American Coot visit Cobourg Harbour

Nature Notes for March 27, 2015

“There are some strange looking birds at Cobourg Harbour in amongst the Mallards. I know that this isn’t a very good picture, but you could help me identify them?” This paraphrases a request I received via the Willow Beach Field Naturalists web site last week. Fortunately, the identification was not difficult, even from a blurry photo.

They were American Coots. Coots are water birds, in the family that includes rails, moorhens and gallinules.

And they are strange looking. They are gray, about the size of a small duck, but with a small head and white chicken-like beak. The adults have a white “shield” on their forehead. Sometimes when they are on land, their oversized feet are visible. The feet seem several sizes too big for the size of the bird. Instead of webbed feet like ducks, coots’ toes are lobed. There is a fleshy projection along the side of each toe. This is an adaptation for walking on mud and floating marsh vegetation. These big toes are essentially snowshoes for mud.

 American Coot. Note the huge feet! 

photo © Rob Lonsberry Photography

In mild winters, a few have spent the winter in Cobourg Harbour. If the weather was really nasty for a few days, they took refuge in the storm drain that feeds into the yacht basin. They would probably have had a really difficult time this past winter and the ones being seen now are probably migrants.

Coots are quite eclectic in their choices of food, eating vegetation, some seeds, insects and aquatic invertebrates. The proportion of each in their diet depends on the season. American Coots are often, as at Cobourg, in amongst flocks of ducks. This is not just because they are waterbirds. They will frequently try to steal food that the ducks bring to the surface. Although coots can and do dive, the ducks can dive deeper than the coots and therefore have access to food that the coots can’t reach.

American Coots are uncommon and local breeders throughout Ontario’s marshes. In Northumberland, they have become quite rare breeding birds. A few may still breed in the Presqu’ile marshes, but even there they are hard to find in the summer. In Northumberland, American Coot is much more common as a migrant than as a breeder.

For nesting, coots need about a 50/50 mix of open water and emergent vegetation (i.e. cattails, bulrushes). They build floating nest platforms out of marsh plants that are anchored firmly to upright stems. They also build floating platforms for roosting and for the use of their chicks. The chicks are fed by their parents for several days, but they are able to swim and dive almost as soon as they hatch.

American Coots are quite sensitive to changes in water levels, so they may occupy a marsh one year only to abandon it if the water level goes up or down.

When they are present, they are often detected by their loud calls. Because these vocalizations are very similar to Common Gallinule, they can’t be identified to species by voice alone.

Although they migrate far enough south to have open water throughout the winter, they are not strong flyers. They have to run along the surface of the water, flapping furiously, for quite a distance before they become airborne.

Although coots are frequently seen as migrants among the flocks of migrating ducks, as soon as the ice clears from marshes, they will disperse to breeding areas. These areas may be as far away as the northern prairies.

Bald Eagles around Cobourg Harbour

Nature Notes for February 27, 2015

Where are the gulls? Usually when Cobourg Harbour is frozen, this is a favourite place for roosting gulls. This winter, there have been very few. It is not the cold that is making them scarce, but the presence of at least two Bald Eagles.

One adult and one juvenile Bald Eagle are being seen regularly around the harbour. Bald Eagles take four years to get their full white head and tail. They don’t breed until then. The dark body of these adults is actually a very dark brown. The juvenile was hatched last year. Its plumage is mostly brown with white blotches. Young Bald Eagles are frequently mistaken for Golden Eagles. (The latter occur in Northumberland County only in migration, and rarely in winter.)

Two Bald Eagles have been frequenting Cobourg Harbour.

photo © Rob Lonsberry Photography

In the late 1800s and early 1900s, there was, in some places a bounty on Bald Eagles. Fishermen on the west coast thought that the eagles were eating spawning salmon. They didn’t pay attention to the fact that the eagles were eating mostly dead and dying fish that had already spawned.

In that era, too, egg collecting was a common activity of those who studied birds. Fortunately for the birds, there is now recognition that this threatens the survival of some birds, particularly large birds such as eagles that reproduce slowly.

Despite these activities and despite often being shot, Bald Eagles were known to nest in several places in Prince Edward County and at Presqu’ile into the 1930s.

In the middle of the 20^th century, Bald Eagle populations were decimated by the use of pesticides, especially DDT. The buildup of chemicals prevented the birds from reproducing successfully. Since the 1970s, when DDT was banned in North America, Bald Eagle populations have slowly increased.

Eagles need a large undisturbed territory to nest successfully. Human infringement on their habitat has made some eagles abandon long held territories.

Bald Eagles have a very long life span. According to bird banding records, the oldest Bald Eagle reported was 31 years old. They usually only produce one or sometimes two young per year. They don’t breed until they are 5 years old. Since they reproduce slowly, only recently are populations showing an increase from the decline during the years of DDT use.

In the 20 years between the two Ontario Breeding Birdatlases, there was a marked increase in breeding Bald Eagles in southern Ontario. The field work for the second Atlas was done 10 years ago. Locally, the population seems to be on the increase.

Just last weekend, one observer saw 10 eagles on the ice on and near Presqu’ile Bay. The 2014 Port Hope-Cobourg Christmas Bird Count found a record high five Bald Eagles, most along the Lake Ontario shore. This count has recorded at least one Bald Eagle every year since 2007. The Presqu’ile-Brighton Christmas Bird Count has shown a similar increase, with a high count of 8 in 2013.

Rice Lake is also a good area to find Bald Eagles. There have been reports in recent years of them breeding on some of the islands in the lake and in the Trent River.

Although Bald Eagles remain a “Species of Concern” on the Ministry of Natural Resources Species at Risk list, Bald Eagles are one of the more successful conservation stories. Despite past human persecution, human intervention has now helped the species recovery.

The next time you see the gulls flush up in confusion at Cobourg Harbour, look up. You may very well be treated to the sight of a Bald Eagle.

Snowy Owls and Common Redpolls - Birds of Winter

Nature Notes for January 30, 2015

Cobourg Harbour was completely ice-covered last week. There should be lots of gulls roosting on the ice. Where were they? Closer examination of a lump of ice in the middle of the harbour provided an answer. It wasn’t ice, but a Snowy Owl. A number of Snowy Owls, first reported in late November, are still being seen in southern Ontario.

The lakefront is a good place to look for them. From the owls’ perspective, this looks like the tundra – open, windswept with lots of potential prey. As well as both Cobourg and Port Hope harbours, look for Snowy Owls on utility poles, fence posts and the tops of silos in open agricultural areas

In the Arctic, Snowy Owls feed mostly on lemmings. In southern Ontario, they also eat ducks. They hunt along the edge of the ice in the big lakes and take birds weakened by the weather.

The waterfowl are not as pressed this year as they were in 2013/14, when much food was covered by ice. Flocks of Canada Geese pass over my house regularly. They are going inland to feed on the farm fields and then return to Lake Ontario to roost and digest their meal. So far, the snow is not deep and the geese are finding adequate food.

Early in the winter, there were big flocks of PineSiskins gobbling seed at many backyard feeders. They have moved further south and have been replaced in some places by Common Redpolls, another northern finch. Redpolls are birds of the tundra, so they usually frequent feeders in relatively open areas. I have not seen many in my treed backyard.

I have found several quite large flocks in open meadow areas, feeding on the weed seeds there. The birds move around a lot and when they land, they blend in with their surroundings and become invisible.

Common Redpoll on Burr

                                                                                           Photo © Rob Lonsberry

In addition to the redpolls, my husband found a large flock of sparrows moving around in an old field area just west of Port Hope. Although the majority of the birds were American Tree Sparrows and Dark-eyed Juncos, there were accompanied by a few other sparrow species. At different times, there have been Song Sparrows, White-throated Sparrows, White-crowned Sparrows, Savannah Sparrows, Chipping Sparrows and a Clay-coloredSparrow. Although several of these species are common breeders in the area, they are quite uncommon in winter. The Clay-colored Sparrow may be the first winter record for Ontario.

On January 17, I looked out into my garden to find a Common Grackle eyeing the feeder. Again, this is a common species (almost a pest) in summer, but an unusual visitor in winter. There have been small numbers of other blackbirds reported west of Port Hope. These have included Red-winged Blackbird, Brown-headed Cowbird and Rusty Blackbird. The Rusty Blackbird is listed as a “Species of Special Concern” by the Committeeon the Status of Endangered Wildlife in Canada.

On January 18, I led a tour of bird feeders in the area of the Northumberland Forest for Willow Beach Field Naturalists. I was hoping that we would find Evening Grosbeaks. Three of the five feeders we visited have had them regularly this winter. Of course, on the day of the outing, there were none. The next day, one of the feeder hosts e-mailed me a photo of eight Evening Grosbeaks that had come to his feeder that morning.

How was that third and last Christmas Bird Count, the Rice Lake Plains one on January 1? It was a very cold, very windy day. Despite the conditions, twenty-three observers and 8 feeder watchers counted 4,572 birds of 51 species. Highlights included: 2 Turkey Vultures; 1 BaldEagle; 3 Northern Harriers; 1 Lesser Black-backed Gull; 2 Glaucous Gulls; 1 Long-eared Owl; 2 Winter Wrens; 1 Hermit Thrush; 1 Common Grackle; and 29 Evening Grosbeaks. The warm soup was very welcome at the end of this cold day.

2014 Christmas Bird Counts - 2 down, 1 more to go

Nature Notes for December 29, 2014

What a beautiful day for the Port Hope-Cobourg Christmas Bird Count. Saturday, December 20, was sunny for most of the day, with very light winds. Lake Ontario has not been so calm in weeks. Despite temperatures well below the freezing mark early in the day, the sun encouraged the birds to be active and vocal.

Forty-seven observers took to the field and were able to find 19,581 birds of 77 species.

Some of the highlights included Red-throated Loon (1), Trumpeter Swans (2), Northern Pintail (6), Bald Eagles (5), Snowy Owls (4), Carolina Wrens (2), Thayer’s Gull (1), Short-eared Owl (1), Hermit Thrush (1), American Pipit (1), Savannah Sparrows (2), Pine Grosbeak (1) and Evening Grosbeak (1).

One Evening Grosbeak was found 

on the Port Hope-Cobourg Christmas Bird Count

December 20, 2014

Photo © Rob Lonsberry Photography

High counts were tallied of Red-tailed Hawk (74), Common Raven (10) and American Goldfinch (1,005).

Although not a record number, even House Sparrows were found in higher than usual numbers. The sunny day probably encouraged this species to be more active and vocal so they could be detected. On cold, dark days, they often spend most of their time quietly inside barns.

Three species were found in record low numbers. These were American Black Duck (28), American Crow (650) and European Starling (1,118). American Black Ducks are experiencing a long-term decline due to hybridization with Mallards. The other two species may have been affected by the hard weather last winter.

The Presqu’ile-Brighton Christmas Bird Count, held a week earlier on Sunday, December 14, was not so fortunate in weather. The day was overcast with drizzle for most of the day, with temperatures hovering just above freezing. These conditions make it much difficult to detect birds. Nevertheless, the 29 participants found 13, 557 birds of 79 species.

Highlights of this count included Lesser Black-backed Gull (1), Fox Sparrow (1), Hermit Thrush (1), Ruby-crowned Kinglet (2), White-crowned Sparrow (1) and Snowy Owl (11).

High counts were tallied of Dark-eyed Junco (659), White-breasted Nuthatch (125), Pileated Woodpecker (20), Glaucous Gull (8) and Common Raven (11).

Low counts were recorded for European Starling (328) and Wild Turkey (5).

 

Christmas Bird Counts began in 1900 when American ornithologist Frank Chapman asked birders across North America to head out on Christmas Day to count the birds in their home towns and submit the results as the first "Christmas Bird Census." The Christmas Bird Count, as it is now called, is conducted in over 2000 localities across Canada, the United States, Latin America, and the Caribbean. These bird observations have been amassed into a huge database that reflects the distribution and numbers of winter birds over time.

Northumberland County still has one more count to do, the Rice Lake Plains count, centred around the Northumberland Forest, on January 1. What surprises will that day bring?

Since this column will be published between Christmas and New Year’s, I hope that my readers had a Merry Christmas. Best wishes for 2015. May the year bring you lots of interesting bird observations.