Outdoors

TheReview

At the moment, several hundred
black brant geese are feeding
along our shores during a stopover
on their northward migration.

These very handsome small
geese are a welcome sight to
birders, especially to those of us
who feared a catastrophic drop in
their population because of the
Valdez oil spill a year ago.

Black brant are readily recog-
nized by their size, the dark head,
breast and neck, the latter with two
narrow white crescents which tend
to meet in the front. A broad white
band at the base of the tail is
conspicuous in flight.

Careful observation will reveal
that the geese are feeding almost
exclusively upon seaweed and
eelgrass growing in shallow water.
You may also note that our brant
consumes quantities of sea lettuce
(Ulva).

The birds rarely dive but, rather,
feed in the manner of mallards and
widgeons which tip-up with head
below the surface and tail in the
air. Most people will have noted
that brant rarely fly in regular
formations but move about in
loose irregular flocks. Their gut-
tural “‘hr-ronk, hr-ronk” calls are
distinctive.

The excellent naturalist, John
Macoun, noted as early as 1900
that black brant made their

appearance at the mouth of the
Yukon River about the middle of
May. While our black form is
essentially western in its breeding
and wintering range, the white-
bellied brant is almost exclusively

eastern. An intermediate form
occurs in the Old World.

Brant are gregarious and are
generally seen in flocks during the
winter, when migrating, and on the
breeding ground. In Canada, the
breeding range extends along the
entire Arctic Coast from Alaska to
Hudson Bay, as well as embracing
western Greenland and virtually
all of the High Arctic Islands to
the northern tip of Ellesmere. They
comprise a very hardy species,

primarily associated with sal-
twater.

Since there are both eastern and
western forms of this goose and
since both are Arctic breeders, one
would expect at least some overlap
in the breeding range and this is so
on Prince Patrick and Melville
Islands and in the Perry River
region.

Observing the black brant on its
breeding ground on the delta of the
Anderson River, east of Tuktoyak-
tuk, during two complete seasons
was an forgettable experience.

During our first year, they
arrived in small flocks on May 16
but were five days later the second
season. The tundra was still blan-
keted in snow.

However, when the snow melted
on the mud flats, the brant which
by now had greatly increased in
number, began to take up closely
spaced individual territories in
these low areas. They occupied
slight natural cavities, most of
which had been probably used by
geese during preceding seasons,
and began to pull together small
quantities grasses and coarse
weeds.

The nest was finally profusely
lined with a web of dark down
which the goose plucked from her
breast. This was pulled over the

BLACK BRANT

Cy Hampson Photo

PART TWO

Preserving bouquets of flowers requires a little bit more work than
just drying flower heads. After you have removed and dried the flower,
you will need to re-insert the stem in silica gel up to, but not covering
ihe petals. Seal the container and let it sit for another 2 - 3 days. For

flowers that are in sprays, dry the flowers and the stem separately.
These can be reassembled later with the help of glue and green
florist’s tape. A small soft brush will help to remove any residue silica
gel from the petals. ee
Some flowers, such as baby’s breath and rose buds can be air dried
quite nicely. Light coloured flowers will retain most of their original
colour while dark coloured flowers will tend to darken as they dry.
You can save some of the smaller flowers that you have dried to
reassemble in a wreath. Or you may just want to show them off in a
large glass bowl. | have found that flowers will retain most of their
scent and are fun to combine in a potpourri. To further preserve the
scent, the dried flowers can be mixed with some ground orris root and
oil of the particular flower. The oil can usually be found in hobby shops
or if you are looking for a spicy smell, such as cloves or mint, often
pharmacies will carry such items. Dried pine cones, cinnamon sticks
and whole cloves are just some additions you can make to your
potpourri for variety of scent and colour.
| find great satisfaction when | know that | have picked and dried my
own flowers, or made a potpourri and | hope that you will too.

TANNERS

Hobbies & Crafts
| 3rd & Beacon 656-4748

t JAMES

eggs when she left to feed: After
egg-laying had been completed,
the goose began incubating while
the gander stood guard nearby.
T.W. Barry, who had been study-
ing these geese for many years,
found that the incubation period
varied from 22 to 26 days. The
eggs finally hatched into delightful
dark grey goslings which were
conducted to nearby water as soon
as they had dried off in the

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A very Tare Townsend’s Solitaire
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areas in outer wing feathers were
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Incidentally, Mrs. van Andri-
chem, East Saanich Road, has a
bushtit’s nest in her tall heather
shrub.

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Wednesday, April25,1990 — Al4

Brant geese are welcomed back to Peninsula shores

eee