Rainbows Instead of A Dam

We all know something about fish.  What always strikes me as funny is that we never ever see most fish that live around us. This is unfortunate, because there are so many neat fish in our neighbourhood.

One of prettiest fish in our area is the Rainbow Darter. You just have to look at them to see where they got their name. Interesting thing about Rainbow Darters:  males are brighter in colour than females — just like most birds are. (Males just like to show off, I guess).

So what are darters?  Darters are small fish and, in Ontario, there are about 10 different species. They are almost always found on or near the bottom. They swim for short distances in a hurry. They seem to just dart around. Some live in the great lakes in shallow waters and some choose deeper water. The Rainbow Darter likes streams. 

Darters are small fish.  Most of us would simply call them minnows if we didn’t look closely. They might get to about seven cm in length, but most are well under five cm — a child’s little finger in size.

The darters that live in rivers and fast flowing water can hold their position in the current. They have large and strong pectoral fins for their size. Think about where arms would be on a fish if fish had arms. Well, that’s where their pectoral fins are. They use these fins for strong, short bursts of speed, or to just hold onto the creek bottom.

Rainbow Darters feed on very small aquatic insects and invertebrates. Invertebrates are animals without backbones. Think of worms, crayfish and creepy crawlies. If they are really small, and like to live around small rocks in the water, then they just might be food for RainbowDarters.

Rainbow Darters are generally found throughout the Spencer Creek. If you find Rainbow Darters, then you know the water quality is pretty good, otherwise this fish species would not be living there. They don’t do well with pollution or heavy sediments in the water.

Today, the Rainbow Darter has a new home in the Spencer Creek, where the old Crooks’ Hollow Dam was. In 2012 the dam was removed for safety reasons and an innovative design project was undertaken to rehabilitate the section of the creek that used to be affected by the old dam. 

This rehabilitation project has had wonderful results within its first year. From land, the change in the habitat is easy to see. There are creek riffles, shallow spots and deep spots for the different fish to enjoy. Recently, Hamilton Conservation Authority ecologists monitoring the Spencer found Rainbow Darters in this new section of the creek. 

This is wonderful news. What better judge of how we are helping the environment than to be told by a small but interesting fish species that the water is of good quality and its flow is just right for a healthy stream.

If you haven’t visited the new trail and bridge by this restored section of the Spencer, you might like to make a trip to see how this section of the creek has been given a new chance at life.

Now, you are not likely to see Rainbow Darters; they are small and like to hide, but you will see the different sections of the new Spencer Creek with its currents flowing over and around rocks. 

You will also see where the water bubbles over structures and gets re-oxygenated.  The new vegetation communities are moving in toward the creek, providing shade and habitat for fish and other wildlife. 

The Rainbow Darter is just one species that has been advantaged by this new section of the Spencer. It is one of many.

Bruce Mackenzie 

HCA Manager of Operations & Customer Service

*Photo credits to Flint Rover Conservation Association, Environmental Almanac, and HCA* 

 

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

How the Ice Cream Got its Cone

Cool, creamy, crunchy – there’s nothing like an ice cream cone to bring back memories of summer fun.  While ice cream itself has a long history, stemming back to early civilizations, serving it in cones is a relatively recent phenomenon.  Just how and when the ice cream cone was invented, however, has been the subject of an ongoing debate. 

Sources dating to the 1770s recommended serving “iced puddings” or “ice cream puddings” with small almond wafers.  These were considered “stomach settlers,” and were served at the conclusion of a meal to calm one’s digestion.  Eventually, these became little treats in their own right.  When rolled into “funnels” or cornucopias, they could be filled with creams and iced puddings.  The 1770 publication The Complete Housekeeper & Cook (Newcastle: 1770), recommended filling cornets with ice cream “as a garnish.”

An Italian confectioner working in London in the early 19^th century described baking almond wafers into “little horns” and filling them with a variety of sweet fillings, including “creams.”

In the mid-19^th century London, the production and sale of food in public, particularly ice cream, provided a steady income for many Italian families of the time.  Selling their cool treats from a cart, vendors would often serve the ice cream in a small glass, referred to as a “penny lick.”  These dishes were typically made of a thick glass with a heavy base and shallow depression on top, in which the ice cream was placed.  The customer, paying one penny, would lick the contents clean and return it to the vendor for reuse.  This presented two main challenges – the vendor couldn’t serve the ice cream fast enough, and sanitary conditions were difficult to maintain.  Penny licks were banned by 1899, due to concerns about the spread of disease, as these cups could not normally be washed between uses.

Food historians most often credit the first true ice cream cone, that is, one made specifically for ice cream, to the Italian immigrants living in Manchester in the mid-19^th century.   Seeking to speed their sales and replace the troublesome penny licks, which were often stolen or broken, they began to produce large quantities of rolled, waffle-style biscuits for serving ice cream.  It is estimated that by the turn of the 19^th century, there were nearly a thousand ice cream vendors, or “Hokey Pokey Men” in London’s Little Italy. 

The traditions and techniques associated with public ice cream vending were brought to North America through immigration, including the use of the cone.  It wasn’t until the 1904 St. Louis World’s fair, however, that ice cream cones became enormously popular, widespread and readily available.  The fair was home to more than fifty ice cream stands and a large number of waffle shops.  There are several competing versions of the story about who it was who actually rolled the nearby waffles into cones and served ice cream from them at the fair.  What is widely acknowledged, however, is that cones became so popular that, at the conclusion of the fair, companies throughout North America scrambled to produce equipment to efficiently manufacture them.  

These are the beginnings of a sweet tradition that thrives to this day.  Come to Westfield Heritage Village for the Ice Cream Festival on August 5^th and 6^th to learn more about this and other delicious traditions.

Lisa Hunter

Programme Co-ordinator

Westfield Heritage Village

Not your Average Worm Hunters

Growing up I was in awe of nature; be it watching the sunset over the lake, or watching a snake eat a frog backwards, the trees that whispered me asleep on family camping trips, or a chickadee that would eat out of a hat on top of my grandfather’s head.

I started my working career with HCA at Christie LakeConservation Area, as a lead hand. In early 2010 I transferred to ConfederationPark, to take on my new role as Assistant Superintendent. Leaving the nature filled Christie Lake Conservation Area, I was worried I would lose my connection to the beauty of Mother Nature, however to my surprise being down on Lake Ontario came with a new discovery of nature for me, that I never gave much consideration before. 

They sit perched high; may it be in a tree, on a sign, or soaring above looking for their next meal. Here on the western shoreline of Lake Ontario, we see migratory birds that visit us briefly and fill our skies and keep us on the lookout with large telescopes, and binoculars. The avid birders, who patiently wait to catch a glimpse of a rarely seen species, are plentiful here at Confederation Park.  This is where my new fascination with nature began and continues to keep me looking up at the skies for the Birds of Prey.

At Confederation Park you can spot an immature Bald Eagle perched more than 60 feet up in a tree, scanning the under layer for a tasty treat. (One that is nearly nonexistent to the naked eye).  The judgment and calculated, swift swoop that a feast has been found, leaves me in awe of the magnificence of this species. If you’re lucky enough you will see the prize tightly held by the eagle’s talons as it travels home to the dinner table.

There are many different species of birds of prey at Confederation Park which creates some stiff competition for a dinner table prize; the Red Shouldered Hawk, Red Tailed Hawk, and Sharp Shinned Hawk are plentiful, that sometimes you forget how special it is to be able to view them on a daily basis. 

As I marvel at their beauty as they move effortlessly through the breeze with such elegance, it is when  they spread their wings to hone in on a new target you remember you’re in the presence of a skilled hunter, battling with the eagle for a delicious morsel running or slithering down below.

On rare occasions we get lucky enough to view an AmericanKestrel, which keeps my anticipations high and scanning for new Birds of Prey every day never knowing what the lake is going to bring in on its wind currents.

Hope to see you soon at Confederation Park staring up in the skies for not your average worm hunter!!

Cari Hobbs
Assistant Superintendent
Confederation Park

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