It’s that time of year again!

Although they have been back in the area for a while, with the annual influx of Snowy Owls now in full swing, the roads in Clearview Township have been filled with avid birdwatchers looking for the chance to see a visitor from the north.

We are very fortunate to see quite a few of these beautiful birds perched on hydro poles, on trees along the fence rows, and in the large fields along the sideroads west of the Minesing Wetlands.

Our annual visiting owls attract quite a crowd and bring in bird watchers and naturalists from a wide area. To learn more about these birds, and their visit to southern Ontario, check our our earlier blog .

These striking birds are however not the only highlight on road-side bird watching trips at this time of year.

You can also see a variety of hawks in the area including Rough-legged, Northern Harrier, Northern Goshawk, Red-tailed, and Sharp-shinned hawks, as well as numerous American Kestrels.

If you are fortunate you will also see one of more of our resident Bald Eagles!

Other highlights include Pileated Woodpeckers, Northern Shrikes, and Great Blue Herons.

Along the south-west edge of the Minesing Wetlands you will also have a good chance of running into Wild Turkeys as they make their way through woodlands and neighbouring fields.

Spending just an hour along the sideroads bordering the Minesing Wetlands in the month of January can be a rewarding trip.

Bring your binoculars and cameras and stay safe!

Article in Ontario Planning Journal

The July/August 2017, Vol32, No4, issue of the Ontario Planning Journal contains our article on the work we did with the Canadian Wildlife Service to promote their How Much Habitat is Enough? Guidelines and related materials.  For more information you can also check out our previous Post on the natural heritage workshops held earlier this year.

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2017 Natural Heritage Planning Workshops

Earlier in 2017 there were a series of workshops held across southern Ontario to provide guidance on natural heritage system planning.  The goal of these workshops was to provide information to land use planners and others involved in land use planning as it relates to the identification, protection and management of natural heritage systems.

Workshops2017These workshops were held in Peterborough, Parry Sound, London and Toronto.  They were a joint effort of the Environment and Climate Change Canada – Canadian Wildlife Service and Ontario Nature delivered in partnership with the Ontario Professional Planners Institute , Skelton, Brumwell and Associates Inc. and Krystawyn.

Intro to Sessions MJW 2017-04-19 11-07-18Topics covered at the workshops included a natural heritage policy update and the Ontario Nature Natural Heritage Planning Best Practices Manual.  The Canadian Wildlife Service also provided information about their How Much Habitat is Enough? and How Much Development is Too Much? guidelines.  A highlight at the workshops was the release of the Canadian Wildlife Service Biodiversity Atlas.  The atlas products provide a geospatial representation of the Canadian Wildlife Service biodiversity portfolio: species richness, migratory bird densities, habitat extent & quality.  They were created to better see and understand the distribution of species and habitats, share information with others, and help facilitate the conservation of important natural places by provide guidance on places of high biodiversity value.

The workshops also featured presentations from the Georgian Bay Biosphere Reserve and Kawarthas, Naturally Connected discussing local natural heritage program initiatives.

There was also a presentation highlighting the diversity of tools available to planners in the development of policies and programs to identify and protect natural heritage systems including a variety of citizen science applications to engage the public (e.g. Ontario Nature Citizen Science Directory, iNaturalist).

Information from the workshops and a copy of the presentations can be obtained from the following links:

Part 1 Natural Heritage Policy Update

Part 1 Policy

Part 1 Policy Parry Sound

Part 2 Natural Heritage Systems Planning Best Practices Guide

Part 2 The Manual

Download of the Manual

Ontario Nature Presentation – Natural Heritage Systems

Ontario Nature Presentation

Canadian Wildlife Service Presentations

How Much Habitat Is Enough? Presentation

How Much Disturbance is Too Much? Presentation

CWS Biodiversity Atlas Presentation

CWS Biodiversity Atlas Shield Presentation

How Much Disturbance is Too Much? Circulation Copy

LINK TO ATLAS FILES

Part 3 Other Tools

Part 3 Other Tools

Georgian Bay Biosphere Reserve Presentation

Georgian Bay Biosphere Reserve Presentation

Kawarthas, Naturally Connected Presentation

Kawarthas Naturally Connected Presentation

A Day in the Life of an Algonquin Turtle Researcher

With the arrival of fall in Algonquin Park the turtles are preparing for hibernation. The turning of the seasons also marks the end of another year of turtle research in the Park. The summer of 2016 was the 45th field season of the long-term Snapping and Painted Turtle research project based out of the Algonquin Wildlife Research Station.

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Taylor (left) and Steven (right)

We were fortunate this season to spend some time with turtle researchers Steven Kell and Taylor Wynia, and experience a typical day in the life of an Algonquin turtle researcher.

On a warm bright day in late June, we started the morning with a quick meal and then head to the lab work on the turtles and eggs collected the previous day. Starting off the day at 7:30 am in the lab down at the lake on another beautiful day in the middle of Algonquin doesn’t seem so bad until you are told the the researcher were out in the field collecting turtles and eggs until 2 am the previous evening!

The lab work is organized and meticulous. The notes being made by the researchers form the basis of an ongoing project and build on the observations of many other dedicated researchers over a 45 year period.

The lab work starts with taking detailed notes on any turtles which have not been previously captured. The lab is filled with buckets and containers holding a mixture of over 20 Midland Painted Turtles and Common Snapping Turtles. A close look at the turtles reveals that some have notches on their scoots and others do not. We are told that those without notches are entirely new to the project.

Taylor and Steven, as they go about the business of taking measurements and making their notes, explain that the Painted Turtles are marked with both brightly coloured numbers and notches. The bright numbers are for seasonal identification and the notches are a long-term method of marking each individual. Early in the season they trap and mark as many turtles as possible within the research area.

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Helping out in the lab.

They show us a container of white and red nail polish which is used to paint the numbers on the turtles for the seasonal marking: white for females and red for males. These numbers help to easily identify the turtles in the field. They signify that the turtle has been captured that season and also allow the researchers to note nesting behaviour for each individual turtle from a distance.

We notice that some of the smaller turtles are having numbers painted on the underside, the plastron, instead of on the top of their shell, the carapace. Taylor explains that, “We paint numbers on the juveniles on the plastron because we found that the bright white and red numbers seem to act as a marker for predators; the adults are not at risk, but we take this precaution with the little ones.”

Each of the previously marked but newly painted turtles is identified based on the notch code in the scutes and various measurements are recorded to document the size and mass of the turtle. Any new scars or general observations are also recorded to update the data base kept on each turtle in the study.

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A brightly numbered male.

The researchers then start with unmarked turtles. These are entirely new to the research project and so a new observation form is completed for each turtle. Mass and other key measurements are recorded, any scars or wounds are recorded, characteristic patterns on the carapace and plastron are noted, and each turtle is marked with a unique notch code that will identify it for future researchers. Notches are filed in the marginal scutes in a pattern which translates to a unique number code for that individual. In addition to notching, the turtles are also injected with a PIT tag. This tiny transponder is similar to the technology used with pets and it allows the turtle to be scanned with a reader to identify its identity code. Steven explains, “this new technology will make future tracking and data collection easier”.

Once the turtles have been measured, painted and tagged, Steven and Taylor begin opening up large square Tupperware containers filled with damp vermiculite. A light brush with their fingers reveals rows of eggs each individually marked with a code and number. The code corresponds to the nest site as well as the specific female that laid the eggs the previous evening. The number reveals the order the eggs were temporarily removed from the nest. Each egg is measured to record length, width and mass and this data is recorded in the logs for the female parent. The eggs are handled delicately and after being measured are placed back into the vermiculite containers for the trip back to the research site.

After a morning of measuring turtles and eggs, we have time for a quick lunch and then head out to the research site located along Mizzy Lake Trail at Wolf Howl Pond and West Rose Lake. Once we get to the site, the turtles are released and swim away seemingly completely unaffected by their overnight experience. They very quickly return to their favourite basking sites in the mid-day sun.

IMG5.jpgTaylor and Steven then bring out the containers of eggs and start the process of returning each egg in its proper order to the specifically marked nesting cavity. We ask why the effort to make sure that the eggs go back exactly to the same site and in exactly the same order and position as they went out of the nest the night before. Taylor explains, “The eggs go back exactly where they came from since we know that factors such as the location and depth affect the temperature of the developing embryo, which plays an important role in determining the sex of the hatchling.” After carefully replacing the eggs and marking the nest location, another after noon and evening of monitoring turtle nesting begins.

Steven and Taylor each take a section of the research area to monitor. The research takes place along the most northerly section of the Mizzy Lake Trail along the railway corridor lined on both sides by ideal turtle habitat. These large ponds with bog mats and sections of open water provide plenty of basking locations on logs, stumps and a beaver dam. We can quickly pick out numbered male and female painted turtles.

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As the afternoon turns to evening, the turtles begin cruising the banks of the ponds and Steven and Taylor begin taking notes on the behaviour of the marked turtles. They refer to this as staging. They watch as turtles swim along the waters edge and start to select their potential nesting locations. It isn’t long before the first turtles start crawling up the bank and start pushing into the sand with their front legs and nose. The researchers note the location and how long the female searches and digs for its desired nesting spot. This is tricky business. Approach too closely and the turtle flees down the bank and back into the water to begin the process all over again.

As we look closely at a particular female Painted Turtle who seems very interested in her potential nesting site, we notice that the sand seems damp after a such long hot afternoon. Taylor explains, “The turtles take in water and release it at the nesting site to dampen the ground”. Taylor then marks the nesting site with a small flag and explains that it will take her anywhere from 35 minutes to 1 and 1/2 hours to complete the nesting process. Generally on warmer days the process is faster than cooler days. Since the researchers make a note of every female’s nesting behaviour and nesting location, they can’t stay and watch. They have to keep moving along the trail to observe the various turtles that have chosen this evening to nest. By walking back and forth along the trail, they are able to keep notes on every nesting female including which individual is nesting, the nesting location, and when nesting started and then completed.

img6.jpgWalking along the trail dotted with nesting turtles, we notice a large female Snapping Turtle. Taylor says, “ we need to be a little more cautious because the snappers seem to scare a little easier. She will also take about an hour to 2 and 1/2 hours to complete her nesting.” As we watch from a respectful distance, the female makes a half hearted attempt to dig and then moves off repeating the behaviour. She seems to be unsatisfied and after ploughing dirt around she heads back down the bank and swims off. “I have seen this same turtle do this now for a couple of nights”, says Taylor. “Turtles will sometimes scout out sites over several nights before finally picking a nesting site.”

As the evening goes on it slowly gets darker and the bugs come out. We all cover up in our bug jackets and it is not long before we are covered in black flies and mosquitoes. Then we have another visitor along. A large bull moose comes up out of the pond onto the trail and Taylor says, “Oh, thats Charlie. He’s a young male that visits us almost every evening.” Taylor goes on to explain that they regularly see moose at the research location. He then, with a laugh, tells a few stories of his late night moose encounters.

img9.jpg“Once I was busy with a nest and it was dark so I didn’t really notice much else around me until I looked up and to see a moose looking back down at me”, he says.

“Another time I was walking along the trail where it narrows down with forest on both sides and a big bull decided to use the trail at the same time. I stood off to the side with my back against the trees and the bull slowly passed me. I was holding a bucket with a turtle in it and the turtle decide to move. The scraping noise startled the bull and he turned to look right at me, his nose just a few inches from my face. I held my breath and he decided I wasn’t much to worry about and slowly wandered down the path!”

Since Steven and Taylor are on the trail in the late hours they regularly see a lot of wildlife. In addition to regular visits by moose, they also have regular visits by the local beavers, as well as otters, and the odd Black Bear. They carry whistles and bear spray, but, other than being a little unnerved by having a bear stare at them from a distance of 10m along a dark trail at 1 in the morning, they have not had any trouble.

As we walk further along the trail we notice an unmarked female nesting. Special notes are taken and this turtle is carefully monitored so that she can be captured when she finished nesting.

IMG7.jpgAround ten, we begin to notice a change in the turtles. No new turtles are coming up the banks and more and more turtles are completing their nests. Now we begin going back to the completed nests and dig up the eggs. This is done very carefully and methodically. The nest is excavated very slowly so that the eggs are not damaged and the nest structure is not compromised. The eggs are pulled out one at a time and a pencil is used to mark each with a code and number before being placed, in order, in vermiculite.

As we make our way through the evenings nesting sites, we notice that a few sites have been dug up. Taylor explains that the nests have very high rates of predation. “It seems like almost everything makes a meal of turtle eggs. I once saw a chipmunk clean out a previously marked and documented nest of twelve eggs in less than 15 minutes! Eggs are eaten by otters, skunks, racoons, and foxes”, he adds.

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The results of nest predation.

Ravens are also a predator and we have watched a few fly over this evening. Taylor says that he has seen ravens walk around nest markers as if searching for the nest and he explains that they now place the markers a distance from the nest so as not to reward such behaviour in the predators. He says they have also seen ravens flip turtles while nesting to steal the eggs. “Ravens have even flipped the buckets containing unmarked turtles”, says Taylor.

This evening was a busy night for the turtles and the process of digging up each site and taking notes takes several hours. The detailed notes include air temperature, water temperature, soil temperature, number of eggs, female laying the eggs, start of nesting, laying time, covering time and nest location.

After finishing Taylor’s section of the trail we make our way to Steven who is still in the process of documenting nesting sites on the Wolf Howl Pond section. This stretch seems particularly popular with the Painted Turtles this evening and there are quite a few nests to complete late into the night.

Finally with all of the new turtles captured and all the eggs safely stored in their containers, we hike off to the vehicle and drive the dark roads back to the lab. We then get to head off to our camp site for a good nights sleep. Taylor and Steven put the turtles and eggs into the lab and go catch a few hours of sleep before they have to wake up again for the next days work.

News

Krystawyn Nature Blog is pleased to announce that some of our photographs have been featured in the Spring 2016 issue of ON Nature magazine !

We are planning on publishing several new blogs in the near future.  Upcoming blogs will feature profiles of visits to nature centres and parks in Florida and South Carolina, some spring visits to natural areas in Ontario, and a series of profiles on species at risk. In the mean time you can follow our Facebook Page for regular updates and information.

 

Piping Plovers on the Beach

The Piping Plover is one of North America’s most endangered birds.  This small shorebird is found in just three main breeding locations in North America: the Great Plains, the Great Lakes and the Atlantic Coast.

Piping ploverWe are fortunate to be located near one of the successful breeding locations at Wasaga Beach Provincial Park where the population of breeding pairs appears to be steadily increasing.

Earlier this spring there were reports of eight birds along the beaches of the park and sure enough a few weeks later there were four nesting pairs, each caring for a clutch of eggs.  Once the first eggs were observed, Ministry of Natural Resources staff installed caging and fencing which protects the nesting birds from disturbance by beach goers and from predation by racoons, gulls, and other animals.

We were lucky to pay another visit to the beach on the day the clutches hatched.  Amazingly, the little chicks, on the same day as hatching, were leaving the protection of the nest to forage on the surrounding beach.  The site of little fluff balls scurrying around on the sand in a setting sun was a delight to observers, including the dedicated volunteers who monitor the nests and birds through the breeding period.

Chick

The Piping Plover (Charadrius melodus) is a small shorebird approximately 16cm tall.  It has a very short orange bill with a black tip.  The bird is a pale brown colour above, resembling the colour of dried sandy beaches and shorelines, while the underparts are white.  The Piping Plover has a single dark lack band across the chest and another single black band across the forehead.  Its legs are orange.

The Piping Plover winters on the Atlantic and Gulf coasts of North America and also further south into Mexico and the Carribean.   Since Piping Plovers are not often spotted on migration, it is thought that they may make the trip in one nonstop flight.  Breeding starts within a few days of arriving back to the Great Lakes shoreline.

Nesting Cage 2In order to attract a mate, the male initiates nest construction by scraping and tossing small stones and shells.  Once he has successfully attracted a mate, the pair selects a scrape and a nest is established in a small depression in the sand, sometimes with a few pebbles or shells.  The nests blend in very well with surroundings and this is one reason that protective fencing is placed to avoid beach visitors accidentally stepping on or disturbing the nest.

They have one clutch per season, usually laying four gray or buff eggs which are lightly spotted with splotches of brownish/lilac and black.  Both the male and female incubate the eggs which normally hatch within 25 to 31 days.  The young birds leave the nest very soon after hatching to forage along the beach with their parents who continue to look after the young birds for three to four weeks, after which they are independent.  Unlike many other species, the parents do not directly feed the young birds.  Instead, they and their parents search for insects and small aquatic animals along the beaches and shoreline.

Chick2The Piping Plover once more common in Ontario, experienced significant population declines beginning in the 1930’s.  Populations continued to decline to the point that in 1977 there was just a single breeding pair observed in southern Ontario.  Accordingly the bird was listed as endangered both federally (Canada) and provincially (Ontario).  The main risk to this species is habitat loss and human disturbance.  As the birds rely specifically on shoreline habitat, they are impacted directly by shoreline development and alteration as well as heavy beach use, particularly in the breeding season.  They are also impacted by predators such as raccoons, gulls and crows which are attracted to and benefit from beach development and tourism.  This is referred to a subsidized predation, which describes the fact that predation increases over natural rates where predators are found in higher numbers due to the habitat and food created by humans in developed areas (e.g. garbage, deliberate feeding, etc.).  Unfortunately, small populations are also highly vulnerable to impacts from disease and storms.  During one of the first nesting seasons at Wasaga Beach, a summer hail storm killed hatchlings, a major setback to such a small breeding population.

Fortunately, the Piping Plover is making a comeback in southern Ontario, from a growing population in Michigan.  The first courting pair for many decades was observed at Wasaga Beach in 2005.  Although still a precarious population, the birds appear to slowly expanding to their former range in this area of the Province.  In fact, one of the Wasaga Beach birds returned this spring to establish a nest with a mate from Michigan at Hanlan’s Point on the Toronto Islands.  This is the first nesting pair on the shore of Lake Ontario in over 80 years and the nest site was quickly protected (for more information: Toronto Star Article on Piping Plover at Toronto Islands)

Sign Showing Status of Plover Nests

 

You can help the continued recovery of this special bird by staying out of fenced-off areas on the beach.  Supporting the practice of beach fencing by educating neighbors and other visitors will also help by increasing the understanding of the importance of providing a protected area and sharing our beaches with a species that relied on those beaches long before we did.  We are fortunate to live near the world’s longest fresh water beach, so we have plenty of room to share it.

 

 

You can also:

  • Keep pets away from beach others than in designated areas for pet use;
  • Enjoy watching these birds while keeping a respectful distance from any Piping Plovers you see;
  • Not feed gulls or other birds as this attracts more potential predators; and,
  • Maintaining a natural beach rather than “cleaning” your shoreline.

GuardianIf you live in the vicinity of Wasaga Beach you can also volunteer to be a guardian (To volunteer call (705) 429-2516).  This friendly and dedicated group monitors the birds and nests throughout the season, logging observations, educating the public, and keeping a watchful eye on this special little bird.

For more photos check out the Krystawyn Nature Blog Facebook Page.

 

Sign showing beach closed

 

The 2014-15 Snowy Owl Irruption

The open fields of Clearview Township, in Simcoe County, Ontario, have become a hotspot again this year for birders and photographers spotting Snowy Owls.  Numerous birds can be observed perched on fenceposts and poles throughout the agricultural areas of the Township.

Capture3Snowy Owls normally live in the high arctic, but once in a while their range extends much further south in a natural phenomenon known as an irruption.  One of the largest irruptions in many decades occurred in the winter of 2013-14 and another significant irruption has occurred again this winter with birds being sighted even further south and west than normal.  In fact, observations have been reported as far south as the Carolinas and northern Florida.

The reason Snowy Owls move south is not fully understood, but new research is suggesting that the reason may be different than the commonly held belief.  The cause that many people have heard is that the owls move south due to a scarcity of food in their normal habitat during the winter months.  More recent findings suggest that, instead, the owls move south because of a plentiful supply of food (such as lemmings and voles) in the preceding breeding season in the Arctic.  It appears that a plentiful food supply results in a larger production of birds as a result of a very successful nesting season. When food supplies are plentiful the normal clutch size of 3-5 eggs mayIMG_0700 jump to as many as 7 -11 eggs. The number of surviving fledglings may also correspondingly increase.  As so many birds mature, they move south, and studies indicate that those birds  are healthy and well-fed.

Research on the cause of irruptions continues, however it is apparent that we are in the midst of another significant irruption following a similar event just last year.

When large numbers of the birds move south, they attract a lot of attention.  The opportunity to see this beautiful bird, and get that perfect picture, attracts numerous birders and photographers to country sideroads and it turns out that Clearview is one of the best locations to spot these visitors (birds and birders!) in the region.

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Getting Involved – Citizen Science – Ontario Mammals

Citizen science projects are a great way to get involved in nature and conservation.

There are a large variety of projects that you can join to add your observations to the knowledge base about species and their habitats.  The information collected in these projects helps various conservation oriented agencies and organizations to gather valuable data.  This data can assist in learning more about the distribution of species, changes in distribution and habitat, habitat use and animal behavior.

Not only do you get the opportunity to add to knowledge about ourPolar Bear environment, but you get to have fun doing it! Most citizen science projects let you set up a profile so that you can join and share with others having your same interest in nature. They often also allow you to track your own observations and choose how you share them.

In this post we are featuring a new project on the www.inaturalist.org site.  The Ontario Mammals project has been set up to increase our knowledge of the distribution of mammals in the Province of Ontario.  While there is a body of data on mammal distribution in Ontario, climate change, development and other factors affect the distribution of species over time.  The more information that is available about mammals, the more we will know about an important element of the biodiversity of terrestrial ecosystems and their health.

There is also a guide to Ontario’s mammal species (Ontario Mammals Guide) on the inaturalist site to help you identify mammals as well as learn more about them.

To participate in this project you need to sign up at www.inaturalist.org. Joining is free and there are apps for iPhones,Ipads, and Android devices.  By joining intauralist you will get access to a wide variety of resources.  As well as participating in this project you can participate in others; keep track of your own nature observations no matter where you are; learn more about wildlife of all sorts; and explore different places across the world.

Once you join, you can add Ontario Mammals to your list of projects and help build the data base on the mammals of Ontario!

Remember, your data is important!  Please try to be accurate in observations so that the data is as reliable is possible.  When observing species at risk please ensure that you either submit the data directly to a project, avoiding publicly posting the details, or use the tools on the site to generalize your observation location in a public posting.

Getting Involved – Citizen Science – Ontario Fish

Citizen science projects are a great way to get involved in nature and conservation.

There are a large variety of projects that you can join and add your observations to the knowledge base about species and their habitats.  The information collected in these projects helps various conservation oriented agencies and organizations to gather valuable data.  This data can assist in learning more about the distribution of species, changes in distribution and habitat, habitat use and animal behaviour.

Wildlife technologist sampling fish.

Not only do you get the opportunity to add to knowledge about our environment, but you get to have fun doing it! Most citizen science projects let you set up a profile so that you can join and share with others having your same interest in nature. They often also allow you to track your own observations and choose how you share them.

In this post we are featuring a new project on the www.inaturalist.org site.  The Ontario Fish project has been set up to increase our knowledge of the distribution of fish species in the Province of Ontario.  While there is a body of data on fish species distribution in Ontario, climate change, development and other factors affect the distribution of fish species over time.  The more information that is available about fish species, the more we will know about an important element of the biodiversity of aquatic ecosystems.

There is also a guide to Ontario’s fish species (Ontario Fish Guide) on the inaturalist site to help you identify fish as well as learn more about them.

Ontario Fish Project

To participate in this project you need to sign up at www.inaturalist.org. Joining is free and there are apps for iPhones,Ipads, and Android devices.  By joining intauralist you will get access to a wide variety of resources.  As well as participating in this project you can participate in others; keep track of your own nature observations no matter where you are; learn more about wildlife of all sorts; and explore different places across the world.

Once you join, you can add Ontario Fish to your list of projects and help build the data base on the fish species of Ontario!

Remember, your data is important!  Please try to be accurate in observations so that the data is as reliable is possible.  When observing species at risk please ensure that you either submit the data directly to a project, avoiding publicly posting the details, or use the tools on the site to generalize your observation location in a public posting.