Some Natural Areas of Chatham-Kent, Part 3

This post will describe two areas that are publicly owned per the federal government and administered by the Canadian Wildlife Service branch of Environment and Climate Change Canada: St. Clair National Wildlife area and the Bear Creek Unit of SCNWA.

St. Clair National Wildlife Area
Many people may have heard about this place, but it is surprising how many times I come across residents of C-K who don't know where it is, let alone having visited it. This first photo shows the location of the NWA along the east shore of Lake St. Clair relative to the surrounding landscape. There are quite a few wetland complexes along this east shore. Before settlement, the water of the lake would vary and during higher water levels, the area of wetland moved inland quite a bit. During periods of lower water levels, the wetland would be tallgrass prairie. The soils here are extremely productive from an agricultural perspective; hence much of the area has been drained and turned into farmland. Fortunately some big business corporations recognized the value of some of these wetlands for duck hunting, and acquired significant tracts of the wetlands before they were drained and converted to farmland.

 This next photo shows a closer look at the ~240 hectares (~600 acres) that are outlined in blue, which make up the NWA. This wetland is contained within a dyke system, making it less subject to the adjacent lake levels. Water levels inside the NWA are controlled by a pump system.

This was owned by executives of the Stroh Brewing Company out of Michigan until it was put on the market and the CWS acquired it in the 1970s. Even though it is publicly owned by CWS, most of it is off limits to the general public. The E in the lower right hand corner marks the road access, which goes to a small parking lot, marked at X. The red line marks the trail, starting from the parking lot, and goes along the top of a dyke.

Here are a couple of signs you will see as you enter the NWA.

The trail along the dyke is a gravel surface and in good condition. An observation tower is about a 12 minute walk from the parking area.

You will quickly notice as you travel along that this NWA is predominantly wetland.

The NWA has been identified as a Wetland of International Importance. This post is particularly timely, since yesterday, Feb 2, is proclaimed as World Wetlands Day in recognition of the International Wetland agreement that was signed on this day in 1971, in Ramsar, Iran, and has since been referred to as the Ramsar Convention. Sites that have been nominated and accepted as qualifying sites are known as Ramsar sites.

The larger, more extensive complex of wetland along the Lake St. Clair shoreline that SCNWA is part of has also been recognized as an Important Bird Area. Waterfowl was one of the main reasons big businesses acquired many of these wetlands decades ago. The area is where two waterfowl migratory flyways overlap, and the shallow water of the lake as well as the shelter of the extensive marshes have always been of great importance to migrating, as well as nesting waterfowl. Tundra Swans pass through the area in large numbers.....

....as do Canada Geese, some of which will stay most winters.

There are tens of thousands individuals of two dozen or more other species of waterfowl that migrate through, and typically 10-15000 will remain all winter.

Of course wetlands are important to more birds than just waterfowl. There are about 235 species of birds that, to date, have been identified here. Many marsh birds, including Great Egrets, use the area. Great Egrets don't nest in the NWA, but do so in the extensive wetlands of Walpole Island First Nation, at the north end of the lake. But dozens of them will use the NWA for feeding and resting. In fact when the water levels are low enough, sometimes more than 100 of them will roost overnight later in the season, as this next photo shows.

This photo, showing part of the roost, was taken about a half hour before sunrise, with a telephoto lens and a slow shutter speed. Fortunately when the birds are still in their roost, they are quite motionless, enabling the slow shutter speed to work.

The early morning hours or late evening hours are sometimes the best time to visit, as the wind is quieter and wildlife tends to be a little more active. One can also enjoy some very nice sunrise or sunset conditions.

There are other birds as well, some quite common such as this Common Yellowthroat.

Some rarities migrate through, such as this Nelson's Sparrow, a small and very furtive bird that probably passes through in small numbers annually, but is seldom seen.

Then there are extreme rarities, such as one of the few records of Vermilion Flycatcher for Ontario, found late in the season one year in the early 1990s, but did not stick around for the Christmas Bird Count. Another rarity was a July appearance of a White-winged Dove in the early 2000s.

Plants are a big part of a wetland. Cattail is the most dominant emergent species, but at times the open water areas are covered with Fragrant Water Lily.

A somewhat similar looking species is this much rarer and larger American Lotus. It isn't officially rare, but could be. It is limited largely to a few wetland areas of Chatham-Kent and Essex.

A legally rare species is Swamp Rose Mallow.

It is quite colourful, and may grow up to two metres high in shallow water, and is most visible in late July through August. It can be quite abundant in some of the larger marshes of Chatham-Kent and Essex, although it does grow in much smaller numbers in other municipalities of southwestern Ontario.

There is much more that could be said about this wonderful natural area, but why not go out and explore it for yourself?

Bear Creek Unit of SCNWA
 This site is even less known than SCNWA, and very few people explore it. However it is even less accessible, since the only public viewing is from along the municipal road (Bear Line) that crosses part of it. Nonetheless, there can be some interesting sightings here. This first photo shows the general area. Most of the wetland in the photo is part of the Bear Creek Unit. The blue line marks the north end of Bear Line which can be either driven or walked. It follows between the edge of the wetland and the channel of Bear Creek, and ends at the Chenal Ecarte, a.k.a. The Snye, overlooking the wetlands of St. Anne's Island, part of the Walpole Island First Nation.

The wetland view from the road.

It is a great spot to see a Bald Eagle, a pair of which has a nest just downstream a short way.

There is also a good chance of spotting Sandhill Cranes, which nest in the area, and feed in the marshes.

Turtles are frequently seen, such as these Painted Turtles, but also the rarer Map Turtles.

Waterfowl, such as these Hooded Mergansers, can be found....

...as well as the handsome Ring-necked Duck.

Along the large channel of The Snye, and the adjacent wetlands, can be found nesting Forster's Terns at times, although they used to be a lot more common before the invasive Phragmites took over.

The end of the road looking out across The Snye can be a great spot for sunset photography, too.

Ground-hog Day or World Wetlands Day....take your pick

Yesterday, Feb 2, was Ground-hog Day. While I don't want to denigrate the ability of those furry rodent prognosticators across the land in speculating the arrival of spring, perhaps just as importantly, it was another notable day: World Wetlands Day.

There is a worthwhile blog post about wetlands on the Canadian Geographic site, located here.

Wetlands, and of course the lakes, rivers and streams that they are often associated with, are critical to a lot of life, including yours and mine. In fact the survival of most plant and animal life is dependent to varying degrees, on water.

Here in Chatham-Kent, at the time of settlement, according to a 1987 paper, the landscape was made up of 66% wetland, which includes both marsh and swamp. By 1967, only 5% remained and by 1982, that number had dropped further to 3.7%. I don't have figures for the current status, but I expect we have all seen more wetlands disappear than re-appear on the landscape, and there are continuous threats to those few remaining wetlands. For a municipality with less than 5% natural area, not a lot of that is in wetland form, so it is fair to say that wetlands have declined significantly since 1982.

St. Clair area wetlands

In the early 1970s, 21 participating nations met in Iran, and established the Ramsar Convention, which is more formally known as the Convention of Wetlands of International Importance. Its purpose was to be a treaty for the conservation and sustainable utilization of wetlands for their economic, cultural, scientific and recreational values. Wetland sites were nominated across many of the participatory nations, which typically were some of the most nationally and internationally significant sites.

Some of the wetlands in Chatham-Kent and neighbouring counties were nominated, but currently only two have been adopted as a Ramsar Site. They are Point Pelee National Park and St. Clair National Wildlife Area.

St. Clair NWA

The wetlands along the eastern and northern sides of Lake St. Clair are well known for their attraction to migrating and nesting waterfowl. Some of the stats regarding its significance (based on the Ramsar Convention website) are:

• 25% of the North American population of Tundra Swans pass through the area;

Resting swans and geese

• over 200,000 Canada Geese pass through the area.

Tundra Swans, Canada Geese and a few ducks

Canada Geese

• up to 360,000 individual waterbirds pass through the area, including Canvasback, Redhead and Mallards. During the most recent Christmas Bird Count for this area, on January 1, 2016,  our one day count of waterfowl totalled over 55,000 birds. In 2007, our one day count totalled over 95,000 birds!

Diving ducks

Canvasback

Redhead

In addition there are numerous species of wildlife besides waterfowl as well as plants that are dependent on these vast wetlands, including many species at risk such as Swamp Rose Mallow, where at times, can be incredibly profuse as this next image shows. The Canadian range of this species is largely limited to the more significant wetlands of extreme southwestern Ontario.

A lot of Swamp Rose Mallow

Swamp Rose Mallow

At the opposite extreme of the province is one of the largest wetland complexes in Canada: the Hudson Bay Lowland. Polar Bear Provincial Park is a huge part of the Hudson Bay Lowland with an area of almost two and a half million hectares, and is Canada's second largest Ramsar site. (The largest is the Queen Maud Gulf in the NWT, which encompasses over 6 million hectares). I was privileged to have spent several weeks in Polar Bear PP doing some wildlife surveys in the early 1990s. It is an incredible place.

The numbers of shorebirds and waterfowl are amazing. For example, on migration, more than one million Snow Geese pass through, and some breed here in huge colonies.

Blue phase Snow Goose with young

During migration, the area supports almost the entire Arctic population of Red Knot.

Red Knot (Black-bellied Plover in background)

It also supports the entire Arctic breeding population of Marbled Godwit.

Marbled Godwit

Marbled Godwits

We found Parasitic Jaegers nesting, as well as Pacific Loons.

Parasitic Jaeger

Pacific Loon

Semipalmated Plovers were nesting close to our camp, and Bonaparte's Gulls were nesting in some of the spruce trees.

Semipalmated Plover

Bonaparte's Gull

In spite of the recognition of these internationally significant wetlands, so many other significant wetlands of southwestern Ontario have been lost, or are threatened and may be gone tomorrow, or next year. These losses are attributed to our economic development of the area, including agriculture and urbanization. We are all at least partially responsible, and the decline in habitat quality and species diversity continues. Yet I read just today of a prominent spokes person for the industry stating that to demonstrate the environmental responsibility of his industry, the evidence is in the increasing numbers of frogs, birds and other animal populations on the landscape.

Huh???

No examples were provided, because to this person, it was evident by just looking around. I'm not really sure what that person was looking at, however, as the overwhelming evidence is exactly the opposite. Our native populations of flora and fauna have been in decline for decades, and show no signs of letting up. In fact the number of officially, legally Rare, Threatened and Endangered Species has never been higher, and there are dozens and dozens of other species waiting to be evaluated to determine their status. The only thing that is increasing on the landscape is the abundance of non-native invasive species. And that will be discussed in another post.