STUDIES OF WATERFOWL IN BRITISH COLUMBIA: PINTAIL

1944 ◽  
Vol 22d (3) ◽  
pp. 60-86 ◽  
Author(s):  
J. A. Munro

Dafila acuta is an abundant transient through British Columbia following routes along the outer coast, the inner coast, and the main north and south river systems of the interior. The spring migration takes place during March and April and is not protracted but the autumn migration is one of successive movements from mid-August to early December. The largest flight sometimes appears on the mainland coast in late October. Both northbound and southbound flocks concentrate on the Coastal Plain. The chief wintering grounds are in western Oregon and in California, the most densely populated nesting grounds in Alaska. Recoveries of banded birds have verified observational migration data and have shown also that many individuals use the same route in successive years, some arriving at a given point on approximately the same date. In British Columbia the principal nesting ground is the parklands of the Cariboo region and the peak of the spring migration is in late March or early April. Following its conclusion the residual population is scattered over a wide area characterized by grassland and many types of ponds and sloughs. Courtship is at its height in April and laying commences in May. Nest sites usually are dry and may be several hundred yards from the nearest water. The majority of young appear in June and are led by the females to meadows and marshes provided with adequate cover. The females remain with the brood and actively defend them during adolescence. Males leave the females when incubation begins and gather in small bands on water adjacent to the nesting grounds. Many migrate in advance of the flightless period. Downy young feed largely on the larvae of aquatic insects. The most important item in the diet of adults during autumn and winter is seeds of various meadow and aquatic plants. On the coast this element is characterized by Polygonaceae and Scirpus americanus, in the interior by Potamogetons and Scirpus acutus. Insects and animal matter generally constitute a less important food. The pintail is second to the mallard, Anas platyrhynchos, in economic importance and like it is a source of revenue to the Province. On the debit side the pintail causes some loss to agriculture by eating forage crops but this is not extensive and is amenable to control.

1971 ◽  
Vol 28 (10) ◽  
pp. 1527-1544 ◽  
Author(s):  
Josephine F. L. Hart

Three hermit crabs, Pagurus caurinus, P. quaylei, and P. stevensae, from British Columbia are described as new. Calastacus quinqueseriatus Rathbun, Paguristes ulreyi Schmitt, Pagurus cavimanus (Miers), P. samuelis (Stimpson), Parapagurus pilosimanus Smith, Munidopsis quadrata Faxon, and Chionoecetes tanneri Rathbun have not been recorded from the area between 48° and 55°N and 123° and 135°W, and also show considerable extensions of the known ranges. Within the confines of the same area, Callianassa gigas Dana, Paguristes turgidus (Stimpson), Pagurus cornutus (Benedict), P. hemphilli (Benedict), Orthopagurus minimus (Holmes), Petrolisthes cinctipes (Randall), Sceleroplax granulata Rathbun, Pinnotheres pugettensis Holmes, P. taylori Rathbun, and Planes marinus Rathbun are reported with extensions to known ranges. Pagurus capillatus (Benedict), P. tanneri (Benedict), Paralomis verrilli (Benedict), and Lithodes couesi Benedict are recorded, apparently for the first time from British Columbia, although known from both north and south of this area.


1982 ◽  
Vol 18 (3) ◽  
pp. 337-359 ◽  
Author(s):  
L. McCartan ◽  
J. P. Owens ◽  
B. W. Blackwelder ◽  
B. J. Szabo ◽  
D. F. Belknap ◽  
...  

AbstractThe results of an integrated study comprising litho- and biostratigraphic investigations, uranium-series coral dating, amino acid racemization in molluscs, and paleomagnetic measurements are compared to ascertain relative and absolute ages of Pleistocene deposits of the Atlantic Coastal Plain in North and South Carolina. Four depositional events are inferred for South Carolina and two for North Carolina by all methods. The data suggest that there are four Pleistocene units containing corals that have been dated at about 100,000 yr, 200,000 yr, 450,000 yr, and over 1,000,000 yr. Some conflicts exist between the different methods regarding the correlation of the younger of these depositional events between Charleston and Myrtle Beach. Lack of good uranium-series dates for the younger material at Myrtle Beach makes the correlation with the deposits at Charleston more difficult.


2007 ◽  
Vol 34 (4) ◽  
pp. 296 ◽  
Author(s):  
Angela J. L. Pestell ◽  
Sophie Petit

In order to enhance future trapping of the western pygmy possum (Cercartetus concinnus) and minimise the capture of non-target species in the context of animal ethics, we examined the effectiveness of several pitfall-trap capture methods and described capture patterns at Innes National Park, South Australia. For 2606 trap-nights, 78 (2.99 per 100 trap-nights) captures were pygmy possums (70 individuals). They represented 69% of the 113 vertebrates captured, followed by house mice (Mus domesticus) (22%). Nocturnal captures of pygmy possums varied with season (5.21 per 100 trap-nights in spring and summer, and 1.02 in autumn and winter). Males were more commonly captured than females. Half of the pygmy possums used the artificial shelters provided in the traps. We alternated 39-cm-deep and 31-cm-deep pitfall traps along trap lines, with and without drift netting. Pitfall depth did not significantly affect the capture rate of pygmy possums, but house mice were captured significantly more often in deep pitfalls. Use of a drift net did not affect the capture of pygmy possums, but increased mouse captures. These results have significant ethical implications because the use of ‘shallow’ traps and the elimination of the drift net minimised the capture of non-target mice. We recommend reporting trapping details precisely, because a difference of only 8 cm in trap depth can have a significant impact on species selected for capture. Our study also showed that pygmy possums are able to use a range of structures for daily shelter and are not dependent on hollows.


1981 ◽  
Vol 18 (2) ◽  
pp. 205-216 ◽  
Author(s):  
G. H. Eisbacher ◽  
J. J. Clague

Historical landslides in the urbanized Vancouver region, southwestern British Columbia, have almost commonly occurred along escarpments within and at the margins of gently rolling upland surfaces underlain by Pleistocene unconsolidated sediments. The most common and most destructive landslides are debris avalanches and debris flows. They are triggered by intense autumn and winter rainstorms, when water infiltrates and saturates the surficial layer of weathered colluvium. After failure the veneer of debris gains momentum and picks up additional soil and uprooted vegetation. Debris avalanches may temporarily block gullies swollen with runoff water, thus changing into rapidly moving debris flows.A severe rainstorm in December 1979 was accompanied by destructive debris avalanches and debris flows in urban areas in the vicinity of Vancouver. A search of local newspapers and meteorological records back to 1900 indicates that this event was not unique, for at least 26 other comparable storms have triggered landslides in the Vancouver region during this century. Thus it is likely that landslides similar to those of December 1979 will occur repeatedly in the future. The danger of such landslides to life and property will grow if potentially hazardous sites are urbanized without appropriate protective measures.


1937 ◽  
Vol 69 (1) ◽  
pp. 5-13 ◽  
Author(s):  
E. M. Walker

While stationed at the Dominion Biological Laboratory at Cultus Lake, B. C., and conducting investigations on the sockeye salmon, Dr. W. E. Ricker spent some of his leisure time in collecting certain groups of aquatic insects and has generously presented the bulk of the material to the Royal Ontario Museum of Zoology. The Odonata, which were kindly sent to the writer, were collected in a most discriminating manner and include some interesting species hitherto unknown to the region. One new species, a Macromia, is described herewith, while the collection as a whole will be reported upon in a future paper.


1985 ◽  
Vol 22 (9) ◽  
pp. 1299-1313 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kory R. Koke ◽  
C. R. Stelck

The discovery of the arenaceous foraminifer Haplophragmoides gigas Cushman in the Hudson Hope area of northeastern British Columbia indicates that the Early Cretaceous (Albian) Joli Fou Sea flooded around the north side of the Peace River Arch, making an embayment that penetrated as far west as the Rocky Mountain Foothills. The microfauna of 25 genera and 46 species of arenaceous foraminifers is illustrated carrying Bathysiphon spp., Hippocrepina sp., Hyperammina spp., Lituotuba? sp., Psammosphaera spp., Reophax spp., Ammodiscus spp., Glomospira sp., Miliammina spp., Psamminopelta spp., Trochamminoides sp., Haplophragmoides spp., Ammomarginulina sp., Ammobaculites spp., Haplophragmium spp., Trochammina spp., Textulariopsis sp., Pseudobolivina spp., Plectorecurvoides sp., Verneuilina sp., Gaudryina sp., Uvigerinammina sp., Gravellina sp., and Eggerella sp.The suite occurs in the lower part of the Hasler Shale of the Fort St. John Group about 10–20 m above beds carrying a microfauna of the Ammobaculites wenonahae Subzone (= Stelckiceras liardense ammonite Zone) present in the basal portion of the Hasler Shale. The Haplophragmoides gigas Zone sensu stricto is overlain by a sequence of silty beds (Viking equivalent?), which in turn is succeeded by the Miliammina manitobensis Zone microfauna. The H. gigas assemblage has both boreal and southern aspects, suggesting a mixing of the waters from north and south as the first expression of the Colorado Sea in earliest late Albian time. The assemblage is a deep neritic one and lacks any calcareous component. Diagnostic megafauna are lacking.


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