Observations: August 16, 1993 Time: 2:00 pm Weather: Sunny & Hot

Is There Really a "Seagull"? Although there are a number of species of gulls, none is specifically called a "seagull". Two familiar gulls are year 'round residents of Irving Nature Park and breed in a colony on Manawagonish Island. The Herring Gull (Larus argentatus), one of the most common, can be identified by its pearly grey back and wings with black tips,two light patches on the inner flight feathers, white head and underparts, pink legs and its yellow bill with a red dot. The Great Black-backed Gull (Larus marinus) is the largest gull in North America. Its black wings and black back on its white plumage make it easy to identify. This gull is shy but it preys on anything smaller than itself.
What Do Barnacles Eat? The small, white, cone-like structures that cover the rocks below the high tide zone in Irving Nature Park are Northern Rock Barnacles (Balanus balanoides). While they look like part of the rock, if you watch them under water, you can see they are living, active animals. Each barnacle has six pairs of feathery legs that can be extended through the tiny hole in its armour plate cover. Moving with the current, the legs sweep minute particles of food and oxygen from the seawater into the tiny opening hole. Barnacles can also be found attached to shells and even to whales.
	Ancient Medicine Lichens, a slow-growing, simple plant form, are a combination of two organisms, an algae and a fungus. They have a symbiotic relationship, meaning each one needs the other to survive. Over hundreds of years their acids break the rocks down into soil. You can see various kinds of golden lichens growing on the rocks at Irving Nature Park. One with a leaf-like appearance is called Xanthoria elegans. Lichens live a long time because they have adapted to temperature and climate extremes. Aboriginal people used them as dyes and as medicines. Today, lichens are used in antibiotic medicines, as cough inhibitors and as natural dyes for wool.

The Naturalist's Notebook is published quarterly. If you have any questions or topics that you would like to see addressed, please call John Gilbert, Manager, Fish and Wildlife, J.D. Irving, Limited, (506) 632-7777.