Double-crested Cormorants....proposed as an endangered species!

No this wasn't, or isn't, an early April Fool's joke. Double-crested Cormorants were at one time expected to be added to Ontario's Endangered Species list!

Cormorants were, at one time, extremely rare. They were believed to be having a negative impact on the commercial and sport fishing industry in the first half of the 20th century, by consuming vast quantities of small fish that were part of the commercial fish targets or food for the larger sport fish. As a result they were heavily persecuted by destroying nests and killing the adults. Compounding the decline was the impact of DDT. The population declined significantly, and the species was being considered for endangered species status. There were no breeding colonies of them in the lower Great Lakes at all!

In my old files (I'm a bit of a pack-rat......not a surprise to those who know me well), I have a copy of the 1970 spring-summer issue of the Fish And Wildlife Review, a publication produced several times a year by the Department of Lands & Forests, precursor to the Ministry of Natural Resources, which is now the Ministry of Natural Resources & Forestry (I'm not sure why the politicians thought Forestry had to be added to Natural Resources, as ever since 1973 when MNR was created, Forestry was always included since it is a natural resource. But I digress......)

In this issue was a feature article on the dozen or so species which were to be initially included in this new piece of provincial legislation, the Ontario Endangered Species Act. In another article of this issue, two species were predicted to be added in the near future: Double-crested Cormorant and Common Loon!

I remember in my early birding years (mid-1960s to early 1970s) it was a novelty to get cormorant on one's daily checklist. By the middle 1970s, cormorants started to show up again, and by the later 1970s, they started nesting again in remote places of the lower Great Lakes. Efforts by the Canadian Wildlife Service and Ministry of Natural Resources were underway to band the young at accessible nests. As I was stationed at Rondeau, I had the opportunity on several occasions to join the mixed crew in these events. The main nesting location in the western basin of Lake Erie was on Big Chicken Island, a small island made up of cobble stones and overall about 2/3 the size of a football field. It emerged from the lake a few kilometres west of Pelee Island. There was no woody vegetation on it, and hardly even any herbaceous vegetation.

Banding cormorants on Big Chicken Island, with East Sister Island in the background

During the several times I was part of this crew, the maximum number of nests as I recall was 104, and we were ecstatic with the nesting success.

The excitement was short-lived. In only a few years the cormorants had rebounded considerably, and they expanded their nesting sites to several of the other remote islands in the western basin. East Sister Island was one of the main new nesting sites, but they also became well established on Middle Island and to a minor extent for a few years at Lighthouse Point Provincial Nature Reserve on Pelee Island.

It didn't take long for the nesting colonies on East Sister and Middle Island to have some major impacts on the lush vegetation there. Cormorants do eat fish, and their excrement is quite acidic. They were nesting in trees and in a fairly dense colony, and so when the ~4 chicks pooped over the edge of the nest, the leaves of the trees were eventually destroyed. Trees started dying. The lush vegetation was in serious trouble, as at the peak, there were well over a thousand nests on East Sister Island alone.

East Sister Island

Middle Island, Canada's southern most land mass only 100 metres or so from the international border, was similarly affected. Whereas East Sister Island has a predominantly cobblestone shoreline, Middle Island has more solid limestone rock and plates that are broken off by wave and ice action. There is a geomorphology lesson in there.......

Middle Island is about the same size as East Sister, and has an interesting fairly recent human history. During the prohibition years, it was a busy place...a haven for rum runners and for the delivery of Canadian alcohol making its way to Ohio. Boat traffic was regular (a small harbour was created on the west side of the island) and a small air strip was cut out of the vegetation on higher ground. The place where the air strip used to be has been completely over grown for a long time. If you examine Google maps and zoom in closely in the Earth coverage, you can see the difference in the vegetation where the East-West air strip was located. There was even a small hotel and casino on the island during the early part of the last century. It was eventually abandoned, and by the 1980s was in complete disrepair. It was said that Al Capone was a periodic visitor to the island during prohibition days, to do 'business'.

The impacts of nesting cormorants on Middle Island were fairly drastic as well. However since 1999, the island changed ownership....it had been in American ownership for at least 80 years prior to 1999, but given its natural history significance and its availability on the market, Canadian patriotism came to the fore. Led by the Nature Conservancy of Canada in conjunction with numerous conservation and government agencies as well as concerned individuals, it was purchased and became Canadian owned. It is now part of the federal park system, being administered and managed by Point Pelee National Park. What was left of the island's hotel has since been removed.

Cormorants have continued to expand their nesting sites in the Great Lakes. They have expanded to places like Rondeau Provincial Park, initially occupying a small unvegetated island towards the south end of the bay/marsh area. There they nest on the sandy island or in the fallen trees that remain.

They have since expanded again, to a cluster of small trees along the edge of the bay.

Cormorant nesting cluster, with Bald Eagle at top

Such are the dynamics and resilience of nature. For better or worse, nature is quick to recover when the conditions allow. And Double-crested Cormorants were never put on the Endangered Species list.

Sunset over the western basin of Lake Erie

Quest for the nest.....

Bald Eagles aren't the novelty they used to be, but they still are a highlight to see.

At one point in the first half of the last century, eagle advocates determined that there was on average an active Bald Eagle nest for every mile of Lake Erie shoreline between Long Point and Point Pelee. But by the early 1970s, there was only one. That was at Rondeau Provincial Park, where historically there had been two active nests. When the first Ontario Endangered Species Act came into effect in 1973, the Bald Eagle was listed along with 11 other species.

The culprit for the decline? Primarily it was the liberal use of DDT, which caused egg shells to become so thin that they broke when the adults attempted to incubate them. There were also deformities in beaks appearing in birds that had hatched, resulting in young birds not being able to fledge.

Even the nesting pair at Rondeau, at least for a few years, did not produce any young, or at least not every year. When young were raised, it was often only a single eaglet.

Of course in many respects, it has been a good news story since that time. DDT was banned, at least in Canada and the US. DDT was still used in developing countries of Latin America and elsewhere, but since eagles didn't migrate to those locales, and the fish they were feeding on here weren't affected by DDT, the plight of the eagle improved considerably.

Adult eagle with fish in its talons

There have been other issues that eagles have faced, including loss of habitat as well as persecution in areas where they weren't protected by legislation due to the perception that they were killing young livestock. In recent years there have been effects by power lines, wind turbines and such. As unfortunate as those incidents are, the Bald Eagle population has continued to climb in numbers.

For example in the early years of the Blenheim/Rondeau Christmas Bird Count (which began in 1939), it was common to get anywhere from 1-11 Bald Eagles on the count. By the late 1950s through the mid 1980s, it was rare to get more than 2-3, and some years none were counted. Since 2000, it has been unusual to get fewer than 10 eagles, with a high of 17 recorded one year.

On the St. Clair NWA Christmas Bird Count (CBC), which started in 1981, Bald Eagles were only counted about half the time for the first few years and only one or two if any. Since 2002, that count has averaged 10 eagles, with more than 20 counted on two of those years. The all-time high of 27 was on the most recent count.

The Wallaceburg/Walpole CBC, which began in 1986, did not have a single Bald Eagle for the first 10 years but in the last decade has only missed them once. The most recent count recorded 8 birds, an all time high for that count.

A new CBC has been started in the Skunk's Misery area, which includes parts of Chatham-Kent, Elgin, Middlesex and Lambton. In only its second year, in early January, 2016, there were 27 Bald Eagles tallied.

 Of course some of the count results have been weather related, but in general, this last decade and a half has seen a continual increase in Bald Eagle numbers throughout southwestern Ontario. And it was about a decade ago when the species was re-evaluated and taken off the provincial Endangered Species list. It is currently ranked as Special Concern, a much lower level of significance.

When I was working at Rondeau in the 1970s and 1980s, it was always a highlight to go out to the nest and band the young birds. The adults liked their privacy as well as having good access to the extensive marsh, so getting to their nest was not easy. The next few shots have all been scanned from old slides.

Approaching the nest tree, where the nest is in the upper left hand corner

We had to cross several sloughs, and even with chest waders, it was not always easy to get to the nest without getting wet. Fighting our way through the gnarly buttonbush while carrying equipment made it an additional challenge. During the first few years, a researcher associated with the University of Wisconsin was the lead bander, as he had been keeping tab on all the eagle nests around the lower Great Lakes. Of course there were very few nests to keep track of in those days. On occasion someone from a TV station would join us, to document this newsworthy event. Even though they were told they would need chest waders, they didn't always come prepared. But at least they kept the camera equipment dry.

Once we got to the nest tree, one person would climb the tree, using climbing spurs and ropes (although one time an energetic young fellow just had climbing spurs, and no other equipment. He did it free hand.......That wouldn't happen in today's world, with emphasis on health and safety.....)

The climber would get into the nest, and if we calculated the bird's age closely enough, the birds would stay put. Then each one would be carefully put into a burlap bag and lowered to the ground, where the awaiting crew would take measurements and a blood sample, and then an aluminum band was placed on the leg. Ideally we would band the bird when it was about 5-6 weeks of age. A younger bird might have smaller legs, and the band would be too big for the leg. If the bird was older, it might attempt to jump out of the nest, fledging prematurely.

On one occasion we got a 'jumper' and the eaglet, with wings outspread, floated down to the adjacent marsh. I managed to catch up to it, grasping its lower legs to keep the talons from doing any damage, and took it to the rest of the crew where the banding process was completed. It was returned to the nest in the bag, and it did not attempt to jump again.

Measuring the femur

Putting on the band

Measuring the beak

On occasion, there were even three birds in the nest, certainly an indication of improved health in the adults. Two is the norm, so three birds were a major highlight.

But the main reason for this post is not to present this bit of history....most readers will likely know a good part of it. No, this post is to try and generate interest in finding active nests in 2016, especially in the Chatham-Kent area.

The local Bald Eagles have been in their early stages of courtship and nesting behaviour for a little while now. In fact some may have been busy repairing old nests or beginning new ones, even late last autumn. But now that spring is not all that far off (we hope!) serious nesting activity is near. Egg dates for this latitude around the lower Great Lakes, typically starts in mid-March. The farther south one goes, the earlier the nesting season starts, not surprisingly. For example in Florida, the egg-laying season usually starts in mid-November.

Nests are most visible right now, and until the trees leaf out in May. Active nests will have one or more adults nearby, confirming their active state.

I am aware of up to 18 nests in Chatham-Kent or immediate vicinity.

• two at Rondeau, one visible from the Marsh Trail and the second only visible from a small section along the south beach.

Rondeau nest

• one in the immediate vicinity of Clear Creek Forest Provincial Park
• another one along the Lake Erie shoreline east of Morpeth
• one along the Thames River, east of Thamesville. It occurs along an oxbow on the north side of the river, and is visible from Hwy 2/Longwoods Road.

Along oxbow, east of Thamesville

•  one along the Thames River on the south side and closer to the Delaware of the Thames First Nation
• one at the north end of the Scane Sideroad, on the south side of the Thames River
• one that used to be adjacent to a small gravel pit northeast of Thamesville, although it may not still be usable, and that pair might now occupy one of the other nest territories not far away
• one on the south side of the Thames River, in a tree line south of the Maple City Golf Club
• one along the Snye Channel (a.k.a. Chenal Ecarte)
• one, or possibly two, along the Lake St. Clair shoreline south of SCNWA
• one on the south side of Lighthouse Cove. Technically it is in Essex Co, but it is associated with the Thames River and the river mouth

  

  Lighthouse Cove nest

• one in a woodlot east-northeast of Wheatley, although I haven't seen that nest for a few years and it may not still be active
• one in a small woodlot north of Talbot Trail, just west of Dillon Road
• one in a larger woodlot complex north of Dealtown. It is possible this pair and the one along Dillon Road may be the same, as eagles sometimes have nests that they rotate to.
• one along the Sydenham River, east of Dawn Mills.

There is a possible nest in a small woodlot north of Shrewsbury. It is a recently constructed nest, although it is not very large.....yet. To add to the uncertainty, in the last few weeks some of us have seen and photographed Bald Eagles perched on the nest or in nearby trees, and we have also seen and photographed Red-tailed Hawks doing the same thing! It will be interesting to see who eventually makes use of this one. Or since Great Horned Owls typically begin nesting before either eagles or  hawks, maybe this one will be used by a Great Horned Owl! Stay tuned....

These are the ones that I am aware of. Not all are necessarily active this year, and likely there are others. Given that Bald Eagles feed on fish a lot, or other creatures of wetlands, nests are typically found within one to two kilometres of a large water body or river.

If you are cruising the countryside in the vicinity of Lake Erie, Lake St. Clair, the Thames River or the Sydenham River, keep an eye open for Bald Eagles or a large cluster of sticks that could be their nest. And if you find something that fits, please let me know, either through a comment on this blog, or via email: prairietramper@gmail.com

Immature Bald Eagle

Recent North Lambton travels

I've been out a lot these last few days, so it is time to catch up on some blog posts.

A few days ago I was doing some inventory type of field work with a couple of colleagues at a site in northern Lambton County. The weather was great, and we found some interesting things, including a small tallgrass prairie type of site. There wasn't anything really exceptional in the site.....it hadn't burned for quite some time, and a regular occurrence of fire is absolutely essential for the long-term and short-term health of the prairie and its inhabitants. Nonetheless, we did find a few stems of a rather rare orchid called Great Plain's Ladies'-tresses (Spiranthes magnicamporum), which is provincially ranked as S3. I look forward to re-visiting the site at another time of year to see what other goodies might be present.

There are several other Ladies'-tresses types of orchids, but this is one of the later flowering species, and it is distinctive by its larger size compared to most of the others. It also has a very distinctive fragrance reminding me of a combination of hot plastic and vanilla!

On our lunch break we observed several Sharp-shinned Hawks, a 3rd year Bald Eagle, a Red-shouldered Hawk, a Red-tailed Hawk, one or two common Nighthawks and a couple of Sandhill Cranes.

Back on site, we found a few snakes (Northern Brown and Eastern Garter) as well as frogs (Leopard and Green) and American Toads, but nothing exceptional. Some of the plants we were on the lookout for we encountered, including American Ginseng, Green Dragon and Butternut, all officially Species At Risk. Due to their significance and legislated rarity, I will not divulge their locations. 

This next image features a fruiting individual of American Ginseng. It was not taken at the site we found it, but is one I had in my photo files. I did take a photo with my cell phone, but on the chance that someone could obtain the location from the cell phone pic via some internal GPS reading, I decided not to use it here (aside from the fact that it is a relatively poor quality). I do not have my main camera connected to any GPS coordinate software, partly so no one can track the location where I have taken my photos. American Ginseng is highly sought after by collectors for its apparent medical benefits, and the major illegal collecting problem is the reason it is now a Species At Risk.

Towards the end of the day, we were travelling near Kettle Point, and noted an obvious movement of raptors. In a matter of minutes we recorded several kettles (appropriately near Kettle Point!) of Broad-winged Hawks totalling more than 500 birds, a juvenile Bald Eagle, 2 or more Red-tailed Hawks, more than 20 Sharp-shinned Hawks and 20 Turkey Vultures. Later in the day, I read where a resident of the area had reported a total of 15,600 hawks passing through between 1-4 p.m., just to the north of where we saw our birds a bit later.

Broad-winged Hawk

I had heard from another birding friend that large numbers of hawks can be found migrating along the Lake Huron shoreline during periods of brisk east to northeast winds. The brisk southeast winds of this particular day had pushed migrating hawks up along the Lake Huron shoreline, so we were at the right spot at the right time to view this phenomenon.

Before heading back home to Chatham, I stopped in at one of my favourite places in north Lambton to view one of the area's relatively well-kept secrets. 

One doesn't normally associate waterfalls in the extreme southwestern flatlands of the province. If one wants to see such landscapes, one has to go to the more rugged part of the country along the Niagara Escarpment or central/northern Ontario, right? 

Not!! 

This waterfall is located at Rock Glen Conservation Area, at the NE edge of Arkona. The Ausable River Conservation Authority manages this site which is famous for its fossils in the sedimentary rock that are exposed along this stream. There is a parking area, picnic area, rustic washroom facility, museum and best of all, a hiking trail compete with stairway to reach the bottom of the gorge to see the falls up close. The first photo shown above was taken from 2/3 of the way down the stairway.

Side views are generally my preference, but one can get downstream a bit to see it from different vantage points and angles. One has to be cautious, of course, because the wet rocks are slippery!!!

Venturing a bit farther downstream, one can get intimate views of some of the minor sections of the falls.

A few days earlier, I had noted a plea for help posted on ONtbirds to track down a certain Great Egret which had been spotted in the Petrolia area. This egret had a blue wing tag, but the tag number was not easy to determine. So while travelling down hwy 21, I stopped where Black Creek flows under a bridge immediately north of Oil Springs. My primary goal was to photograph the flooded creek, overflowing with water from recent rainfall events. 

As I looked at the flooded pasture, I noted a Great Egret, and upon a closer view, noted it had a blue wing tag. Out came my 'scope and telephoto lens.

Part of the individual identification alpha/numeric code was visible, but even in looking at the bird for several minutes with my 'scope, it was clear that the letter was hard to discern. I sent the photos to the individual with Environment Canada who did the banding. We agreed that it was likely bird 95K rather than 95R. This bird was banded this year on June 26. The colony was on an island in southern Georgian Bay and the bird was too young to fly when it was banded.