Feb 2, a noteworthy date, for what reason?

 Feb 2 is well-known for being Groundhog day. But is it really that important of a day to recognize? Will whether the groundhog sees its shadow or not, really be an accurate forecast of what is ahead for the remainder of winter?

I rather doubt it. 

Perhaps the best thing about the attention given to groundhog day is that it provides us something to talk about during this normally long period of winter, when many are patiently waiting for spring!

Perhaps a much more important day on Feb 2 is the recognition of it being World Wetlands Day. Wetlands include coastal marshes, flooded forests, wet prairies, bogs, peatlands, etc. Wetlands are some of the most important elements of nature for so many reasons. For example they are indirectly the source of our drinking water. They harbour thousands of native species, both plant and animal, many of which are declining and at risk. They prevent flooding. They filter out sediment and pollutants from entering the rivers and lakes. They store carbon.

Canada is home to about 70% of the world's freshwater wetlands. We have been blessed far more than we realize, yet wetlands are constantly under threat of increased pollution and loss. They are being invaded by aggressive non-native flora and fauna. They are an easy target for conversion to some other purpose, including agriculture/commercial/industrial/residential development.

This first photo shows what a normal creek system looks like.

This next photo shows the same creek system, from the same spot, during a high water flood event only 5 days earlier, due to the heavily drained/tiled lands upstream.

This next photo show the invasion of non-native Phragmites into a high quality wetland along Lake St. Clair.

Exploring accessible wetland areas are immensely important for a person's mental and physical well being. For example watching a sunrise or sunset is generally a healthy event for a persons mental health, but when viewing it in a wetland setting increases its value.

Mitchell's Bay North Shore Trail sunset

Chenal Ecarte sunset, north end of Bear Line

Sunrise from Erieau, looking towards Rondeau Bay

 The greatest amount of freshwater wetlands in Canada are in the far north. In Ontario this includes the Hudson Bay Lowlands as shown by these next two photos taken while I was on a wildlife survey project at Polar Bear Provincial Park in the early 1990s.

At the opposite end of the province is Fish Point Provincial Nature Reserve at the southern tip of Pelee Island, with a small but quite functional and important wetland.

And in between, are many wetlands that feature that Canadian icon, the Canadian Beaver.

 The central parts of Ontario are well endowed with small lake/wetland complexes.

North of Huntsville

Other wetlands feature wildlife such as the Common Gallinule, a species easily heard, but not often seen.

Here, a young family skirts the edge of a cattail and Phragmites stand.

Rare species such as orchids occur in quality wetlands. This next photo shows a person (centre right) involved in a survey for the endangered Eastern Prairie White-fringed Orchid at a wetland in Chatham-Kent.....

Eastern Prairie White-fringed Orchid

Wet woodlands, often called woodland swamps, or just plain swamps, are common place.

Bickford Oak Woods Conservation Reserve

Rondeau Prov Park

Large wetlands along Lake St. Clair provide excellent habitat for migrating, as well as breeding, waterfowl.

St. Clair NWA

St. Clair NWA

Rondeau 

 

Let's give wetlands their due!!!

 

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King Rail: an Endangered Species

 This Wednesday, Feb 2, 2022, is World Wetlands Day. On average, wetlands don't get a lot of respect. They have been viewed negatively as being in the way to productivity, especially agriculture. Certainly drained wetlands can be extremely productive, especially for certain crop types. But their value to wildlife, their ability to stop or at least slow down flooding and the like, were often ignored. Eventually enough flooding catastrophes occurred and they received an increasing level of protection. Of course it helped that many outdoors people recognized their values to wildlife as well, and organizations like Ducks Unlimited and their members spent untold millions of dollars over the years to help protect them. Provincial and federal agencies also contributed in various ways, resulting in places like St. Clair National Wildlife Area. Provincial and national parks often included significant wetlands within their boundaries.

St. Clair NWA

Rondeau Prov Park

I decided that to highlight World Wetlands Day, I would feature the King Rail. King Rail has only been known to breed in significant wetlands across the southern parts of Ontario, and has never been abundant. There are a small number of observations in areas slightly north of southern Ontario, but I am not aware of any confirmed breeding. It has been officially listed as an Endangered Species for around three decades, primarily due to the diminishing of its wetland habitat.

I have a copy of an unpublished manuscript, written in the later 1940s, entitled "The Birds of Kent County, Ontario" by A. A. Wood. He researched and quoted from almost 100 sources of information on birds, including some of the best known naturalists of the previous several decades. Some of the names that frequently crop up in his writing include J. L Baillie, A. C. Bent, Thomas McIlwraith, G. T. McKeough, Ed. W. Sandys, W. E. Saunders, G. M. Stirrett and P. A. Taverner.

Wood has an entry for King Rail, and I include part of it here: 

King Rail (Rallus elegans)--A rather scarce summer resident except at the St. Clair marshes where it breeds regularly. Morden and Saunders, in 1882, listed it as "common at the St. Clair flats where it breeds". McIlwraith said in 1884, 'is now known to breed plentifully at the St. Clair flats". Baillie and Harrington state "This rail occurs as a breeding species in various marshes on Lakes St. Clair and Erie.......it is not common in Ontario except at St. Clair flats". 

Wood goes on to include writings by various field people describing their findings of adults with young as well as nests with eggs. He also lists various observations dating to the 1880s as well as a few examples of eggs that were collected, back in the 1890s. Of course egg collecting was commonplace in that era. He mentions that the average arrival date over a four year period was April 23, with the earliest being April 3, 1945.

One of the places where King Rail was found back in that day, was well away from these lake side wetlands. It was at a fairly large inland marsh at Thamesville, in May of 1921. Although that wetland still exists, sort of, it has deteriorated considerably due to being almost totally taken over by the invasive Common Reed (Phragmites australis). These next two photos show a side-by-side capture of this wetland at the western side of Thamesville. It is solid Phragmites, with very little wildlife value.

The status of King Rail in Ontario since Wood's writing has since declined. It is not common anywhere, even the St. Clair flats, which was the accepted name for the collection of many marshes bordering Lake St. Clair. The wetlands at Walpole Island First Nation, shown below, is one of the largest contiguous marshes in these lakes. However the vast majority of it is inaccessible.

Walpole Island First Nation

 If one spends a lot of time in the vicinity of some of the major wetlands, such as those along Lakes St. Clair and Erie, one may still find evidence for King Rail. But don't count on seeing them. If you are very fortunate, and can distinguish the calls of King Rail from the much more abundant and similar sounding Virginia Rail, you might be able to hear one. Sightings anywhere in Ontario are extremely rare. And finding a nest? Forget about it. I had the privilege of being with a fellow birder back in 1978, and we came across a King Rail nest. We documented it and reported it to the Ontario Nest Record Scheme, part of the Royal Ontario Museum's program. These next two images are, of course, scanned from slide film taken on that occasion.

 To my knowledge, that was the last time a nest has been found in Ontario! That isn't to say that they haven't occurred, but the habitat they occur in is almost impossible to get through. The nest site we found was actually somewhat approachable, due to the fact that we had a small boat and chest waders. Unfortunately the site had the water levels altered in subsequent years, and there hasn't been suitable habitat for King Rail there for about 4 decades.

One of the highlights of late summer 2019 was to discover a King Rail at a wetland in southern Chatham-Kent. A bonus was to discover one, and possibly three, almost fully grown young! The site was reasonably accessible, so I decided to try for some new photos to add to my collection. I headed out, and very carefully got into a position where I thought I would have a reasonable chance to see some movement of the rails scurrying around for food. I had the maximum telephoto combination, to ensure the best quality images from a distance so as to minimize any disturbance if the birds should show themselves. After waiting patiently and quietly, I saw some movement: a rail!

But it clearly wasn't a King Rail. It was a much smaller rail called a Sora. It scooted about for a short time, but eventually disappeared into the denser vegetation.

After a bit more patient waiting, this young King Rail appeared from behind some vegetation.

It came a bit closer, but was wary, slowly and cautiously moving across the more open area...

...but eventually decided a less open bit of the habitat was more to its liking.

I kept an eye open for an adult. Sure enough, a little bit of movement got my attention. Can you see the adult King Rail in the next photo? It is in the centre, staring at us.

It came out a little more, but cautiously just like the younger one.

It came out into the open more and more, allowing me to get a few photos. All of these are well cropped, but quite acceptable since it was out in the full open spot, at least for a short time.

I've heard a couple of King Rails since that event, but always in the spring or very early summer when they are typically more vocal. None have been reported from this particular site, however. Hopefully with the efforts of the Ontario Breeding Bird Atlas, some successful discoveries of this incredible bird will be documented.

 

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Celebrating Wetlands!

Most of you will already know that a few days ago, Feb 2, was Groundhog day, but did you also know that it was World Wetlands Day? Wetlands are some of the most misunderstood and abused natural habitats on earth. They provide and cleanse sources of fresh water that we all need. They prevent flooding, and who hasn't heard of the major floods occurring in so many areas. Yet wetlands are drained, filled in, and treated like a garbage dump etc.

Some of the most extensive wetlands on earth occur right here in Canada including major ones in Ontario. The Hudson Bay Lowlands stretch inland from Hudson Bay for several hundred kilometres, and extend from the Quebec border to the Manitoba border and beyond. I had the privilege of being up there doing wildlife surveys for two weeks in both 1990 and 1991. It is one thing to look at this area on a map, but quite another to spend several hours flying over it to get to one's destination, and realize how little of the area you have actually seen. Being on such a landscape and far removed from any semblance of civilization is an awesome experience.

 It was incredible, to say the least, with many dozens of species of wildlife nesting and migrating, including some that rarely show up in southern Ontario such as Pacific Loon and Parasitic Jaeger.

Pacific Loon near its nest

Parasitic Jaeger on its nest

While those wetlands are still relatively intact, there are constant threats to their survival and integrity. Resource development, especially mining, is constantly being explored. In addition the wetlands are being impacted by air borne contaminants that originated in the developed part of the world.

Farther south, the boreal forest of the Canadian Shield is dotted with wetlands.But even those, if they are close to an urban area, can be tainted. This next photo is in the vicinity of North Bay. At the far right of the photo you can see buildings. It is a commercial area, and there are things falling into the wetland. In another wetland nearby there is a auto wrecker/recycling depot immediately adjacent, and some of the material has fallen into the water.

 Beavers seem to get along reasonably well, as there are numerous beaver lodges. It doesn't hurt that the beaver pelts are not as valuable as they used to be!

Some of the most diverse wetlands in the entire country are here in southern, and especially southwestern Ontario. Most of the time, the term wetlands conjures up the idea of large areas of cattails, and rightly so. Wetlands along the coastal areas of the Great Lakes are some of the largest and most diverse wetlands.

Rondeau marsh, from the former tower, 2014

 This next image shows a wide angle view of the Rondeau marsh from the south beach in July of 1987.

St. Clair National Wildlife Area

 They are immensely valuable for fish, invertebrates and plants that cannot survive anywhere else. More visible is some of the bird life. Marsh Wrens are abundant and frequently heard but seldom seen.....

 .....as are Swamp Sparrows.

Much rarer are things like Black Terns, which nest on muskrat houses or exposed and mounded  mud flats.

 Least Bitterns are present in some of the larger and best quality wetlands, but are not plentiful and more often heard than seen.

 Common Gallinules are much more often heard than seen as well, as they give various squawks and hoots from the density of the vegetation.

 Once in awhile, a patient observer might get to see a family of them roaming from one patch of vegetation to another.

Various turtle species are abundant here.

Map Turtle

 Within the stand of cattails, sometimes some rare plants can be found. This pink flower emerging from the cattails is Swamp Rose Mallow.

 And depending on water levels at certain times of the year, Wild Rice can be found.

A single stem of Wild Rice, at right of centre, emerging from the cattails

 In good years, this annual plant can be fairly abundant.

 The next photo shows an almost solid stand of Wild Rice.

 Wild Rice isn't in the foreground, but is a solid stand in the back ground here.

 And in open water, there are floating plants of various water lily types. These plants with their floating leaves provide shade and coolness for the critters living below, and also a surface for things to attach themselves to.

 However all is not well with these wetlands. The non-native and very aggressive Common Reed, also known as Phragmites, can quickly take over a wetland becoming an almost solid stand. Wildlife generally does not adapt well to such an aggressive invader.

A solid stand of Phragmites

 Wetlands can be wooded, and these are appropriately known as 'swamps'. They are usually much smaller than the coastal wetlands, and once the trees are removed, can be easily drained and converted to agricultural crops. Unfortunately when that happens, it directly increases the risk of flooding nearby, since the sponge-like absorption of these wooded wetlands is no longer functional. Please keep that in mind next time the waters of a creek or river near you is in flood stage, an event that is becoming more and more frequent.

 Wetlands are clearly a valuable component of our natural environment to celebrate, enjoy and protect. Next time you drive by one or visit one, I hope you take a few moments to appreciate all they mean to our landscape and to us!