Black-necked Stilt, Summer Tanager, Endangered Species Act at Risk, Other bird highlights, Part II

I will get to the Warbler Parade eventually, but in the meantime, there are too many other things to post about!

The Keith McLean Conservation Lands continues to be a draw for so many birds. There are currently at least 207 species of birds recorded for this relatively small site, which has only been accessible for the last 5 years!

Just a few days ago a Glossy Ibis appeared. And yesterday came the report of a pair of Black-necked Stilts. Of course the very high water that has flooded some of the fields along the creek system has created super habitat for such birds. In fact there are typically more shorebirds in both numbers and diversity in these flooded fields than there has been at local sewage lagoons, which are traditionally a hot spot. Once the field dry up, that will change.

Needless to say, the presence of these stilts, normally a mid-western species, caused a lot of interest amongst the throngs of birders in the area. They weren't always close by, or in the best light, so in order to capture the photos below, I and several other photographers had to approach very slowly and carefully along the edge of the creek system in the opposite direction of the road.

 This is a pair, as the male has the darker, black back and the female has a slightly browner back.

This is as close to the boundary of Rondeau that I am aware this species has come. I have seen them twice before within the park's checklist area, but one of those times was at the Ridgetown Sewage Lagoons and the other time, just last year, was at the Blenheim lagoons. If the birds like this spot, it is always possible, but not terribly likely, that they may even attempt to nest!

Not nearly as rare as the stilts, but just a 'regular rarity' is Summer Tanager. One or more occurs almost annually any more, but still draws a lot of attention. Just this last week or so, a young male has been seen in the vicinity of a very active cottage feeding area in the park. There are several hummingbird feeders as well as various suet, niger, sunflower and mixed seed feeders spread out along the Lakeshore Road side of the cottage, so there is a lot to attract birds. Baltimore Orioles and Rose-breasted Grosbeaks are common, as are numerous grackles and other blackbirds. The tanager has to be persistent to get anything it seems, but it does manage to get sustenance from both the suet and one of the sunflower feeders.

Endangered Species Act: At Risk
On another topic, and a very important one, it is interesting to know that today, May 17th, is Endangered Species Day, at least in the USA. It is ironic that here in Ontario where we have a relatively recently produced Endangered Species Act, 2007, it is undergoing a major revision. Not that it couldn't have undergone some tweaking to make a few improvements. But if a casual reader reads the general statements by politicians within the conservative government currently in power, one might think the proposed changes are an improvement. I will not refer to them as progressive conservative, the official name of the party, since at least based on environmental issues it is anything but progressive. In fact in spite of the wording of the proposed revisions it is a very poor attempt to make one think the gov't knows what it is doing to benefit the endangered species. In reality it is making the current Act virtually meaningless, giving politicians almost carte blanche authority to remove any protections of legislated endangered species and their habitat.

If you are interested to see the list, along with photos, of the current species that are Endangered, Threatened or Special Concern under the Act, check out this site. Over the years when I was working within MNR on behalf of such species at risk, I contributed many photos. I think at last count I had over 40 photos of these species on this link, a few of which follow here.

Cucumber Magnolia

Red Mulberry

Drooping Trillium

Nodding Pogonia

Wood Poppy

Eastern Hog-nosed Snake

If you are concerned about the future of Ontario species at risk, contact your MPP and strongly contest what the conservative gov't is trying to do by essentially gutting the current Endangered Species Act. One way to make your voice heard is through this link.

Lyme Disease Awareness Month
And finally, better late than never, May is Lyme Disease Awareness month. Ticks that are carriers of Lyme Disease are out in full force in many areas of Ontario and beyond. I have written several blog posts on the topic, since I have contracted Lyme Disease 6 times over the past 42+ years. The most extensive post can be found here. If you want more information, check it out, or one of the seven other posts (just go to the right hand side of the post page and under the heading 'Labels', scroll down and look for Lyme Disease). If you or your pets spend any time out doors, especially in the April-November period, please ensure you take extra precautions to reduce the likelihood of contracting this disease.

It is the Black-legged Tick, a.k.a. Deer Tick that is believed to be the primary carrier of Lyme Disease. It is about one-quarter to one-half the size of the more common American Dog Tick, a.k.a. Wood Tick.

Black-legged Tick

American DogTick

Be safe!

Mild January is good for birds, ticks and dandelions

In less than a week, winter will be almost a third over, at least according to the calendar. But the weather has a mind of its own, as the first third of the season has been quite easy here in extreme southwestern Ontario. According to the weather prognosticators, that is likely to change in the next few days, and we will have to wait and see if it is true, and how long it lasts. So my approach is to get out and enjoy it while I can!

In one of the recent warmer periods, Marie noticed our first Dandelion in bloom in the yard.

On another occasion, a day when the temperatures approached 10C and we were hiking at Rondeau, she discovered a Black-legged Tick on her person after we got home. Fortunately she found it before it got too attached to her. It was definitely a reminder that especially when the temperatures are above freezing, ticks may emerge from their underground cold weather hangouts and be prowling about looking for a blood meal! Therefore even at this time of year under those conditions there is a risk of contracting Lyme Disease.

I was out doing a waterfowl survey along the southern limits of Lake St. Clair. On my way I noted an American Kestrel on a wire.

 Not being satisfied with this distant photo, I attempted to drive a bit closer, but as many raptors distrust humans when being approached, this one left the wire and landed on a corn stalk out in a field. Even knowing where it landed, it was not easy picking it out and one could easily miss it. This next photo is taken at an equivalent of about 16X. The camouflage in this kind of light and setting is quite effective.

 Cropping it to the equivalent of at least 35X and it stands out a bit better.

At the Jeannette's Creek boat launch, I stopped to see what waterfowl was around. While scanning for them, I was amazed at the number of Bald Eagles there were....42 at the minimum were visible from this location, and another 3 at the mouth of the river. This next image, complements of Google shows the river just as it enters Lake St. Clair. The X is the boat launch area, and the BE indicates where the bulk of the eagles were, at least what I could see. Who knows how many were just around the bend? On the recently held St. Clair NWA Christmas Bird Count, we officially tallied 50 Bald Eagles for the count circle, although unofficially we tallied 60. But since some may have been double counted due to their movements, we reduced the total to 50. Now with seeing a minimum of 45 of them from one general vantage point and only a small part of the count circle, maybe even 60 for the bird count was low.

I took a few shots, but the distance was pretty far. In this first photo one can see 14 eagles either in the trees or in the air. There are a couple of Herring Gulls flying as well.

At the mouth of the river, one of the three eagles there at least was close enough and in pretty good light to provide a better photo op.

With the river being totally open, there were various waterbirds to be seen, including about 15 Great Blue Herons along the far shoreline. At least they were in good light, enjoying the bright sunshine.

The next photo shows two herons, one at either side, as well as a couple of Double-crested Cormorants on the log. Not the closest, but that was as close as I could get.

There was an impressive number of ducks on the river, mostly Mallards but also Common Mergansers. The mergansers were actually not too far from where many of the eagles had gathered. Shortly after I checked over the eagles, the mergansers headed downstream flying right by me in various sized groups.

I had also been to Rondeau on a couple of occasions, in part to see if the Barred Owl was still around in the campground area. Unfortunately no one has seen the owl since Jan 6. But there were other species to find, such as the ongoing Baltimore Oriole in the campground which I came across a couple of times....

....as well as scattered groups of White-throated Sparrows, Northern Cardinals and Dark-eyed Juncos. One or more Yellow-bellied Sapsuckers have continued in the campground as well.

The lake has fewer and fewer birds on it.....I haven't seen any Red-throated Loons for a few days now. A small group of Ruddy Ducks had been hanging out off the northeast part of the park for a week or two. Here there are about 27 of them. Other single ducks join them from time to time, including scaup and scoters, but this image is all Ruddies.

Now that the bay is freezing over, there are thousands of Tundra Swans (4000+) and Canada Geese (3000+) scattered across it, as well as a much smaller number of ducks. However they are well out in the middle and difficult to photograph on a sunny day with all of the sunlight interference. Not as much of a problem when they are flying, fortunately.

Feeders haven't been terribly active since it has been relatively mild with absolutely no snow cover. But some of the regulars are there when there is food for them.

With the onset of colder weather along with snow that stays, it is imperative for feeders to be well-stocked with food.

Tis the season for caution

I had intended for this post to be made several weeks ago. Regardless, it is never too late to advise readers that the risk of encountering ticks that may carry the dreaded spirochete that gives one Lyme Disease, is high. Anytime the temperature is above freezing there is a risk, but more so in the spring through autumn seasons.

May is Lyme Disease Awareness month in the USA. It hasn't been officially declared that in Canada as far as I am aware. However Lyme Disease (LD) is on the increase in many parts of this country, especially eastern Canada. Southwestern Ontario has been a hotbed for it for several years now. My first encounter with it goes back to 1976, although it was not confirmed as such at the time.

The Black-legged Tick is considered the primary vector of the disease. They are much smaller than other ticks found in the area such as the Wood or Dog Tick, which also may appear on humans and pets.

Adult Black-legged Tick

 Even the adult is small, as shown beside this ruler. An adult is typically only about 2-3 millimetres in length. Immature ticks are much smaller.

Clearly people are becoming more aware of LD, as they should, and are searching for information on it. In fact, one of my earliest blog posts discussing LD is by far my most often visited post of the 350+ posts I have made. It has received almost 6000 visits to date. If you haven't seen it, you can read it here.

An update on LD on another post can be seen at this link.

Or you can just do a search using key words such as Lyme Disease on this blog to see the other posts.

If you or your pets spend any time out of doors, sometimes even in your own back yard, you may encounter a Black-legged Tick that could transmit LD. They can occur in various types of habitat. Grassy/shrubby areas are popular, partly because rodents and deer, which are typical hosts for both immature and adult ticks, are more abundant in these areas.

But much less forested habitat can also harbour Black-legged Ticks and their hosts. If you spend any time in such areas, it is advised to do a tick check as soon as possible to remove any potential critters.

In spite of careful tick checks, there is the possibility that an immature or adult tick may go unnoticed. If one happens to lock on to you and begin to engorge on your blood, the transmission of the spirochete may occur, and then you may be susceptible to early stage LD, which may occur a few days after being bitten. First stage symptoms of LD may include flu-like symptoms, such as fatigue, fever, chills, aches and pains. When you experience this in a season where catching the flu is much less likely or even highly unlikely it should be an important warning. A bull's-eye rash, or something similar, may be noticed, although there are varying opinions on how often this may occur. Some people say it may occur in less than 30% of the cases; others suggest it may occur in more than 50% of cases. Clearly not having a rash is not indicative of LD not being present. The flu-like symptoms are much more reliable.

Rashes can vary. Here are several that I have had.

On my lower leg

On my side

One of the most important web sites to refer to on Lyme Disease is the Canadian Lyme Disease Foundation. Please check it out for more information. And above all, don't shy away from being outdoors, but be vigilant and stay safe!

Concerned about Lyme Disease? You should be!

Tick season is fast approaching, and in some parts of Ontario it is already here! The milder weather we've had recently has prompted ticks to emerge.....not a lot yet, but one local birder found a deer tick (a.k.a Black-legged Tick)  on his clothing just a few days ago.

Once the weather warms up to stay in the next few weeks, the presence of deer ticks will be all too common in natural areas. And not just natural areas.....they can be almost anywhere there is long grass, shrubs, etc. For example even if you are an expert golfer, chances are you have lost a ball in the rough....where ticks may be lurking. You don't have to be in those areas yourself. If you have a pet that roams around in such areas the ticks can be transferred to you or a member of your family.

I've made several blog posts about Lyme Disease, describing the 6 times I have contracted it over the years. You can read a bit about my experiences by checking out these at post #1, post #2, post #3 and post #4.

Unfortunately the diagnosis and treatment for Lyme Disease is all too poorly known. It is controversial at best, and the leading health authorities are not always up to speed on the issue. There is an attempt to establish a Lyme Action Plan (Framework) by the federal government and partners, which would seem to be all well and good. There is a draft plan out for review right now. However it has little action and no funding associated with it, so what is the point? The bottom line is that it does not provide any meaningful action towards protecting Canadians from the effects of Lyme Disease.

If you are concerned about this....and you should be if you spend any time out doors....then please take a moment to sign the petition for this draft Lyme Action Plan (Framework) to be rejected, and for the federal government to come up with something that will be effective.

You can read about this draft plan here. Please sign the petition.....if you ever contract Lyme Disease, you may be glad you did!

Passenger Pigeon, Japanese Barberry and.....Lyme Disease

September is the month when we mark the anniversary of an avian tragedy: it was on September 1, 1914, when the last remaining Passenger Pigeon died. A species that went from an estimated 3 billion to zero in the space of a human's lifetime. Not that the population was always so numerous....it was a species whose population was believed to fluctuate dramatically, as described in this article in Scientific American.

Passenger Pigeons (PAPI) fed on the seed produced by various trees in the eastern and mid-western forests, specifically acorns from various oaks, nuts from the American Beech as well as chestnuts from the American Chestnut. American Chestnut was once one of the most common trees in eastern North American forests, but a serious blight that arrived in the early part of last century devastated the forest of that species. It is a legally endangered species due to its extremely limited occurrence in Canada.

Open oak forests were particularly attractive to PAPI, since not only did the acorns provide a valuable source of food, but the large and sturdy spreading branches were safe places to roost and/or build their nests.

In this first photo is a mix of acorns of the Red Oak and beech nuts of the American Beech.

 This next image is a close-up of an opened chestnut bur, showing the seeds in side the husk.

American Chestnut leaves

White Oak

These tree species are known to produce large quantities of seed for one or two years, and then very small quantities of seed for the next few years. Years of high seed production are known as 'mast' years. If several tree species produce mast in successive years, it might result in very high production of young PAPI causing the population to get to the estimated 3 billion. But that wouldn't last, and the productivity would then decline. This process is certainly beneficial for the trees. If the seed production maintained a consistent level over the years, those wildlife species that fed on them would maximize their production, and most seed would likely be consumed. By having most years of seed production at lower levels, the wildlife species would remain at a relatively lower level, so that when seed production increased briefly, more of it would survive to germinate and produce an age class of trees for the future.

Regardless, when the population of PAPI was reduced to zero, it resulted in a lot of seed not being consumed. And this was a boon for other species of wildlife that fed on those seeds that would normally be competing with the PAPI, such as White-tailed Deer, squirrels, mice, Wild Turkey, etc.

The numbers of those remaining species of wildlife would likely have increased substantially, now that there weren't a billion or more PAPI to compete with.

Japanese Barberry
Japanese Barberry (Berberis thunbergii) was introduced to North America in the late 1800s as an ornamental shrub. It leafs out early and has many flowers. It also has sharp spines along its stems.

It is a prolific seed producer, and birds love the bright red berries. But when the birds travel and defecate elsewhere, the seeds are spread far and wide. The sharp spines ensure that browsing by deer is minimal, so there are virtually no controls on the spread of this species. As a result, Japanese Barberry is one of the more insidious invasive species in our eastern forests. It is especially distinctive in the fall when their leaves turn a deep red.

The density at which Japanese Barberry can grow unchecked in a forest is great for mice! Their normal predators, such as owls, hawks and foxes will not penetrate the dense, prickly stand of barberry, so it is a safe haven. Numbers of mice where barberry is plentiful are known to be higher than areas where barberry is low to non-existent.

And that brings us to the unfortunate result of the loss of PAPI and the invasion of barberry. You see, mice are critical hosts to ticks, both the American Dog Tick (a.k.a. Wood Tick) and the Black-legged Tick (a.k.a Deer Tick). It is the latter species that is the prime vector of the spirochete which causes Lyme Disease. I have written several blog posts on Lyme Disease, specifically related to my several experiences with it. The most informative one can be read here.

Deer Tick

Ticks thrive where there are high populations of their deer and mice hosts. The blood meal, which is critical for the development of both nymph and adult ticks, is readily available from each of those mammal species when the host populations are high.  Also, where there is a dense stand of barberry, the relative humidity remains higher, which is also beneficial for the ticks.

It takes ticks two years to reach the adult stage when they will produce young. It is interesting to note that two years following a year of mast production of the acorns and seeds mentioned at the outset of this post, there is a greater abundance of ticks.

In simplistic terms, now that the billion or so PAPI are long gone, a high production of acorns and beech nuts attracts greater numbers of deer and mice. Mice are predominant hosts to the nymphal stage of the ticks, and deer are hosts to the adult stage of the ticks. So two years after the mast year, are more ticks, and the greater the chance of encountering a tick capable of transmitting Lyme Disease!

On a related note, I have read where in rural areas, free-range chickens, guinea fowl etc, are great at controlling ticks in their immediate area. It is possible that Wild Turkeys have a similar effect, as they feed on numerous small vertebrates and invertebrates alike. Wild Turkeys were extirpated from southwestern Ontario many decades ago, but beginning in 1984 were successfully re-introduced in several areas of the province. A decade or so after their initial re-introduction, saw Wild Turkeys move in to Rondeau Provincial Park, and they seem to be doing well. Perhaps they will help control ticks in areas of the park that they spend much of their time in.

 There are many sources of information on parts of what I have written. Some of the more useful references I found and used include:

1. http://www.scientificamerican.com/article/3-billion-to-zero-what-happened-to-the-passenger-pigeon/
2.  https://mnfi.anr.msu.edu/invasive-species/JapaneseBarberryBCP.pdf
3. http://omnilearn.net/esacourse/pdfs/lyme_disease.pdf

The last one was particularly interesting, and is a pdf of an article that appeared in Birding magazine several years ago, entitled "Passenger Pigeons, Lyme Disease and Us: the unintended consequences of the death of a species" by David E. Blockstein. I couldn't find the article in the Birding archives, but managed to locate it via this online source.