was licking it clean! When we turn on the light, the racoons flee but not the skunk. He just lifts his tail and protects the territory until the racoons come back. Then everyone starts feeding again! This has been repeated every evening now for at least 3 days now - before we don't know. Had noticed the feeder being exceptionally clean each morning but didn't know why.
As for the birds - we still have a lot of juncos, tree sparrows (and others too) chickadees and goldfinches with the occasional Purple Finches, Mourning Dove, Blue Jays, and Downy Woodpecker at the feeder. Flying over is the occasional Bald Eagle, some kind of broad winged hawk, Great Blue Herons, gulls, crows (eating the "compost") and ravens.
NEWS FROM ABOUT: ' Compiled by Dan McAskill
The Provincial Forests Section of the Department of Agriculture and Forestry launched its web page to improve communications with those wishing to obtain information on management of these provincial government owned lands. They will be holding three consultations across the Island to public input into value based forest management, forest wealth creation, and management of the Provincial Forest (See Environmental Calendar). You can visit the web page at http://wwwgov.pe.ca/af/agweb/index.php3
The Departments of Agriculture and Forestry and Fisheries, Aquaculture and Environment combined expertise to produce a new booklet on Best Management Practices - Agricultural Waste Management. This effort will assist farmers working on Environmental Farm Plans for their properties and is a welcome addition to easily understood information. Contact 1-800-236-5196 to obtain a copy. (Gilan/Murphy Press Release, Feb. 27/01)
The Cooper Institute, the Atlantic Council for International Cooperation and six community partners such as the Village of Mount Stewart participated in a dialogue on Climate Change. A value based discussion technique called deliberation was used to allow the participants to voice concerns and discuss potential solutions. These will be presented at a regional meeting this spring. (Cooper Institute Correspondence)
The latest Canadian Species at Risk list was released in November 2000 by the Committee on the Status of Endangered Wildlife in Canada. This year 11 new species were added to the list, 7 were upgraded to a high level of risk, and 1 was down listed to a lower level of concern. There are now 364 species on the list. 12 are extinct, 15 extirpated, 107 endangered, 76 threatened and 154 of special concern. There are another 24 species that have been considered for which there is insufficient data.
The Great Backyard Bird Count ran as scheduled on the weekend of Feb. 16th to 19th. Cornell Lab of Ornithology has established a video cam with an infrared illuminator in a Barn Owl nest box in Florida. You can visit their site at http://birds.comell.edu/birdhouse/camfiamehtml Other species will be shown as the year progresses.
Visiting Ontario between 2001 and 2005? Interested in birding? If the answer is yes, Ontario has commenced its second Breeding Bird Atlas and you could participate. View the Atlas page at www.birdsontario.org or telephone Nicole Kopysh at 519—826-2092. (adapted from TFN 498, Mar. 2001)
An effort to protect plants from extinction has led to the banking of millions of seeds from at least 24,000 plant species. The seeds are stored in underground, bomb and flood-proof vaults in the newly opened Millennium Seed Bank in England. (adapted from TFN 497:23, Feb. 2001)