| Birding Along the St. Clair - 2002-2003
As many of you know, my passion is birdwatching. In the spring and fall migration periods, there are many places to go and many birds to discover. In the winter, birding can be a little more limited due to weather and lack of birds. I spend a lot of time along the Saint Clair River since it is close to home, and ducks and gulls tend to concentrate there in the winter when there is open water. This winter has been interesting, at least for gull watching. In early December, an unprecedented number of gulls arrived on the river. The vast majority were Herring Gulls with a few other species mixed in. The biggest concentrations seemed to be around Cathcart Park and ICI outfall and at the head of Stag Island off Guthrie Park. The peak number of gulls on the river was probably around 3000 in late December. I spent many hours observing the gulls. There have been quite a few Glaucous, the first one being noted in late November. The number varied with all ages being represented, and on January 12 I had at least 35. There have been a few Iceland as well, mostly first winter birds On December 11 just north of Cathcart Park, I noted a first winter Thayer's Gull, as well as what I thought was a hybrid Herring X Great Black-backed Gull. This cross is slightly larger and darker-mantled than a Herring. On December 13 I observed an adult Lesser Black-backed Gull at Cathcart Park. While scouting for the Wallaceburg Christmas Bird Count I came across some good sightings. On December 26, off ICI was an adult Thayer's Gull, and on the following day was a first winter "Nelson's" Gull, which is a Herring X Glaucous hybrid. Also of note, on the 26th I spotted a Turkey Vulture soaring over Marine City, Michigan. Although there was a good selection to see at any given time, I could never come up with a real rarity. Ducks have been few on the river the past few winters due to mild conditions. They will stay on the lakes (esp. Lake St. Clair) as long as there is open water. All the usual winter ducks have been on the river in varying numbers, and no rarities have been reported to my knowledge as of this writing. There have been some scoters though, an uncommon duck on the river. On December 24 I noted two female Surf Scoters at Fawn Island, this being my first time for seeing this species on the river. On December 25 were two White-winged Scoters, and these stayed until at least January 8. The 8th was an excellent day for birding along the river when I did the annual mid-winter waterfowl survey. The weather was absolutely perfect and many species were seen. Of note were two Snow Geese-one at Port Lambton and one at Sarnia Harbour. The Snow Goose is a rarity for the river at any time. Hopefully more things will show up before the winter is behind us. Blake A. Mann |
January Indoor Meeting
It just goes to show what a little publicity will do. At the January indoor meeting Lynn Eves spoke to about 75 people on Raptor Rehabilitation, up from the November meeting. This time The Observer did publish Nature Notes and this helped to attract a larger crowd. She was accompanied by her daughter Afton and a volunteer helper, Al Reid. Lynn started out by identifying the various birds of prey which collectively are known as raptors. They include kites, accipiters (bird hawks), buteos (buzzard hawks), eagles, vultures, falcons, owls and harriers. This is not to say that she does not at times care for other species such as pelicans, ducks and herons, but raptors are her main interest.
Lynn said she became involved in this field about 16 years ago and started her Bluewater Centre for Raptor Rehabilitation in 1991. Originally she also rescued mammals such as squirrels, skunks, raccoons, beaver and even deer but then began to concentrate on birds of prey. She is a Registered Lab Technologist and lives with her family at the Centre on Egremont Road. Recently she was required to be registered by the Government of Ontario and is now a Registered Wildlife Custodian. In 1999 she built a separate hospital to house her birds.
She said that when a bird first arrives they normally segregate them for 24 hours so they can be observed. It is then usually necessary to rehydrate the bird which often has not eaten in some time. Since these birds get their moisture entirely from their prey it must be replenished. From there they introduce solids into the diet, usually the birds normal diet of birds or small rodents which have been processed into a mush. She also is fortunate in having a vet in Forest who assists her in identifying and treating injuries. These injuries are caused by many things but most typical are being hit by a car, flying into hydro wires, hitting windows and even on occasion being singed by flare stacks in the Chemical Valley.
She also talked about babies being born at her facility and who have to be trained to hunt before they can be released. Also birds called branchers, whose parents haven't yet trained them need to be helped. This is done by putting live mice in their cage until they get hungry enough to kill and eat them. In some cases where the bird depends on its sense of hearing, such as owls, the mice have to be hidden under leaves to train the birds to use their sense of hearing.
Lynn also described a visit last summer to Thunder Bay to work with some friends in banding Peregrine falcons. This involved some hair raising climbing straight up cliff faces to the top and then being lowered down to where the nests are located to get to the baby birds. The people doing the banding were all expert climbers while the others watched from above. The baby birds are placed in a basket, pulled to the top, banded and then lowered back down to be replaced in the nest.
Lynn also mentioned that they had recently purchased a woodlot of 14 acres behind her home which she is developing into a memorial forest. The plan is to erect a nesting box in memory of people who have died.
In response to a question about how to handle an injured bird Lynn suggested placing it in a box if possible with a towel on the bottom and air holes so it can breathe. If no box is available then wrapping it in a coat or sweater is best making sure the wrapping is not too restrictive so the bird can breathe.
She also talked briefly about West Nile Virus and says she is not really that concerned. She pointed out that it would not likely to be transmitted from her birds but from a mosquito bite, the same as the general population. She did mention that it does not just involve crows but that in total 110 different species have been affected. She said it is hoped that a natural immunity will develop.
Finally she and Afton displayed two birds which they had brought along with them. They were a Red-tailed Hawk, Buddy who was about five years old, and a Broad-winged Hawk. Both were beautiful birds and thrilling to see.
Lynn accompanied her talk with many colour slides of her facility and her birds. Our thanks to her for a wonderful evening as well as for her work on behalf of these magnificent birds. Lynn would appreciate financial donations to her Centre to assist her with the costs associated with her work, for which you will receive a charitable receipt. Also she would appreciate any small birds, mice etc. that are dead and could be used for food. They can be frozen and saved until they can be delivered.
Gord Catterson
October Indoor Meeting:
A large crowd of about 70 people turned out at the indoor meeting on October 28th to view a video made by the CBC on some underwater discoveries in the St. Clair River, with assistance from Norm Scott, and to listen to Norm expound on his interest in them. The video was made several years ago and was featured as the lead film for the CBC's 35th anniversary special. It has also been shown on PBS. .
The time selected to make the video was mid-March, due to this being the optimum time for water clarity. However it is also the most hazardous time as there is free floating ice in the river and care had to be taken to ensure the divers were not endangered by the ice cutting air or safety lines. The owner of the boat involved was Don Gordon of Sarnia who was also the crew leader, and two divers Bob Docherty and Terry Dolbert.
The first site visited was the wreck of the William H. Wolf, a 385 foot steamer built in 1868. She was originally constructed as a sailing vessel and was subsequently refitted for steam power. The vessel lies in 65 feet of water on the Canadian side of Fawn Island just south of Sombra. She had originally sunk on the other side of the river but was moved as a hazard. The video showed footage of the ship lying on its keel atop a sand bar and the pictures clearly revealed the riveted construction, normal in those days. Other shots showed the propeller, 12 feet across and weighing 6 tons. The wreck had collapsed on top of the prop. .
The second site visited was in the Chanel Ecarte, the exact location a closely guarded secret. In this case the location was discovered by Norm himself, after 6 years of investigation. He said it was necessary to open the bridge to Walpole Island 2 month early in order to get in. The video revealed some wagons that apparently had sunk when crossing the ice. There are some four wagons lying in close proximity with some human remains beside at least one of them. The wagons were drawn by oxen and an ox skull was retrieved, which is now in the possession of the University of Windsor. It is believed that they went in the channel around the time of the war of 1812. Norm indicated that he first came across references to the incident in a letter to a military commander around that time, and which gave him the impetus to start looking. .
All in all it was a fascinating look at some local history, generally unknown to the general public. Our thanks to Norm for an interesting presentation.
Gord Catterson
FYI
Drain Legislation
| Drain Legislation
Ontario has had drain legislation in place for over 150 years. The current statute, the Drainage Act , balances the rights of landowners living along water courses with the rights of property owners who do not have access to a stream or creek in order to drain their lands. This act is administered by the Ontario Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs (OMAFRA) and provides a legal means for the construction and maintenance of sufficient outlets to drain surface water. Ownership of these Municipal Drains remains with the owners of properties originally involved with the construction. However, local municipalities are responsible and liable for maintaining these drains and then distributing the costs over the properties located in the watershed. From The Drain Primer, a publication of the OFA, Fisheries and Oceans Canada, OMAFRA, MNR, Ducks Unlimited and the Drainage Superintendents Association of Ontario. |