Trumpeter Swan News from Ontario's Wye Marsh

It’s Egg Time!

All the critters at Wye Marsh know it’s baby time, and this of course includes a couple of our resident pairs of swans, Jack & Diane and Brutus & Amazon! Diane has been very busy building a huge nest and laying 8 eggs, which she’s currently sitting on. Jack has also been busy keeping other swans out of the territory. We don’t know where Brutus & Amazon’s nest is exactly, but Amazon’s doing a very good job of not only sitting on her nest, but also chasing other swans out of their territory while Brutus sits around looking pretty! Swans incubate their eggs for between 33-34 days, so we’re looking forward to seeing this year’s cygnets emerge in early June. Come out to the marsh soon to welcome our new cygnets, as well as all the other babies that have already been born!

Birding In Ontario--Rails at Wye Marsh!

Wye Marsh is a great place to see all kinds of birds, and spring in the marsh is a great time to hear and see one of the marsh’s most elusive types of birds. Small birds known as rails camouflage in with the plants of the marsh, but can be occasionally seen at the edges of channels and walking along our boardwalk! Try to spot these elusive birds at Wye Marsh and try to pick out their unique calls…if you’re extremely lucky, you might even hear the rare yellow rail calling for a mate!................. Julie Kee, Swankeeper.

June is Wildflower Gardening Month at Midland Ontario's Wye Marsh

The month of June is a prime gardening month in Ontario and Wye Marsh will be running a number of seminars and courses on how to manage your garden more naturally. Starting on Thursday June 1, Xeriscaping, will take place followed by Edible Wilds on June 3, 4. Many edible wilds can be added to Ontario gardens. Visitors to the Marsh on June 11, will be able to see many of the first blooms of the Wildflower Garden, and discuss the flowers with a Wye Marsh naturalist. Parents and tots have their special wildflower day "Wildflower Friends on Sat. June 24. A Wye Marsh naturalist will also be on hand to discuss wildflowers around the marsh. Detailed information on activities dates and times can be found in the News Section

Update On JIMMER the Barn Owl

Jimmer is flying!

Jimmer, the baby barn owl is now 9 weeks old and has fledged. He has all his adult plumage but some feathers around his face and wings still need to grow longer. Jimmer is a beautiful bird now that flies like a butterfly. He is being trained to come to the fist for small tidbits of food.
Jimmer is doing great with his training and is a very happy, docile bird – nothing seems to faze him! Come and see him at the marsh – he is in the muse during the day and is flown on Sundays at 1 pm with Artemus, the Harris Hawk.

Gardening Workshop this Weekend

Gardening Made Easy!
Midland, Ontario – Here’s your chance to join the Wye Marsh Naturalists for a gardening workshop that will get you ready for the season. Just in time for your summer planting, the Wye Marsh has put a two hour program together designed to give you the “dirt on plants”. We will show you some easy gardening methods tailored to survive Ontario’s climates. You will learn about low maintenance Xeriscape gardening, native species planting, and plants designed to attract Ontario’s wildlife. To complete the day, we will meet the Wye Marsh Wildflower Gardeners, and join them for a tour of their gardens. Get out and get dirty with the Wye Marsh!
Date: Sunday, May 28th Time: 1-3 pm
Cost: $10 per person ($5 for members)

Wye Marsh Birding report Week of May 15:

Yesterday I saw a palm warbler (passing through, I assume) among the multiple sighting of Yellow warbler at Wye Marsh. Also my first look at a pair of black terns flying over head (and an awesome display from a Caspian swooping in low, hovering and diving for its lunch)

On Monday, as I was canoeing in the marsh, I flushed out a least bittern.
Awesome day!

Birding is a great way to enjoy a leisurely stroll and nature at the same time. I have recently renewed my long time interest and fascination with, what other enthusiasts like to call, birding.

The best times to see birds are early morning or just before the sun sets. I would like to know if people would be interested in coming to Wye Marsh, after or before opening hours, to go birding with me. As I am just a beginner, I would love to go birding with others so that we can all learn a little bit more each time.

Please contact me at camp@wyemarsh.com --- Adam

Managing Energy at the Wye Marsh in Midland Ontario

Energy Conservation: We Can All Do It!

On May 24, the Wye Marsh and S.H.A.R.E.(Simcoe Huronia Association for Renewable Energy) present the first in a series of talks on Sustainable Energy. Join us for “Energy Conservation: We Can All Do It!” with speaker Peter Bursztyn. Peter is an industrial chemist and part-time teacher at Georgian College in Barrie. He was a founding member of Environmental Action Barrie, has done home energy audits, and is recognized as an energy efficiency expert.

Talk date is May 24, 7-9pm, at the Wye Marsh Wildlife Centre. Cost is $5.00, and free for S.H.A.R.E. members. Call 526-7809 x 205 to register.

Prudential Sadie Moranis Realty
Wye Marsh Charity Golf Tournament

This golf tournament is hoping to raise over $ 10,000 towards the Winds
of change at Wye Marsh Wildlife Centre.

The project will assist in costs associated with the initial phase of development. The Winds of Change Project is an upgrade and expansion of the building and the creation of a man made wetland to be used for interpretive and educational programs that includes and underwater viewing area, dipnetting platforms, picnic areas, and boardwalks. In addition, more residential cabins will be built with different sustainable techniques, a water education play area for children and a new and improved wildflower garden. For more information on this exciting expansion project, please contact Laurie Schutt at Wye Marsh. You can reach Laurie at 705-526-7809, or contact information >>.

Tournament Location: Brooklea Golf Course Midland Ontario>>

Tournament Date: Thursday June 22, 2006

Jimmer Grows Up. See previous posting of picture taken 2 weeks ago.

You can see Jimmer in person every Sunday at the Birds of Prey Show.

Midland Ontario's Wye Marsh Honored by Children's Aid

Children’s Aid held an appreciation night at Georgian Downs. Wye Marsh was honored for its contribution over the past few years. The annual family picnic has been held at Wye Marsh for the past two years and will be again this year. The Marsh host clients of Children’s Aid at our children's day camp and recently ran a one year grant funded recreation program called Get on the Bus that was attended by this organization.

Week of May 15 at Wye Marsh WildLife Centre

Woodcarvers meet Tuesday from 7:00 p.m-9 p.m.

Wildlife Gardeners meet 10:00 a.m.-12:00 a.m.

The Victoria Day Weekend signals the start to guided canoeing and guided walks at the Marsh.

Spring Peeper Frog Walk This Weekend May 6

Come out and enjoy one of the first signs of spring, the Spring Peeper. These small frogs create one of the loudest natural sounds in spring and summer. A Wye Marsh naturalist will teach you the tricks to tracking down these tiny creatures and how to listen to the frogs of the wild. We will even work on a little choir of our own as we sing out the choruses of the different frogs of Ontario. No "froggin" adventure would be complete without one of our famous Wet N Scaly reptile shows. Come out, have some fun, and make some friends with nature noisiest animals! More Frog Spring Peeper Information>>
Date: Saturday May 6th
Time: 7-9 pm
Cost: General Admission ($5 for members)

A NEW RESIDENT AT WYE MARSH-
A Message From Wye Marsh Director Laurie Schutt:

I have had the amazing pleasure of being a ‘mom’ to Jimmer, a baby Barn Owl since he was 4 weeks old. He goes home with me every night and has graduated from being in my office all day to a display enclosure in the lobby.


The Wye Marsh Falconry Program is expanding with the recent acquisition of a baby Barn Owl. “Jimmer” was born on March 21, 2006 and will be permanently housed at Wye Marsh when he is fully fledged and trained. In order to use Barn Owls for flight demonstration, they need to be imprinted on humans, thus how I became mom.

Jimmer is losing more downy feathers every day as his beautiful brown and white feathers grow in. He is starting to jump, run, and flap his wings getting some lift. He is now climbing onto my furniture at home and will shortly be testing out his wings in flight.

What a thrill to see this little bird, who was so ugly he was cute, grow into a beautiful Barn Owl. Jimmer is already part of our static Birds of Prey program on Sunday afternoons at 1:00 pm and will join Misko and Artemus for flight demonstrations starting in July.