® @ Wednesday, October 26, 1988 : ~ brought her insects of various kinds and fed her on the nest. I noted. Warblers offer birders challenge Warblers are small, often brightly colored, insect-eating birds which offer many a challenge to the birder. For the most part, they are quick in thcir movements and generally so lost in the dense shrubbery and treetops that one sees them briefly before they hop out of sight. While males and females are usually differently colored during breeding season, the former change color.in the fall. The young of to be useful in the problem of identification. The wood warblers are confined to the Western Hemisphere. Early this spring, several callers phoned about the numbers of the drab orange-crowned warblers which were singing their thin courtship songs in the neighborhood. Others mentioned the bright, generally black, yellow and olive Townsend's warbler which could be seen in many places where coniferous forest is dominant. Our photo today depicts a female yellow warbler at its nest. The species is not only a common breeder in our thickets here but is the most widely distributed warbler in Canada. The male is recognized immediately by the reddish-brown stripes running down the breast. It breeds from northern Yukon and the mouths of the Mackenzie and Anderson Rivers right across the country at about the tree limit to Quebec, the Maritimes and Newfoundland. The breeding range extends southward to southern Baja California, Venezuela, Florida, Trinidad and the Bahamas. Mary and 1 were surprised to encounter it nesting in low willows on the deltas of Arctic rivers. Since the yellow warbler so of: ten nests in shrubs around gardens, and parks across Canada, it is undoubtedly more often seen than any of the other warblers. From its rather thin but pleasant litle song, the yellow warbler has often been dubbed the “scissors grinder” bird. And along with the goldfinch it is sometimes known locally as the wild canary or yellow bird. Be that as it may, they are cheerful spritely birds to have around, adding an additional flash of color to our hedgerows and. gardens. When the female in our photo today was incubating, the male often that he always announced his retum to the nest when still some distance away and she answered with an abbreviated song of her own. Many people have noted the unusually large numbers of © brown-headed cowbirds around this year. They are often seen in company: with our black Brewer’s blackbird, the. common - blackbird here which lacks the red epaulets of the redwing. Cowbirds do not build nests of their own but, rather, parasitize other. birds by laying their eggs in the others’ nests. Various sparrows, videos and warblers are common targets for this process. - The host birds are then faced with the problem of rearing the - young cowbirds which often push the other chicks out of their nest THE REVIEW 9781-2nd St., Sidney B.C Outdoors Unlimited 5 9838 - 3rd St. Page BS sf IF HOST UANMCEuENT NOW OPEN | FOR LUNCH 11 AM- 2 PM MON. - SAT. OPEN 7 DAYS A A WEEK the year are still different in plumage characteristics. In contrast to 4PM - 10 PM (Fri. & Sat. till 12 PM) the many sparrows, warblers tend to have slim pointed bills. Their . FREE DELIVERY 4 MILE RADIUS @ songs, though often thin, are usually and sufficiently characteristic By Cy Hampson 40% OFF FOR PICKUP 656-5112 | YOU CAN WIEN Bring your old lottery tickets to either of Sidney's Favorite Lottery Locations - TANNERS or The MAILBOX - and enter the draw for a second chance! distinguish the egg of the would-be parasite. The warbler responds the cellar where it too cool to hatch. where they perish from exposure.and starvation. The female yellow warbler ons a unique and efficient method of “Two éoitenders ‘have: > filed to contest the North Saanich © ‘seat’ on: ‘the’ ‘District ‘63..schoal ‘board’ ‘against: ‘incumbent Marilyn r Grant. ‘Anne. Johnston; a resident of a - North: Saanich for 13 years, has served six ycars on the Peninsula ~ Community Association board and is a volunteer with the Victoria . Art Gallery’s school art program. She received.the Canada Volun- teer Honor Award in 1983..Her achievements. with’ the: ‘PCA include two years as chairman and helping initiate the thrift shop and the bereavement program... Johnston is also on the Sidney and North Saanich Memorial Park Society and the North Saanich ~ environmental advisory commis- sion. A. microbiologist, she was. head of microbiology at Royal Jubilee Hospital and in charge of public “health laboratories for southem Vancouver: Island for 18 years, Since 1977 Johnston has worked as a consultant, offering programs on infection control, microbiology methods and teaching teenagers how to prevent sexually Iransmit- ted diseases, working. life: ‘tab technologists, . “student nurses; interns and univer-- sity students.” © - AX grandchild’ who: lives: with her attends school-in the district. ‘Johnston is running because she “has a. long. standing interest in education, is: involved locally through her. grandchild and ‘believes any candidate represent- ‘ing the district. should live in the district. - : Also secking the seat is physi? cian Victor Alan Rogers, who has He is retiring this year from his general practice. Before moving to North Saanich, he served on the -. Victoria ‘School Board for six years. “Tm really very interested in the education of children, I'm concerned about the education, of - children,” Rogers said, “Rather than promoting too many. courses, I'm more interested in placing emphasis on children — being taught to think.” Childnin do-need faccuual infor- mation for background, but must also team to think for. themselves, v-skill-which Rogers feels is not Peninsula Concert: Band, “the: “University: of Victoria’ Balalaika ‘Orchestra and is a ‘member’ of- the Society, of. Friends of Quaker. "for her second term on the board. 1979 and has been on the school > board for two years. “among them serving. as the found- lived in No pean for five 7 years, ~ Association, : - eral Hospital, Her children: attend “schools in the district. FEMALE. YELLOW WARBLER AT NEST - Cy Hampson photo countering the practice of the cowbird. She is able, somchow (perhaps by the slightly larger size and different coloration) to by constructing a floor over the cowbird’s egg, Jeaving i it down in Additional cowbird eggs are treated in the same manner and I have found.a nest of the yellow warbler-with no fewer than seven “stories! Six stories each contained a single incubated cowbird egg, while the seventh and topmost contained only. warbler eggs! Yellow warblers have been heading south over the past few weeks.’ “Ks “of £ Oct. 24. no candidates had ; filed nomination ‘papers for the. Central Saanich school board seat. ~ The. deadline for nominations : ‘Incumbent: Marilyn Grant of for school board is 12 noon, Oct. . Saanich plans. to. seck: re-election | 31,:Voting is on Nov. 19-in con- “junction with: the municipal elec: s ~She-has lived in Saanich since." tion. : ae Sade Before being elected to ‘the board Grant. was involved in a variety. of. voluntcer . activities, ing president of the Confederation of Parents Association of Victoria; . as a founding member of Capital Families, the local chapter for the B.C, Council of the Family; and- with the Learning ‘Disabilities, _. Before retiring in 1970 to raise a family, she. was head of the bacteri- ology department at Victoria Gen- > - 4st PRIZE: $100 2nd PRIZE: A SPECIAL '88 3rd PRIZE:A Erovinciet. The next 7 tickets drawn _ each win a free 649! fe JOIN CAPITAL IRONin " SIDNEY’S NEWEST RETAIL CENTRE "RETAIL COMMERCIAL SPACE 800-5000 sq.ft. AVAILABLE. QUALITY BUILDING, EXCELLENT LOCATION vew-euntar bre tan ha eet pnemerertome: ue ware bie arUR IR PHONE TUDOR ESTATES LTD. at 382-9111 or r 388-5464 PAGER 6600 ener nny nani neni tee nent enol oro a eanraetannineemnmienmemaemianianniatadammannneien “Pam nota professional oxluca- . tor ‘but | have taught a my being taught: in schools now. “He is involved with the Saanich IMAGINE THE POSSIBILITIES - Sra how you. would. actually look ina now -- trairatyla before you -qyat it. done i. ‘The MOVIEST ORE © "2353 Bevan Ave. Sidney (Beside Capital Wron) 655-31 36. OPENING FRI. OCT. 28 “ aun NC REDS OF STYLE. _ IMAGES TO CHOOSE FROM | available exclusively at-our GATEWAY VILLAGE LOCATION — Feisty Setvice at 1. ‘Discount Prices “NO HIDDEN COSTS” _ Wa luge. . recommend JOleo preduety i‘ MOVIE RENTALS vy MACHINE RENTALS _y¥z CAMCORDER RENTALS. a NINTENDO GAMES % MOVIE T-SHIRTS, “Come | in and enter our draw io WIN © ET. MOVIES © * A FREE NINTENDO ACTION SET rd 20 FREE MOVIE RE ENTAIL. ¢: ote FREF MOVIF T-SHIRTS: ne “The MOVIESTORE | 655-31 36 OPEN 10-10 DAILY - _RESERVAT IONS WELCOME! | HELP US... HELP | EACH OTHER — lig Lmeacs Way e a : eae ceavadaynaeeeaenbvonnttinonin