Nest Box Monitoring Update-Wye Marsh Wildlife Centre

The Ontario Nest Record Scheme is a volunteer monitoring program organized by the Centre for Biodiversity and Conservation Biology and the Royal Ontario Museum, with close association to the Ontario Breeding Bird Atlas and Bird Studies Canada. SEE PHOTO
The ONRS provides a valuable method of tracking the health and status of Ontario’s bird populations. Data collected can be used to monitor clutch size, hatching success, fledging success, predation rates and other factors over time, to determine whether sufficient numbers of young are being produced. As the data are entered into a central database, the breeding distribution of each species is documented.
Each year Wye Marsh researchers contribute data to the ONRS for the tree swallow (Tachycineta bicolor) and wood duck (Aix sponsa) species. With a series of nesting boxes located in and around the Wye Marsh Management Cell, we are able to perform nest checks for both species. While Tree Swallow nest boxes are easily accessed by the walking berms and monitoring is performed from early April to late August (see photo of tree swallow young taken by Renée Moran), Wood Duck boxes are more difficult to access due to their height and proximity to open water. Thus Wood Duck box monitoring is performed during the winter months when the marsh is frozen. This year, the Junior Naturalists and volunteers will perform regular nest checks of the Tree Swallow boxes. If you would like to learn about the life of birds, would like to contribute to the collection of scientific data of Ontario’s bird populations, or you are interested in helping in any way, feel free to contact the Wye Marsh Stewardship Department.

Chris MIchalak
Wye Marsh Wildlife Centre
Stewardship/Junior Naturalist Coordinator
stewardship@wyemarsh.com
1-705-526-7809 ext: 206
http://www.wyemarsh.com/

Update On Least Bittern Research at the Wye Marsh Wildlife Centre

The Least Bittern (Ixobrychus exilis) SEE PHOTO is a Nationally Threatened and Provincially Vulnerable bird, with an estimated population of less than 1000 nesting pairs in Canada.
A new and experimental standardized Ontario Least Bittern survey method from Canadian Wildlife Services was tested in 2004 at the Wye Marsh for the first time. The method included broadcasting a recorded call of a male Least Bittern and playing it at survey stations in order to obtain a response, which would establish the presence of Least Bittern nesting territories. Two nests, plus several responses and sightings of Least Bittern were observed, confirming Least Bittern presence in the Wye Marsh.
The new method proved successful in obtaining responses, and showed promise for national use as a surveying protocol. A standardized method would allow future researchers to more accurately assess Least Bittern abundance, distribution, habitat requirements, and population trends. Both the Least Bittern and the Black Tern have specific habitat requirements and are sensitive to disturbance; the study was undertaken by the Wye Marsh to ensure that we are doing all we can for these sensitive and delicate birds. The information from this study will be shared with the Natural Heritage Information Centre (NHIC) of the Ontario Ministry of Natural Resources.
Immeasurable thanks go especially to the volunteers, who donated their time and efforts in early hours, when chances to view the marsh’s inhabitants were at their best. The field work for this study would not have been possible without them. If you are interested in volunteering with this or other studies, feel free to contact the Wye Marsh Wildlife Centre.

Chris MIchalak
Wye Marsh Wildlife Centre
Stewardship/Junior Naturalist Coordinator
stewardship@wyemarsh.com
1-705-526-7809 ext: 206
http://www.wyemarsh.com/

Audubon's Trumpeter Swan

In Quebec, Le Musee de la Civilisation's reworkings of John James Audubon's "The Birds of America" are more like multimedia slide shows than traditional animation. But the results are, like their subjects, beautiful. If you watch only one, make it the delightful "La Fluidite" ("Wavy"), which shows a moth flitting around a stately trumpeter swan. http://www.mcq.org/audubon
/menu.html

Click on the Trumpeter Swan and watch the clip to the end for a surprise. You can also click on the other birds in the Harmony collage for similar effects.

Click here for more Trumpeter Swan news.