It never ceases to amaze me the speed and agility of this little hawk through thick cover. The tops of the apple trees where the Starling was hiding are very thick with interwoven branches yet somehow the hawk raced right through the entangled branches and caught the bird before it even got a couple of feet away from the tree.

As a side note the Christmas tree I put out on the patio for cover for the smaller birds is working out really well. After the hawk left I went out to replenish the water bowl only to scare lots of Juncos and a dozen House Sparrows from their hiding place.

A NEW FLORA FOR PRINCE EDWARD ISLAND by Kate MacQuarrie

Based on fieldwork by David Erskine in 1952/53, The Plants of Prince Edward Island was first published in 1960 and updated by Paul Catling, David Erskine and Bruce MacLaren in 1985. While it is a very useful book, the now out of print 1985 edition lacks the many new provincial records that have been found in recent years, is inconsistent with modern plant taxonomy and nomenclature, and does not have botanical keys and illustrations that would make it more useful to naturalists, land managers, students and the general public. The time has come to create a new Flora, and Island Nature Trust, the Atlantic Canada Conservation Data Centre and the Province of Prince Edward Island have teamed up to do just that.

This major project will include a review of existing information and two years of fieldwork (beginning in 2003). Data analysis, writing and mapping are expected to take a year or two after that, and the project team hopes the final product will be available in 2006. The new book will be much expanded from the original, including elements such as keys and illustrations.

In the meantime, we are seeking assistance fiom local naturalists who: ~ would be interested in volunteering time in the field to help with this major project; - have done any fieldwork on PEI and may have unpublished botanical records or specimens; or - are willing to donate illustrations for use in the book (including one-time-only use with the illustrator retaining copyright).

If you are able to assist this project in any of these (or other) ways, please contact: Kate MacQuarrie, Island

Nature Trust. intrust@isn.net PO. Box 265, Charlottetown, Prince Edward Island, CIA 7K4. Phone: 902- 892-7513. Fax: 902-628-6331.

NEWS FROM ABOUT:

The Island Nature Trust completed the purchase of Bird Island in northwestern Malpeque Bay. A special thanks has been extended to the Nature Conservancy of Canada, Ducks Unlimited Eastern Habitat Joint Venture Fund, the EJLB Foundation, George Cendric Metcalf Foundation, Aliant Telecom, Cavendish Farms, Cows Inc., H.L. Sear Insurance, Sea Cross Inc, plus many individuals and local businesses. (adapted from INT Update Issue 79)

Bird Studies Canada held a well attended workshop on bird conservation efforts and its voluntary monitoring projects at Sackville, N.B. on November 16th. Several local representatives attended.

. ' Piping Plover count regional results are up to 501 birds from the 2001 census number of 492 in the region. This compares to the 513 seen during the International Census in 1991. However, the number of chicks produced ranged from 1.04 per pair in Prince Edward Island to 1.38 in the Magdalen Islands. As the target is 1.5 for population recruitment needs, this has been a tough year for Piping Plover in the region (adapted from Piping Plover Guardian Newsletter # 12, Dec. 2002)