The Kirtland's Warbler: A story of a bird's fight against extinction and the people who saved it. By William Rapai

Well, this is my second book on my summer reading list that I have managed to finish! And boy was it ever interesting!   I don't think that many people will be willing to sit through and read this novel, but those of you who are really interested in biology/ecology/history, I think would love it.  Parts read like a regular novel but then others were as if you were reading out of an interesting chapter of a textbook (for me...I actually loved reading textbooks in school. I'm a nerd, I know).

The first description of a Kirtland's Warbler I came across just sent my imagination on fire.  I had never seen a picture of this bird, nor really knew much about it.  But after reading this, the picture of this bird, perched high singing...was quite the sight!

" The bird perches on a limb, every muscle in its body tense, points his head towards the sky and lets out a burst of clear, bubbly song, easily audible at a distance of a quarter mile. In singing, so much effort and vigor are put forth that the tension of the jugulum and throat is very noticeable and it seems as though the singer's throat will burst from the sheer forse of the song" p.20

Later in the book, a researcher working with the Kirtland's Warbler had this to say:

"...no other animal had captured her imagination like the Kirtland's. "First of all the species is an amazing species. They let you into their lives, so it's easy to get attached right away...I mean intimately in terms of being in the woods, being on the territory, watching them mate, watching them feeding the babies, raising their families. I mean, seriously, letting me into their family rearing - their lives. It's pretty awesome!" p115-116

 I could only imagine being that attached to a single species like she did and especially having that close of contact!  I like way too many things to be close to choosing a particular species that I would like to focus on, but hopefully one day I will get to that point!

There were a few things that shocked me in the book.  The novel started off by explaining the way science had been carried out in the early 1900s which included things such as shooting a species to bring it back and ID it.  When the first person saw the Kirtland's Warbler, that's exactly what he did because he had no idea what it was and had never seen one before.  Once they ID'd it, all the other scientists and collectors wanted to have one too, so even though this was a species no one had seen and assumed was rare...they all shot as many as they could for their collections.  What a way science worked!  Finally, as science progressed, a quote also reminded me of my time in Environment and Resource Studies where the key to being successful was having a systems thinking approach.  Understanding that everything is tired together...you know...what Mufasa taught us in Lion King!

"Biologists and foresters were no longer making decisions based exclusively on the endangered warbler.  Now they were managing the ecosystem based on the knowledge of all plants and animals and soil it contained...When skeptical taxpayers asked why the government was spending so much money and effort on one bird, habitat managers could say that they weren't spending money on just one bird; they were spending it on an entire ecosystem." Page75

Not everything in the book was glorious and I like how it didn't portray the government workers as all being miracle workers, but regular people going a job that they loved.  Some making mistakes...sometimes huge mistakes...but in the end realizing that they need to have a connection with the communities if they were going to succeed in helping this creature.  Many times it was their swift decisions and lack of bureaucratic bullshit that saved this species while it was on the brink.  I think that's something that we've lost a lot of today.  Even working within the government, it feels so disconnected with the public and every decision just takes ages to make.  It's no wonder so many species and other things suffer at the hands of "needing to get the paper work done" instead of just doing.  The government in this book decided just that once they realized how upset the communities around them were, for many reasons.  The Kirtland's Warbler no longer had a name, and instead it was called "That damn bird!".  They decided to hold a festival for the community to celebrate the species and environment. People from all over the country came to partake and it helped the Kirtland's to once again be a source of pride, help the community realize the significance of the species, and gain a closer relationship between government and public.

"83% of respondants said that attitudes had become more positive specifically as a result of the festival..."it was helpful for members of the community to see us as real people and not just as bureaucrats" p. 91

This is the last of my little ramble for now...I'll end with what the book ended with.  As soon as I read this little bit, everything just stalled.  It was one of those moments where finally, someone else spoke the words you've been trying to say but just can't articulate.   For years I've been trying to explain my fascination with nature and my drive to pursue not only a career in it, but a life in it.  Somehow, I've just never really been able to articulate it.  Sure, perhaps to some people who think nature and birds are stupid (even though without it...well..you'd be SOL) wont understand this quote either. To me...it rang a sense of sureness to me,  a sense that yes, this is what I want to do with my life and I know this because these real people have lived it and are saying the exact things that run through my mind everytime I see the slightest amount of joy in a passing bird, or a budding woodland flower.  It's just good to get that reassurance sometimes ya know?

"...people get high off of seeing such a wonder of creation. It's a work of art that can never be replaced if it ever disappears. And it's a fascinating machine. Could we ever invent something that weighs five ounces and flies back and forth to the Bahamas and sustains itself? "

"But you have to have a drive and a burn.  It's a love affair with that bird and the habitat. If you love something bad enough, you are going to work for it."

My wish...is that all of you find that drive and that burn for something in your life. It's an amazing fire.

Up next:  Mind of a Raven by: Bernd Heinrich

Finally Birding again!

I finally got to head out and bird once again, three times actually!

On Sunday, Mike and I wandered out to Bailey Ecological Park in Newmarket to go looking out for Woodcocks!  Woodcocks are these hilarious looking birds, with a long and waxy beak and kinda plump figure.  In the spring around dawn or dusk, male Woodcocks will utter some short, buzzy sounding "PEENT" and then take flight up to 50-100 yards straight up into the air.  Decending back to the ground, he will fall zigzagging while a lough whistle heard from the wind through his feathers.  Female woodcocks will then be attracted to the males, and when near, the landed male will then outstretch his feathers and beging a series of bobs and bows until confirming that he has a mate.  Now who wouldn't want to see something like that!  Unfortunately, we didn't have any luck seeing or hearing any, but hopefully another time we will have more!  On the plus side we were able to see Barn Swallows out and about, as well as a really large beaver!

To see a video of a Woodcock calling...Click here!

Mud Flats in the G. Ross Lords Park.

The past two days I've tried to take advantage of the amazing weather and head out on lunchbreaks to the Park nearby, G. Ross Lord Park.  On Monday Lauren, our SAR summer student and friend from school, and myself headed out on our own to try and ID some things.  It ended up being so much fun that I had to stay late at work to make up an extra half hour we were out!  We noted a few new species for the year: Yellow Warbler, Baltimore Oriole, Killdeer, and a Black-and-White Warbler!  Of course I forgot my camera to take photos of any of them.  There was one bird of particular hardship for me while I was trying to ID it.  I automatically new it was a flycatcher...but choosing which, oh boy.  In the end, I figured they were Least Flycatchers due to their size and also their behaviour!  I noticed them catching insects in a jump from their tree then landing back to eat it.  In my reading, it's one of their characteristics!

Red Trillium

American Toad

Then today, the two of us went out again but this time with Burke (who unlike me it's actually his first name), who is an avid and really intelligent birder.  So we decided to pick his brain and teach us some stuff!  For what was a lousy day of birding we still got about 24 species as well as some I hadn't seen/heard before like Spotted Sandpiper and a Nashville Warbler!   We even saw an American Toad! The forest floor was also in full sprout with some of the red trilliums and other small lily's blooming. It was beautiful!

Trying to capture the three of us, plus a Red Trillium in a photo!

Ghost Rider - Neil Peart

I haven't had much time to go birding or herping yet since I've moved to Toronto, but one thing I've done a lot of...is read!  Since my commute is about 1 hour (both ways), i've had plenty of time!

I finally managed to finish the book "Ghost Rider" written by Neil Peart.  And all I can say about this autobiography was...WOW.

Originally I picked this book up because it was written by Neil Peart, the drummer of the band RUSH.  For years I have been a huge Rush fan, especially being a drummer, Neil was basically my Idol.  After reading his previous biography "Masked Rider" about his biking adventures across Africa, I decided that I would try another one of his biking books, though this one took place within North America.  This book was just a bucket of emotions for me and my admiration for Neil has increased from being an awesome drummer, to an amazing and strong human being.  The book starts off during a dark time, where in a matter 10 months both his daughter and wife died.  Not knowing what to do, he got on his motorcycle and started to ride West.

Although already captivated, this book suddenly drew me in once his appreciation for the natural world began to unfold.  Never could I have guessed that one of the best drummers of all time was also a birder! When I first read this little clip: 

A little bird called a dipper, or water ouzel, retreated ahead of me upstream, easily identifiable by its habit of ducking under the water, or "dipping" to hunt its food of insects and small crustations. Seeing a new species like that was always a mild thrill for a longtime bird lover, and that afternoon I rended a small motorboat for a tour of the lake I saw a bald eagle soaring against the dark forest, and another first sighting, an Arctic Loon, sleeker and lighter-coloured than the common loons that lived on my lake back home."p.38

I was more than hooked.  And the way it was written just captured my imagination and I felt almost as if  I was on the road with him travelling through the mountains of BC, through the various environments of the U.S.A., through the cultural Mexico, down into South America, and then later through the east coast.  The way he described the scenery makes me want to almost pack up right now and just hit the road.  Being particularly fond of owls...one of my favourite moments in the book was when he was talking about an experience he had with an owl:

Suddenly awake, I heard it again and felt a tense shiver that was more than the cold night air.  Once again, Rhee!!!, like the scream of a gull. It seemed to be coming from outside, very close by. I had seen ring-billed gulls soaring around the lake that day, but why would a gull be outside my room under the high gables of the hotel at 1am?  My fingers wandered over the bedside lamp until I found the switch, and when I turned it the light shone through the screen and illuminated a large, pale owl sitting upright, the way owls do, right outside my window. (Later, I looked it up in my field guide, and identified it as a short-eared owl.) p.99

I'd always had respect for Neil as a dummer, but through reading this, and reading his philosophies on life, struggles and trying to get back to finding himself...made me actually really appreciate him as a human being.  One who knows the value of work, about needing to nurture and take care of one's self ahead of others sometimes, and to also do good and teach good.  Here's a few of the quotes that stuck with me while reading. The first was something that surprised me as I've often thought this for myself too:

I was reading somewhere lately that the chickadee might be considered the quintessential Canadian bird, for even on the bitterest of winter days they're cheerful and chirpy and active.  Chickadees are winter souls too.  However, they too must follow the seasons - adapt- and that's the name of my game these days. Adapt or perish. So I shall carefully guide my little chickadee-soul into the grave new world of spring. p.279.

Next valuing being outside in nature 100%:

However, the unfortunate thing was that you could also drive there, which of course most good Americans did, and they could simply park, walk (or waddle) 100 yards, look around, and drive away again.  I have to believe that they don't share the same experience of that view, not being tired, sweaty, and footsore, but satisfied in having earned all that beauty, you know?  And does your lunch every taste good. p.349

Lastly, this one made me truly happy for supporting his music.  Knowing that he was a good person, who also did good with what he was given, and tried to passed this goodness onto his little girl.

Lately I had noticed another sure sign of the growth of my little baby soul - a renewed concern about the natural world I was travelling through. It will be apparent by now that I had maintained my love for nature, but that's not the same as caring about it.  After life's betrayals had so completely undercut my faith and my ideals, for a long time i hadn't felt any responsibility for the world around me.  However, for many years before that, such environmental and philanthropic interests had been a big part of my life....I would go over the previous year's contributions with Selena, showing her what causes we were contributing to, and how much, and explaining why.  Children's diseases, environmental watchdogs, rainforest salvation, women's shelters, clean water for Africa, AIDS, community programs, that sort of thing. I wanted her to know and understand my "if you do well, do good" philosophy. p.442

Along with every chapter also came lyrics from a variety of RUSH songs that Neil had written. It was so intriguing seeing the life experiences that he had and the lyrics that related to them all.  So needless to say This is an amazing autobiography that I would suggest to anyone to read! Now do I not only have a crap ton of places to visit...but having him mention books that were his favourites has created an entire booklist for me as well!  Oie Vay!

Lastly... as his mother always use to say

Now get outside! It'll take the stink off ya!

Up next:  The Kirtland's Warbler: The story of a bird's fight against extinction and the people who saved it.

Owlets!

Owlets...not only does it sound cute, but they are adorable!

I was packing for my move to Toronto when my mom called me into the computer room about a news article she was reading...and it was on OWLS..Great Horned Owls to be exact!  She's been a first hand witness at my slight obsession to see owls, so she wasn't surprised when I practically ran screaming out the door telling Mike to get into the car.  Sure I had to leave in about 4 hours and hadn't started packing yet.  PSHH...seeing this, especially owlets..so much more important!

So we headed over to Paxton's Bush in Chatham.  This is a little known woodlot in Chatham is right on the Northwest side of town hidden away.  I first found Paxton's when I use to go biking with my Dad. Liking to get off the road, this was the perfect place to do that and explore a little too!  I've gone back many times to walk with our dog, bike, or escape in a little bit of nature (and play with some of the snakes that call that place home...to my mother's horror).  Back on topic...We parked, grabbed our gear, and prayed that we would find them!

Walking into the bush, I noticed a lone photographer.  We walked towards him assuming that this must be where, at least something, was.  Walking closer we said hello, turned following where the camera was pointing, and there they were!  Two adorable little fluffballs. They were adorable and yet at the same time they looked so angry with their piercing little eyes (as you can probably see in the photos!)

Great-horned Owlets in their tree cavity nesting

GRHOwlet giving me the stare-down!

Looking around we also spotted the Female Owl and later on the Male adult also flew towards us and landed in a nearby tree.  I've never seen a GRHO in the wild before, and it was just majestic. What beautiful creatures.

 

Momma Owl keeping a close eye on us all.

 We stayed for a little longer talking with the birder/photographer and learnt about the owls history in the area. I hadn't realized that not only were they born probably 3 weeks prior, but they had nested in the woods for a few years now!  Beaming from talking for a good 40 minutes and seeing the little ones, I was ready to go and get on with my packing.

Once home I placed my sighting onto Ebird (an awesome birding website) and the ONTBIRDS list run by the Ontario Field Ornithologists group.  Within minutes I had at least 7 emails from people interested in getting more information on the owls or even just a photo that I had taken of it. Many then responded back telling me whether they had seen it or not. That's the funny thing with the birding community, everyone is just so involved and you aren't scared to just message a complete stranger!

Ebird: This site allows you to create your own field sitings into location lists, manage a life list, and see what others have seen in the area!   (http://ebird.org/content/ebird/ ) 

ONTBIRDS: Go here to get updates on rare birds/any bird sightings in your area by email, search recent sightings, or find hotspots!  (http://www.ofo.ca/webapp/index.php)

The past few weeks I have actually kept in touch with one of the people who contacted me about the owl.  The funny part is our paths crossed once before while I was a summer student with the Chatham MNR, but it had been about 7 years before I saw it again in this email.  It was so nice to talk to someone with a similar appreciation for the natural world and someone who had placed that passion into a profession for so long. Since I've left Chatham, I've received a few updates from him about the Owlets as well as some amazing pictures that I wanted to share.  The first owlet flew from the nest about a week ago. At first there was worry that a coyote may have gotten it had it fell while learning to fly, but the next day it was spotted in the bush in all it's glory. The baby feathers seem to have finally given way to more mature feathers, and they are just gorgeous! The second owlet has only recently left the nest and is still looking like a big marshmallow!

First Owlet to leave the nest.  Photo by: A Woodliffe

Second Owlet to leave the nest.  Photo by: A. Woodliffe.

That's all for that exciting adventure!  I will for sure be going back to Paxton's next spring in hopes that the owls will once again be nesting.  All crow's in Chatham beware, 4 of these guys are looking for lunch!  As I must say with crow on the menu, they will have quite the buffet here!

Up Come The Songbirds and Out Come The Herps!

Of course, leaving Chatham-Kent for a time period meant also one last visit to Rondeau Provincial Park.  This place, as many know, has a special place in my heart.  I've been coming here ever since I was in elementary school (which was when I moved down here) and have since been exploring and understanding it's significance when it comes to habitat and species.  In fact, the majority of projects I have worked on have had a focus on Rondeau Park.

Many times when people want to visit and say the common "What should we do?". I'm sure they watch to backtrack it because it either centers around outdoors (usually to Rondeau or lately St. Clair) or food.  Well, in this case...it was both!  Two friends, Andrea Lam and Eric Mark, currently working in Windsor decided to meet up in Chatham with my boyfriend (Mike) and myself.  Naturally, I suggest that we head over to Rondeau as I've been seeing reports of songbirds that are starting to come in.  Was I ever glad that we did!

Blue Spotted Salamander

We started along the Tulip Tree Trail where the first sign of life wasn't a bird...but a herp!  Our first Blue Spotted Salamander of the year.  Little guy was moving so slow due to the temperatures being still a little too cold, but it was such an exciting sign that spring was surly on it's way (That is until Mother Nature had the last laugh this past week..again!)

Wood Frogs were all up in a Chorus!

 Walking a little further along the path we heard such a symphony of sound.  My first reaction was....What the heck kind of bird is that!?  I swear I've heard it before....

Eastern Garter Snake

It wasn't a bird.   But a crap ton of wood frogs!  Kudos for Mike for being much more skilled in herp ID than I am, I would have sat probably for hours.  Looking through the binoculars we could see probably 20 or 30 individuals swimming and singing around in the water.  Finally, there was one I spotted that I was able to get a photo of below.

Along with all the froggers (we also saw many leopard frogs!), we got sight of quite a few gartersnakes!   These little guys wanted absolutely nothing to do with us and slithered away whenever Mike would try to catch then for us to get a closer look.  Snakes, are one of my other favourite things and it was very exciting to see them out and about basking in the sun!

Next, all the excitement went back to the birds.  At first there wasn't anything really out of the ordinary.  A downy woodpecker called in the distance, so I called it in fairly close so that the other could see. It was the first time they saw one up close knowing what it was, and loved watching me talk back and forth with it (hell, i loved it too!).   As the Tulip Trail rounded near the exit, we saw a flash.  First assuming it was a downy I wasn't all that excited, despite adoring them there had just been so many.  But then we noticed the size...and the red!  Our first thought was hairy woodpecker? No...Pileated? Maybe?  I snapped a few shots of it (like the one below) and suddenly it just hit me.  "Hey Mike!  Look up Yellow-bellied Sapsucker!"  BAM.  Exactly what it was!  It's so exciting when suddenly names of birds (especially ones you've never ID'd or seen before) just come to you.  

Yellow-bellied Sapsucker

Following this beauty we went back out to the Visitor's center where we ran into this sweet older gentleman, who had been an avid birder for years.  He told us stories about the birds at Rondeau from when he had started, and other stories about his younger years driving to Long Point or Pelee when there had been a sighting and helping at the observatories.  I don't remember his name anymore, but he was just wonderful.  I love listening to people's stories...you just learn so much.  Here, I was VERY excited and saw my target species of the day...a Tufted Titmouse!

Tufted Titmouse at the Visitor Center's feeder

 Following that, we then went on a hike along the Marsh Trail, which was much longer that it had originally seemed!  But goodness, we were SO happy that we decided to hike it in the end!  What amazing things we spotted.  I believe our highlight was a Blanding's Turtle. Originally I spotted it and yelled at Mike "Hey!  there's a duck decoy stuck over here for you", as a joke...as it was the bayside and the Waterfowlers Association Hunts these waters in the fall, perfectly plausible!  But, the striking yellow throat suddenly caught my eye.  It was a BIG and beautiful Blanding's. <3

Blanding's Turtle 

Some other fun on the way back...more leopard frogs!

The top of the viewing tower was incredibly windy, so we didn't stay too too long, but we were able to see quite a few more coots and a variety of ducks! The walk back I was able to spot another little wonder I had wanted to see.  A Golden-Crowned Kinglet!  The photo I took below of it is one of my favourites I think of the year. It is almost as if it's a silhouette and yet it's golden crown is so evident.  But!  It was a superb day and I was so happy to be able to share it with others!  I hope they all had a great time too!

Till next time...

Golden-Crowned Kinglet

One last St. Clair Spring Visit

There's quite a bit to catch up on in the next couple of posts!  I've finally gotten internet in my new Toronto place, which means finally the chance to catch up!  Before I moved to Toronto I wanted to have one last visit to St. Clair NWA. Especially as now that I leave, birds migrating in will be a little more diverse than just waterfowl!  This little adventure consisted of myself, my good friend from Highschool Kurtis Baute and his brother Greg (both firs-time birders!) and Chris Law, who I met while on a Herping trip to Snake Road in Illinois.  We started by amazingly seeing our first 3 Great Egrets of the year, they were stunning as we watched then fly over us. Coots, ring-necked ducks, buffleheads (first time seeing them here!), hooded mergansers, and black ducks were the first birds to be seen.  Suddenly from the back of the NWA, I noticed a Bald Eagle take flight.  This caused quite the commotion as then dozens of waterfowl took flight startled.  I noticed that it was the Juvenile I had been seeing the past two weeks.  As I was pointing it out to my friends, a mature bald eagle also took flight!  It was the perfect opportunity to compare the mature to the juvenile bald eagle.

Mature Bald Eagle in flight

We then walked along the main trail we saw many Canadian Geese and Mallards.  Red-tailed hawk, and even more Coots were seen. We were actually astonished to need to place an X instead of a number for our Coot count here!  

Looking out onto the Marsh

While up in the viewing tower, Chris suddenly spotted two amazing Sandhill Cranes.  I was SO happy that they were still in the area as they were a particular bird that I thought Kurtis and his brother would love to see...and hear!  They were in such close distance that I was too overwhelmed to open my camera, so unfortunately the shot is of them further away.  We didn't stay too, too long up in the visitor's tower as the wind had plans other than warming up!

Pair of Sandhill Cranes flying overhead

After finishing the trail we ended up walking back along Baldoon Road.  Here we managed to see another few species such as Red-bellied Woodpecker, Downey Woodpecker, Northern Harrier, Greater Scaup, and the first Song Sparrow of the season!  Overall it was a pretty amazing day with 24 species in total. 

Ebird Checklist link: http://ebird.org/ebird/view/checklist?subID=S13619897

I hope that the guys had just as much of a great time as I did! 

And They All Start Waddling Two By Two

Well, it looks like that time of year is upon us!  I've been watching some Hooded Mergansers outside my work window for the past few weeks, and suddenly this week.  Each had a mate!  It's been so amazing watching them migrate in, feed, display to the females, then choose a mate.  Sometimes even have a little dispute trying to keep their girl!  I am really sad that Thursday was my last day at St. Clair and I wont be able to watch them even further.  They were really really beautiful birds!

Three pairs of Hooded Mergansers

The only other ones I saw this week were a flock of Ring-necked Ducks.  These guys are really cool to look at up close.  Their beak is so distinct with a ring around it.  These were some who spotted me as I was trying to take their photo, so unfortunately it's not too too clear. If you are able to zoom in at all though, it's worth a look at them!

The drive home on Wednesday was also amazing. The weather was the typical in Chatham-Kent, changing from sunshine, to rain, to snow all within a matter of a few seconds.  I saw a large black bird out in the distance and to me, it didn't look like one I had seen before. I snapped a few shots of it and later ID'd it once I was home with all my field guides around me.  My latest one came in handy, called "Hawk's at a Distance".  I was able to ID it, and also get it confirmed by a few birder friends as a Rough-Legged Hawk (a darker Morph).  

Dark Morph:  This just means that it is darker in colour than some other hawks of it's type.  Many birds have colouring that is in a lighter or darker morph.  Some, like the Eastern Screech Owl, even have a red morph!

Rough-legged Hawk

 Driving a little further down the road I noticed a bunch of birds landing.  Crossing the path there were HUNDREDS of Tundra Swans landed in a field.  The photo below shows just a small portion of the field.  To this that you can see sights like this in Chatham-kent still baffles me. How did I now know about this years ago! Needless to say, it is a sight that I think everyone at one point needs to see.  It's amazing and humbling to see this many birds in one area. Makes you realize the amount of species that are around we don't technically see, or see all year round, but depend on areas like CK for stopovers on their way up North. Makes you maybe think twice about the importance of conservation, even for areas that are not used by a vast number of birds year round.