M.A.P.S « Frontenac Bird Studies

June 13, 2010 • 10:26 am 1

MAPS Visit 1 – Rock Ridge (2010)

Black-and-white Warbler (S.Leckie)

The final of our first round of MAPS visits was to the Rock Ridge station in Frontenac Provincial Park last week. Rock Ridge is unique in many ways. It is located atop a steep sided gorge, which offers stellar views of the surrounding landscape dominated by Eastern White Pine. The bird community is representative of the coniferous tree cover as well as the scrubby, exposed rock barrens of the area. During our first visit in 2009 we were greeted with a good number and variety of birds – 23 captured of 14 species. Our first morning this year was a much slower affair as just 10 birds were banded in six hours and there were no recaptures of birds banded in 2009. We did band two female Black-and-white Warblers, both of which had heavily vascular brood patches, which suggested they were presently incubating.

Hermit Thrush (Leckie)

This spring has been an early one and the vegetation is much further advanced than it was last year at this time. Also, many of the species at RRID are earlier migrants from temperate wintering grounds and so it is possible that the timing of our first visit in 2010 coincided with the period when most females are incubating and thus activity/movement is low. We may have encountered this on visit two in 2009 when, once again, only ten birds were captured! This is a good learning experience for us as it now makes sense to sync our first visits in time with the season rather than a specific date.

White-throated Sparrow (Derbyshire)

So the morning was unexpectedly quiet but it was even more surprising that no birds banded in 2009 were recaptured; all of the birds shown here represent new captures. Another sign of the advanced spring was the observation and/or capture of recently fledged Field Sparrow, Song Sparrow and Blue Jay. We didn’t start seeing young birds until visit two and three in 2009. Seabrooke got two juv Field Sparrows out of net 5 on one of her fruitful net rounds (see below for a pic).

Juv. Field Sparrow (Leckie)

It is safe to say that I am completely enamored with this place. It is highly diverse, always has the unexpected and is undeniably remarkable. We will be operating the Rock Ridge MAPS station through at least 2013 but hopefully through 2019 – we’ve only just begun…

Rock Ridge – Visit 1 of 7

New birds banded (10 of 7 species)
.
Field Sparrow – 2
Black-and-white Warbler – 2
Red-eyed Vireo – 2
Hermit Thrush – 1
White-throated Sparrow – 1
Rose-breasted Grosbeak – 1
Blue Jay – 1

Recaptures (none!)

Filed under: Breeding Bird Studies, M.A.P.S

June 11, 2010 • 9:44 pm 3

MAPS Visit 1 – Maplewood Bog (2010)

Wood Thrush recaptured (banded on July 25, 2009)

The inclemency of late has made scheduling our first round of MAPS visits a challenge. Our first morning at Maplewood Bog (MABO) in 2010 began with some trepidation over the forecast of 40% chance of showers. It wasn’t raining when we arrived but the vegetation was dripping wet, which made net setup feel like a 5 a.m swim through the woods and meadows. There were only a few brief periods of drizzle during the morning until the final round when a torrential downpour occurred. We were able to get a full six hours of coverage but the final round was more than a little uncomfortable!

Wood Lily - Lilium philadelphicum (Seabrooke Leckie)

Fortunately, despite the weather, the birds were numerous and active. The highlight of the morning was the recapture of eight birds banded last summer at the site, which included three Veery and two Wood Thrush. These two are dominant species at MABO and both migrate to and from Latin America on an annual basis. The Veerys that we recaptured on this day may winter as far south as the Amazon basin, some 7,000 km south of MABO! This is one of the great marvels and joys of participating in the MAPS program, it vividly connects you to the remarkable life cycles of individual birds and bird communities. For example, we know this Veery (2431-64408) was an ASY male on June 14, 2009 with a wing length of 101mm and a weight of 30.8g. We also knew the age and wear of its feather tracts, breeding condition, its territory location and the onset of its prebasic moult. We re-caught this word traveler on June 10, 2010. He was found in the same net as last year and is likely paired with 2431-64405 – a female that we suspect reared these young with a different male in June, 2009!

Bog in the wet woods (Seabrooke Leckie)

We were too drenched and busy to take many photos of birds during the visit but we did capture a respectable 21 birds of 12 species. Cerulean Warbler and Black-throated Blue Warbler were notables detected but not captured. A full summary of the capture results is presented below.

Maplewood Bog – Visit 1 of 7

New birds banded (13 of 11 species)
.
Common Yellowthroat – 2
Ovenbird – 1
Swamp Sparrow – 2
Rose-breasted Grosbeak – 1
Great Crested Flycatcher – 1
Yellow-bellied Sapsucker – 1
American Robin – 1
Northern Waterthrush- 1
Red-eyed Vireo – 1
Veery – 1
Gray Catbird – 1

Recaptures (8 of 4 species)

Common Yellowthroat – 2
Wood Thrush – 2
Veery – 3
Red-eyed Vireo – 1

Filed under: Breeding Bird Studies, M.A.P.S, Veery

June 8, 2010 • 6:47 pm 3

MAPS Visit 1 – Blue Lakes

Chestnut-sided Warbler (D.Derbyshire)

Our roster of Monitoring Avian Productivity and Survivorship (MAPS) stations has grown in 2010! Our new site called Blue Lakes is the northernmost of the three and is about nineteen kilometres north of Maplewood Bog. The site fills a key gap for us both spatially and in species coverage. Finding this site was quite an exercise that involved several weeks of map study and reconnaissance. I found lots of other sites that had potential but there was always a negative factor or two with them. Access, terrain, edge conditions and species mix were key considerations that were finally met when the Blue Lakes site was discovered about two weeks ago. A satellite view of the “AXIS” network is included below. Each of the three stations provides coverage of an area up to a four kilometre radius of the station centre, which means that we are now generating productivity statistics for 150 square kilometres of the Frontenac region – very exciting.

FBS MAPS network (Google Earth)

Lake edge at banding station (Leckie)

This is the view from the banding station, which is situated on a scrubby peninsula that bisects a horseshoe-shaped lake full of emergent vegetation, amphibians and a small heronry as well.

Net 9 in mature deciduous (Leckie)

The Blue Lakes is probably the most varied of the three stations in terms of habitat. A circuit of the ten net lanes passes through rocky scrub edge along the shores of small lakes, mature deciduous forest, deciduous swamp thickets, areas of young balsam fir/shrub thicket and grass/lichen outcrops. Also distinct here is the presence of a dense understorey – not represented at our Rock Ridge or Maplewood Bog sites further south.

Net 5 in fir swamp (Leckie)

Balsam Fir occurs throughout the area but is quite dense along a wet draw through mixed age forest with an uneven canopy. The conifers attract species such as Hermit Thrush and Magnolia Warbler, among others. The firs and the odd spruce here and there add a nice northern feel, which becomes more noticeable as you approach Highway 7 from the south. The Blue Lakes site is at the edge of the Boreal Hardwood Transition zone.

rocky clearing (Leckie)

These clearings are our main modes of traversing the site. They provide stable footing and a relatively flat, unobstructed path through the station. Field Sparrow and Sweetfern are dominant species in the rocky clearings where evidence of a rock flipping Black Bear was also found.

Net 1 in edge scrub (Leckie)

This is the important edge habitat that will (hopefully) attract large numbers of dispersing young and adult birds in the latter half of the breeding season. Both of the edge nets on the peninsula performed very well today, which was very pleasing.

Seabrooke banding Yellow-throated Vireo

We banded a Yellow-throated Vireo (YTVI) that was captured in net 1 on first check! This fellow has been singing from the oaks above the net lane for at least two weeks. This is the first capture of a YTVI for the MAPS program. They are a Frontenac Arch specialty of sorts, quite common in deciduous forest with clearings, so it was great to finally band one!

Black-throated Blue Warbler (Seabrooke Leckie)

Black-throated Blue Warblers are a dominant species at Blue Lakes, largely due to the dense undergrowth found in the forests. Seabrooke and I estimated that between 5-7 territorial males are present in the core area of about 8 hectares. It is unclear as to whether these males are mated as no females were observed or captured today. The capture and banding of this second-year male was also a first for our MAPS program. Black-throated Blues are wonderful birds and we can look forward to their buzzy tones for years to come!

Hermit Thrush (S.Leckie)

The other dominant species at Blue Lakes are Veery and Chestnut-sided Warbler but a very diverse community of breeding birds was evident this morning. Singles of Hermit Thrush, Scarlet Tanager and Warbling Vireo (1st banded by FBS) were banded along with several Common Grackles and a lone Red-winged Blackbird (1st banded by FBS).

Mink Frog (one of many today)

I’ve only just barely scratched the surface of all that was enjoyed and discovered today. Visits to Rock Ridge and Maplewood Bog are imminent and the 3 A.M wake-up calls beckon me to cut this summary a bit short. We will have six more mornings of banding at Blue Lakes this summer and we are looking forward to each of them – a great study site indeed.

Here are the stats…

Blue Lakes – Visit 1 of 7

New birds banded (24 of 14 species)

Common Yellowthroat – 1
Veery- 4
Rose-breasted Grosbeak – 3
American Robin – 1
American Redstart – 1
Chestnut-sided Warbler – 3
Black-throated Blue Warbler – 1
Warbling Vireo – 1
Ovenbird – 2
Yellow-throated Vireo – 1
Scarlet Tanager – 1
Hermit Thrush – 1
Red-winged Blackbird – 1
Common Grackle – 3

Filed under: Breeding Bird Studies, M.A.P.S, Black-throated Blue Warbler, Chestnut-sided Warbler, Yellow-throated Vireo

April 24, 2010 • 1:38 pm 2

A tortoiseshell leads the way

Compton Tortoiseshell

Yesterday I enjoyed another foray into the depths of Frontenac Provincial Park. I must have walked a good 4 kilometers or so in search of study sites for our growing MAPS network. I’ve started to learn that satellite and aerial photography is a useful tool but not a valid substitute for ground truthing. Yesterday, I was very lucky to find a good candidate study site by accident. The Compton Tortoiseshell pictured above was very shy and my persistence to ID the thing led me a ways off my intended track. I then noticed some intriguing habitat nearby and found what could be a new MAPS site for FBS!

Serviceberry blossoms

Serviceberry are blooming throughout the park. I am pretty sure this is Allegheny Serviceberry (Amelanchier laevis). They are the most eye catching plants out there right now but will soon fade into the background as their flowers drop and the other trees leaf out. Serviceberry are particularly common at the site found yesterday.

Upland hardwood forest

The site also has rich mature forest growing in steep valleys and upland slopes surrounding a small lake. Neither Rock Ridge (RRID) or Maplewood Bog (MABO) have this habitat, which makes this site particularly attractive. We know from last year’s surveys that Cerulean Warblers and Yellow-throated Vireos inhabit this forest around the lake. The problem with interior, mature forest like this is that the understorey is largely open and devoid of mistnetting opportunities. Fortunately, the mature forest surrounds a sizable area of regenerating woodland with lots of edges.

Thorn scrub

Here is a nice looking edge with thorn scrub, juniper and young trees. The combination of suitable edge habitat with mature forest is unique, which makes this a good candidate site for MAPS. One or two more visits to the area will be needed as I would like to see how it ‘greens’ out. It would also be helpful to learn a bit more about the bird community residing in the site before announcing any grand openings!

Large-flowered Trilliums

Filed under: M.A.P.S, News, Compton Tortoiseshell, Serviceberry

April 20, 2010 • 9:55 pm 0

Nesting hawks & rare woodland butterflies

Hepatica

The search for new MAPS sites to join our existing Maplewood Bog and Rock Ridge stations has begun. The process is challenging, particularly here in the Frontenac Arch where ‘disturbed’ habitats with pronounced edges can be hard to find. The edges are important as this is where adults and young congregate during post-breeding dispersal, which is key to evaluating annual productivity. The heavily forested Frontenac region also tends to feature open understoreys with little shrub or sapling growth – not suitable for capturing birds using mistnets. Therefore the search feels something akin to looking for a needle in a haystack: a daunting job, to be sure, but not impossible. A needle we shall find!

Trout Lilly

Ontario Parks has been a tremendous supporter of FBS and have made a number of useful site suggestions for a second MAPS station within park boundaries. I will be checking out these various sites and will report on them as they are visited. I searched a good candidate site in a small portion of Frontenac Provincial Park today but unfortunately found nothing suitable for a MAPS site. Despite this I did have an incredible outing with some noteworthy discoveries.

Eastern White Pine

Today’s meander took me through a patch of mixed forest dominated by Eastern White Pine. Ruby-crowned Kinglets, Pine Warblers and Yellow-rumped Warblers were numerous in the canopy while newly arrived Eastern Towhees called from small rock outcrops. I came upon this excavation that was recently created by a Pileated Woodpecker, a common inhabitant of Frontenac Park. The sap was running quite thick and apparently attracted and drowned a considerable number of springtails along with a few other insects.

Woodpecker excavation

I spent an hour or two exploring the margins of many small/medium wetlands for good edge habitat but managed to find nothing of any use to a would-be bird bander. I did, however, find an impressive showing of early spring wildflowers such as Trout Lilly, trillium, hepatica, Bloodroot, Dutchman’s Breeches and Spring Beauties. After snapping a few photos, I decided to head for an area of mature forest en route back to the main road.

Red-shouldered Hawk nest

This is when things got interesting! This Red-shouldered Hawk nest was rather easily discovered in a mature Yellow Birch within a steep valley of mature hardwood forest. The adults were nearby and quite displeased with my presence! This is the first nest found by FBS in 2010, which is consistent in habitat and timing with the first nest of 2009 – a Red-shouldered Hawk nest on Canoe Lake Road. I quickly left the nest site to avoid unnecessary disturbance to the hawks, which seemed to be in the beginning stages of nest renovation.

There is a considerable amount of mature deciduous forest in Frontenac with some century old stands present. These forests are ideal for several species of conservation concern such as Cerulean Warbler and Red-shouldered Hawk. However, the ‘real’ biodiversity in these forests is exhibited by its plant and insect communities.

Woodland stream

With forthcoming Louisiana Waterthrush surveys in mind, I ambled down the bank to check on the water level and flow of this stream that courses through the forest. This past winter was the driest in decades and the lack of spring rainfall has further compounded the dry conditions. The result is very low water levels and weak flow of many streams in the park. I am hoping that we will get some decent rain in the coming weeks as the current picture for breeding Louisianas is bleak. There will be more to follow on our efforts to inventory the park’s streams for Louisiana Waterthrush.

West Virginia White at rest (finally!)

The stream valley was hopping with early spring activity and the most apparent of the beasts were these ghostly-white butterflies, which I suspected might be West Virginia Whites (Pieris virginiensis), a species of Special Concern in Canada. An impressive number of these eye catching butterflies were observed fluttering about near the forest floor. This species is known to occur in Frontenac Park where suitable habitats are found. West Virginia Whites occur in mature moist deciduous forests in isolated pockets of southern and central Ontario. They are known to occur at about 50 sites in the province and were once classified as an Endangered Species (1977). The West Virginia White is one of the earliest butterflies to emerge in spring when the adults seek out emerging toothwort, which their larvae feed on exclusively. I will be watching closely for this species during all of the work in mature forest coming up in May.