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A wp 26-- Scugog Citizen --- Tuesday , September 23, 1992 _& nature corner ken carmichael The weather this spring and summer tan best be described as cool and very wet, or as some people might say "strictly for the birds." 1 really can't say that the birds enjoyed it. Food for feeding their young was very hard to find in the early part of spring. I have reports of Tree Swallows dying in their nesting boxes because, I think, of two reasons. 1/ Tree swallows arrive early and nest in the first two weeks of May. Because of the extreme weather this year the flying insects that they would usually feed to their young, were very scarce. The tree swallow nesting boxes were also infected with blow fly larvae which killed all the young in the nest. I will, at a later date, give you the results of the above problems as the information becomes available from the Ministry of Natural Resources. I spent ten weeks (May 1 to July 15) in the field this year watching and photographing birds. A rain suit was mandatory many days, and camera equipment had to be wrapped securely in plastic. 1 spent a week in Pennsylvania in search of Wood Warblers. It only rained for five days, making photography virtually impossible. On July 1 I flew north to Thunder Bay with my destination Quetico Provincial Park. This trip was to photograph birds®f the Boreal Forest and lasted eight days. The weather was impossible with the temperature almost freezing at night. It only rained six of the eight days. I always love a trip to our northern forests. The habitat is amazing: beautiful orchids, lichens and mosses. It is exciting to see moose and bear roaming in the wilds. I may sound as if this season was a complete disaster, but between the rain showers I was able to photograph 18 species of birds. My knowledge of plastic covers for blinds, cameras and other equipment has greatly increased. In future, I will be able to go on photo-shoots no matter what the weather. Perhaps some of you may have noticed that the number of frogs, especially Leopard and Pickerel frogs are greatly reduced. On the other hand, there are a great number of young toads to be seen everywhere. The reason, | believe, is that the two species of frogs mentioned, spend most of their life in the pond. Whereas the toads are found in the pond only in the spring and fall, at which time they hibernate. Because the two frogs spend so much time in the.water, they are Wet summer weather hurt the birds as well likely to absorb pollutants through their skin, causing disease and even death. Let us hope that"more people become aware of this problem. Pollutants must be eliminated from the streams and ponds for the frogs to flourish again. Another tragic loss to our environment is the disappearance of the Eastern Monarch Butterfly. Most years in late July and early August you can see these beautiful insects flying around in search of the Milkweed plant where they will lay their eggs. The eggs hatéh, the caterillars feed on the Milkweed and in a few weeks form a chrysalis. In time, the Monarch from the chrysalis, and it is one of the few insects that migrates each fall to spend the winter resting and feeding. But they found that the forest had been extremely logged, leaving the Monarchs with no habitat. The result was that a great number of them died, causing the Eastern Monarch to become a rare sight in Ontario this August. This year was alsg a low cycle in the web of life of this insect. It is to be hoped that those butterflies that did survive will be able to re-produce, so that once again this beautiful insect can be seen in great numbers in Ontario. . The season has not been all Local news is just one of the reasons why more people choose CKLY over the many , stations that come into our market.* The CKLY news team covers council meetings in * Lindsay, Bobcaygeon, Fenelon Falls, Brock Township, and Port Perry, We're first in providing the news that affects you most. BeA Part of the Informed Majority! S 'CRLY A a + BOURCK! FALL, 9) BBM gloom and doom. A few weeks ago, 1 travelled with a friend north to Kirkfiéld to check on Bluebirds. The Kirkfield area has the largest number of Bluebird nesting boxes of any that I know in Ontario. . I'm glad to be able to report that we saw 50 Bluebirds, adult or immature, which certainly indicates a very successful nesting season. While checking the Sedge marshes, also in this 1 saw, for just the second time in my life, a Yellow Rail. This small marsh bird only seven inches long, has a buffy colouring with a short greenish bill. It is rarely seen in southern Ontario so my day at Kirkfield was the delight of my birding summer. Bluebirds, Yellow Rail and Sedge Wrens in the marshes, as well as Ospreys, Loons and Mergansers on Mitchells Lake made it a most memorable day. I sometimes wonder as I travel over the country in search of photographs whether, perhaps € the best to be is right in my own backyard. The fall meeting of the Naturalist Club will be held at my home on September 17 at 7:30 PM. We will elect a slate of officers and choose a name for the Club. I look forward to seeing you there. . Hats off to Ruth Cooper, .a member of our Club. She has had a bird sanctuary named for her beside her home in Uxbridge. ' Mrs. Cooper has identified and catalogued 686 of the 700 varieties of birds found in North America, a remarkable record. I would-appreciate hearing from people who were involved in the Bluebird project so that our results can be published in a future article. The Hot Line reports Sabines Gull at the Port Perry sewage lagoons September 2 and a Black-Headed Gull at the Beaverton Sewage Ponds. (Ken Carmicheal is a resident of Scugog Township. He is an avid bird watcher, naturalist, and a noted photographer of birds and wildlife in Canada) Please indicate your feelings about the following events at the Port Perry Fair by marking the square that most appropriately reflects your opinion. Pull Show Fiddle Contest Fair Comfhercial Beef Auction and Show Show Show Fruit NAME : 2 PHONE : Eligible for a $25.00 Prize when filled out and if drawn. Please reply io: PORT PERRY AGRICULTURAL SOCIETY, P.Q. Box 40, Port Perry, Ontario LOL 1A4 "