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Ex LIBRIS UNIVERSITATIS ALBERTENSIS Digitized by the Internet Archive in 2019 with funding from University of Alberta Libraries https://archive.org/details/bluejay521sask March 1994 mk%m Blue Jay, founded in 1942 by Isabel M. Priestly, is a journal of natural history and conservation for Saskatchewan and adjacent regions. It is published quarterly by Nature Saskatchewan, Box 4348, Regina, Saskatchewan, S4P 3W6. CN ISSN 0006-5099. Editor: J. Lynn Brown Associate Editors: Margaret Belcher, J. Bernard Gollop, Wayne C. Harris, Ronald Hooper, Robert W. Nero, Carol A. Scott, Vernon L. Harms EDITORIAL INFORMATION: All items for publication should be addressed to the editor, care of Nature Saskatchewan (see address at top). Deadlines for each issue are two months prior to issue, i.e. 1 January, 1 April, 1 July, and 1 October. Please include author’s telephone number for editorial contact, if necessary. Typewritten manuscripts should be double spaced and submitted in duplicate. 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THIS ORGANIZATION RECEIVES FUNDING FROM Saskatchewan LOTTERIES4ML UNIVERSITY LIBRARY UNIVERSITY OF ALBERTA^^^H^^HBPIW Blue Jay Vol. 52 No. 1 March 1994 1-60 Insects PIKE LAKE BUTTERFLY CENSUS 1986-1992. Ken Plvnlck 1 . Birds 52ND ANNUAL CHRISTMAS BIRD COUNT 1993. Compiled by Wayne C. Harris - and Sheila M. Lamont......4 NORTHERN HAWK OWL IRRUPTIONS IN SASKATCHEWAN: 1990-91 AND 1991-92. Paul C. James.....25 UNUSUAL AERIAL DISPLAY OF RED-TAILED HAWK. Robert W. Nero.29 NORTHERN (BULLOCK’S) ORIOLE AT SASKATOON. D.H. Wright.31 POMARINE JAEGER AT LAC LA PLONGE, SASKATCHEWAN. Burke Korol and Robert Wapple.33 WEYBURN SHOREBIRD STUDY: 1990-1992. R.A. Belanger.36 RUFFED GROUSE DANCE. Keith Barr.43 Mammals SASKATCHEWAN CHRISTMAS MAMMAL COUNT 1993. Compiled by Wayne C. - Harris and Sheila M. Lamont.45 Poetry I AM DEER. Peter Jonker.54 In Memoriam WALDEMIR YANCHINSKI. Margaret Belcher.55 ALVENA SCHNELL. Frank Roy.57 Columns EDITORIAL.59 ERRATA.28 WEASELS COME IN THREE BASIC SIZES? Donald Dobie.ii 52(1). March 1994 WEASELS COME 1 IN THREE BASIC SIZES? Growing up on a prairie farm, the for the night in a vacant log cabin only weasel that I knew was the used by range cowboys at roundup Short-tailed Weasel. Its distinctive time. The cabin was beside a small tracks in the snow gave away its creek at the foot of Mt. Rae. Songs presence, alerting many a farm boy of birds, occasional whistles of to the prospect of making a bit of ground squirrels and the gentle mur¬ money. I do not believe that this mur of the stream were the only made the weasel population very sounds heard, a far cry from city life. happy, but the weasels were not ex¬ actly angels either. One of their main For excitement we had a visitor — activities was raiding the chicken a very curious weasel — during our pen, much to the dismay of the evening meal. It came to the door, owner. placed its forefeet on the sill and looked us over with what appeared The tracks looked like weasel to be great interest. It was much tracks, but a five-inch long weasel? I larger than any prairie weasel that I had never encountered one so had ever seen, being at least 18 small. This was a few years later in inches in overall length. I discovered the area north of the Waterhen later that it was likely a Long-tailed River. But when I finally saw one, I Weasel. One marked difference was became a believer. It looked just like the feet, which were brown. The its prairie cousin, but about one-third Short-tailed Weasel’s are white. And the size — so tiny that I wondered its tail was longer and bushier. As it how it could survive. stood there, its shiny brown coat, the strong looking face and sturdy It was a Least Weasel, sometimes stance did not escape the incredu¬ called a bush weasel. After checking lous gaze of my family. Finally be¬ me out for a few seconds it carried coming tired of looking at us, it took on with the hunt, a small, white, off in its never ending search for ghostly form with bright eyes and a food. I must say that it was a most black tip on its tail. Working around interesting example of wildlife. Even the base of willow clumps, it was no my discourse on its lifestyle failed to doubt hunting for mice, voles and dampen my family’s unbridled admi¬ shrews, and would likely settle for ration. grubs and beetles as well. Going by the amount of energy it was expend¬ One could say that weasels come ing, it would take a lot of food to exist in three sizes, small, medium and in the extreme cold of winter. large. Each the best for its particular habitat, each the product of the Meeting a full grown weasel close balance of nature. up, face to face, would probably not suit everybody. I recall such a hap¬ - Donald Dobie, 3036 Mallard Street, pening during a weekend trek in the RR#3, Victoria, British Columbia. Alberta foothills. We were camped V8X 3X1 Blue Jay PIKE LAKE BUTTERFLY CENSUS 1986-1992 KEN PIVNICK, 209 - 7th Street East, Saskatoon, Saskatchewan. S7H 0W9 The Xerces Society, an interna¬ more productive. In this article I pre¬ tional, U.S.-based organization dedi¬ sent the results of these counts to cated to the conservation of inverte¬ stimulate further interest in butterflies brate species, initiated the annual on the Prairies (Table 1). Fourth of July North American But¬ terfly Count in 1975, patterning it The common names used here after the highly successful North are from the Butterflies of Manitoba,3 American Christmas Bird Count. The or The Common Names of North goals were to stimulate more public American Butterflies4 where they are awareness and interest in insects not listed in the first book. Correc¬ and the effects of human-induced tions have been made to the species habitat change on them, as well as lists originally reported in the annual to collect data on major population count reports published by the trends of individual species. (The Xerces Society.* success of this last goal has been evaluated recently.5) I initiated a but¬ Although called “Fourth of July” terfly count at Pike Lake near Saska¬ counts, they actually take place be¬ toon in 1986. In 1990, Ron Hooper tween June 13 and July 26. The Pike initiated a second one for the Prairie Lake count has shifted from late July Provinces in Fort Qu’Appelle. By in 1986 and 1988, to early July from 1991, 145 butterfly counts were re¬ 1989 on, for reasons beyond my ported in Canada and the U.S.6 control. However, I intend to keep the present approximate period for In 1986, I designated the central comparability of data. There are point of the 15-mile-diameter (24- some striking shifts in species pres¬ km) circle of the Pike Lake count on ence as a result of the date shift. the “T” junction at the north end of Most notably, Alfalfa Butterfly, Pike Lake. I have reported a count Bronze Copper, Aphrodite Fritillary, each year since, except in 1987 and and Common Wood Nymph were 1991 when the weather was not con¬ counted primarily in 1986-1988, as ducive to butterfly counting (in 1987, they are more commonly present in I tried a second time with equally late than early July. Other butterflies, poor weather cooperation). Each including Western Tailed Blue, White year, I have had two to seven people Admiral, Northwestern Fritillary, assist me, making the count all the Ringlet, Long Dash, and Silver- *My original identification errors were detected based on more experience, and on con¬ sultation with Ron Hooper of the Royal Saskatchewan Museum, Regina. In 1986 and 1988, we counted Northern Pearl Crescents, not “Pearl Crescents’ as originally re¬ ported. In 1989, two “Northern Pearl Crescents” were actually Tawny Crescents. In 1986 and 1988, I recorded “Checkered Whites”; these were actually Western Ched ered Whites, formerly considered separate subspecies, now consider — species.2,3 One “Spring Azure” in 1989 was actually a Silvery Blue; ail “Tawny-ed^ec Skippers” in 1989 were actually Garita Skippers. 1 52(1). March 1994 Table 1. BUTTERFLIES COUNTED IN PIKE LAKE CENSUS 1986-1992. Butterfly species Numbers collected July 27 July 23 July 9 July 8 July 4 1986 1988 1989 1990 1992 True skippers Silver-spotted Skipper 0 0 1 3 7 Dreamy Dusky Wing 0 0 0 0 1 Common Checkered Skipper 0 0 0 6 0 Garita Skipper 0 0 6 2 15 Long Dash 0 0 3 4 6 Peck’s Skipper 0 0 1 0 2 Swallowtails Tiger Swallowtail 0 0 2 0 0 Whites and sulphurs Cabbage White 12 7 1 2 4 Western Checkered White 32 21 o 16 21 Common Sulphur 0 0 0 2 0 Queen Alexandra's Sulphur 0 1 0 0 0 Alfalfa Butterfly 34 66 0 0 0 Coppers, hairstreaks and blues Bronze Copper 3 3 0 0 0 Coral Hairstreak 3 0 0 1 0 Acadian Hairstreak 2 1 0 1 0 Spring Azure 1 0 16 1 3 Melissa Blue 0 42 0 10 1 Western Tailed Blue 0 o 3 14 3 Greenish Blue 0 0 0 1 0 Silvery Blue 0 0 1 0 1 Brushfooted butterflies Great Spangled Fritillary 49 11 3 10 1 Aphrodite Fritillary 1 6 0 0 0 Mormonia Fritillary 0 2 1 0 0 Northwestern Fritillary 0 0 2 6 6 Silver-bordered Fritillary 3 0 10 15 0 Gorgone Checkerspot 0 0 0 0 1 Northern Pearl Crescent 31 9 26 36 40 Pearl Crescent 0 0 0 0 1 Tawny Crescent 0 2 2 0 0 Red Admiral 0 0 1 1 1 Painted Lady 0 1 0 1 11 Milbert’s Tortoise Shell 0 0 0 1 0 Satyr Anglewing 0 0 0 1 0 Gray Comma 0 0 3 0 0 Mourning Cloak 0 0 1 0 0 White Admiral 0 0 18 13 4 Satyrs and wood nymphs Ringlet 0 0 0 0 11 Common Wood Nymph 58 42 0 3 0 Milkweed butterflies Monarch 0 0 0 0 1 Total Species 12 14 19 23 21 Total Individuals 229 214 101 150 141 2 Blue Jay