draw". Hilarity was also in the air at one point when a beaver dam had to be run at speed, none of us getting over without a teeter-totter episode half way across. A trip to Lorrain (while we were in the area), invited there by Sabine for a late lunch was much appreciated and drew a fitting end to the day.

On 12^th September, Sabine again led what is becoming an annual event - a mushroom hunt, this year, for the first time, it was held in Sherriff Creek Sanctuary. Due to the wet late summer weather, mushrooms were there in abundance and, although the rain did not hold off even when ordered to, this led to the most successful fungus frolic in years. A lot of mushrooms were gathered for the pot including Boletes (one of them appropriately named Zeller's Bolete), Morels and attractive Chanterelles, some of which were reputedly replanted near to the trail especially for the occasion by Sabine. Small edible puffballs were also found as were heavy Pigskin Poison Puffballs which, despite their looks and their name, are not puffballs at all, so there! A host of other tasty morsels were scattered around the area for all to enjoy and this outing no doubt convinced at least some of us to look a little closer before deciding that that large, reddish, slimy toadstool is not a nasty thing but the much prized King Bolete and very tasty indeed!

The Sherriff Creek Sanctuary Saturday Strolls were continued all through the summer and participants enjoyed the changing formats through the year from spring to the dog days of summer. These walks, aimed at observing the ever changing wildlife of the Sanctuary, will continue throughout the coming fall and winter seasons as in previous years. So I'll see ya on the trail, nature buffs!

-Dave Young

NOVEMBER / DECEMBER 2001 OUTINGS

Come to outings dressed appropriately for the day (check out the weather forecast). Trip leaders have the right to refuse people who are not properly equipped i.e hiking boots for a hike etc. Participants must make leaders aware of any serious medical condition that may arise during an outing. For further information about outings in general, call Naomi Maggs (848-5656)

WEDNESDAY, 14 NOVEMBER

TOUR OF ELLIOT LAKE WATER TREATMENT PLANT

Meet at the Water Plant on Spine Road (Just down from St. Joseph's Hospital) at 1.00 p.m. The tour will be all indoors but there will be a few stairs and ladders to climb so wear sensible footwear. This very interesting and topical tour will follow on from the talk given at the September meeting by Rob de Bortoli and should reinforce confidence in the safety of the Elliot Lake water supply.

SATURDAY, 17 NOVEMBER

CREEK CONSTITUTIONAL

Meet at the Sherriff Creek Sanctuary parking lot at 10.00 am for our regular Saturday morning walk around the Sanctuary trails. Don't loose sight of the fact that Sherriff Creek is a wildlife sanctuary and that includes plants as well as animals. We should be back at the gate by 12 noon. Please note that this is NOT a hike and can be undertaken by anyone who has the good fortune to retain reasonable mobility.

SATURDAY, 24 NOVEMBER

SHERRIFF SHUFFLE

Please be good enough to peruse the notes for 17 November.

SATURDAY, 1 DECEMBER

SATURDAY SANCTUARY CIRCUIT

Please draw your attention to the notes for 17 November. By now the snow will perhaps be flying, so by all means come with snowshoes or skis.

SATURDAY, 8 DECEMBER

ANNUAL POT-LUCK LUNCHEON

Come to the Renaissance Centre at 11.00 a.m. for our once-a-year-junket! Bring your favourite dish, enough for yourself and a few others too plus plates, cups and cutlery for yourself. We will sit down to eat at 12.00. Tea and coffee will be provided. Be sure not to miss this popular shindig!!!