Spring comes to the Hamilton Harbour Watersheds

By March, the worst of the winter would be over. The snow would thaw, the rivers begin to run and the world would wake into itself again.
Not that year.
Winter hung in there, like an invalid refusing to die. Day after grey day the ice stayed hard; the world remained unfriendly and cold.”
― Neil Gaiman, Odd and the Frost Giants

The above quote pretty well sums up our situation here in the Hamilton Harbour watersheds. Following a very cold and snowy winter, spring has arrived. The presence of a polar vortex this winter has kept us in its frigid grip. In a changing climate we fully expect that extreme weather events will be the new norm. The question remains are we ready to deal with these events? 

This winter saw snow and ice accumulations in excess of the 30 year average for the month of February. Temperatures for January and February were 4 to 5 degrees colder. The ice storm in December kicked off winter and was very quickly followed by a number of significant snow storms. Snow has been on the ground since December and accumulation has risen to some of the highest we’ve seen in the Hamilton area. Lower winter temperatures have allowed for thicker ice formation in creeks and ponds, making the potential for ice jams and associated flooding a real concern.

With no January thaw this year, a spring melt will generate higher than normal flows in local streams and creeks. Also of concern this year is the remnant impact of the ice storm in December as trees and other vegetation that were broken and damaged during the ice storm are now washed into creeks and carried downstream. The potential for debris jams is high which in turn elevates the potential for flooding. 

This spring, temperatures have remained below normal and this has allowed for our runoff to local creeks to be more gradual. However there has been strong daytime melting and the power of water can be daunting and should never be underestimated.

Spring is the time of year when rivers and creeks are hard at work moving sediment and

water from the headwaters of their watersheds to the confluence with a larger river or lake. As water and sediment are transported along a stream corridor important work is being done to shape the bed and banks and this allows the creek to armour itself against erosion. Higher flows now mean that a creek can access its floodplain and create new life by providing excellent conditions (nutrients, moisture etc.) for various floodplain species to grow and thrive. There is a natural balance as creeks carry on this work.

 

As creeks empty into Cootes Paradise there is a calming effect as the water flow slows down and water levels rise and empty into Hamilton Harbour.

The contribution of surrounding watersheds via their creeks to Hamilton Harbour is enormous. Contributions include water, sediment, ice and debris. The Harbour reflects these contributions and the resulting conditions are what you see which starts with the spring freshet.

Happy Spring!

Hazel Breton

Manager of Water Resource Engineering

Hamilton Conservation Authority 

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