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Attracting Year-Round Birds to Your Backyard!

September 8, 2019 Leave a Comment

Tips & Tricks for Attracting Year-Round Birds to Your Backyard

Many bird species throughout The Land Between stay in Canada year-round, rather than migrating South in the wintertime. Chickadees for example, do not actually migrate south, but rather move around a lot, looking for food and habitat. Black-capped Chickadees are the most common Chickadee you will find in The Land Between, wintering in large flocks with other small birds. Other birds you may see in the winter time include Ruffed grouse, Spruce grouse, Barred owl, Great Gray owl, Northern Hawk owl, Red-breasted Nuthatch, Common Raven , Blue Jay, Cark-eyed Junco, Pine Grosbeak, Pine Siskin, Evening Grosbeak, Black-capped Chickadee, Gray Jay, Pileated Woodpecker, Downy Woodpecker, Black – backed Woodpecker, Hairy Woodpecker, American Goldfinch, Red-tailed Hawk, Northern Goshawk, Bald Eagle, Wild Turkey, Golden-crowned Kinglet, Northern Shrike, Northern Cardinal and White-winged Crossbill (Haliburton Forest & Wildlife Reserve, 2013). There are many tips & tricks you can employ to welcome birds to your backyard year-round.

Feeders

The best kind of bird feeders can withstand heavy weather and storms in the winter, while being sturdy enough to keep the seeds dry inside and squirrel free!
Often, different species of birds are attracted to different styles of feeders. Find out more about feeder types by visiting feederwatch.org.
The placement of your feeder is also very important. For example, feeders should be kept on windowsills or affixed to windows to avoid injury from taking flight into patio doors, or other windows.
Cleaning your feeders regularly will help prevent illness in birds visiting your backyard.
Investigating what types of birds like what types of food can go a long way. For example, cracked corn is a favourite of Blue Jays, but Warblers eat primarily insects, making them more difficult to attract to your backyard.

Habitat

Habitat in the winter is very important to year-long birds throughout The Land Between. Tree-covered areas, including woodlots and orchards, often provide important habitat for nest-holes during the winter (Canadian Wildlife Federation, 2019). Avoid clearing your yard of trees and these appropriate habitat features.
Rotting wood, and evergreens help to provide shelter during ice storms and heavy snowfall. Where possible, try and leave suitable shelter for birds visiting your backyard.
Some birds, such as Chickadees will hide food throughout its territory for times of decreased food availability, leaving rotting wood and hiding spaces available in your backyard will increase the chances of attracting winter birds.

Reporting

The Land Between has over 80 species at risk, including many bird species! Reported sightings help us track population levels, understand threats and highlight significant areas or habitat features for management and conservation. All information is kept private and is not distributed to any third parties without your specific consent. Follow the link to report your bird sightings this winter!

To Download in PDF: Tips & Tricks for Attracting Year Long Birds to Your Backyard

Chemical Sprays: 57 years since Rachel Carson’s Silent Spring, and what have we learned?

August 20, 2019 Leave a Comment

It has been 57 years since Rachel Carson’s Silent Spring, a book urging governments and people to stop the use of chemicals to deter ‘pests’ and control nature. At the height of the chemical revolution, DDT was seen as a key component in humanity’s ‘battle against nature’. Leftover chemicals from the war were used on agricultural crops, gardens and even inside homes; but what were some of the implications of this chemical?

Videos from the late 40s show DDT being sprayed on children in a pool, to showcase how ‘safe’ it was for use in the home and around humans. Source: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kbcHszMCIJM&t=28s

Studies found that DDT exposure was the cause of 15% of infant deaths in the US in the 1960s (New Scientist, 2001). It had adverse effects on wildlife, such as the disruption of bird reproduction, and the dramatic decline in pollinator species. Further studies found that people who swallowed large amounts of DDT had tremors and seizures, experiencing sweating, headaches, nausea, vomiting, and dizziness (Agency for Toxic Substances & Disease Registry, 2002). These effects on the nervous system went away once exposure stopped. The same type of effects would be expected by breathing DDT particles in the air, or by contact of the skin. Based on all of the evidence available, the Department of Health and Human Services deemed that DDT was reasonably anticipated to be a human carcinogen. Similarly, the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC), and EPA deemed that DDT was possibly carcinogenic to humans, leading to the banning of the chemical in the 1970s. DDT was originally synthesized in 1874 and banned nearly 100 years later.

An image from Time Magazine released in 1947, assures users that DDT is not only safe but good for humans.

Despite the lessons learned from the prolonged use of chemicals such as DDT, many permitted pesticides and insecticides used today have minimal research that deem them safe to humans and wildlife. For example, Ontario hydro companies use herbicides to clear woody debris and vegetation from hydro poles rather than manually removing hazards. One of the dangers of using these chemicals is that they can contaminate nearby waterbodies and ground water supplies. When it rains, any setback can be quickly made null and void, because any chemicals that have been recently applied to lawns can run off into the lake, or river, posing risks to the aquatic environment. Similarly, paints and insecticides applied to boats and watercraft can contaminate water upon contact, negatively affecting fish species. For instance, one of the most common ingredients in herbicides such as in Garlon(TM) spray includes triclopyr. Triclopyr is a selective systemic herbicide used to control woody and herbaceous broadleaf plants along right-of-ways, in forests, and in grasslands and parklands. Because studies into the carcinogenicity of triclopyr have produced conflicting results, EPA has categorized triclopyr as a “Group D” compound, or a chemical that is not classifiable as a human carcinogenic. Therefore, despite the potential effects of a chemical such as triclopyr, it is still permitted as safe. This same type of thinking allowed DDT to be used freely for nearly a century, causing years of damage to wildlife, humans and the environment.

So how does this affect The Land Between?

The Land Between is specifically at risk because of the large amounts of waterbodies that are immediately connected to all adjacent upland spaces and backyards. Also because there is limited soil in most areas across the region to absorb any contaminants before they reach the surface waters, and before they reach below ground aquifers.

Garlon has fallen under scrutiny for several months in The Land Between, particularly in Dysart et al. While other municipalities in the region have banned the use in their jurisdictions and even use by Hydro One, because the product is known to be highly toxic to aquatic habitats if it gets into water bodies, Dysart seems on the fence. The toxicity was what originally prompted Dysart et al to consider banning Hydro One’s use of the substance, however recently deliberations have resulted in the decision to stave off banning it. Read about the recent decision to reverse this ban here. Similarly, the Muskoka region has faced struggles with Hydro One spraying Garlon and posing risks to aquatic habitats. They ended up banning the toxic chemical and gave the authority to residents to say no to chemical applications of Garlon by Hydro One on their properties.

If you are concerned about the environment and the spraying of toxic chemicals nearby you, or in your home town, or even your watershed, please contact your municipality or Hydro One directly. Also it is suggested by some that landowners can also request directly to Hydro One, if the company is working on their property, that they do not spray but cut the woody growth instead- again this is only on individual private properties.

To Download PDF: Chemical Sprays and The Land Between

References

http://www.popstoolkit.com/about/chemical/ddt.aspx

https://www.atsdr.cdc.gov/toxprofiles/tp35-c6.pdf

http://www.scienceclarified.com/Co-Di/DDT-dichlorodiphenyltrichloroethane.html

https://www.atsdr.cdc.gov/phs/phs.asp?id=79&tid=20

https://www.muskokaregion.com/news-story/3616427-hydro-one-spraying-garlon-herbicide-in-muskoka/

https://www.thespec.com/news-story/3616427-hydro-one-spraying-garlon-herbicide-in-muskoka/

Zooplankton – Small but Mighty!

August 13, 2019 Leave a Comment

Did you know that when you go swimming in a lake or ocean, you are swimming with billions upon billions of microscopic creatures called plankton!

Plankton are not unique to Ontario lakes or streams; they are the basis of aquatic food chains across the world. In some place’s phytoplankton is bioluminescent, meaning they are essentially glow in the dark organisms! Pictured above is bioluminescent phytoplankton in Gippsland Lakes, Victoria, Australia (Credit: Getty Images)

Zooplankton are microscopic animals that swim or drift in water, they are the base of the food chain for many lakes and wetlands. These tiny little creatures feed on microscopic plants called phytoplankton, while being fed upon by larger insects, fish and salamanders. Most zooplankton are filter feeders, using their appendages to strain bacteria, algae and other fine particles in the water. Adult females of zooplankton called Daphnia can produce their body mass in eggs every two to three days (University of Georgia, 2019)! Although zooplankton are microscopic and rarely visible to the human eye, they are crucial for the health of our lakes by acting as both filters and food for lake species.

Decreasing zooplankton populations means less food, which results in fewer, smaller fish (EPA, 2019). There are also invasive zooplankton that have the ability to alter and endanger aquatic ecosystems by outcompeting native species for resources (Invading Species Ontario, 2019). One of the most common invasive zooplankton species in Ontario is the spiny waterflea, originating from parts of Eurasia. The government of Ontario estimates that spiny waterflea introductions result in an average 30 to 40 per cent decline in native populations of zooplankton, decreasing food supplies for small fish. Monitoring and protecting zooplankton populations is therefore crucial to tracking the health of aquatic ecosystems in Ontario lakes.

Here are a few key facts about zooplankton:

Zooplankton are indicators of ecosystem health, biodiversity, climate change, fish productivity and nutrient outputs
Without zooplankton, aquatic food chains would be incomplete
Zooplankton feed off of phytoplankton sucking in and storing CO2, when they die some of them sink to the bottom of the lake, taking carbon dioxide with them, inevitably decreasing the amount of CO2 released in the atmosphere
Zooplankton are highly responsive to nutrient levels, temperatures, pollution, levels of light and increases predation, meaning that a change in zooplankton concentration can indicate a subtle or extreme environmental change
Invasive zooplankton can have adverse effects on aquatic ecosystems, negatively impacting fish populations

Changes in aquatic ecosystems such as pollution, sediment disruption and overfishing can have enormous consequences for plankton and the environment. The richer an ecosystem in biodiversity the more stable it is because there are more species and genetic variability. This isn’t to say that we shouldn’t work to preserve all species, but instead, that increased biodiversity allows for a more stable ecosystem less vulnerable to collapse. If you’re interested in helping research and monitor Ontario lakes, The Federation of Ontario Cottagers’ Associations (FOCA) has a guide to citizen science that includes Zooplankton and Benthic (aquatic insect) research! Zooplankton, although tiny, play a crucial role in the health of aquatic ecosystems and act as bioindicators to let people know when things go astray!

To Download PDF: Zooplankton Small but Mighty!

To learn more about plankton visit the following links:

http://archive-srel.uga.edu/outreach/factsheet/zooplankton.html

https://marinebio.org/creatures/zooplankton/

https://askabiologist.asu.edu/explore/plankton

http://www.invadingspecies.com/spiny-and-fishhook-waterfleas/

https://www.zooniverse.org/projects/kelseyswieca/plankton-portal/about/research

https://foca.on.ca/wp-content/uploads/2018/02/FOCA-Citizen-Science-Guide-FINAL-2018.pdf

https://www.ontario.ca/page/spiny-and-fishhook-water-flea