GENERAL MEETINGS
Meetings are held at 7:30 pm on the last Monday of the month, except as noted. Definitive information on venues was not available at press time, but if history repeats itself, the September, January, March and May meetings will be at a Castlegar venue. Rep’s will have to advise. November meeting should be at a Trail venue. February Annual Banquet is in Trail, as well as the 2004 AGM and potluck in April. The venues will be listed here when formalized. Potluck in October is in the Robson Hall, 6:00 pm. June is the annual picnic. Venues vary. No meetings July, August, or December. Read your newsletter and attend the meetings! We have the presentation and refreshments before a short meeting. Bring your own cup, and coins for donations to the coffee fund.
WEST KOOTENAY NATURALISTS’ ASSOCIATION OFFICERS
2003 – 2004
Elected:
PRESIDENT Ed Beynon 365-7324
VICE-PRESIDENT Joan Snyder 226-0012
SECRETARY Hazel Kirkwood 365-5940
TREASURER Sharon Lelliott 365-1161
Appointed:
IMMED. PAST PRES Pat Thomson 362-7649
PROGRAM DIRECTORS Pamella Wik 368-3333
Webb Webster 365-2572
FBCN REPORTING DIR Joan Snyder 226-0012
NEWSLETTER PUBLISHER Margo Saunders 693-2229
ARCHIVIST Tom Allis 365-5542
Area Representatives:
CASTLEGAR Laima Allis 365-5542
Marg Webster 365-2572
TRAIL Lois Pazurik 364-2140
NELSON & AREA Bill Bennetts 352-9834
SALMO Dorothy Hearn 357-2265
Check out our new Club website!
Maintained by Sharpwit Web Consuls,
West Kootenay Bald Eagle Survey
In 2003, Michael McMann and Janice Arndt monitored all known breeding territories of Bald Eagles between Balfour and Castlegar in the West Kootenay. Of seven pairs, five successfully raised at least one young to fledging or near-fledging age. Our observations reveal a range of breeding-attempt outcomes and provide anecdotal information on hunting techniques and prey items.
Three nests are on the West Arm of Kootenay Lake between Balfour and Nelson. The first, near the community of Long Beach, was discovered this year during monthly Osprey monitoring by Elaine Moore and Janice Arndt. This nest fledged two young in mid-July. The second nest, near Kokanee Creek Provincial Park, has been active for several years. In late June, it held one chick, but by mid-July it was apparent that the nest had collapsed. Janice and her family canoed to the site and discovered the large eaglet dead beneath the nest tree, along with the remains of the nest and several prey items including Rainbow Trout, Northern Pike-minnow (squawfish), and a completely dessicated, uneaten American Coot. A third nest, near Seven Mile Point, was suspected for some time based on observations of adults but was only located in mid-July when the two young had already ventured onto nearby branches. One of the adults brought a fish to the calling and flapping juveniles while observers watched from a canoe nearby.
Three nests along the Kootenay River below Nelson have been monitored for many years. The nest on the island at Grohman Narrows Provincial Park fledged a single young in 2003 despite noise and disturbance throughout the spring and summer from heavy machinery just outside the park. A pair of eagles has attempted to nest several times below Corra Linn Dam; in 2000 the adults abandoned the nest for unknown reasons and in 2001 the nest fell. The pair rebuilt in 2003 but apparently did not lay eggs. The third nest on this stretch of the Kootenay River, on Gold Island, has been successful each year at least since 2000; this year it fledged two young.
The seventh nest within our survey area is on the Columbia River at Castlegar. It was notable in 2003 for two reasons: three young were fledged from the nest, and one young first left the nest on July 1st, an early date for our region. Campbell et al. 1990 (in Birds of British Columbia, Vol. II) reported that of 425 nests with young found in B.C., only 13 (3%) contained three young.
Keeping an eye on the eagles allowed us to witness a few variations to their usual hunting techniques which normally involve fishing, pirating an Osprey’s catch, or attempting to capture coots and ducks. Michael observed an adult bringing an unidentified downy passerine chick to the Grohman Narrows nest. Later in the season, he watched the male of the Gold Island pair initiate an attack on a ¾-sized Canadian Goose. The young goose was about 100 m from a flock of eight other young and four adults. The male eagle tried to dive and grab the young goose but each time the goose would submerge just out of reach. The eagle continued swooping but never entered the water beyond its lower legs. After approximately a half dozen attempts by the male, the female eagle moved in and tried the same maneuvers. It appeared they were trying to keep the young goose from coming up for air. The goose surfaced and, after evading more dives by the female eagle, finally reached the main flock. Both eagles raked away from the flock of geese as soon as the young one rejoined them. Almost immediately after the goose hunt the male eagle dove into the water after something else, likely a fish, and went in up to its neck. It rose out of the water, made a couple of flapping shakes with its wings to shed water, and flew off with empty talons. Michael has seen eagles enter the water like this for both fish and coots before, and speculated that the Gold Island pair may have been unwilling to plunge so deeply for a goose and risk a difficult struggle with such a large prey item. Similarly, Janice observed an adult eagle swooping on a trio of River Otters in the West Arm last fall. On the second pass it appeared that one of the otters surfaced just as the eagle reached it, and yet the eagle failed to attack the otter, as if realizing that it would be too big to handle in the water.
Janice Arndt and Michael McMann
This article also appeared in “BC Birding”,
the newsletter of the British Columbia Field Ornithologists.
Winter Bird Count - January 3, 2004
On a cold, cold blustery day, many faithful, intrepid souls braved the elements to check on how the birds were faring in our white, wintery land. Many thanks to all who participated. It wasn’t a fun day to be outside. People counted birds in Castlegar, Trail-Waneta, Warfield-Genelle, Rossland, Salmo, Slocan Valley, Beaver Valley-Fruitvale areas. The number of species recorded was 78, down a bit from previous years. Surprisingly, the total bird numbers were up from last year, from 7,557 to 8,464. For anyone who is interested, the stats are available in print or electronic form.
Quite a number of our bird counters in the Castlegar area have moved away, and we need more people to participate in the bird counts. If you have a basic knowledge of birds (or would like to learn to identify birds), and are willing to spend a few hours on two days a year, your help would be greatly appreciated. We need people to count the birds at their feeders, and also people who can canvass some subdivisions. Gary and Sharon Lelliott at 365-1161 would be happy to provide more information, and are willing to conduct bird identification outings.
Annual Dinner - February 27, 2004
The Annual Dinner was held on February 27, 2004 at the Castlegar Legion, with 47 Nats and guests attending. A delicious turkey dinner (and libations) was served and enjoyed by all. Marlene Machmer gave an informative and interesting presentation on the Great Blue Heron Study. Many donated items were raffled off. As well, two special books donated by Marg Barwis were raffled off and won by Beth Truant. The proceeds from this raffle will be donated to the Selkirk College Foundation Endowment Fund in recognition of Pat and Garth Thomson’s long and dedicated service to the club. Ed Beynon was presented with the well-deserved Member of the Year award. He has dedicated a great amount of his time and efforts to make this club successful. As well, he participated in and was instrumental in obtaining funding for the Great Blue Heron Study, and the acquisition of Waldie Island. The members who paid their dues before January 10th were included in a special draw for the book Castlegar, A Confluence, which was won by Judy and Brian Deon, new members from Nelson! All in all, a good time was had by all. Many thanks to everyone who contributed their home-made wine and helped fill the raffle table with prizes.
We would also especially like to acknowledge Bruce and his staff at van Hellemond Sporte of Genelle and Nelson for their contribution to the stunning plaque the Club presented to Ed Beynon. The nominating committee is given a specific amount to spend on these plaques, and when Bruce was told the top limit, he said, “Just pick out the plaque you like, and I will pitch in the difference.” Well, this difference amounted to more than our limit, so in effect, van Hellemond Sporte paid about 60% of the price! You must all admit that it is a most wonderful plaque, and we thank our benefactors for their very generous donation. Please support this local business with your orders for crests, T-shirts, jackets, mugs, and any engraving or advertising paraphernalia. They are the best!
Fry Creek Canyon: Rating – moderate.
Trailhead is just over an hour from Kaslo. What's on offer? Firstly, the drive! Once we leave highway 31 and get on to the gravel road we cross the Duncan River. Turning south towards Argenta we parallel the Argenta Flats at the head of Kootenay Lake. There are birds of many sorts on the swamps close to the road. Sometimes turtles can be found. The road here travels along the old railbed. Once past the hydro shed, producing power for about 12 homesteads, the road leaves the lake and turns off to Johnson’s Landing. We notice that we are travelling through mixed forest - cedar, hemlock and fir, but halfway down we obviously come into a different micro climate -- because the predominant tree species is ponderosa pine. A couple of corners leave us with incredible views directly down the lake. Past the community hall we pass small homesteads then we're at the well marked trailhead. The trail itself has been rerouted around private land. It starts off on its old path, but soon goes up and around a large logged patch which offers nice views of the lake. Once back on the trail we can notice a wire which, at one time, was the phone line for the few residents of Birchdale. After about 3 km we come to the new bridge over the canyon. This is a good snack/lunch spot, as the creek roars underneath us. From here there are choices. The trail continues south to Birchdale (another couple of kilometres). There are two trails down to the creek mouth and lake, or backtrack a hundred metres and turn east up the canyon proper. The canyon is spectacular, with its sheer granite walls, rugged waterway and trail clinging to its side. One can just set an arbitrary amount of time and walk until it's time to turn around. There are reputed to be goats in the canyon but I've never seen them. It is a very pleasant walk without too much grunt work involved.
Antoine Basin: Rating – easy.
East past Three Forks 4.4 km is a road leading to the right. Immediately it fords the creek, so we will need high clearance or 4WD vehicles. The drive to the alpine takes about 45 minutes on a fairly rough road with a couple of backup type switchbacks. But it is all worth it! What to see on the way? This area was home to many productive mines, the principal one being the Rambler. Ore was moved by aerial tramcar down to the CPR railroad at the bottom of the valley. Within a holf km or so on our left we see the remains of one of the tram towers. A bit further on, on the first steep bit of road, we cross the K&S railbed at the old townsite of McGuigan. It's a bit hard to see, but there is an 'iron cross' carved into a poplar tree to the right! McGuigan was a transfer point on the railroad and had a huge curved trestle which was burned out early on, and led to the demise of the K&S. A steep shaley trail goes down to the creek on the right, which is crossed by a footbridge. A trail has been cut along the railbed halfway to Payne Bluffs, but it is possible to bushwhack (through a couple of Devil's Club creek beds -- we'll leave that alone) all the way to the bluffs. On the left, the railbed can be followed toward Zincton and beyond. There are a few holes left by bottle hunters in the old town, but that's about it. Lots of fun to spend a day hunting about in the bush, but that's for another day. Onward and upward -- after the road traverses across the top of a clearcut, it crossed the creek. Here is the lower portal of the Rambler, now blocked but still with the ore cart tracks emerging. The old bunkhouse is also there, but collapsed. As we proceed upward, we pass the Washington mine on the right, the Dardanelle turnoff to the left (more mines, and hiking another day) and then the Rambler concentrator. This is a must stop place, but usually on the way down. After the Rambler, the road crests a ridge and ends at the Old Tom More mine. Fabulous views from here. The mine is still worked occasionally in the summer. We park here and follow the rough road upward. Wildflowers! Just above the Tom Moore the tailings from another mine show lots of fool's gold. If we branched right on an old Cat trail, we would come to Gene Peterson's Window in the Rock mine [book of the same name by GP, but out of print], but we continue up until, after a leisurely walk of about 40 minutes, we are in the Antoine Basin proper. This was quite the industrial zone, even until the '50's. Lots of mines and artifacts still. Lots of galena can be found. From here we can explore the alpine basin or follow a rough path to the ridge line. It is possible to do a trip around the basin on ridges and return to vehicles past Window in the Rock. This option is for confident hikers. To walk in the basin is easy. Once there, an hour or two can be spent exploring, according to people's wishes. On the return journey, a stop for half an hour at the Rambler is a must. So, an easy day physically, but long [considering the drive if coming from Castlegar/Trail] if you want value. Of course, others can leave earlier if they want.
TRIP REPORTS
November 22, 2003:
Twelve members hiked to the Lesy Cabin and beyond, above Fairview, south of Castlegar. The day was crisp, but only on the last part did we encounter snow on the gentle uphill grade. We were enamoured of the fact that it was so quiet. Although we were comparatively close to the highway, the traffic sounds did not impinge on our calm. We enjoyed viewing the Buxum sempervirens (common boxwood), and delighted in the antics of a grouse on the 2 – 3 km trip, which took exactly one hour to reach the first cabin. After lunch and photos, we trekked a very short distance to another, unfinished and abandoned large cabin. It is still in amazingly good condition, except for the inevitable deterioration of a few of the lower logs and the moss chinking. On the return trip we commented on the vagarities of the rocks and geology of the area, and did our civic duty by picking up cans and other debris left by off-roaders. Several mentioned that they want this trip included in next year’s plans, and that perhaps we contact someone to find out the provenance of the abandoned cabin [past DL8625]. Could we become its stewards?
Saturday, December 6, 2003:
Because of erratic and expected inclement weather, only four Nats showed for the hike up Bear Creek. (But, ha! It turned out to be one of the most clement weathers any of us had experienced in months!) The Atco Forestry Road, our trail, was virtually not-stand-on-able slippery as we set off, but the ice, by our return, had melted. Across from the Mykietyn homestead, we glimpsed the remnants of what, in Spring, is an impressive waterfall on the opposite bank. Margo got a few captivating photos. We had a pleasant, if uneventful walk 5 km in. At one point our martinet leader* announced that we couldn’t begin the return trip until ‘something exciting’ happened to us. We lunched in a clearing, and with the sun blissfully intense on the last leg of our trek, decided the area warranted greater exploration [see Program].
*that leader was Pamella
January 10, 2004:
This outing was originally scheduled to ski the Michener Creek area but because of parking restrictions was rescheduled to the Nancy Green Lake area. Again it was aborted because of deep snow and water under the snow on the lake. Eventually the six naturalists ended up skiing to the Ben Shaw cabin in the Nordic Ski Club area. The tracked trail was less challenging although one member had trouble with snow sticking to the skis. There was a cozy fire going in the cabin and we enjoyed a sociable lunch. No birds were sighted but numerous rabbit tracks were seen. The day was very enjoyable and everyone went home rejuvenated.
Saturday, January 24, 2004:
Eleven members came out for an impromptu cross-country ski from the Paulson summit in to the Griz cabin. Fresh snow was falling so any animal tracks were covered, but the winter beauty of snow-laden trees and bushes along the way caught many admiring glances and a few photos. Some of the participants skied on to the Porky Pine cabin. They found skiing conditions wonderful in deep, powdery snow. The cabin has been refurbished and is a very pleasant place to stop for a rest. On our way back, two mountain chickadees were spotted – the only birds seen on the entire trip.
Hazel Kirkwood
Saturday, January 31, 2004:
Seven members and one guest turned out for the ski to Moose Cabin. Some went up earlier that morning and shovelled out a parking space, enabling off-highway parking. The trip in took close to two hours. The entire route had been tracked a few days previously, but heavy snow had almost obliterated our efforts, so once again a new track was made. It was a bit icy among the trees, but generally it was a very good trip with glorious winter views. Old Glory was even visible for a few moments! We soon had a nice fire going in the cabin and enjoyed each other’s company as we ate lunch. A flock of redpolls were seen on the way in, and some golden crowned kinglets and mountain chickadees on the return trip. Some rabbit, coyote and bobcat tracks were also in evidence.
Saturday, February 7, 2004:
A small but avid bunch gathered for the annual Moonlight Ski on Nancy Greene Lake. Webb had brought wood for our cabin fire, pulling it in on his sturdy homebuilt sledge, while Margo supplied oil lamps for light and ambience. It was indeed an enchanting evening for a ski, with the moon peeping out now and then from cloud, and little snow to impede a swift glide to the far side of the lake. Upon returning to the cabin, we found fellow moonskiers, and chatted with them, pleased that others happily use the space, and that the cabin is not always alone. We enjoyed mulled wine and goodies, and agreed to return for the next full moon – in our determination to keep this more than a ‘once in a blue moon’ event.
Sat. Feb. 28, 2004 – Shield’s Creek Road Ski:
Eight of us met at the Nancy Greene Junction at 10:00 am. Though the morning sky had been overcast, the temperature was mild and soon after setting off on our skis we were shedding hats and jackets. When the sun did appear for part of the 4 km trip in, it was dazzling on the fresh untracked snow. We reached the top of the long hill down to the Arrow Lakes and had a short discussion on how far we planned to continue. Five of us went part way down, turned around and skied back up to join the other three for lunch. Now the sky was dark and snow granules were falling. This continued off and on as we skied back to our vehicles. Although we had hoped for more sunshine, we all agreed that it was a good outing. Thank-you to Webb, for filling in for Lois as leader.
Saturday, March 6, 2004:
Twelve Nats braved the heavy snow [on the ground] for a snowshoe hike in the Plewman Ridge area. The weather started out cool, but the sun came out and it was a bearutiful day. No animals or birds were sighted, but rabbit tracks were everywhere. After numerous directional changes – not knowing where we were, had difficulty crossing a deep gully and finally trudging through an old growth cedar forest – the group arrived at the shelter and enjoyed lunch by a cosy fire. The hike out was short, buch to everyone’s amazement, as it took two hours to snowshoe in and twenty minutes to hike out! Everyone had a very enjoyable day.
Harvey Pitman
[Warning: HP has a very wry sense of humour. Read between the lines!]
Saturday, March 27:
Despite the threat of rain four hardy Nats showed up for birding in the Waldie Island area. (10 people had earlier expressed interest). The day started out wet and cool but quickly changed to a beautiful bright warm Spring day. The pussy willows had gone to seed and the bright green of new blue camas plants abounded. Special birds of the day were a long-tailed duck (old squaw), a double crested cormorant, plus a few wood ducks. A pair of downy woodpeckers provided pleasant entertainment.
Ed Beynon
WELCOME!
New members to the WKNA for 2004 are:
Gil Arnold Rossland Margaret Knudsgaard Rossland
Ruth Beck Nelson Elaine Moore Nelson
July & Brian Deon Nelson Daryl Torres Nelson
Linda Kivi & Martin Carver Nelson Rita Wege & Larry Prosser Nelson
Robert Fox Trail Jane Nicholson Trail
Brent Hancock Castlegar Linda Hill Castlegar
Julia Roberts Castlegar Linda VanDamme Creston
Michael McMann & Kelly Fraser South Slocan