Gray Jay nominated as Canada's National Bird

Nature Notes for November 25, 2016

Who could have imagined that a meeting of the Royal Canadian Geographical Society would generate so much comment on social media? As well, it was covered by all of the major newspapers and was the subject of a phone-in on CBC radio on Monday. The subject of all this attention: the nomination of Gray Jay as Canada’s National Bird.

Many people were surprised to learn that Canada does not have an official national bird. The RCGS decided that one should be appointed in time for Canada 150 celebrations. In 2015, they quietly started a contest in which people were asked to nominate their choice for national bird. The list was whittled down to 5. At a recent meeting, the RCGS debated and discussed with partners at Bird Studies Canada and decided to recommend Gray Jay for the position.

The colour bands identifies this as a Gray Jay

 which is part of the long-term study in Algonquin Provincial Park.

Photo © Rob Lonsberry Photography

The bird is a corvid, the same family of birds as Blue Jay, American Crow and Common Raven. It is a bit smaller than a Blue Jay, with a gray back, white underparts, white on the top of the head and black on the nape. Male and female have the same plumage.

The official name of this bird is Gray Jay (spelled with an “a”, although spellcheck may decide to change it to an “e”.) For many years the bird was called Canada Jay, but the American Ornithologists' Union decided to change it to Gray Jay in the 1950s. The Latin name, Perisoreus canadensis, still includes a reference to Canada. The French name, Mésangeai du Canada, also retains the reference to Canada.

It has several other common names including Camp Robber and Whiskey Jack. The former name is because of its habit of stealing food from camps in the bush. It has learned that humans can be good source of food. The French field guide, Les Oiseaux du Québec et des Maritimes, shows all birds in habitat. The Gray Jay is shown on a picnic table beside a sandwich. They are easy to find on a trip to Algonquin Park in winter. Instead of flying away from visitors, they will fly towards them in the hope of a handout of a peanut or a raisin.

The colourful name, Whiskey Jack, has nothing to do with the alcoholic beverage. It is a mispronunciation by Europeans of the Wiskedjak, Wisagatcak, Wisekejack, or other variations of a word used in the Algonquian family of aboriginal languages of eastern Canada to designate a mischievous, transforming spirit who liked to play tricks on people.

The Gray Jay is a bird of the boreal forest and occurs in all provinces and territories. It does not normally occur in southern Ontario or the southern prairies. Most of its range is within Canada, although it does extend into Alaska and the mountains of the western U.S.

It is a non-migratory species. Gray Jays stay in the northern forests year round and begin to nest while there is still snow on the ground. They are able to survive the winters because they cache food in the fall. That it, they hide food behind flaps of bark or in bark crevices throughout their territories. The amazing thing is that they remember where they have hidden this food, so that they can retrieve it when they need it. They can nest early because this cached food provides food for their nestlings.

Although Gray Jays are non-migratory, a few sometimes irrupt south of their usual range. These may be young birds looking for their own territories. There have been a few records of Gray Jay for Northumberland County – 23 since 1900. Most of these records date from the earlier part of the twentieth century when this species irrupted on a more regular basis. Prior to European settlement, when the county had more forest, it may have nested here, but no one was paying attention or thought it important to record its presence.

The Gray Jays in Algonquin Park have been studied since the mid-1970s, first by Dan Strickland and currently by Dr. Ryan Norris. This population has experienced a 50% decline over this forty year period. The cause of this decline is thought to be climate change. Warmer winter temperatures cause the cached food to spoil so that it may not be available at critical times for the birds.

I will admit that I voted for Gray Jay as our national bird. I hope that Parliament will act on the recommendations of the Royal Canadian Geographical Society so that Canada has an official national bird for the Canada 150 celebrations.

More information about the Gray Jay, including a range map, can be found at http://www.hww.ca/en/wildlife/birds/gray-jay.html

Turkey Vultures moving through Northumberland

Nature Notes for October 28, 2016

Turkey Vultures are the bird of the month in Port Hope. When the salmon are running in the Ganaraska, the vultures gather. The salmon die after spawning, so there is an abundance of food for these scavengers along the river and the adjacent lakeshore.

October is also the time that most of these big birds migrate. Since vultures have no feathers on their heads, a good adaptation for a bird that eats almost exclusively dead things, they can’t tolerate cold Canadian winters. Most birds that breed here migrate only to the southern U.S., although they live year-round throughout Central and South America. 

Turkey Vulture in flight.

Photo © Rob Lonsberry Photography

The migration route for Turkey Vultures is the same as for most raptors that migrate through Northumberland. These birds don’t like to cross large bodies of water. They fly south to the shore of Lake Ontario and then turn west, following the north shore of Lakes Ontario and Erie and crossing the Detroit River at Windsor/Detroit.

When the wind is out of the north, the birds are pushed towards the lakeshore and large numbers can be counted passing over. There were suitable winds on Thanksgiving Monday. The observation platform at the A.K. Sculthorpe Woodland Marsh along the Waterfront Trail in Port Hope gives a good view of the sky to the east.

My husband and I stood on the platform and counted for most of the day. The most abundant bird was Turkey Vulture at 889, followed by Red-tailed Hawk at 87. Other raptors counted were 3 Bald Eagles, 9 Sharp-shinned Hawks, 1 Northern Harrier, 2 Cooper’s Hawks, 2 Red-shouldered Hawks, and 1 Osprey.

On the same day, the Holiday Beach Hawk Watch at the west end of Lake Erie counted 6,415 Turkey Vultures. There is a network of hawk watches along the north shores of Lakes Ontario and Erie, including in High Park in Toronto. The further west the hawk watch site, the greater the number of birds seen. The birds take advantage of the thermals created where land meets water to fly long distances with a minimum of energy expenditure.

There were a couple of other surprises that day. A single Eastern Bluebird flew over, flying east and two Common Ravens also passed over.

In late September and early October, there was a noticeable movement of Blue Jays along the lakeshore, flying west. These birds follow the same flight line as the raptors.

Most of the songbirds that migrate to the tropics have already left our area. On the other hand, the wintering ones are arriving. My garden has been host to a little flock of Dark-eyed Juncos. A few of these will remain all winter.

American Pipits could be found in agricultural fields last week; one flock was about 200 birds. They nest in the Arctic and winter in the southern U.S., so are just passing through.

In the past week, there have been a few reports of American Tree Sparrows and Snow Buntings. Both are Arctic nesters, the sparrows in the taiga and the buntings in the high Arctic. Both can remain in southern Ontario throughout the winter. Both prefer fairly open areas, so are more abundant in agricultural landscapes than in towns and villages.

The next Project FeederWatch season begins on November 12. This project recruits an army of volunteers to record the birds visiting backyard feeders throughout the winter. Anyone who is willing to learn the identities of the birds coming to their feeder can participate. There is a registration fee, but participants are provided with instructions, a FeederWatch calendar and on-line assistance in identifying birds. For more information, check http://feederwatch.org/. This is a North America Wide project.

Willow Beach Field Naturalists Events Teach About Natural World

Nature Notes for September 30, 2016

“In the late summer of 1953 a little group of naturalists who often happened to meet while strolling along the railway embankment that runs beside the marsh at Willow Beach conferred together along the pathway and decided there were enough interested people to warrant forming a naturalist club. The little group included Dr. and Mrs. C.B. Kelly, Mr. and Mrs. Harold Reeve, Peter Landry, Ted McDonald, Stella Bennett, Louise Steele.” This is a quote from a history of Willow Beach Field Naturalists Club, written by Louise Steele, one of its founders.

This meeting led to the founding of the club which still exists today, to study and celebrate our natural heritage. Initially, this club’s area included both Port Hope and Cobourg, as well as Hope and Hamilton Townships. Through the intervening years, the club has evolved to include all of Northumberland County. 

The Whimbrel used to be called Hudsonian Curlew. This bird is the logo for Willow Beach Field Naturalists because they used to arrive in numbers at Willow Beach around Victoria Day weekend during the spring migration. The club's newsletter is called The Curlew, referring to this bird.
Photo  © Rob Lonsberry Photography

In the early years, meetings were held in member’s homes and outings were quite informal. Now, there are seven indoor meetings per year, at present, all at the Cobourg Public Library.

In recent years, speakers at these meetings have included ornithologist Bridget Stutchbury, professor at York University and author of Silence of the Songbirds and The Bird Detective; bee biologist Laurence Packer, professor at York and author of Keeping the Bees; geologist Nick Eyles, professor at U. of Toronto and known to many through a 5-part series on the Nature of Things, Geologic Journey. Sheila Colla, now an assistant professor at York, spoke to WBFN when she was a graduate student, about her research on the Rusty-patch Bumble Bee.

Meteoroligist Dave Phillips spoke to us about weather legends. Gord Vogg, seasonal naturalists at Darlington Provincial Park, made a presentation about fungi and the next day led a very successful outing to Peter’s Woods to search for and identify fungi. Hummingbird bander, Cindy Cartwright made a presentation on these fascinating birds. Rory Quigley, Arborist for the Town of Cobourg presented about urban forestry.

WBFN also has many knowledgeable people in the membership who have done presentations about birds, plants, insects, animal bones, and animal tracks.

The club organizes at least one outing per month. Some are within the county at locations like the A.K. Sculthorpe Woodland Marsh (also known as the Lake Street waterfront trail) in Port Hope, Cobourg Harbour, Lucas Point Park, Garden Hill Conservation Area, Laurie Lawson Outdoor Education Centre, Peter’s Woods, Rice Lake Conservation Area, Seymour Conservation Area, Northumberland Forest, Presqu’ile Provincial Park, Nature Conservancy of Canada properties, NorthumberlandLand Trust properties, and Alderville Black Oak Savanna. Some outings have also been held on private property, at the invitation of the owners.

Others outings are to more distant locations. Destinations have included the CardenAlvar in search of the endangered Loggerhead Shrike, November trips to Niagara in search of unusual gulls, trips to Amherst Island in search of wintering owls, Algonquin Park in winter, Lost Bay Nature Reserve north of Kingston, and the Menzel Nature Reserve north of Napanee in search of butterflies.

Some trip leaders are members of our club, some are from outside organizations. The objective is to learn more about our natural heritage and develop awareness of what is around us.

Early in its history, WBFN held an annual Christmas bird census. This has evolved into an official Audubon Christmas Bird Count, with different boundaries than the original census. Now, three Christmas Bird Counts are held in the county, each one covering a different circle. Some members take part in all three counts. For the past twenty years, the club has also organized a Summer Bird Count to monitor breeding birds.

WBFN helped to purchase Peter’s Woods Provincial Nature Reserve, and part of Carr’s Marsh, now managed by Ganaraska Region Conservation Authority. Because land ownership is quite a different mandate than nature study, WBFN created the Northumberland Land Trust twelve years ago. NLT now owns five properties and holds a conservation easement on a sixth.

The first indoor meeting for the 2016-17 is tonight, Sept. 30 at the Cobourg Public Library starting at 7:30 p.m. The guest speaker is Chris Ketola, whose topic is Masters of the Sky: Raptor Biodiversity, Biology and Behaviour.  Perhaps you would prefer to join us for a walk on Saturday morning (Oct. 1) along Cobourg’s West Beach, from 10 a.m. to noon, led by member Eleanor Sartisohn. Visitors are welcome at all WBFN events.

For more information about WBFN, check the website at http://www.willowbeachfieldnaturalists.org/ or follow the club on Facebook.

Birding in the Canadian Prairies - A New Experience

Nature Notes for August 26, 2016

In early July, I had the good fortune to be able to explore a birding area that I had never visited. For ten days, my husband and I birded in southern Alberta and Saskatchewan, chasing down bird species of the dry mixed grass prairie. The range of some of our target species just barely extends into southeastern Alberta and southwestern Saskatchewan.

While Ontario was having the worst drought in years, southern Saskatchewan was having the wettest year in 20 years. Areas that are usually semi-desert were still green instead of the more usual dry brown. This may have helped the birds, as insect food might be more abundant than in a dry year.

Since I had not birded in prairie habitats prior to this trip, many of the species were new to me. For example, Western Meadowlark is a common bird in the grasslands. It looks almost identical to Eastern Meadowlark, but its song is very different.

Clay-coloredSparrows were probably the most common sparrow we found, as common as Song Sparrowsare here. Clay-coloreds prefer open habitats with small bushes. It seemed that the bush only needed to be a one-foot high sagebrush to be attractive to the sparrows.

I didn’t realize before this trip just how important the prairie sloughs are to breeding waterfowl. Sloughs (pronounced “sloo”) are shallow marshes in the prairies which often dry up during the summer. Some had cattail edge and small shrubs surrounding the open water. This is the breeding area for many of the duck species that are seen in southern Ontario only in migration. On our ten-day visit, we found 15 species of ducks in these wetlands.

American Avocet

photo © Rob Lonsberry Photography

As well as ducks, several shorebird species use these sloughs. American Avocets, a handsome, long-legged wader, were present in many ponds. More recently, they have been joined by Black-necked Stilts, another long-legged wader. Only in the past 20 years have the stilts become regular breeders. Willets are another shorebird that breeds in the prairie sloughs.

Yellow-headed Blackbirds are sometimes more common than Red-winged Blackbirds in the cattail edges of these wet spots. Adult males are spectacular, with a completely bright yellow head and black body.

We visited Old Man on His Back Prairie and Conservation Area, a reserve southwest of Eastend, Sask., which for 20 years has been owned and managed by the Nature Conservancy of Canada. In 2003, NCC introduced a herd of genetically-pure plains bison to OMB. NCC manages the property as a working ranch and showcases the positive relationship between agricultural land use and land conservation. We did see the bison, briefly and from a distance. Much to my surprise, Common Nighthawks were roosting on the rail fence surrounding the Visitors Centre. We could have spent much more time than we did here.

We explored secondary roads south of the Cypress Hills to the U.S. Border in both Saskatchewan and Alberta. Here, we found many Lark Buntings, McCown’s Longspurs and Chestnut-collared Longspurs, McCown’s Longspurs are listed at “uncommon and local” in our most modern field guide, but we were fortunate enough to find 30 or 40 in a large flock. These were along a road that was posted as passable only in a four-wheel-drive vehicle if there was rain.

The reason for the timing of this trip was the annual conference of the North American Bluebird Society which was held at the Ellis Bird Farm near Lacombe, Alberta. The common bluebird here is Mountain Bluebird. We saw more Mountain Bluebirds along roadsides in southern Saskatchewan than we did at the conference.

Ellis Bird Farm is home to a large Purple Martin colony, an increasingly rare bird in Ontario. Researchers, who were studying these birds, gave presentations about their work. Some of the birds have been tagged with geolocaters which can record what routes they take to their wintering grounds in the Amazon basin and back to Alberta.

I’ve only touched on a few highlights of our trip. If you meet me in the street, be prepared to spend a little time if you ask me about it. My exuberance might result in information overload.