The leafs are falling!

And with all due respect and condolences to my fellow Toronto Maple Leafs fans, this is not intended to be yet another reminder of a season to forget.....we know all too well that that hockey club's season seemed to finish sometime back in January, even though I am reminded when I turn on the tube some evenings that some teams are still playing now. But I digress.....

To be grammatically correct, I should have had the title to read "The leaves are falling" but it didn't have quite the same effect.

The leaves I am referring to, strange as it may seem, are those of some of the American Beech trees. As we know, the leaves of most trees turn colour and fall in the autumn. However for young American Beech trees, and even the lower and inside leaves of more mature beech trees, many of the leaves turn their pale brownish colour, but neglect to drop off.

They stay on all winter, and it isn't until the new leaf buds are beginning to expand right now that the old leaves fall off. That is why on a breezy day in the woods right now, you can see pale brownish leaves drifting across your view.

Most of them are gone, or will be gone shortly, and the forest is really greening up. In fact with the recent arrival of many song birds, the forest is becoming quite colourful due to these feathered critters. Some are just passing through, such as the species featured in these next two images.

Blackburnian Warbler

Philadelphia Vireo

The Philadelphia Vireo image is the first time I've got a decent shot of one. This species passes through southern Ontario in small numbers, and are usually much too high for a good photo op. So I was pleasantly surprised the other day to have this one foraging close by and at eye level. I managed to get several shots of it through the branches. The cold day kept it and many other birds low.

This next species doesn't nest at Rondeau often, but it has nested on occasion. Normally they are farther north in the Great Lakes-St. Lawrence forest zone, which is the next forest zone north of the Carolinian/Deciduous Forest Zone.

Chestnut-sided Warbler

Rose-breasted Grosbeaks were plentiful in the park. This one was busily picking off leaf parts and bugs from this spider web. A few of this species nest at Rondeau annually. When the leaves are out more fully, obscuring the view, they can be detected by their robin-like call, which is discernible by being a little longer and more melodious than a robin.

Scarlet Tanagers were not abundant, but widely scattered, and their brilliant plumage brightened up some of the drearier days. They too nest at Rondeau, and are often detected by their harsher 'robin with a cold' type call.

And forest bird nesting has begun. Blue-gray Gnatcatchers have been around for a couple of weeks or more, and this pair is not wasting any time getting on with the process. They were right along the South Point Trail, not too high up in a Sassafrass tree. They were busy putting on the finishing touches to their nest.....bits of lichen on the outside to make it blend in a bit more with the adjacent tree branch.

Blue-gray Gnatcatcher

One of the highlights of any birder's day is to see one of the very few Endangered Prothonotary Warblers occurring in Canada. Rondeau was the first location for them to be confirmed as breeding in Canada, way back in the early 1930s, and has been known as the Canadian stronghold for them ever since. They have declined in numbers, and in any given year, it seems that there are no more than 10-15 breeding pairs in the entire country. Fortunately for so many birders, a pair is often found along the Tuliptree Trail, and is there again in 2015. The male was not seen very close-up when I was there yesterday, but the female was very active and at close range, entertaining a number of birders/photographers. This first photo might suggest that she was more interested in her reflection than she was with the many pairs of binoculars and camera lenses pointed her way.

The chipping of Eastern Chipmunks hidden in the vegetation on the forest floor sometimes gets ones attention when you are listening for bird songs and calls. On occasion they will pause out in the open for a moment before dashing for cover.

Nesting has been underway for birds associated with wetlands, too. Unfortunately this non-native Mute Swan, below, is one of several pairs nesting in the Rondeau Bay area. Fortunately for Rondeau, they are not as abundant here as they are in some of the wetlands associated with Lake St. Clair. It is not uncommon to see a couple of dozen scattered about the north part of that lake at this time of year. On the St. Clair NWA Christmas Bird Count in early January, which includes the north end of Mitchell's Bay, we have counted as many as 227!

Mute Swan on a nest

The Yellow-headed Blackbirds that have often been associated with the Angler Line wetland just south of Mitchell's Bay seem to have moved again this year. A couple of days ago I was out looking for the reported Wood Storks that were seen out in the lake from the extreme west end of Angler Line. I noticed that the Yellow-headeds previously noted from the Angler Line wetland had moved to a marshy spot out in the lake just off the west end of Angler Line. They are much more challenging to photograph from this vantage point.

And fyi, the Wood Storks turned out to be American White Pelicans, and as many as 18 were observed, but were too far out for a decent photo attempt, especially given the 40-50 km/h wind. Still a good bird, and this formerly Endangered Species (now merely Threatened) is expanding its range and numbers in Ontario, so they are seen a little more regularly on water bodies of the lower Great Lakes. This next photo was taken at Erieau in late April, 2013.

Yes I know that Red-winged Blackbirds are abundant, and even a nuisance at times. Nevertheless they are actually beneficial in some ways, as they feed on enormous numbers of insect pests that might otherwise damage crops. And they are impressive in their own right; this one posed for me nicely on this Phragmites stem. I actually think he was more interested in displaying for a nearby female than he was for me, however.

Snippets.....

I haven't been able to get out a lot these last couple of weeks. This Lyme Disease (LD) thing is really annoying, as not only does it greatly reduce my energy while my immune system fights it, but taking the antibiotics also reduces my energy. In addition, I am to keep out of the sun! But I have been able to get out for brief periods to some places either early or late in the day when the sun is less intense. This post will just highlight some of the more interesting snippets of my explorations during that time.

Yellow-headed Blackbirds, especially in their breeding plumage, are always a highlight. One or more birds have been noted fairly regularly at the Angler Line wetland, as they were in 2014. I got out there this evening, just as the thunderstorm was approaching, and at first there was no Yellow-headeds to be seen or heard. There was Green Heron, Pied-billed Grebe, Great Egret and others. However after the storm passed, one bird eventually popped up and began its non-musical (to human ears) song. This photo is from a sunnier day about a week ago.....I did manage a couple of more distant shots this evening.

There have been lots of Horned Grebes passing through. Most of them are in almost full breeding/alternate plumage, such as this one, I photographed at Erieau recently.

 Great Horned Owls are of interest, especially when they are nesting. Some readers will remember the family of owls that nested in a broken Black Cherry tree in Paxton's Bush on the north side of Chatham a couple of years ago. I'm not sure where they were nesting in 2014, but this spring they are in a broken Sugar Maple, but much higher up. However they are farther away from the main trail, and seem to be staying at the nest longer than in 2013.

2013 nest in a Black Cherry

Owlet sitting at the edge of the 2015 nest

The Blenheim Sewage Lagoons have been quite productive, just in time for the major movement of shorebirds heading north to their breeding grounds. I wasn't able to catch up to the Baird's Sandpipers that were there for a couple of days, but I did catch a few of the other species. A female Wilson's Phalarope has been around, and a male has been reported in its company just recently. They have nested at the BSL in the past. Given that the lagoons look very basically like prairie potholes to birds, some birds more likely to breed in the prairie pothole region will expand to sewage lagoons of southern Ontario. Wilson's Phalaropes have nested on several occasions. Back in the early 1980s, I managed to photograph an incubating male at the nest. In the phalarope world, males are less colourful than the females, and end up doing the vast majority of the incubating!

Wilson's Phalarope female

Pectoral Sandpiper

 On one of my visits, a flock of Dunlin was flying helter skelter over the lagoons. I never saw them land, so I couldn't get an accurate count. But I did manage to get a few group flight shots. Other birders had put an estimate ranging from about 125 to 140 birds. When I saw this flock wheeling around, I estimated the number to be about 175. Just to see how close I was, I printed this photo and did an actual count. How many would you estimate? Click on it to enlarge it and it may help. The answer will be at the bottom of this post.

Flock of Dunlin

With the warmer temperatures, many more migrant landbirds are appearing at places like Rondeau. The developing flowers of trees, such as this Silver Maple, attract insects, which in turn attract songbirds.

Silver Maple

Scarlet Tanagers are always fun to photograph, especially when you come across a cooperative brilliantly coloured male in good light.

A few Hooded Warblers have turned up as well. Fortunately it is a breeding species of southern Ontario that is increasing gradually....it wasn't that long ago that it was considered a really rare bird.

Hooded Warbler male

Warmer temperatures are also important for reptiles and amphibians. Unfortunately the reptiles in particular like to bask on open sunny places, such as roads, where they can soak up the heat. This leads to their demise. I have seen quite a few snakes dead on the roads lately. When I find one still alive, I try and encourage it to move off to the side. Here is an adult Eastern Ribbon Snake. It looks a lot like an Eastern Garter Snake, but it inhabits wetter woods, usually has more distinctive yellow stripes down the length of its body, and has a telltale tiny white spot right in front of its eye. You have to get close to see it, perhaps closer than most people like to get....:-)

Wildflowers abound. I've shown a fair number in previous posts, so I won't repeat them here. It is always nice to see a good showing of our provincial flower.

White Trillium

Red Trillium seems to be less common in most woodlands.

 A real rarity is this next one. It is a yellow colour form of the Red Trillium. I have only seen it in a couple of places, but this particular one which I photographed a couple of years ago has been in bloom three years in a row.

A Species At Risk type of shrub or small tree is this Eastern Flowering Dogwood. It is a plant of woodlands with sandy soils. It used to grow at Rondeau but hasn't been seen for several decades, presumably due to heavy deer browsing during the years when the numbers of wintering deer was approaching 600! What at first glance seems to be white 'petals' aren't really petals at all. They are deciduous bracts or bud scales. The actual flowers are the tiny greenish parts in the middle, which will develop into red berries in the late summer to early autumn. The bracts in this photo are not quite fully out; hence they are still on the greenish-yellow side. They should be brighter white in a couple of days.

Another rare woodland plant is Virginia Bluebells. I first saw this species in flower many years ago, while visiting George Washington Carver National Monument in southern Missouri. Since then I have seen it in Ontario in beautiful flowering condition. A friend who had them growing profusely on his property gave me some very young plants several years ago, and I planted them in my wildflower garden. They don't show this nicely every year, but this is a photo from today.

Answer to the Dunlin flock photo: by counting them in the printed photo, I came up with 229 birds! It has been my experience that most birders underestimate the number of birds in a flock. How many did you estimate?

Tick Talk....it's Lyme Tyme!

If you spend any time in the out-of-doors in southern Ontario this season, this blog post may be one of the most important things you read if you value your health! And not just if you spend time in southern Ontario, but many other parts of Ontario, Canada and the US.

Spring is here, finally, and the weather is much more enjoyable to be outside. But some of the critters that inhabit natural areas have been awaiting spring as well, and they may be hazardous to your health. Ticks need a blood meal to assist in their development, and before they produce young.

Ticks can occur in long grassy and shrubby areas:

They can also occur in more heavily wooded areas:

There are actually at least 17 kinds of ticks found in southern Ontario, but the two that are most likely to be found on humans are: the Wood Tick (a.k.a. American Dog Tick) and the Black-legged Tick (a.k.a. Deer Tick). Technically they are not insects, which have six legs. They are Invertebrates, as are insects, but part of the Arachnid group which includes spiders; members of this group have eight legs.

This first photo is a close-up of a Black-legged Tick (Deer Tick).

If you want to get a better idea of its size, note the next photo.

This full sized adult's body is only about two millimetres in length. And the young, called nymphs and which also feed on blood, are a fraction of this size!

An adult Wood Tick, on the other hand, is several times the size of the Deer Tick. Note this next photo of a Wood Tick, and compare the colouration and pattern with the Deer Tick.

Note also the way that the tick clings to a blade of grass, with its front legs stretched out. They have little hooks on the end of the front legs to be able to grab onto something as it passes by. That something could be a mouse, a deer or a bird......or you. Once it grabs onto a passing creature, it starts to search for some way to get to the skin, so it can attach itself by its mouth-parts and begin to bite into the skin looking for a blood vessel. Common locations are at a spot where there is a restriction of clothing, such as at the waist or behind the knee, but it may latch onto the skin at any point, even at the hairline on the back of the neck. Wherever the attachment happens to be, it will feed for as long as it can, usually for several hours. By engorging on the victim's blood, the tick will swell to several times its previously flattened size. Fully engorged, it can look like a small grape! At that point, it will detach itself from the victim, and drop to the ground and use the protein in its blood meal to grow or produce young.

In many cases of a tick bite, nothing will happen. In fact Wood Ticks are not known to be vectors of Lyme Disease (LD) at all, only the Deer Tick. (Having said that, there is concern by some that other biting invertebrates including Wood Ticks which bite a host critter carrying LD may spread the disease, but nothing is conclusive yet.) Not even all Deer Tick bites will do damage. However some ticks do carry the spirochete that when transmitted via its bite, will result in the victim getting LD.

If you happen to get bitten by a Deer Tick carrying the LD spirochete, things may then become quite interesting, but not in a good way.

First stage symptoms typically result in the victim feeling like they are coming down with the flu.....e.g. tired, fatigue, sore and aching muscles. These are telltale symptoms, especially if it isn't a normal season for getting the flu. A more conclusive indication of dealing with LD is noticing a rash. It isn't normally itchy, but it may feel warm. It may take on different appearances, but usually will spread to become several centimetres in diameter and then start to clear in the middle, resulting in some form of a 'bull's-eye' rash. If it occurs in an area of the body that isn't visible to the person, one could easily miss it. It is believed that only 30-40% of LD tick bites result in a bull's-eye rash, but that low % may be because by the time a person gets properly assessed, the rash may have disappeared on its own, or it may occur in an area that is not visible. Regardless, don't rely on the presence of or lack of a bull's-eye rash to determine whether you have LD.....the flu-like symptoms are more reliable.

I have had the misfortune to have been bitten over the years by a LD carrying Deer Tick on at least 6 occasions. The first time was in 1976, when LD was not on anyone's radar for the Rondeau area. In fact at that time it was believed that LD only occurred in the greater Long Point area. I know of several field biologist colleagues or acquaintances who contracted LD from field work at Long Point in the 1960s and early 1970s.

All of my occurrences were from my extensive field time at Rondeau. As the former Park Naturalist who spent as much time as possible roaming around the park looking to document and photograph plants, birds, herps and almost anything else of natural history interest, I was often well off the trail, and if anyone was likely to get LD, it was me. Rondeau has been a favourite place of mine to explore going back to the late 1960s and continues to this day. Every year I spend hundreds of hours in the field in my quest to discover, document and photograph Rondeau's biodiversity. In one sense, considering how much time I have spent roaming the wilds of Rondeau over the decades, it is surprising I have only contracted LD a few times. But that is okay......6 times is enough!

On four of these occasions, I noticed a rash. The photographer in me decided to take some photos to document my experience so here is what the rash can look like. The first image shows the bull's-eye rash on my forearm that I received in 2006. The very circular rash was quite pinkish, and as it expanded, eventually showed the clearing in the middle.

The next image shows the bull's-eye rash I received from a tick bite in 2013, on my side a bit above my belt line. The bull's-eye is still evident here, but isn't quite as classic as the previous one.

This third image brings us to 2015. Some readers will be aware of my ongoing interest to document some of Rondeau's largest trees which feature old growth characteristics. I've collected data to include the diameter, species and GPS location. And most of the almost 275 trees I've documented in the last couple of months have been well off the trail, not surprisingly. A little over two weeks ago I woke up one morning and found a Deer Tick which had attached itself to my lower leg. I consider myself reasonably vigilant when it comes to ticks, yet this one escaped my initial checks. However by the time I noticed it, it had been squashed, and all the blood that it had engorged on had been forced back under my skin. At first there was just the very dark centre which featured the regurgitated blood. But after a few days, the rash appeared. After a couple more days, the centre started to clear. If it hadn't been for the regurgitated blood at the centre of the tick bite, I am sure the entire centre would be clear.

I experienced the first stage symptoms of LD once again....extreme tiredness, aching muscles, feeling like I was getting the flu. A visit to the doctor was necessary, and now I am on antibiotics for three weeks. Taking antibiotics means, among other things, that I should avoid spending much time in the sun. So I must limit my time on bright sunny days and plan my outings, if I feel up to it, during the cooler morning or evening hours when the sun is not as intense. Also I try and cover up as much as possible. Hopefully by the time I am finished my current round of antibiotics, that will conclude this episode of LD.

It wasn't that long ago that LD was not recognized by the traditional medical establishment as occurring in Chatham-Kent. The standard response from many was that while it may occur in the US, it only occurred in Canada in very restricted areas (e.g. Long Point), and in very low numbers. In fact when I was diagnosed with it in 2004, it was a reportable disease, so shortly after I visited the doctor and got antibiotics, I got a follow-up telephone call from someone in the local health unit who told me "You know, Mr. Woodliffe, Lyme Disease doesn't occur in Chatham-Kent." Unbeknownst to this person, confirmation of LD carrying ticks in C-K had been published in a medical journal two years before! But at the time, the front line medical personnel here and in most other places in Canada, as directed by Health Canada, refused to believe that LD was as widespread as it really was.

Fortunately the level of knowledge and understanding of LD since then has increased dramatically across Canada. As unfortunate as it is in contracting LD, when celebrities get it (note the recent publicity concerning Avril Lavigne), the general public as well as the politicians and medical professionals will hopefully gain a better awareness and understanding of this serious disease. Awareness is far from ideal, but much improved from only a short time ago.

One of many complicating factors in assessing and treating LD is that if you catch it in its earliest stages, it is easily treatable with antibiotics, usually for a 3-4 week period. But if it is missed, even though the first stage symptoms can disappear and one feels like it is behind you, the spirochete remains, and can attack different systems in your body. Each person reacts differently, presumably depending on the initial health of the person. The condition of the immune system is undoubtedly a factor, as is where the spirochete ends up. In extreme cases, some people have become quite crippled in just a few weeks. In other cases, LD has been mis-diagnosed as Multiple Sclerosis, Chronic Fatigue Syndrome, Fibromyalgia, and other serious conditions. Treatment for such conditions is very expensive, unlike the inexpensive antibiotic treatment for LD.

Deer Tick territory

 As mentioned earlier, I first contracted LD back in 1976. It went untreated, and almost immediately, even though the first stage symptoms had subsided, I noticed changes that should not have been happening to me. As a long distance runner and quite healthy individual at that time, I should not have been experiencing the many annoying things that were happening to me. Fortunately I did not deteriorate to the very serious level that some LD sufferers experience. I am not going to describe all of the frustrations I have had over the years in dealing with medical professionals and others with respect to dealing with LD. Suffice to say, it has not been a fun time! But at least treatment for first stage symptoms of LD has become much more available.

This post is not going to address the vast misunderstandings of assessing and treating LD. However improper treatment at the outset can result in Chronic Lyme Disease, which is extremely difficult to assess and treat.There have been many, many scientific and other articles written discussing the health science and politics around this challenging disease which can affect people in so many different ways. One of the most authoritative sources of information on the subject is the Canadian Lyme Disease Foundation. Check out its extensive web site here.

The best way to deal with the potential risks of LD is to avoid it if you can. Don't just stay at home and avoid natural areas, but play it smart. Some recommendations are:

• wherever possible, avoid grassy, shrubby areas in areas where LD is known to occur;
• wear light coloured and unpatterned clothing so if a tick grasps it as you pass by, it is more easily spotted;
• stay on the trail to avoid brushing by shrubs or other vegetation where ticks may be;
• if you are hiking with a friend or co-worker, keep an eye out for ticks on each other;
• wear long pants, socks and shoes, not shorts and sandals;
• tuck pant legs into your socks. It may not be the most fashionable, but it will help keep any ticks on the outside and more easily spotted for removal before they do their dastardly deed;
• spray repellent with DEET around socks and shoes;
• there are some products available at outdoor stores which can be sprayed on clothing (not skin!)....the applied chemical on the clothing must be completely dry before you wear them. This can repel and kill ticks and other biting insects (e.g. chiggers) for several weeks, and last for at least a couple of washings;
• if you have a pet with you, they are just as vulnerable to ticks as you are, so should be checked as soon as possible when you leave a potentially infested area. Otherwise, they may share their ticks with you at a later date;
• when you come in from an area where Deer Ticks are known, do a tick check as soon as possible;
• put clothes you have been wearing in tick habitat, into a safe container, even directly into a washing machine. It is not advisable to leave them in the room that you will be sleeping in, as any ticks that may have been on your clothing might find you while you sleep!

If you find a tick attached to your skin, don't grab it by the abdomen, the largest body part, and pull it out. The head may break off, resulting in infection. If it has started to feed, grabbing the abdomen will squeeze the stomach contents into you. Instead use a pair of tweezers and grasp the tick as close to the skin as possible and gently but firmly pull the tick until it releases its grip. Do not use nail polish, a burned match or anything like that to press on the body, as the tick will likely regurgitate the contents of its stomach, which may include the LD causing spirochete it is carrying. Some local health units have a tick awareness package, complete with removal instructions and even a tool to facilitate removing a tick.

This blog post is not intended to diagnose or treat Lyme Disease. The intent is to share my experiences with LD carrying Deer Ticks, hopefully raising awareness of the dangers of enjoying infested areas, while doing so relatively safely.

Walk in the middle of the trail to avoid vegetation where ticks may be lurking.

May is Lyme Disease Awareness Month

Enjoy the out of doors, but be safe!!!!

Swamp Tromp

Last week my friend Darren invited me to check out a wonderful wet woods  in eastern Chatham-Kent. Wet woods are generally known as 'swamp' as per the wetland classification system. Most people don't get overly excited about hiking through a swamp, as it conjures up visions of getting ones feet caught in the oozing, black, bottomless, muck while being surrounded by a gazillion mosquitoes. Certainly that can be the case under extreme circumstances, but at this time of year with the sunlight beaming through the leafless woods and the relatively cool temperatures, hiking a swamp can be kind of fun if you are prepared for it.

Swamp in early summer

 Good knee-high rubber boots are a necessity, unless you are like a former MNR colleague of mine who loved wetlands and swamps in particular. He would just wear an old pair of sneakers, put on an old pair of pants and strike out wherever the mood took him. Are you reading this Gary? That is one way to do it, and then you don't have to worry about having the water go over the top of your boots so that you end up walking around in wet boots the rest of the time. Although I have done it that way, I prefer a good pair of rubber boots. Go ahead and call me a wimp, but it keeps my car a lot cleaner at the end of the day!

So with boots in hand.....er, on feet, Darren and I struck off. At times we were hiking through more upland woodland to get to our destination, all the while surrounded by carpets of developing spring wildflowers. There was Bloodroot, Spring Beauty and Yellow Trout-lily (a.k.a. Dogtooth Violet), which I have included images of in a couple of my most recent posts. Wild Ginger and Blue Cohosh were also noted, and there was even a White Trillium that was just ready to pop open.

Wild Ginger

Wild Ginger flower close-up

 The flowers of Wild Ginger are often under the leaves, as they are pollinated by ground beetles.

Blue Cohosh

But the lower areas beckoned, where the residual water of snow melt and spring rain was responding to the tug of gravity, and the accumulation of water meandered along the contours of the forest floor, winding its way towards the Thames River not all that far away. Spicebush is an abundant wooded wetland shrub; its waxy yellow flowers were ready to burst open as well.

Spicebush

 The woods were relatively devoid of bird song.....not all that atypical for interior woods this early in the season. But we enjoyed the gentle sounds of water trickling by. A few butterflies were noted, including Eastern Comma and my first of the year Spring Azure.

Eastern Comma

 An occasional frog was briefly seen plopping into the water, only to disappear at the muddy bottom. They could have been either Wood Frogs or Chorus Frogs. In spite of the sunny day, we saw only a single Eastern Garter Snake.

Skunk cabbage, which is related to the more well known Jack-in-the-Pulpit, is plentiful in these wet woods. Their actual flower emerges early in spring, well before the leaves do. The following image shows what is left of the flower in between the much larger leaves which now predominate.

Skunk Cabbage close-up

Skunk Cabbage dominating the swamp

Water Cress is plentiful, and clusters of Marsh Marigold are more and more obvious. Some marigolds had flowers already open and in just a few sunny days their brilliant yellow will be dominant, looking something like the following images, taken at another wet woods in a previous year.

Wet woods featuring Marsh Marigold

Marsh Marigold

 As with any natural area, the views keep changing as the weeks pass by. I encourage you to get out and explore a local swamp!