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--by Bryan Berriault Buffleheads, pintails, widgeon and merganser may be strange names to some people but, to the Tiny Marsh Provincial Wildlife Area these names are as common as Smith and Jones in a_ phone directory. In fact, they are names of just a few waterfowl species calling Tiny Marsh home. On April 20, Tiny Marsh will open the doors to the public for their seventh annual Waterfowl Viewing Day. Each year thousands of ducks return to Tiny Marsh and Marsh Manager, Andy Fletcher, plans their viewing day to coincide with their return. During their spring migration ducks are at their most colourful stage. With mating season underway drakes and some hens display mating colours seldom seen at other times of year. If one is lucky enough they might even see ducks performing mating rituals in the wild on this day. But just the sight of thousands of colourful ducks in flight or on the water is enough to at- tract anyone's_ at- tention. Although its waterfowl viewing day many other species of wildlife make an ap- pearance at the marsh. A feeding muskrat gnawing on some reeds on its rat house while a marsh hawk hovers over its domain is not uncommon. , A few painted turtles will also be on hand having appeared from their winter sleep for the occasion. To date 72 species of birds have been counted on their return to the marsh. Nineteen species of waterfowl have landed and among them, a beautiful pair of snow geese. There is no problem seeing waterfowl from tiny buffleheads to giant Canada geese. To get the most out of the day take in one of the dyke hikes with an expert in bird identification. Hikes are planned for 9 a.m. and 2 p.m. Bring your hiking boots. With six km. of dykes to travel you'll need them. Naturlaist on hand will be able to point out many ii teresting inhabitants or the marsh most people might otherwise miss. For decoy buffs, bring along your old or new decoys. AS ' champions in May pe ta3 - Experts will be on hand to evaluate your prized possessions. Just 'think, that old decoy you shoot up every fall could _be worth a dollar or two. Ian Crokam and Robin Craig will be on hand at ie asin swith. sca presentation entitled 'Decoys-Old and New"'. Robin Craig is well known for his decoy collection and carvings. Ian Crokam is famous throughout North America for his car- vings. His selling price usually demands four figured digits. Both ESPSS chess team to match Ontario ESPSS Chess Club's A Team placed second out of seven schools, just two points behind Banting Collegiate at a recent Regional Tournament hosted by ESPSS. Kenichi Tajima and Thorsten Schiller won all three of their matches. The Be Team finished first in their division with a perfect score of 24 points. Donald Bullock, Kerry April 21 is Family Night in Midland's Bayview School. Art Fair entries can be viewed at 6:30 p.m. Between 7 p.m. and 9 p.m.-has been set aside for TV, Video and You. Bayview's Auxiliary is sponsoring the Family Night. Parents are invited to bring their children. men are well versed when it comes to decoys. While at the Inter- pretive Centre take in David Hawkes slide presentation on wildlife management techni- ques used at Tiny Marsh. The presentation will show work done by Ducks Unlimited on habitat improvement throughout the marsh. Work done to date has cost Ducks Unlimited $500,000. While at the centre take in nature artist Ernest Somers Dupuis, Ron Shank and Brett Martin all scored clean sweeps of their opponents. After a year of competition, the ESPSS teams finish in first place in the county with a solid 28 point lead of Banting. With the new scoring system _in- troduced this year, Mike Serafin, Thorsten Schiller and Kevin Farthing will represent ESPSS at the Ontario High School Cham- pionships to be held in May. MSS rugger to start season The MSS Marauders Rugby teams will suit up for contests this Friday with Barrie Eastview Collegiate as a prelude to regular season com- petition, after practising all week. Eastview has just returned from a 14 day, 10 game tour of Britain. On Friday, the midgets will see action beginning at 1:30 p.m., followed by Juniors, and then the seniors. Next weekend, the second annual MSS Invitational Scrum Down will be held at MSS, with eight teams competing in the two game guaran- teed, one day tournament. Barrie Central, Eastview, Barrie North, Barrie Brock from Can- nington, Rousseau Lake Boys School, Danforth Tech (Toronto), Parry Sound, and MSS will all vie for the honors captured last year by Brock. MSS were last years Consolation finalists. The games get underway at the MSS Pitch at 10 a.m. watercolours. They make Tiny Marsh come alive on canvas. And, Juliana Hawke will display her sketches on many waterfowl! species. There is something of interest for every nature lover. If you feel like being alone, take a walk by yourself or if you want to learn more about wetlands take a guided tour of Tiny Marsh. The Interpretive Centre is located just north of Elmvale on Conc. 1 of Tiny off county road No. 6. It will open at 9 a.m. with someone on _ hand throughout the day. Bring along a lunch if you plan to spend the day. And of course, a camera and binoculars to get a birds eye view of the birds at the Tiny Marsh Wildlife Area on April 20th. Old fashion bake sale The Midland YMCA will hold an_ old fashioned bake sale on April 23, between 9:30 a.m. and 12 a.m. Why every teenager should take a driver training course. The statistics are frightening. Last year, over 34,000 Ontario teenage drivers were involved in car accidents. A recent study by the Addiction, Research Foundation reveals that teenagers are involved in 25 per cent of all drinking- and-driving crashes in the province. Drinking-and-driving crashes among young people has reached such epidemic proportions that it is now one of the major threats to the life and health of teenagers. What can you do as a parent? Help your kids to be the best possible drivers. Enroll them in YCD Driving Training. Through easy to follow classroom instruction and hands-on driver training, students learn how to avoid accidents, and how to handle any road situations with confidence. They are taught defensive: driving habits to keep them accident free and you a lot less worried. YDC Driver Training also means substantial savings on car insurance -- up to 44 per cent upon course graduation. What's more, course fees are 100 per cent tax deductible. Over 150,000 graduates recommend Young Drivers of Canada 303 MIDLAND AVE., MIDLAND, ONT. 526-8500 286 King St., Midland 526-8011 33335 8e5: PECTRUM makes ¢ Prture Perfect 35833 BE ASSURED IT'S CANADIAN MADE. ..for the Good Look Tuesday, April 15, 1986 Pagell