The following is an excerpt from the OSFN June Column, submitted by John Dickson.
Even here in Owen Sound, nature provides some pleasant surprise visitors. Recently, I have been hearing Kingfishers nearby and even saw one fly over the house. Early one morning, I witnessed two large Deer traversing our backyard, seeking a wildlife corridor to channel them safely to their preferred destination. Twice in recent days I have seen a Mallard family with many ducklings making their way to a new stormwater overflow pond in the neighbourhood. That pond, and another I learned of recently, have attracted sandpipers and other waterfowl, and are likely the reason I have heard today and yesterday the loud iconic calls of Loons right here in the City.
Exciting news from Mexico, with a local connection
Over two sunny, warm August afternoons last summer at Isaac Lake, on the Saugeen Bruce Peninsula, 39 Owen Sound Field Naturalists members gathered with Audrey Armstrong, Patti Byers and Brian Robin. Of the 75 monarchs that were netted and tagged as a Citizen Science project on Flight of the Monarch Day, two were later recovered in Mexico’s overwintering sanctuary, Cerro Pelon in Michoacan, Mexico. Here, Monarchs overwinter by the millions in Oyamel firs on the Sierra Madre mountain range at altitudes of 3,650 metres. The two recovered male monarchs were netted by Evie Gray, and Maeve O’Meara. Both these butterflies flew 4,235.6 kilometres on their fall migration to a mountain sanctuary they’ve never been to before. Scientists who study monarchs use this Citizen Science tagging data, which associates the location of original capture with the point of recovery for each butterfly, to determine pathways taken by migrating monarchs, the influence of weather on the migration and the survival rate of the monarchs. This past winter there was a 35% increase in Eastern North America’s monarchs overwintering in Mexico, although overall numbers have seen an 80% decline in the last two decades.
Just a reminder to readers that the best way to help increase monarch populations is to create habitat and plant milkweed. Indoor rearing of monarchs is no longer acceptable due to increased spread of parasites and pathogens.
The two young Citizen Scientists will each receive a Certificate of Appreciation from Monarch Watch for their involvement in monarch butterfly research.
This year’s Monarch tagging workshop is scheduled to take place September 3, again at Isaac Lake.
Bruce Peninsula Bird Observatory (BPBO) Blog
Here is an excerpt from Station Scientist Stéphane Menu’s recent blog from the Bruce Peninsula Bird Observatory (BPBO)
The characteristic song of an Olive-sided Flycatcher, a late migrant, was heard on June 1st and 4th. Two Green herons were seen flying across the basin, perching shortly in trees along the shore, and squawking loudly on June 5th. On June 3rd, a few flocks of Eastern Bluebirds were detected, thanks to their fluty flight call, with the largest one of 25 birds. There were also quite a few Eastern Bluebirds in the alvar where their dashing colours found an incredible background of Scarlet Paintbrush, Goldenrod, and Blue-eyed Grass. It was a feast of primary colours.
On June 5, we counted 112 Blue Jays in one single flock! Early June is also a time for a strong passage of this species at Cabot Head. We are seeing the migratory birds of this mostly sedentary species going back to the boreal forest at the northern fringe of their range. It is always quite a sight to see a large flock of Blue Jays taking flight and climbing up in the sky, flapping wings like giant butterflies. The best part though is when the Blue Jays all decide to dive down at once, making an incredible whooshing sound.
To close, a Nature quote from (Rainer) Rilke’s Late Poetry, by Graham Good:
“and Summer, like a giant stretching, feels the vigour of its youth…”
