Rand Rudland – “Melanesian marvels”

Unknown dragonfly sp., Mt. Austen, Honiora (Guadalcanal), Solomon Islands – R. Rudland

This is Melanesia – specifically, one of the marvelous dancers at Choiseul – R. Rudland

The Spirit of Enderby (Professor Khromov) is a fully ice-strengthened vessel, built in 1984 for polar and oceanographic research. With 50 berths, she’s perfect for expedition travel – R. Rudland

Where’s Melanesia? Here’s the context…the Pacific is a very BIG ocean…

…and here are the places we stopped…

There’s clear water in the Solomons – R. Rudland

Before we explore some of the natural and cultural marvels of the region, let’s remind ourselves of the important military significance of the area. Guadalcanal, the sinking of John F Kennedy’s PT-109, the Battle of the Coral Sea, all of these and many more events took place here.

Relics of World War II abound. These are the remnants of a Japanese aircraft, in this case a Mitsubishi “Zero” fighter – R. Rudland

Others sail these waters too – this is a Spinner Dolphin at Tetepa – R. Rudland

and this is a Dugong at Vanuatu – one of the creatures on my “wish-list” – R. Rudland

Flying fish are neat – and hard to photograph! Exocetus sp, Solomon Islands – R. Rudland

Everywhere we landed we encountered music – and dancers. This lady is at Bipi Island, Papua New Guinea – R. Rudland

The traditional trade and culture was impressive. These are models of ocean-going canoes at Vanuatu – R. Rudland

Life is hard, and people face growing challenges in the region. But everywhere the children were smiling – expecially these guys with their homemade surf boards at Makira Island– R. Rudland

Barred Owlet-nightjar at Varirata National Park, Papua New Guinea – R. Rudland

Beach Thick-knee at Aravon Island, in the Solomons– R. Rudland

Unknown butterfly sp at Mt. Austen, Honiora (Guadalcanal), Solomon Islands – R. Rudland

Claret-breasted Fruit-dove at Tetepara, Solomons – R. Rudland

Dancers at Famla Village, Vanuatu – R. Rudland

Hawkbill Turtles, Arnavon Island, Solomons. – R. Rudland

Banded Sea Krait (Laticauda caulubrina), beautiful and deadly, as photographed by one of our divers.

Wedge-tailed Shearwater at Makira, Solomon Islands – R. Rudland

Unidentified skipper sp, Malaita Island, Solomon Islands– R. Rudland

Ornithologists have long known that Australasia is a world hotspot for bird species found nowhere else (endemic).

…as illustrated by the lovely Rufous Fantail, Queensland, Australia – R. Rudland

So how many bird species are there in Melanesia? The jury’s still out, but the easy answer is a lot

Here’s one: the endemic Makira Honeyeater, Makira, Solomon Islands– R. Rudland

Here’s another. The wonderfully-named Welcome Swallow, Makira, Solomon Islands– R. Rudland

Finally, a White-capped Monarch, Tetepare, Solomons – R. Rudland

NICE place – R. Rudland

Rand Rudland – “Melanesian marvels”
by Andrew Bryant, 21 April 2016.

Rand Rudland, MD, is just one of those people who’s hard to pin down. Physician to high arctic communities, whitewater rafting guide, globetrotting birder, Antarctic explorer, and Director of the Sunshine Coast Natural History Society, Rand visited Powell River to speak about his recent travels in Melanesia.

As Ship’s Physician aboard the Spirit of Enderby, he was able to visit some of the most remote places in the southwest Pacific – islands with exotic names like Nissan, Mussau, Vanikoro, Duff, Bipi, and Espiritu Santo – together with places that might resonate for some – like Guadalcanal, the Coral Sea, and Rabaul.

Did I mention that Rand is also a very talented photographer?

Although he mostly focused on birds – and the incredible level of endemisn to be found there – he also regaled us with images of seldom-seen tribal “sing-sings”, artifacts from the second world war, scary spiders, even scarier snakes, gorgeous butterflies, orchids, flying fish, and some of the happiest children in the world!

It’s not every day that you have a guest speaker casually say “oh and that’s a Superb Pitta…I think that’s only about the 4th or 5th time this species has ever been photographed…sorry for the poor quality, but the jungle was a bit dark, and it was about 42° C in the shade…”

A talk not to be missed. A more detailed description of his adventures was published in his own club’s wonderful Marsh Wrenderings, which I’ve made available here.

Tamsin Baker – “Herons and Dunes”

The graceful and instantly recognizable Great blue heron. This one was photographed in Toba Inlet
– M. Glaze

Great blue herons are widespread..
– T. Sohl (sdakotabirds.com)

…but the ‘fannini’ subspecies is smaller and far more localized
– A. Bryant

There are thought to be only about 800-1500 breeding pairs in the Strait of Georgia, although numbers of active nests have fluctuated greatly
– E-Fauna (efauna.bc.ca)

Herons nest colonially, but sites with more than 10 pairs are extremely rare in BC
– H. Domke (ptgardarden.org)

This is one of the local Powell River colonies, with 7 nests. No activity yet this year (as of 2 March)
– A. Bryant

There is some evidence that suggests recent reductions in nest productivity. There are probable multiple issues happening, including habitat degredation and predation
– A. Bryant

The wonderful, iconic, brooding seashore sentinal of BC
– A. Bryant

Tamsin Baker – “Herons and Dunes”
by Andrew Bryant, 26 Feb 2015.

Tamsin Baker holds degrees in Animal Ecology (from UBC) and Environmental Management (from Royal Roads). She presently serves as Stewardship Coordinator with the South Coast Conservation Program, which is a portal that connects small, local, project-oriented groups with governments and scientific researchers. Yes, and they arrange to talk to naturalist clubs too! Accordingly, Tamsin visited Powell River to discuss two projects with which she is involved.

First she spoke about Great Blue Herons in our area, providing an overview of their taxonomy (we mostly see the smaller, coastal Ardea herodias fannini subspecies here), nesting behavior, distribution, population trends, and threats to them. Herons are a good example of how different branches of government deal with threatened species, so we learned about their status both provincially, federally (COSEWIC and SARA), and internationally.

In particular, Tamsin stressed the importance of ongoing, local monitoring efforts of particular nests or nest-colonies in order to provide researchers and governments with accurate information about what is happening “on the ground”. The Heron Working Group can be found here, guidelines for surveying and monitoring heron nests can be found here, and you can view an interactive map of heron nests using the British Columbia Great Blue Herons Atlas, which is part of the wonderful Community Mapping Network.

Coastal sand dune ecosystems require particular geological and oceanic conditions in order to form. This is Duck Bay on Savary Island
– A. Bryant

Such ecosystems are rare in British Columbia, and host unusual plant and animal communities
– A. Bryant

Some species are common and easily spotted, like this Gumweed (Grindelia stricta)
– A. Bryant

or this Western Terrestrial Garter Snake (Thamnophis elegans)
– A. Bryant

Some species are quite rare. This is a Silky Beach Pea (Lathyrus littoralis) – found infrequently on Savary Island – C. Brennan photo (www.carlabrennan.com)

This is the endangered Contorted Pod Evening Primrose (Camissonia contorta), known from only eight locations in Canada, including Savary Island. J. Gatten photo (www.naturalestnaturalist.blogspot.ca)

and this is the Island Tiger Moth (Grammia complicata), which was listed as endangered in Canada by COSEWIC in 2013 – and found in only five locations in BC, including Savary Island – UBC photo

These ecosystems face a variety of threats, one of which is Scotch Broom invasion
– A. Bryant

In the second part of her presentation, Tamsin described the intriguing characteristics of coastal sand dune ecosystems, including their requirements for formation (it turns out they need “feeder cliffs”, “accretional features”, and “helpful tides”). She also described their consequently incredibly patchy distribution within the Strait of Georgia, and the wondrous accumulation of botanical and animal marvels that are likely to be seen in our backyard (or at least on Savary) for those who seek to learn when, where and how to look.

An excellent and comprehensive report prepared for the Coastal Sand Dune Recovery Team can be found here, with a shorter, less technical synopsis prepared by the B.C. Government available here.

Thank you Tamsin…for adding even more species to our club’s collective “I’d really like to see one of these and learn more about it” life-list!

Bill Merilees – “Madagascar”

Welcome to Madagascar, the island of lemurs! This is a Verreaux’s sifaka
– B. Merilees

The capital and largest city in Madagascar, Antananarivo
– B. Merilees

Rice paddies in the central highlands
– B. Merilees

Oxcarts are still a very common sight on the roads of Madagascar
– B. Merilees

Plant growth forms in Madagascar are really different!
– B. Merilees

Although Madagascar is home to more than 80 species of snakes, none are venomous
– B. Merilees

Madagascar is home to perhaps 400-550 frog species, with 99% of them endemic, and likely a third yet to be described scientifically. I have no idea who this guy is
– B. Merilees

I believe this is a Short-horned Chameleon (Calumma brevicorne)
– B. Merilees

Another unknown (to me) Chameleon
– B. Merilees

One of the many, many gecko species, in this case I think one of the day geckos (genus Phelsuma)
– B. Merilees

Scaly ground-roller (Geobiastes squamige), another species endemic to Madagascar- B. Merilees

This is a Scaly ground-roller (Geobiastes squamiger), another species endemic to Madagascar
– B. Merilees

Some of the remaining tropical forest
– B. Merilees

An unknown plant with some serious defenses against browsers
– B. Merilees

even more scary-looking defenses; this is is called the “rat-trap plant”
– B. Merilees

Looks like a really inviting spot for a dip!
– B. Merilees

Bill Merilees – “Madagascar”
by Andrew Bryant, 22 Jan 2015.

Bill Merilees of Nanaimo is a prominent British Columbian naturalist, educator, activist, conservationist and author of books such as Attracting Backyard Wildlife and (with co-author C.P. Lyons) the updated version of Trees, Shrubs and Flowers to Know in Washington and British Columbia.

He recently visited Powell River to share some of his many unusual experiences — in this case his globe-trotting adventures in Madagascar!

Bill visited that island twice, in 1998 and 2003, and his talk focussed primarily upon the rich and largely endemic flora and fauna to be found there. Illustrated with his beautiful 35 mm slides, Bill also presented a very human story of history, agriculture, and the huge economic and conservation challenges facing people inhabiting that part of the world.

There were more than a few laughs, and some great teaching moments for me (“imagine Vancouver Island…only 20 times as long…and with 22 million people”). Small wonder that Bill is known for his narrative abilities…there were stories of seriously prickly plants, leapin lemurs, finicky frogs, and fascinating life histories of all shapes and variety.

Come to think of it, Bill…your life-history is pretty fascinating too!