Hi Tweets,

Christine Maack writes:

>.... they introduced themselves.

Mebbe in Alaska, sure not in Vancouver BC. Our loutish layabout Canada Geese
Branta canadensis befouling the parks and providing some childless humans
with thousands of surrogates were *definitely* imported and *deliberately*
released, sometimes several times, and according to Campbell et al's Birds
of BC, release programs are *still* going on despite what we know of the
certain consequences. I don't know by whom, and I don't think it was
government, so whoever it was, and is--does anyone know for sure? fish and
game clubs?-- should not only be directly responsible for implementing
effective control measures but should also be directed by law to pick up the
tab as well as the crap that their little private release programs are
dumping in our parks.

Another point, in Stanley Park here, at least. Vaux's Swift Chaetura vauxi
used to be a regular (probably breeding, especially along the N side of Lost
Lagoon) bird in the park until two things: the first is the slow logging
that Vancouver Park Board does in the park, which has likely removed many
snag trees as well as viable mature redcedars, and second, the Canada Geese
are nesting atop the kinds of cutoff and topped snags that Vaux's might have
otherwise used for nesting, thereby blocking the swift's normal vertical
entry through the top and then into a side cavity where the actual nest is.

Back to the hockey game: Vancouver's playing well for a change. Uh-oh.
Another heartbreaker on the way? '-)

Michael Price A brave world, Sir,
Vancouver BC Canada full of religion, knavery and change;
mprice at mindlink.net we shall shortly see better days.
Aphra Behn (1640-1689)