What's Alive in Hamilton!

Sharp Lobed Hepatica

The natural areas inventory project is quickly gearing up for our final field season. This year we will be checking out many of the natural areas on the Hamilton/Halton border in Waterdown and East Flamborough. There are quite a few wetlands, valleys, escarpment talus, and deciduous upland sites in this area which we are excited to survey. Most of the spring flowers are now in bloom, so it won’t be long until our ecological land classification crew is out surveying the forests, thickets, meadows, and wetlands. But for now, check out your local natural areas for these spring ephemerals!

Bloodroot

Squirrel Corn

A spring ephemeral is a perennial forest wildflower that blooms in early spring and produces seeds before summer. These flowers take advantage of the sunlight that hits the forest floor before the trees produce their leaves

You may have heard that many birds are back from their wintering grounds down south. Keep an eye out for chimney swifts, red-bellied woodpeckers, and orioles which have all been heard and seen this spring. 

Juvenile Brown Snake

Our frog and toad monitoring program has had a quick start. With the warm temperatures lately, these amphibians have been calling all over the City of Hamilton. Spring peepers, wood frogs, chorus frogs, and American toads are common at this time of the year. Keep your ears open and you may start to hear leopard frogs, green frogs, and grey tree frogs.

And don’t forget that this is the time of the year that snakes are on the move too! Here is a juvenile brown snake that I saw on a walk through the Dundas Valley.

Keep checking the website for more updates on the Natural Areas Inventory Project.

Nicholas Schwetz

NAI Coordinator

Hamilton Conservation Authority

Help HCA win $25,000 with the Shell Fuelling Change Challenge! Vote for What's Alive in Hamilton and we can continue to educate our community and help protect the environment in Hamilton. http://fuellingchange.com/main/project/411/Whats-Alive-in-Hamilton

One week’s notice…. Spring is here!

Next week the calendar tells us that spring has finally arrived. The ground hog may have mentioned it about five weeks ago (in case you missed the announcement).

Unlike the last few years where migrating birds returned in January and gardens sprouted in February, this past winter took us back to when winters had snow and Jack Frost occasionally did take a nibble at your nose. The arrival of spring this year also bodes well for a healthy season. As we speak the vernal pools are active with amphibian activity and the endangered Jefferson Salamanders are on the move! It is breeding season for Jeffy and that comes with road closures in some areas to protect the paths they take to reach their breeding grounds.

Now, Jefferson Salamanders don’t make much noise and, while their movement heralds the arrival of spring, they are not the most commonly-noticed of creatures. One creature you will notice is the Red-Winged Blackbird. Traditionally, another first sign of spring is their migratory return from the Southern States.  Keep a look out near wet areas such as wetlands and shorelines populated by tall grasses or cattails and bulrushes. They’ll start looking for dance partners as soon as they return, so their calls will be frequent and easily heard. Just watch out once they start nesting because they defend their nests vigorously!

It’s not just the little ones we watch for this month. Along the north shores of Lake Erie from Windsor to Point Pelee, mass migrations of raptors are a birder’s delight. Closer to home, the Niagara Peninsula Hawk Watch is underway with the big day coming up at Beamer Memorial Conservation Area in the Niagara Region on Good Friday. But really, anywhere along the Niagara Escarpment and the lake shores this time of year is an excellent opportunity to see large birds such as bald eagles, swans, herons, falcons and hawks on their way back to Ontario.

A few weeks from now you might even get lucky enough to see the “clouds” of Broad-winged hawks and my friends the Turkey Vultures as they migrate en masse. Last year’s count of Turkey Vultures estimated more than 20,000 traveling through Niagara and more than 100,000 through Western Ontario!

So if you’re waiting for the flowery signs of spring… they’re coming, but it’s the feathery signs that come first! 

Chris Hamilton

Information Officer

Hamilton Conservation Authority

The Owl that keeps hooting

September 14, 2011, started out like any other day, the Conservation Areas were wrapping up the summer season and we were getting ready to ready another fall season, when staff at ChristieLake CA received a call from a local resident regarding a Great Horned Owl sitting on a hiking path in the middle of the woods. Bruce Harschnitz the Superintendent of Christie Lake, gave me a call in hopes that something could be done to help this owl. After arriving at Christie Lake CA, it was clear the owl was in distress and appeared lethargic. 

Great Horned Owl

After some discussion and debate we decided the best thing to do was to contact the Owl Foundation (Located in Vineland Station, ON), to see if they could accommodate a seemingly ailing owl. The owl foundation is a registered charitable organization that focuses on helping and rehabilitating injured, diseased or starving Canadian owl species.

With the help of a few other colleagues we were able to capture the owl and placed it in a well ventilated box, and prepare to take the owl on a road trip to the foundation so it could receive the care it needed. I got to be the lucky person who had the privilege of holding onto the box while we drove. 

Great Horned Owl

The car ride was quite the journey, as we drove down the highway, the car was completely silent, accept for the periodic “hoot” from the box. I talked to the owl in hopes we would both stay calm,  but when he managed to poke his head out of the box to see what was going on, I was startled! Imagining him coming out of the box and flying around the car! It turned out he just wanted to figure out what was going on, and tucked himself back into the box, and  let out anther “hoot”,  which I assumed meant he would not do that again.  

After arriving at the foundation, the employees met me in the drive way, then proceed inside the facility.  I held onto the owl while the employee conducted a quick assessment. I said my good-byes to the owl and thanked him for making my "normal" workday that little bit more exciting. Upon leaving I left my contact information, and was informed I would receive a call from the foundation with an update as soon as they had one.

On Tuesday September 11, 2012 while at my desk, during another "normal" work day,  I received a phone call from the Owl Foundation. (by this time I thought  sadly the owl did not make a recovery). I was overjoyed to hear the owl had gained a full recovery and was ready to be released back into nature. 

Staff at the foundation, informed me that the owl had suffered major trauma to his beak, which kept him from feeding, eventually leading him to be emaciated. The staff cared for the owl, providing much needed fluids and food, with every passing day the owl became stronger flying and hunting mice within its enclosure.

The Owl Foundation decided the time had come to release the owl back to the wild, at the same spot it was orginally found. The release party was held on Friday September 14, 2012 at Christie Lake CA, with an invitation to everyone involved in the recovery process.  At the release party, Jane, (from the Owl Foundation) selected an open area with nearby trees, so the owl may take cover quickly. The box opened and the owl poked his head out quickly, then off he flew to a tree close by. It was an experience that will forever stay with me, and close to my heart. Whenever I am at Christie Lake CA, in the futrue I will look for the Great Horned owl that received a second chance to soar through the trees. 

Lisa Jennings 

Aquatic Ecologist

Hamilton Conservation Authority

HCA would like to thank everyone involved, especially the local resident who first noticed the frail owl and the Owl Foundation that no doubt saved this owls life. Without the dedication of this organization, owls injured, diseased would not have a second chance. The tireless effort and compassion from the staff at the foundation is astounding, we are very fortunate to have a organization like in the area.

Please visit the Owl Foundation website for more information about the organization and how you can help www.theowlfoundation.ca

Black Is The In Colour for This Spring - Part 2

There was another unusual black bird along the Niagara River this winter in Fort Erie, the Fish Crow. In January there were two of these new black birds. The Fish Crow has not been seen in the Niagara area before. They are usually found only within a few kilometers of the Atlantic Ocean and the Gulf of Mexico shore from New York City south to Florida. There are no tidal flats in Southern Ontario. There is ice on our shores in the winter. Not really the habitat for Fish Crows. 

© Larry Meade

So to carry on with this mystery of the Fish Crow, there was a Fish Crow in Bronte on March 16 and on March 30^th. Fish Crows have also been seen hanging out at the University of Guelph. What is going on? Where is the ocean? These are the first Fish Crows for the Hamilton area. Does this mean I do not need to go to Florida again?  Recently Fish Crows have been expanding their range in the U.S.A. Some populations of Fish Crows are showing up in areas not connected to their normal range. These new populations are sort of leapfrogging as they move away from the ocean. The closest of these new ranges is found in Ithaca, N.Y. There, the Fish Crows started to show up in the 1980’s and now they seem to be a permanent group. Is Ontario the next leap?

Now you and I are going to have a little problem telling a Fish Crow from an American Crow which is a little larger. Well, it is all in the song. If you don’t hear the call of the Fish Crow it is really really hard to tell the two birds apart by sight but by ear that is a different story. What does a Fish Crow sound like. Just think of when you heard a crow calling at a seaside salt marsh in Georgia. Click here to hear the sound.

Last fall and winter, Ravens were also seen almost weekly flying through the Grimsby and Upper Stoney Creek area.  Ravens are larger than American Crows and have a very different call, a croak rather than a caw. In 2011 a pair of Ravens successfully nested in Flamborough.  The first pair of Ravens, a bird found normally much further north, was not seen in the Hamilton area until 2001.

Something is happening with black in our bird world. We have new species making a presence in Southern Ontario. Will they start to make their home in Hamilton? (The Raven has...)

So is it climate change? Maybe. Is it is habitat change? Maybe.  Every  species of bird seems to have a few adventurous members that are always exploring where the species has not gone before and some may find a new area suitable for their life. 

The changes in these birds do one thing for sure and that is wonderful for those of us who enjoy nature. They are providing us with new wonderments every day. No year is the same.

So look very carefully at the next big black bird you see. It could be your brand new neighbour.

Bruce Mackenzie 

Manager Customer Service and Operations

Hamilton Conservation Authority

Black Is The In Colour for This Spring - Part 1

Our warm March has certainly kick-started the spring bird migration through the Niagara Peninsula and the city of Hamilton. Something exciting is happening with the colour black in birds in 2012.

Birdwatchers are seeing some new species and in new ways in the Hamilton area. This spring for the first time ever on March 22, two Black Vultures were seen migrating together at Beamer Memorial Conservation Area. And better still, a renowned nature photographer, Mr. Tom Thomas, was there to record the event of the two birds at Beamer flying overhead. Now to add to those excitement just days earlier another Black Vulture was seen migrating towards Hamilton on March 16. 

Between the years 1961 - 2000 only 15 Black Vultures have been seen in the Hamilton area as noted in Bob Curry’s book, Birds of Hamilton. In the past decade a Black Vulture has been seen only every couple of years in the Hamilton area. To have three of these magnificent birds in less than a week is just phenomenal to the birding world. 

© Nick Chill

In Hamilton we are used to seeing Turkey Vultures flying through our skies from March until November. Over 10,000 vultures, migrate in the spring alone. It was not that long ago when Turkey Vultures were rare. They started to nest in the Kelso area on the Niagara Escarpment in the 1940’s. In 1975 only 53 were recorded in the spring migration at Beamer. In 2011 there were over 6700 recorded by the Niagara Peninsula Hawkwatch at Beamer. To the end of March of this year there have been 3400 Turkey vultures seen already. This is an increase of 72% over the 1980 vultures seen to the end of March in 2011. WOW!

 In the fall migration of an estimated 100,000 Turkey Vultures leave Ontario on their southward migration each year. Not bad for a bird that was almost nonexistent here 70 years ago.

Tom Thomas

Now to most of us a vulture is a vulture. The difference is that Turkey Vultures have red heads, are a little larger than Black Vultures and the back half of their wing is light gray along the entire length. They seldom flap their wings. They just seem to float through the air. 

© Gerrit Vyn

The Black Vulture has a black head and light gray wingtips. It flaps its wings more often and with its short tail the flight is very reminiscent of a bat in flight. And have legs and feet that are almost white.

In the Eastern United States there are thousands and thousands of Black Vultures from Southern Pennsylvania south to Florida and Central America but they are not as migratory as the Turkey Vulture. 

Birders had high hopes for these sightings of Black Vultures this spring for there were five Black Vultures wintering along the Niagara River around Lewiston N.Y. last winter. This has not happened before either. We have no way of telling whether or not the three migrating  birds seen at Beamer were part of the wintering five. Remember the mild winter. It was the likely reason that that these Blacks survived the winter along the Niagara River area.

This is not the first time some new bird species have shown up in Southern Ontario and stayed. The Cardinal did not appear in Hamilton area until 1923. Now it is in every neighbourhood and across all of

© Jim Paris

Southern Ontario. The now common Red-bellied Woodpecker did not show up in the Hamilton area in any number until the mid 1960’s. The same kind of story goes for the Mockingbird and the Carolina Wren as well.

Remember the Turkey Vulture was not a bird our parents saw. It has recently set up camp and is now in the thousands in migration.

So is it climate change? Maybe. Is it is habitat change? Maybe.  Every  species of bird seems to have a few adventurous members that are always exploring where the species has not gone before and some may find a new area suitable for their life. 

The changes in these birds do one thing for sure and that is wonderful for those of us who enjoy nature. They are providing us with new wonderments every day. No year is the same.

So look very carefully at the next big black bird you see. It could be your brand new neighbour.

Bruce Mackenzie

Manager Customer Service and Operations

Hamilton Conservation Authority

A Trail of Two Ravens - Part 2

Recently on a winter hike at the Fletcher Creek Ecological Preserve, my wife and I were not alone. Flying nearby and then landing in far off trees two Ravens were spotted.  It was their wild call that first caught our attention. It is truly a sound of the north. Not the caw of a crow but the croak of the Raven.

Ravens are indeed uncommon in this area. It was only recently, that in the fall of 2001 Ravens started to be seen in the Kelso/Flamborough area. We now find that this pair or maybe pairs of Ravens stay in the area year round. The presence of this bird species speaks volumes about the habitat of the area and how it can support a myriad of life forms.  

Ravens are the largest black bird in the world. Their range takes them to almost every continent. They are considered to be the most intelligent of birds and are very much involved in native folklore. In West Coast cultures they are known as the “trickster”. Having this bird in Hamilton brightens our sky.

Ravens are best told from their close relative the crow by their much larger size, a robust throat and a diamond shaped tail on this black of black birds. The wings in flight are long and sickle like in shape. The tail of a crow has a square or flat end. Listen for the croak. 

In 2011 a pair of Ravens successfully nested in the north part of  Flamborough. Ravens are now being seen regularly in Flamborough all year and last fall and into this winter Ravens are now being seen on a somewhat regular basis flying across the lands across the top of the Stoney Creek Mountain and in the skies over Grimsby. It is very likely that another nesting will occur, time will tell us where in the Hamilton area. 

It is always interesting to see how lands and their inhabitants do not stand still as time moves along. Old fields become forests, tree species change over time as the forest is left on its own and the wildlife, whether it be a Monarch Caterpillar feeding on a milkweed or a Cooper’s Hawk patrolling the forests for smaller birds, always reflects the vegetation and habitats of the day. As the habitats change so do the animals living in them.

Now in midwinter the Raven stands out in the sky and it is one of about 25 bird species that might be found on a winter hike in the Fletcher Creek area. 

Bruce Mackenzie
Manager of Customer Service & Operations
Hamilton Conservation Authority

How to get there:

The Fletcher Creek Ecological Preserve is located on the east side of Puslinch Concession Rd 7. Take Highway 6 North from Hamilton to the Gore Rd, about 3 km north of Freelton. Turn west on Gore Rd (Concession 11 W.) and follow it for about 5 km and turn north on Concession  Rd.7 and the entrance is on the right very shortly after you turn.  If the snow is right the cross country skiing here is wonderful. Create your own ski tracks on the trail through this pristine area.

Now that winter has arrived...Let's go Camping!

The stillness of the park, the whisper of the wind and NO BUGS - just some of the draws for winter camping.   It is a special type of camper that you need to be, a lover of the outdoors.  You need to be prepared to face some pretty cold nights, but with the right gear and the right knowledge, it can be an awesome experience.

Winter camping is not just for the “big rig” type of camper with a home on wheels that has a gas fire place, heat and a queen size bed.  Even those in a tent or even hanging in a hammock come out during the colder months to enjoy a campfire.  There is something about a campfire in the winter.  Not only does it bring some added warmth, it just makes the experience that much more enjoyable. 

I haven’t been a “warrior” like the ones we get at Valens Conservation Area, but I have enjoyed a weekend of the white stuff while staying in a yurt (a canvas type cabin with electricity and heat) up in Algonquin Park.  The peacefulness of camping during this season is something worth experiencing.  You won’t find many others out, and those that you do find enjoying the winter wonders, are the friendliest people you will ever meet.  And the calm nights allow you to hear the howls of the coyotes.   I’ve enjoyed the days with some bird seed in my hand and the winter birds will come by (chickadees, nuthatches) and eat right out of my palm.  A suet block will bring by some of the woodpeckers (red bellied, hairy and downy).  You can’t get this close to these birds during the summer months when they are scared off by quick movements and the busy-ness of the campground.   

I’ve spent the majority of the day exploring trails and the many tracks in the snow left by deer, rabbit, fox and others.  At the end of the day, it is so relaxing to sit by the fire and cook up a nice steak and baked potato, right on the campfire.  I don’t know if it is from being outside all day and starving or having dinner cooked on an open fire that makes it so delicious...mmm

Valens, sees on average a dozen or so “winter warriors” that will come out for a weekend camp during the winter.  The park has a different beauty than what you see in the summer.  The snow seems a little whiter, thicker and softer and the visitors practically get the park to themselves.  You can explore the trails on foot, ski or snowshoe. Typically Valens boasts a great spot to strap on a pair of skates or try your hand at ice fishing, however with the winter of 2012, the lake has yet to see"safe" ice. 

I think Valens is a perfect winter get away from the busy city - a peaceful retreat to allow for our batteries to recharge for the upcoming week ahead.  We hope to see you out this winter to experience for yourself how special and different camping can be during the colder months.  

Joanna Sanche

Assistant Superintendent

Valens Conservation Area