BE ON THE LOOKOUT

(Editor's Note: The following report was sent in by a new member of the Natural History Society, Brian Dalzell of Moncton. Thanks for this and for the sightings from past visits to the Island which have been passed on to Geoff Hogan).

If you see a Canada Goose with a yellow plastic collar on its neck, the information could be useful in helping waterfowl biologists solve the riddle of why the geese have changed their traditional migration patterns.

Federal and state waterfowl biologists in eight states from New York to South Carolina trapped about ten thousand geese last fall and marked them with three—inch long yellow neck collars and aluminum leg bands. Each collar has a large black letter and numeral code that can be read with binoculars at one hundred yards.

Persons observing live, marked geese are encouraged to report their sightings to Richard Malecki, U.S. Fish and wildlife Service, New York Cooperative Wildlife REsearch Unit, Cornell University, Ithaca, New York 14853.

For the information to be useful to researchers, reports should in- clude the following data: color of neck band; complete numeral/letter code in sequence; the observer's name, address and phone number; calen-- dar date and time of observation; location of sighting; estimated size of flock; and the habitat where the birds were seen, such as cornfield, wheatfield, lake, pond, etc. People who find dead geese and hunters who bag neck-collared geese are urged to report the data to the address listed on the legband.

- C CHECK-LIST NOW AVAILABLE

The third edition of the Prince Edward Island Field Check-liSt of birds has been printed and is available for distribution. Geoff Hogan, the author, reports that three hundred and three species of birds have been recorded on Prince Edward Island. The 8-page check— list includes the seasonal status of each bird which is determined by the number the observer may expect to find during a full day of ob- servation in a suitable habitat. This is the only bird check-list in Canada that incorporates this information on a provincial basis.

Mr. Hogan indicated that a "large number of changes have occurred since the check-list was last printed in 1978. Many people and organ- izations contributed the necessary information for this update".

The publication of the bird check-list is a joint effort of the Island Nature Trust and the Department of Transportation and Public Works. Copies are available free of charge by contacting the Provin- cial Parks Division at P.O. Box 2000, Charlottetown or the regional offices in Brudenell and Mill River. They can also be obtained from Tourist Information Centres or from the Island Nature Trust at Beaconsfield (phone 892-9127). People using the check-list are en- couraged to send their observations to the Nature Trust as background information for future editions of the list. ' .

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