Tuesday Rambles with David - Columbia Lake, Waterloo, ON

15 August 2017

     Jim and Francine are away in Québec on a vacation with Francine's family there, but the other members of our "gang of eight" got together for our regular Tuesday ramble.

     The birding was not prolific but there were, nevertheless, some interesting encounters. 

     In the first area that we checked we were looking for shorebirds, but nary a one could be found (although we did see a single Spotted Sandpiper (Actitis macularia) later), but we were happy to find a Great Egret (Ardea alba) feeding alongside a Great Blue Heron (Ardea herodias). Great Egret was once a rarity in southern Ontario, but in recent years has become more and more common, and there are now several breeding colonies in the province. Post breeding dispersal is underway and I located another four individuals in a small wetland yesterday.

     The Great Blue Heron seemed to be having better luck than the Great Egret in snagging prey and at one point captured two fish in its bill at the same time.

     The "best" bird of the morning was of an adult female Merlin (Falco columbarius) with a juvenile that was constantly begging for food. 

     The light was quite poor and the birds at a greater than ideal distance, so Franc had to summon all his ingenuity to get a shot or two. Here is Franc weaving his way through a cornfield, using the tall stalks of corn as a blind, in order to approach the birds closely.

     How's that for dedication? He came back with his pants wet and dirty but with a smile of satisfaction knowing that he got pictures that otherwise would have been impossible. I think I will renew his permit as official photographer of our Tuesday walks for a lifetime or two!

     Another phenomenal sequence was of a female Belted Kingfisher (Megaceryle alycon) which zoomed by at high velocity. I am sure you will all agree that Franc has done a magnificent job in capturing the sheer sensation of speed in this image.

     The next two pictures are of the same bird, illustrating very well how the different play of light and shadow, and background, can almost make it look like a different bird.

     Not far off a female Baltimore Oriole (Icterus galbula) was screaming at an intrusive Common Grackle (Quiscalus quiscula) for some transgression we had failed to witness.

     Black-capped Chickadee (Poecile atricapillus) was of course common, busily going about the important chore of finding food. It will not be long before they will start to cache food for the winter.

     Eastern Kingbird (Tyrannus tyrannus) is still a feature of the landscape but soon it, and all the other tyrant flycatchers, will be heading south as the days shorten and the first overnight frost threatens.

     The same can be said of Grey Catbird (Dumetella carolinensis).

     Most Song Sparrows (Melospiza melodia) will migrate too, but there are always a few hardy individuals who remain with us all year, braving the snow and the icy blasts of winter.

     Tomorrow it will be time for another Tuesday Ramble with David and the West Perth Wetland will be our destination. Be sure to tune in to see what we turn up there.

All species 15 August: Canada Goose, Mallard, Double-crested Cormorant, Great Blue Heron, Great Egret, Western Osprey, Spotted Sandpiper, Caspian Tern, Mourning Dove, Belted Kingfisher, Downy Woodpecker, Northern Flicker, Merlin, Eastern Kingbird, Blue Jay, Barn Swallow, Black-capped Chickadee, American Robin, Grey Catbird, Song Sparrow, Baltimore Oriole, American Goldfinch.  Total species: 22.

Barn Swallows (Hirondelles rustiques) at SpruceHaven

     Most birders are aware that aerial insectivores of all species are in serious jeopardy and the decline in the number of some species is nothing short of catastrophic. 
    At SpruceHaven there is an old barn, a wonderful structure reminiscent of the farming practices of yesteryear, wherein there resides a substantial colony of Barn Swallows Hirundo rustica. 

     It has been a thrill for me to see so many birds wheeling around in that classic Barn Swallow flight, zooming unerringly through broken windows and small gaps in the boards, so you can imagine my elation when Dave gave me permission to organize a banding operation for the nestlings, and contribute to the scientific database for this species. 

     I checked the nests each day and identified the active ones, clearly marking them as shown. I recorded the number of eggs in each nest and the precise hatch date.

     As it turned out one nest contained two eggs which I am convinced were a leftover from an attempted second brood from last year, and two nests only ever yielded one egg, abandoned for some reason almost as soon as a breeding attempt began. This left us with eleven active nests.

     Kevin Grundy, a bird bander with a current permit to band Barn Swallows agreed to assist us, and so it was that on 14 June we banded the first nestlings, eight days after they were hatched.

     Kevin has been banding birds since the age of thirteen and fitted in precisely with our code of ethics as regards the welfare of the birds. He is impeccable in respecting all appropriate protocols and places the well being of the nestlings above all else.

     His wife, Grace, came out to watch her husband perform this delicate operation, not without a sense of pride I am sure.

     The full clutch of birds from two nests was removed sequentially into a cardboard box and carried to our banding table for speedy processing.

     All the necessary measurements were recorded and the young birds were returned to their nests in record time.

     Dave, Sandy and Jamie, were keen and interested observers of the entire process.

     Kevin explained the procedure as he handled the birds and Sandy was anxious to capture the operation on her new camera.

     Dave was both interested in and fascinated by the activities and made sure that he was in a position to observe everything that went on.

     After the young birds were returned to their nests we checked on them before closing up the barn for the night to make sure that all was well. In both nests parents were feeding the young, now bearing their identifying leg bands.

     I would like to express a very sincere vote of thanks to Dave and Sandy for sponsoring and encouraging us in this venture and to Kevin for his instant willingness to contribute his banding expertise.

     All of the data will be submitted to the Canadian Wildlife Service and the Sprucehaven swallows will become part of the scientific data base to help Barn Swallows reverse their recent declines.

     The environmental and conservation ethic that SpruceHaven continues to demonstrate is an inspiration to us all, and a personal opportunity which I will cherish to the end of my days.

Westmount Sports Park and Environmental Reserve, Waterloo, ON

7 May 2016

      About a year ago I was asked to join a committee to plan and implement the environmental part of the above facility. I was happy to accept and the journey from that first meeting to the official opening has been productive, exciting and fulfilling. In total I have about eighty hours of my time invested in it. One person at the City of Waterloo once joked to me, "You work here, you just don't get paid for it!"

     Part of the reserve contains a children's playground where, instead of having standard climbing equipment, we installed a stylized Belted Kingfisher Megaceryle alcyon, which the kids are free to climb on. This feature is made in Elmira, ON using wood harvested from Mennonite woodlots in an environmentally responsible way. 

       Not only do the children have a fine opportunity to play on a unique structure we hope that they also learn a little about the bird. 

     We designed an interactive sign with photographs I supplied. These species represent birds which can be regularly found in the area, so with a little diligence parents can help their children to track down and identify the species on the sign. A brief description of each bird is given below its image and when the kids push the button they hear my voice with a little more information about the bird and a recording of its song.

     Here I am standing next to the sign.

       In this picture I am joined by Miriam who had to listen to my wild enthusiasm after every meeting and who joined me in spirit along the way.

   

     You can well imagine that Eddie and Will, our two youngest grandchildren wanted to have their picture taken with grandpa.

     The City of Waterloo was extremely kind in recognizing my contribution to this project and this is a close up of the bottom of the centre panel.

     At the start of the official opening ceremony we were honoured to have a group of First Nations students lead the procession to the playground, where they brought greetings in their native tongue, acknowledged the land, offered an aboriginal prayer of reverence to the land and sang a Micmac welcome song to all present. This land was originally occupied by the Neutrals, a name given by early French explorers to the ten tribes of the Iroquois Nation. Other indigenous people who travelled in the lands adjacent to the Grand River, and hunted, trapped and farmed were the Seneca, Mohawk, Oneida, Onondaga, Cayuga, Huron, Petun, Erie and Susquehannock. I have not a bone of religiosity in my body, but it seemed to me that if we were to have prayer at this event, it was entirely appropriate that First Nations people should offer it, given their legendary respect for, and stewardship of, the land.

     All levels of government - municipal, provincial and federal were represented at the event and the following picture shows Bardash Chagger, a person I first met when she was the organizer of the Multicultural Festival, and is now a member of our Federal Government and is the Minister of State for Small Business. Congratulations Bardash!

     The nonchalant and dashing young fellow in the centre of the picture, hands thrust in his pockets, is Michael Drescher, Assistant Professor in the School Of Planning, Faculty of the Environment, University of Waterloo, for whom I do a weekly bird survey in the campus woodlot. It was delightful to have Michael take part in the day.
     The Mayor of Waterloo, Dave Jaworsky, was joined by his junior counterpart, Mayor Zoe, Both mayors participated in the formal ceremonies.

     As you can see Mayor Jaworsky had come dressed to plant some trees for Earth Day.   

     Here is another shot of Bardash Chagger, this time with Councillor Jeff Henry in whose ward the park resides.

     I was the last person to speak at the ceremony and was asked to give some thoughts on my personal love of birds and to leave some take-away thoughts for the participants. I hope I left them all inspired!

     The very last act was a presentation to me of a framed copy of the sign, half size, but still huge! I appreciated this gesture very much indeed and it will certainly find a place of honour in our house.

     The two people I worked with most at the City of Waterloo were Geri Quin and Karen Anderson - especially Geri. I cannot say enough about them. I looked forward to every meeting and they were fine, decent, committed, appreciative, hardworking colleagues. 

David, Geri, Karen, Mayor Jaworski, Councillor Henry.

     Five hundred native trees and shrubs were there to be planted and everyone pitched in with gusto.

     Here is Eddie, being helped by his dad, Richard.

      And Will...

     And Erin......

     And our First Nations friends....

     Erin is convinced that her Mom was exuding pheromones since the moment she started to plant her tree she was offered help by every guy in the immediate vicinity! Here is a shot of her before the horde descended.

     Various games were available for the kids, the most popular seeming to be bubble soccer. As you can see from the pictures below Will and Eddie were enjoying it.

     Marcelo Thierry used to work for me almost from the day he first arrived in Canada from Argentina. His boys then were just little guys and I got to know them all well. They are all part of a fine family. 
     On the left in the picture below is oldest son Marco, now in medical school. His dad, Marcelo is on the right.

        Number two son, Franco is pursuing a career in the culinary arts and is about to go back to school for some advanced learning.

     I very much appreciated that they drove from Toronto to be with me on this special day. I hope to see them again soon.
     Seeing this project come to fruition is one of the highlights of my life. Thanks to everyone who participated at any point along the way. The result is a fine new facility for the citizens of Waterloo.