Subject: BIRDXXXX highlights (fwd)
Date: May 25 20:13:22 1994
From: Richard Cannings - vertmus at BCU.UBC.CA


Gray Flycatchers are certainly expanding their range northward into
ponderosa pine forests, and I seem to recall Ned Johnson saying they were
doing the same into the pine forests of California.

They moved north from Oregon to Washington in about 1970, and reached
British Columbia in the mid 1980's. They are still slowly expanding their
range there. In Washington and BC they are found in open stands of
ponderosa pine, often with an understorey of Purshia.

Richard J. Cannings cannings at bcu.ubc.ca
Cowan Vertebrate Museum (604)822-4665
Department of Zoology (604)822-2416 (fax)
University of British Columbia
Vancouver, BC V6T 1Z4

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Date: Fri, 20 May 1994 10:13:15 -0500
From: Paul DeBenedictis <BENEDICT at SNYSYRV1.BITNET>
Subject: Soft-pl. Petrel/Birding World

I was just sent a copy of a letter by (hope this is correct) Bernardt
Zondfrillo that appeared in Birding World (Vol 7) about identity of the 1992
Soft-plumaged Petrel photographed off Cape Hateras. While the letter provides
very useful notes on the complex, the analysis of the bird is wrong! 1) Alan
Brady's photograph is misleading because the bird's shaddow makes the collar
look complete; it is interrupted on his photograph and more conspicuously so
on the other photographs of the bird; and 2) it IS conspicuously pale rumped
and pale tailed. So by the criteria he presents, the bird is one of the two
north Atlantic types, but it's hard to decide which one.

Paul DeBenedictis
SUNY Health Science Center at Syracuse

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Date: Fri, 20 May 1994 17:48:00 GMT
From: JOE MORLAN <joe.morlan at HIEAGLE.COM>
Subject: Re: pelagic trips

....

CW> If you know you are particularly queasy just walking on a
CW> pier, you may want to get a doctor to prescribe a patch
CW> (Scolomine, or something like that) or take some dramamine.

The Scopolamine patches are now very popular and they evidently
work OK for some people. My experience with them was less than
successful. The Scopolamine goes directly into your blood stream
and may cause side-effects. The most common side-effect is
"dry-mouth" but I also suffered from mild hallucinations while
using the patch. This is a known side-effect. Also the drug was
not particularly effective for me and I have seen a lot of
birders wearing the patch get sick.

I've also tried the three major over-the-counter motion sickness
remedies (Dramamine, Marazine & Bonine). Dramamine actually
makes me nauseous although it is the most popular. Bonine had
little or no effect but was relatively free of side-effects.
Marazine works very well and has no side-effects except for a
slight dry-mouth. Others report that these drugs cause
drowsiness, but I have never experienced that effect from any of
them.

In my experience, you need to take the Marazine the night before
and as soon as you wake up in order to get sufficient blood
levels to be effective. If it looks like a rough trip, an
additional Marazine before the trip starts may be needed. The
package instructions advise to take one pill 1/2 hour before the
trip starts. Unfortunately, people who follow these instructions
usually get sick regardless of which drug they use.

The Coast Guard recommends Promethazine HCl (25mg) combined with
Ephedrine Sulphate (25mg), every 6 hours. This is a highly
effective combination with minimal side-effects. You will need a
prescription for the Promethazine and you may need to be
insistent with your physician who is much more likely to
recommend a patch. The patch is newer and heavily promoted by
pharmaceutical companies. The patent expired on Promethazine and
nobody is promoting it. It's also a lot cheaper than the patch.

If you are on an overnight trip, you can skip the Ephedrine while
you are sleeping. The Ephedrine counteracts the sedative effect
of the Promethazine.

NOTE: I AM NOT A PHYSICIAN AND THE ABOVE IS NOT TO BE CONSTRUED
AS MEDICAL ADVICE. Ask your Doctor if you have questions.

...

--Joe Morlan, Albany, CA
Joe.Morlan at hieagle.com.

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