Endangered Kirtland’s
Warbler Spotted
Photo: Ethan
Meleg
18 August 2006 – Military officials at
the armed forces base in Petawawa, Ontario, have revealed that at least
two Kirtland’s Warblers spent the summer in the extensive jack pine
forests found on the base. This is the first record for the Ottawa area
since 1985 and the first territorial birds for the Petawawa base since a
singing male spent the summer there in 1977.
This endangered species is one of the
world’s rarest birds; as recently as the late 1980s, it numbered less
than 400 individuals. Through careful management of its very specific
habitat and control of the Brown-headed Cowbird (a nest parasite), the
population has increased to more than 3000 birds in recent years. While
the bulk of the population breeds in Michigan, there are historical
breeding records in Wisconsin and Ontario. Indeed, ornithologists
considered the species to be “not uncommon” in the Petawawa area until
the early 1900s. The return of the Kirtland’s Warbler to Ontario would
be welcome news as a breeding population outside of Michigan would
further ensure the species’ continued recovery.
And the Winners
Are...Phoenix and Gwayah
18 August 2006 – Bird Studies Canada
(BSC) in conjuction with Essex County Field Naturalists and Detroit
River Canadian Cleanup, is pleased to announce that two winners have
been selected in our Name-the-Bald-Eagles Contest. The contest was held
recently as part of Peche Island Day, an environmental awareness day
that took place on the Detroit River island.
Participants were asked to name two
young eaglets hatched from nests in the Detroit River watershed. The
eaglets were fitted with satellite transmitters, allowing their
movements to be tracked over the next few years. After reviewing a large
number of excellent entries, the judges selected the names Phoenix and
Gwayah, which were submitted by E. Coventry and S. Edney.
Judges felt Phoenix – the name of a
beautiful, immortal mythological bird that rose from its ashes every 500
years – symbolized the comeback of the Bald Eagle population in this
area after significant population declines in the last 50 years.
The second name, Gwayah, is short for
Gwayahkooshkawin, which means “balance” in the Ojibway language.
Unfortunately, Gwayah, died recently despite extensive efforts made by
experienced wildlife rehabilitators to save his life. Cause of death is
unknown. The judges felt the name symbolizes the fragile balance between
life and death faced by all wild animals, and is a fitting tribute to
the memory of this young bird.
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Crown Marsh
Rehabilitation Day Held at BSC
16 August 2006 – The Long Point
Waterfowlers’ Association (LPWA) invited more than 35 biologists and
marsh managers to gather at Bird Studies Canada (BSC) headquarters in
Port Rowan, Ontario, for a meeting to discuss the current state of
habitat conditions and wildlife use in the Crown Marsh, as well as
future potential management options.
The Crown Marsh – Long Point Waterfowl
Management Unit has been owned by the Ontario Ministry of Natural
Resources (OMNR) since 1961. At 1650 acres, this marsh is the largest
emergent marsh complex at Long Point, ON, that is open for public use
during the entire year. The marsh is a popular destination for
bird-watchers during the spring. During summer months, countless people
enjoy hiking, canoeing, and fishing. From late-September through
mid-December each year, the OMNR (in cooperation with the Ontario
Federation of Anglers and Hunters) provides controlled waterfowl hunting
opportunities at the site. In recent years, waterfowl hunters,
bird-watchers, and other user groups have noticed substantial changes in
the plant and animal communities, and have become concerned about the
state of conditions within the marsh.
Dr. Shannon Badzinski, Long Point
Waterfowl and Wetlands Research Fund (LPWWRF) Scientist, was invited to
present research to the gathering at BSC showing long-term declines in
duck-use and habitat quality in the Crown Marsh. Steve Timmermans, BSC
Aquatic Surveys Scientist, also presented data from BSC’s Great Lakes
Marsh Monitoring Program, and discussed observations regarding habitat
management activities in other Great Lakes coastal wetlands in Canada
and USA.
LPWA members took biologists on both
land-based and boat tours of the marsh to see first hand the current
habitat conditions. Round-table discussions at the end of the day
resulted in consensus that habitat conditions within the Crown Marsh are
sub-optimal and that some kind of habitat management will be necessary
to increase the ecological value to some areas of the marsh. Smaller
meetings will be held in the future to develop a formal proposal about
what specific management activities will be most beneficial for the
marsh.
Fall Migration
Season Starts at Long Point
Photo: Stuart
Mackenzie
5 August 2006 – The Long Point Bird
Observatory (LPBO) began the fall 2006 season officially on 15 August at
the Old Cut field station. The adjacent woods are already filling up
with migrants and more than 500 birds have been banded on the point so
far including a father and daughter pair of Belted Kingfishers! The
observatory's two remote stations, Breakwater and the Tip, have been up
and running since August 13. Starting Friday 25
August, weekly updates of banding totals, bird movements, and
highlights from Long Point and the surrounding areas will be made to the
LPBO Sightings Board which can be checked by
clicking here.
If you're in the area, be sure to plan a visit to Long Point and the Old
Cut banding station. The friendly LPBO staff, volunteers, and Friends of
LPBO are happy to answer those burning questions about Long Point and
its birds. While you're there, check out the
“LPBO Shoppe” for bird-friendly gifts and apparel.
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Scaup Study in
Wildlife Society Bulletin
28 July 2006 – Two members of the
Long Point Waterfowl and Wetlands Research Fund (LPWWRF), administered
by Bird Studies Canada (BSC), have published a study on
scaup in the summer 2006 edition of
Wildlife Society Bulletin.
The article, by LPWWRF Scientist Dr.
Shannon Badzinski and LPWWRF Research Director Dr. Scott Petrie, appears
in Vol. 34, No. 2: 395-407 and is titled, “Lesser Scaup spring nutrient
reserve dynamics on the Lower Great Lakes.” To read the abstract,
check here.
Shannon and Scott also have another upcoming article titled, “Diets of
Lesser and Greater Scaup during autumn and spring on the Lower Great
Lakes,” slated for publication in the 2006 autumn edition (Vol. 34, No.
3) of Wildlife Society Bulletin. Scott, Shannon, and Ken
Drouillard (Great Lakes Institute for Environmental Research, University
of Windsor) currently are revising a manuscript they submitted to
Archives of Environmental Contamination and Toxicology for peer review
titled, “Contaminants in Lesser Scaup and Greater Scaup staging on the
Lower Great Lakes.”
To learn more about LPWWRF’s Scaup
research programs,
check
here.
Loon and Tundra Swan
Research Published
28 July 2006 – Staff associated with
Bird Studies Canada (BSC) recently published two papers in a special
edition of the journal Hydrobiologia. The papers, which appear in
Vol. 567, No. 1 of the journal, are specifically devoted to research
related to limnology and effects on aquatic birds.
Long Point Waterfowl and Wetlands
Research Fund (LPWWRF) Scientist Shannon Badzinski and Aquatic Surveys
Scientist Steve Timmermans have co-authored a paper titled, “Factors
influencing productivity of Common Loons (Gavia immer) breeding
on circumneutral lakes in Nova Scotia, Canada.”
Check here
for the abstract.
Shannon, LPWWRF Research Director Scott
Petrie, and Dave Ankney (University of Western Ontario) have co-authored
a paper titled, “Influence of migrant Tundra Swans (Cygnus
columbianus) and Canada Geese (Branta canadensis) on aquatic
vegetation at Long Point, Lake Erie, Ontario.” The abstract can be read
by checking
here.
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