Number 548 May 2007
Geese and goslings at Smyth Park, spring 2006. Pastel by Nancy Anderson
MEMBERSHIP RENEWAL!!
Coming Events 29 See pages 31 and 32. From the Archives 26 In the News 23 Keeping in Touch 24 Outing Report – Birds, Leslie St. Spit 13 Membership Renewal Form 31 Monarch Butterflies 15 Monthly Meeting Notice 3 Ecology Tidbits: Pollinators 16 Monthly Meeting Report 14 Nominations Report 12 Toronto Christmas Bird Count 2006 18 President’s Report 11 International Migratory Bird Day 20 TFN Outings 4 How to Help an Injured Bird 21 TFN Publications 2 Naturalists’ Code of Ethics 22 Weather 27 TFN 548 - 2
TFN PUBLICATIONS
TORONTO F ELD NATURAL STS CLUB Published by the Toronto Field Naturalists, a charitable, non- TS H STORY AND CONST TUT ON 1965 $2 00 profit organization, the aims of which are to stimulate public CHECKL ST OF PLANTS N FOUR TORONTO PARKS interest in natural history and to encourage the preservation of W LKET CREEK H GH PARK HUMBER VALLEY our natural heritage. Issued monthly September to December LAMBTON WOODS 1972 $2 00 and February to May. TORONTO THE GREEN 1976
Metropolitan Toronto's important natural areas are ISSN 0820-636X described and recommendations given for their conservation and management includes maps bibliography and index $10 00
NEWSLETTER COMMITTEE TORONTO F ELD NATURAL STS RAV NE SURVEYS ea $5 00 Jenny Bull (Editor), Eva Davis, Karin Fawthrop, Nancy Survey No 1 -- Chatsworth Ravine 1973 Fredenburg, Elisabeth Gladstone, Mary Lieberman, Survey No 2 -- Brookbanks Ravine 1974 Joanne Lynes, Marilynn Murphy, Toshi Oikawa, Wendy Survey No 3 -- Chapman Valley Ravine 1975 Survey No 4 -- Wigmore Ravine 1975 Rothwell, Jan Sugerman. Survey No 5 -- Park Drive Ravine 1976 Survey No 6 -- Burke Ravine 1976 Printing and Mailing: Perkins Mailing Services. Survey No 7 -- Taylor Creek - Woodbine Bridge Ravines 1977 Web Master: Margaret McRae Survey No 8 -- West Don Valley 1978
NDEX OF TFN NEWSLETTERS (1938 to 1978) $10 00 NDEX OF S NGLE YEARS FROM 1979 ea $1 00
TORONTO REG ON B RD CHART 1983 $5 00 IT’S YOUR NEWSLETTER! A GRAPH C GU DE TO ONTAR O MOSSES 1985 $5 00
Send us your original writing (up to 500 words) of your GU DE TO TORONTO F ELD NATURAL STS’ thoughts and experiences of nature in and around Toronto. NATURE RESERVES 2001 $5 00 Do you have a favourite natural area in Toronto? Did a TFN outing introduce you to a new park? Tell us about it! Did TORONTO SLANDS PLANT COMMUN T ES AND NOTEWORTHY SPEC ES 1987 $5 00 you see any plants or animals that particularly interested you? Let us know! Tell us what, where and when, and any field TODMORDEN M LLS 1987 $5 00 guides or other sources consulted. VASCULAR PLANTS OF METROPOL TAN Also welcome are: reviews, poems, cartoons and sketches, TORONTO 1994 $10 00 natural history items in the news, and digital photos of TFN TORONTO CHECKL STS (birds other vertebrates outings. Remember that photos will be reproduced in black butterflies other invertebrates mosses other plants) ea 50¢ and white photocopy. Please include your name, address and phone number so submissions can be acknowledged. HUMBER FORKS AT TH STLETOWN 2000 $5 00
Newspaper clippings should include source and date. Add $2.00 per item for postage and hand ng; no GST. Unsigned letters or emails will not be read. Attachments to Order from TFN off ce, see address above. unsigned emails will not be opened. ______Note the deadline for submissions of time-sensitive material, e.g., notices of meetings or events. Deadline for September issue: August 10, 2007. Send by mail or email. MEMBERSHIP FEES
$30 STUDENT, SENIOR SINGLE (65+) $40 SINGLE, SENIOR FAMILY (2 adults, 65+) Toronto Field Naturalists $50 FAMILY (2 adults – same address, children included) 2 Carlton St., Suite 1519, No GST. Tax receipts issued for donations. Membership Toronto M5B 1J3 fees and address changes should be sent to the TFN office.
Tel: 416-593-2656 Please note: It has always been the policy of the Toronto Web: www.torontofieldnaturalists.org Field Naturalists not to give out its membership list. Email: [email protected] or [email protected]
TFN 548 - 3
TFN MEETING
Sunday, May 6, 2007 at 2:30 pm
Canada Rocks, How Canada Was Made: A 4-Billion Year Unfinished Story
Nick Eyles, University of Toronto
The oldest part of Canada (near Yellowknife) is a little over 4 billion years old, and has grown into a larger continent as crust was added by repeated collisions with other tectonic plates. On at least four occasions Canada has been part of super-continents, most recently Pangea that broke apart forming the modern ocean basins.
VISITORS WELCOME!
SOCIAL 2:00 - 2:30 pm Bring your own mug for coffee or juice if you wish, only paper cups provided.
For more information call the TFN office at (416) 593-2656
ROOM 001, EMMANUEL COLLEGE UNIVERSITY OF TORONTO 75 QUEEN’S PARK CRESCENT EAST
Room 001 is one floor below street level. Entrance at south end of the building, down a few steps on an outside stairwell. Wheelchair Entrance: Second door south on Queen’s Park Crescent E. Door does not have automatic opener. Elevator is inside to the right.
NEXT MEETING: September, 2007
Check your September newsletter or the TFN website for details. TFN 548 - 4
TFN OUTINGS
• TFN events are conducted by unpaid volunteers.
• The club assumes no responsibility for injuries sustained by anyone participating in our activities.
• Children and visitors are welcome at all TFN events. Children must be accompanied by an adult.
• If you plan to bring children in a stroller, be aware that there may be steps or other unsuitable terrain.
• Please do not bring pets.
• To get to outings on time, check TTC routes and schedules by calling 416-393-4636.
• Outings go rain or shine: check the weather by calling 416-661-0123 so you will know what to wear.
• Wear appropriate footwear for walking on trails which may be muddy, steep or uneven.
Wednesday, BLACK CREEK – Nature Walk May 2 Leader: Roger Powley 10:00 a.m. Meet at the southwest corner of Black Creek Dr. and Lawrence Ave. W. Bring binoculars: lunch optional. We will walk south from Lawrence. Not a circular route.
Friday, JANE JACOBS TRIBUTE WALK – Evening Ramble May 4 Leaders: Helen Juhola and Pleasance Crawford 6:45 p.m. Meet at the north end of Glencairn subway station, south side of Glencairn Ave. Not a circular route.
Saturday, WARDEN WOODS – Nature Arts May 5 Leader: Joe Bernaske 10:30 a.m. Meet at the park entrance on the southwest side of Warden Ave. at St. Clair Ave. E. (across from the Warden subway station). Bring lunch, art supplies, camera and anything you would like to share with the group.
Thursday, BLUFFER’S PARK – Geology of Scarborough Bluffs May 10 Leader: John Westgate 10:00 a.m. Meet at the southwest corner of Kingston Rd. and Brimley Rd. Walk together to meet leader at Bluffer’s Park, who will start walk at approximately 10:30 a m. Bring binoculars. Morning only.
Saturday, LESLIE STREET SPIT – Birds – International Migratory Bird Day May 12 Leader: Doug Paton 9:00 a.m. Meet at the park entrance at Leslie St. and Unwin Ave. Bring binoculars. Morning only.
+ Saturday, TODMORDEN MILLS WILDFLOWER PRESERVE – Wildflowers May 12 Leader: Miriam Webster 1:00 p.m. Meet at the Todmorden Mills Museum off Pottery Road, down the hill from Broadview Ave.
Sunday, ROUGE VALLEY – Bonus Nature Arts Outing! May 13 Leader: Joe Bernaske 11:30 a.m. Meet at Pearse House (1749 Meadowvale Rd., one TTC stop before the zoo). Bring lunch, art supplies and camera. We have the option of joining the Rouge photography walk at 1:30 p.m. or continuing on our own.
+ Sunday, WARDEN WOODS – Nature Walk May 13 Leader: Evon Turko 2:30 p.m. Meet at the southwest corner of Warden Ave. and St. Clair Ave. E. across from the Warden subway station. Bring binoculars. TFN 548 - 5
+ Sunday, AGNES MOODIE FITZGIBBON WILDFLOWER WALK – Lost Rivers Walk May 13 Leader: Madeleine MacDowell and the Humber Heritage Committee 1:00 p.m. – Meet at the Lambton House, 4066 Old Dundas St., on the east bank of the Humber River for this special 3:00 p.m. annual walk. The walk will proceed into the Magwood Sanctuary. City streets and park trails. This is a joint outing with Toronto Green Community.
Tuesday, MARITA PAYNE PARK – Birds – Save the Boreal Forest May 15 Leader: Carol Sellers 10:00 a.m. Meet at the northwest corner of Dufferin St. and Steeles Ave. W. Bring lunch and binoculars.
Wednesday, WARDEN WOODS – Listening Walk – Evening Ramble May 16 Leader: Linda Stemmler 6:45 p.m. Meet at the southwest corner of Warden Ave. and St. Clair Ave. E. (across from the Warden subway station) at the entrance to Warden Woods. This will be an opportunity to connect with other naturalists and with nature using our senses. Part of this walk will be done silently so we can hear nature sounds. Bring a towel to sit on.
Saturday, EAST POINT PARK – Nature Walk May 19 Leader: David White 10:00 a.m. Meet at the junction of Morningside Ave. and Grayabbey Dr. Bring lunch and binoculars.
Sunday, LOST CREEKS OF EARL BALES PARK – Lost Rivers Walk May 20 Leader: Helen Mills 2:00 p.m. Meet at the southeast corner of Bathurst St. and Sheppard Ave. W. Explore the topography of Earl Bales Park, home to several creeks and former creeks tributary to the West Don. Spring plants and migratory birds. We will also get an update on plans for a storm water retention pond towards the south end of the park. The walk will end at Bathurst St. and Wilson Ave. Moderate difficulty – lots of hills and possibly muddy paths. This is a joint outing with Toronto Green Community.
HELP SAVE THE BOREAL FOREST!
Monday, May 7, 7:00 to 9:30 pm
Recent evidence estimates that 2 billion birds (300 species) breed in the boreal forest before migrating south. The boreal forest is recognized as the most important breeding ground for birds in North America.
Join Ontario Nature and the Toronto Field Naturalists for a fun and inspiring multimedia experience about the BILLIONS of songbirds that breed in the majestic boreal forest. You will hear about the threats their breeding grounds face, as well as the tremendous conservation opportunity to protect this special place and what you can do to help!
FEATURING • Stunning photographs and stories of the boreal forest and its songbird inhabitants • Live original music by Bodhi • Silence of the Songbirds book signing with author and songbird expert, Dr. Bridget Stuchbury • Dr. Bridget Stuchbury describes the threats songbirds face during migration as well as practical conservation solutions • Actions you can take to help protect the boreal forest
Jane Mallet Theatre, St. Lawrence Centre for the Performance Arts, 27 Front St. E. Tickets $25, available at St. Lawrence Centre (416.366.7723, www.stlc.com). Information Jen Baker, Ontario Nature, 416-444-8419 ext. 224, or email [email protected], or www.ontarionature.org TFN 548 - 6
Wednesday, ROUGE PARK – Late Spring Wildflowers May 23 Leader: Peter Money 10:30 a.m. Meet at Pearse House, Rouge Hill Conservation Centre, 1749 Meadowvale Rd. one bus stop before the Zoo. Bring lunch. Some hilly terrain.
Saturday, SCARBOROUGH BLUFFS – Nature Walk May 26 Leader: Ken Cook 10:00 a.m. Meet at the southeast corner of Chine Dr. and Kingston Rd. Bring binoculars. Morning only.
Sunday, HIGHLAND CREEK – Markham Branch – Restoration Project May 27 Leader: Steve Joudrey – Friends of Highland Creek 11:00 a.m. Meet at the McCowan RT station, ground level entrance. Duration about 2 hours. Bring binoculars.
+ Sunday, ALBION CREEK – Lost Rivers Walk May 27 Leaders: Ron Fletcher and Ian Wheal 2:00 p.m. History and nature in Toronto’s northwest. Meet at Islington Ave. south of Albion Rd. at the West Humber River. Moderate difficulty. This is a joint outing with Toronto Green Community.
Tuesday, BURNETT CREEK – Great Rivers of North York Series – Nature Walk May 29 Leader: Alexander Cappell 1:30 p.m. Meet at the southeast corner of Sheppard Ave. W. and Bathurst St. Bring binoculars. The walk will end at Finch Ave. W. and Bathurst St.
Saturday, TODMORDEN WILDFLOWER PRESERVE - Nature Arts June 2 Leader: Melanie Milanich 10:30 a.m. Meet at the Todmorden Mills entrance on Pottery Rd. (down the hill from Pottery Rd. and Broadview Ave.). Bring lunch and what you need for sketching, painting or photography. Bring anything you wish to share with the group.
Tuesday, SUNNYBROOK PARK – Evening Ramble June 5 Leader: Eric Lin 6:45 p.m. Meet at the park entrance on the west side of Leslie St. just north of Eglinton Ave. E.
Thursday, SCARBOROUGH LAKEFRONT – Rosetta McClain Gardens June 7 Leader: Kathleen Fall 10:30 a.m. Meet at the Gardens, 2121 Kingston Road, east of Birchmount Rd. (TTC bus route #12 from Victoria Park station or parking at Gardens). Bring lunch.
FOR ENJOYMENT OF OUTINGS
• Wide brim on hat for protection from sun • Long sleeves to protect you from mosquitoes, poison ivy and thistles • Slacks to protect you from mosquitoes, poison ivy, thistles and ticks • Long socks to help you avoid ticks • Hiking boots or running shoes Rainwear • Sun glasses, sun screen and insect repellent • Binoculars and camera • • Thermos or flask; snack
• TTC Ride Guide (free), Metro map, notebook and pen
• Bring your family and/or friends, but … NO pets allowed
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Saturday, ROUGE VALLEY – Plants and Nature June 9 Leader: Charles Chaffey 10:30 a.m. Meet at the northeast corner of Sheppard Ave. E. and Meadowvale Rd. Bring lunch. + Saturday, BACKYARD SUSTAINABILITY FOR U.N. INTERNATIONAL ENVIRONMENT June 9 DAY – Lost Rivers Walk 2:00 p.m. Leaders: Helen Mills, Todd Irvine of LEAF and Andrew Roy of Green Gardeners Meet at the St. Clair subway station on the south side of St. Clair Ave. E. (just east of Yonge St.). We will be exploring some magnificent oaks in the “Lost Forest” of the Mashquoteh watershed. We will be talking about the natural steps you can take in your own backyard. An easy walk along city streets. This is a joint outing with Toronto Green Community and LEAF (Local Enhancement and Appreciation of Forests).
Sunday, WEST DEANE PARK SOUTH – Nature Walk June 10 Leader: Ken Cook 10:30 a.m. Meet at the northeast corner of Rathburn Rd. and Martin Grove Rd. Morning only. Bring binoculars. + Sunday, ETOBICOKE CREEK WALK – Lost Rivers Walk June 10 Leaders: Ed Freeman and Ian Wheal 2:15 p.m. Meet at Tim Horton’s in the Sheridan Garden Shopping Centre at Sherway Dr. and The West Mall. Accessed by #80 TTC bus. Walk will end at Marie Curtis Park at the mouth of Etobicoke Creek. Walk is on mostly level ground with some dirt paths. Duration about 2 hours. This is a joint outing with Toronto Green Community.
Tuesday, DERRYDOWNS PARK – Birds and Butterflies June 12 Leader: Carol Sellers 10:00 a.m. Meet at the park entrance on the south side of Finch Ave. W. between Jane St. and Keele St. Bring lunch and binoculars.
Wednesday, WARDS ISLAND – Evening Ramble June 13 Leader: Jenny Bull 6:45 p.m. How to identify plants – for beginners. Experienced also welcome. Arrive at the ferry dock at the foot of Bay St. in time to take the 7 pm ferry to Wards Island where you will meet the leader. Bring $ for ferry.
Sunday, IROQUOIS SHORE BLUFF – Lost Rivers Walk June 17 Leader: Alexander Cappell 2:00 p.m. Meet at the southeast corner of St. Clair Ave. W. and Caledonia Park Rd. The walk will end at Bathurst St. Moderate difficulty on city streets, but some hills. Walk along the shore of a glacial lake and cross a couple of lost streams. This is a joint outing with Toronto Green Community.
Thursday, HARBOURFRONT – “Seeds of Change” Garden June 21 Leader: Lorraine Johnson 2:00 p.m. Meet at John Quay, 245 Queen’s Quay Blvd. W. See the guerilla garden as part of Harbourfront’s Artists’ Gardens program.
Saturday, BEECHWOOD VALLEY/SUN VALLEY ON THE LOWER DON – Birds June 23 Leader: Kevin Seymour 10:00 a.m. Meet on the north side of O’Connor Dr. at Beechwood Dr. Bring binoculars, lunch optional. This is a joint outing with FODE (Friends of the Don East)
Sunday, HUMBER BAY PARK – Nature Walk June 24 Leader: Doug Paton 10:00 a.m. Meet at the Humber streetcar loop (Queen streetcar, just west of Humber River). Bring lunch and + binoculars.
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Sunday, HIGH PARK – Nature Walk June 24 Leader: Bohdan Kowalyk 1:30 p.m. Meet at the park entrance on Bloor St. W. at High Park Ave. Bring binoculars.
Tuesday, UPPER WILKET CREEK – Great Rivers of North York Series June 26 Leader: Alexander Cappell 1:30 p.m. Meet at the southeast corner of Finch Ave. W. and Senlac Rd. The walk will end at Sheppard Ave. E. and Willowdale Ave.
Wednesday, BEECHWOOD VALLEY – Evening Ramble June 27 Leader: Margaret McRae 6:45 p.m. Meet at Beechwood Dr. and O’Connor Dr. The walk will be a circular route.
Tuesday, MORNINGSIDE PARK – Birds and Butterflies July 3 Leader: Carol Sellers 10:00 a.m. Meet at the park entrance on Morningside Ave. south of Ellesmere Rd. Bring binoculars and lunch.
Wednesday, DUNCAN WOODS CREEK – Evening Ramble – Great Rivers of North York Series July 4 Leader: Alexander Cappell 6:45 p.m. Meet at the northeast corner of Don Mills Rd. and Finch Ave. E. Walk will end at Steeles Ave. E. and Leslie St.
Saturday, CHERRY BEACH AND MORE! – Nature Arts July 7 Leader: Yoshie Nagata 10:30 a.m. Meet at Cherry Beach at the TTC Route #172 bus stop OR, alternatively, meet at the Union Station bus stop at the southeast corner of Front St. W. and Bay St. in time to catch the 10 o’clock bus to Cherry Beach. Bring lunch, art supplies camera, and anything you wish to share with the group. We will walk the Baselands to Queen St. E. and Leslie St. in the afternoon.
Tuesday, LAVENDER CREEK AND BLACK CREEK – Nature and Heritage July 10 Leader: Madeleine McDowell 10:00 a.m. Meet at the southwest corner of Weston Rd. and Gunns Rd. (first street north of St. Clair Ave. W.) Bring lunch and binoculars. A fairly long walk.
Thursday, GERMAN MILLS – Evening Ramble July 12 Leader: Theresa Moore 6:45 p.m. Meet at the northeast corner of Steeles Ave. E. and Leslie St.
Saturday, BLACK CREEK – Nature Walk July 14 Leader: Roger Powley 11 a.m. Meet at the southeast corner of Eglinton Ave. W. and Black Creek Dr. Bring lunch and binoculars. Walk will end at Scarlett Rd.
Magnolia Warbler (Dendroica magnolia), male. Painting by Cameron Coneybeare 2006
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Sunday, TODMORDEN MILLS WILDFLOWER PRESERVE – Wildflowers July 15 Leaders: Paula Davies and Miriam Webster 1:00 p.m. Meet at the Todmorden Mills Museum off Pottery Rd., down the hill from Broadview Ave. + Sunday HIGHLAND CREEK RESTORATION HIKE – Environmental Stewardship – Lost River Walks July 15 Leaders: Bill Snodgrass, Peter Hare and others 1:00 p.m. – Enter Morningside Park off Morningside Ave. south of Ellesmere Rd. Follow the park access road. There 3:00 p.m. are washroom facilities between the first and second parking lots. We will assemble at the third parking lot. We will walk downstream along the creek and loop back along a trail that returns to the starting place. Joint walk with Highland Creek Community Stewardship Program and Toronto Green Community. Get a firsthand look at erosion control and fish habitat restoration work taking place on Highland Creek. Discover the beauty and diversity of plants and animals that make Morningside Park their home. Moderate difficulty.
Tuesday, PINE HILLS CEMETERY – Massey Creek Nature Trail July 17 Leader: Jack Radecki 10:00 a.m. Meet at the northeast corner of St. Clair Ave. E. and Birchmount Rd. Morning only.
Wednesday, GWENDOLEN PARK AREA – Evening Ramble – Great Rivers of North York Series July 18 Leader: Alexander Cappell 6:45 p.m. Meet at the southwest corner of Sheppard Ave. W. and Easton Rd. Walk ends at Sheppard Ave. and Yonge St. A hilly route.
Saturday, THE BASELANDS – Nature Walk July 21 Leader: Boris Mather 10:30 a.m. Meet at Queen St. E. and Leslie Ave. We will walk through the Baselands to Cherry Beach. Bring lunch and binoculars.
Tuesday, EGLINTON FLATS – Birds and Butterflies July 24 Leader: Carol Sellers 10:00 a.m. Meet at the southeast corner of Jane St. and Eglinton Ave. W. Bring lunch and binoculars.
Thursday, HIGH PARK – Evening Ramble July 26 Leader: Wendy Rothwell 6:45 p.m. Meet at the southwest corner of Bloor St. W. and High Park Ave.
Saturday, LESLIE STREET SPIT – Birds and Butterflies July 28 Leader: Ann Gray 10 a.m. Meet at the park entrance at Leslie St. and Unwin Ave. Bring lunch, water, binoculars, sunscreen and appropriate shoes. Walk will end about 3 p m.
Sunday, BEECHWOOD TO THE FORKS OF THE DON – Nature Walk July 29 Leader: Margaret McRae 1:30 p.m. Meet at the northeast corner of Beechwood Dr. and O’Connor Dr. Bring binoculars.
Tuesday, TODMORDEN MILLS – Invaders! Nature Walk July 31 Leader: Catherine Ukas 2:00 p.m. Meet at the Dairy Queen Patio, northwest corner of Broadview Ave. and Pottery Rd. Optional extension of walk to the Don Valley Trail.
Thursday, YORKVILLE AREA – Heritage Walk – Evening Ramble August 2 Leader: Doug Paton 6:45 p.m. Meet at Ramsden Park (Yonge St. and Pears Rd. across from the Rosedale subway station). The 2-hour historical walk will end at the Cumberland entrance to the Bay subway station.
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Saturday, KEW GARDENS - Nature Arts August 4 Leader: Nancy Anderson 10:30 a.m. Meet in front of the Beaches Public Library on Queen St. E. by Lee Ave. (4 blocks east of Woodbine Ave.). Bring lunch, art supplies, camera and anything you wish to share with the group.
Monday, SIMCOE DAY – Lost Rivers Walk August 6 Leader: Ed Freeman 2:00 p.m. See early Toronto and Governor Simcoe’s legacy. Start and end on the south side of Front St. W., opposite John St. in the Isabella Valency Crawford Parkette. Easy walk on streets with some stairs. This is a joint outing with Toronto Green Community.
Thursday, HANLAN’S POINT – Birds and Butterflies August 9 Leader: Ann Gray 10:00 a.m. Meet at the ferry docks at 10:00 a.m. to catch the 10:15 ferry. Bring lunch, water and binoculars. Walk will end at Centre Island. Bring $ for ferry
Saturday, DON VALLEY WEST – Nature Walk August 11 Leader: Tom Atkinson 10:00 a.m. Meet at the park entrance on the west side of Leslie St. just north of Eglinton Ave. E. We will walk from Wilket Creek to Glendon Campus and Edwards Gardens. Duration 2 – 3 hours with one long steep hill and one smaller hill. Lunch optional. Bring binoculars.
Wednesday, VYNER RAVINE – Great Rivers of North York Series August 15 Leader: Alexander Cappell 1:30 p.m. Meet at the Bessarion Station exit on the Sheppard subway line. Not a circular route.
Saturday, COLONEL SAM SMITH PARK – Nature Walk August 18 Leader: Kerry Adams 10:00 a.m. Meet at the southwest corner of Kipling Ave. and Lake Shore Blvd. W. Bring lunch and binoculars.
Sunday, NATURAL GARDENS ALONG LOST CREEKS – Lost River Walks August 19 Leader: Helen Mills and friends 2:00 p.m. Meet outside the Northern District Library (40 Orchard View Blvd.) one block north and one block west of Yonge St. and Eglinton Ave. This is a joint outing with Toronto Green Community.
Tuesday, G. ROSS LORD PARK – Birds August 21 Leader: Carol Sellers 10:00 a.m. Meet at the northeast corner of Dufferin St. and Finch Ave. W. Bring lunch and binoculars.
Saturday, MINISTRY OF THE ENVIRONMENT WOODS – Nature Walk August 25 Leader: Roger Powley 11:00 a.m. Meet at Weston Rd. and Knob Hill Dr. (just south of Hwy. 401). Bring binoculars. Lunch optional.
Sunday, CENTRAL WATERFRONT – Flora and Fauna – Evening Ramble August 26 Leader: Peter Iveson 6:45 p.m. Meet at the southwest corner of Bathurst St. and Queen’s Quay W. beside the war memorial in Little Norway Park.
Wednesday, UPPER WILKET CREEK – Great Rivers of North York Series August 29 Leader: Alexander Cappell 1:30 p.m. Meet at the southwest corner of Sheppard Ave. E. and Willowdale Ave. Walk will end at York Mills Rd. and Bayview Ave.
TFN 548 - 11
PRESIDENT ’S REPORT
Two of our esteemed members of the board, Phoebe around and listen. Since I routinely walk our dog every Cleverley and Nancy Fredenburg, have indicated that morning, this provides me with lots of opportunity to they will not be standing for re-election at the practise this discipline. September annual general meeting. One sunny morning during the last week of March, I Phoebe joined the TFN on her return to Toronto in had stopped to admire a flowering silver maple (Acer 1988, and in 1995 came on the board. She served as saccharinum). The reddish flowers had a glowing President from 1999 until 2001, and stayed on as Past yellow tinge which was silhouetted against the bright President through Robin Powell’s term and, blue sky. Standing quietly, captivated by the beauty of subsequently, mine. During her long service Phoebe the tree in full bloom, I could hear a distinct snapping represented the TFN on numerous committees and or cracking. To me this was reminiscent of the sound a advisory boards (which, thankfully, she will continue flycatcher makes when catching an insect and I thought to do), led outings, organized speakers and cheerfully they must be migrating through and having a feeding volunteered to perform many other tasks. frenzy. The sound was coming from a large Austrian pine (Pinus nigra) but there was no sign of any birds or Nancy has served on the board for a remarkable insects. I kept peering up into the tree until it dawned eighteen years. During this time she also led outings, on me that what I was hearing was the sound of pine volunteered on the newsletter committee and generally cones cracking open. Further evidence of this lent a hand wherever needed. For the past several years revelation was the papery seeds fluttering to the Nancy has taken on the added responsibility of ground. Who would have thought that you can actually membership coordinator and the task of mailing the hear a pine cone open? outings reports. We are very grateful that Nancy will continue in these roles. I invite you to take advantage of our extensive schedule of outings in the next four months and On behalf of the board and members, thank you experience firsthand the magic of the sights and sounds Phoebe and Nancy for your countless contributions and of nature. many years of service on the board. We will miss your wisdom and counsel. Will you also please take the time to fill out our short questionnaire and renew your membership today. These upcoming vacancies mean we have to recruit two new members for the board of directors. If you are I look forward to seeing you at our May meeting, at the interested or can recommend a candidate we would be Save the Boreal Forest event or on an outing. Have a most pleased to hear from you. (See page 12.) safe and happy summer. Pinky Franklin One of the benefits I’ve enjoyed from being in the company of naturalists is learning to slow down, look
MARK THIS DATE ON YOUR CALENDAR!
The Board is planning an outing to our Nature Reserves near Uxbridge on Saturday, September 29. Transportation will be provided. Watch the September newsletter for details.
TFN members at Jim Baillie Nature Reserve. Photo by Joan Winearls and Barbara Kalthoff TFN 548 - 12
REPORT OF THE NOMINATING COMMITTEE
The Nominating Committee recommends the following slate of nominees to the Board for the year 2007—2008:
President: Pinky Franklin Vice-President: Wendy Rothwell Secretary-Treasurer Corley Phillips Directors: due to retire in 2008: Nick Eyles Ruth Munson Corley Phillips due to retire in 2009: Gail Gregory Barry Mitchell George Bryant due to retire in 2010: Alexander Cappell Margaret McRae
Note: Some directors were appointed to the TFN Board to replace board members who resigned; they assumed the retirement date of those they replaced. Due to the resignations of long-standing Board members, Phoebe Cleverley and Nancy Fredenburg, there are currently two vacancies.
TFN by-law No. 1, Section 5(g) provides that “any three members may submit, in writing, to the Secretary-Treasurer by July 15th the name of a candidate accompanied by the written consent of the nominee. Such nominations shall be published in the September issue of the newsletter and the names of such nominees shall be added to the list of candidates submitted by the Nominating Committee.” Nominations should be sent to the TFN office, 2 Carlton Street, Unit 1519, Toronto, ON M5B 1J3.
According to TFN by-law No.1, Section 5(b), “If an election is required it shall be by ballot mailed to all members. Ballots may be mailed to the auditor or deposited at the Annual General Meeting prior to the commencement of the meeting. The ballots will be tabulated by the auditor who shall announce the results.”
Phoebe Cleverley, Nominating Committee
NOTE FROM THE EDITOR 2007-2008 TFN LECTURE SERIES Do you have ideas for speakers or topics This is the last issue of the 2006-2007 for the 2007-2008 TFN lecture series? newsletter year. I would like to thank all the If you would like to make suggestions, members of the Editorial Committee for their please call or e-mail the office. hard work over the year. During my four month absence, the duties of the editor were very successfully undertaken by Wendy Rothwell. Thank you, Wendy. It is a Call for Volunteers! pleasure to now share these responsibilities. Rouge Park is looking for experienced birders to Thanks to all TFN members who contributed participate in the 2nd Breeding Bird Survey this writing, art work, photographs, news items, summer. Volunteers are needed to identify and and encouragement! Don’t forget to send us document the level of breeding evidence observed for contributions about your summer experi- all bird species within the Park from May - June. Please ences of nature for next fall’s issues. pass this message on to anyone who might be interested in participating. For more information, or to Happy Walking! register, please contact [email protected] or Jenny Bull phone 905-713-7729
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OUTING REPORT
Leslie Street Spit bird walk, March 10, led by Bob Kortright
Perhaps because the forecast called for rain, only 7 of darken, suggesting Western Grebe. Based on the us gathered on what seemed to be the first weekend TFN’s Toronto Region Bird Chart, this would the first since mid-January that was not subzero. The March record for Western Grebe in Toronto. temperature was around 3-6 degrees C. and we experienced very few drops of rain after we started the We also saw a pair (one clearly larger than the other) walk. (Not everyone checks the hourly forecast for of Long-eared Owls and a Northern Saw-whet Owl. Toronto Island, which indicated sharply diminished There were 2 first-winter Iceland Gulls, 8 White- probability of precipitation after 10, and so it proved to winged Scoters, an American Wigeon, 7 Redhead, 5 be.) Hooded Mergansers among much larger numbers of Common and Red-breasted Mergansers, Bufflehead, Common Goldeneye, Long-tailed Ducks and both Greater and Lesser Scaup. Since most of the bays and cells and the outer harbour were still ice-covered, we had good close views of the waterfowl in the few patches of open water, particularly near the bridge.
We also saw 5 Red-tailed Hawks (an unusually large number for the Spit), a Peregrine Falcon and a male American Kestrel that did some nice aerobatics around us as we were looking at the grebes. There were also the first Red-winged Blackbirds, American Robins, Song Sparrow, and Northern Flicker of the spring. Although a few Robins and Song Sparrows are found in the Toronto area during the winter, those we saw on the Spit were likely early migrants, since they had not Western Grebe seen at the Spit. Photo by Iain Fleming (www.iaindmfleming.zenfolio.com) been reported from the Spit since January. It really Our thanks to Iain for permission to use this photograph. was the beginning of spring!
Bob Kortright
It was a memorable day, with 34 species sighted, including the first record for the Spit of Western or hybrid Western/Clark's Grebe, within 20 metres of a
Red-necked Grebe and about 50 metres from us. This was initially recklessly identified by me as a Clark's
Grebe, despite less than perfect viewing and optics. I filed a rare bird report with the Ontario Rare Bird
Committee as such, and reported the find on Ontbirds, the listserv of the Ontario Field Ornithologists. I was quickly advised that a Clark’s Grebe has never been found in Ontario before – probably it was an Eared or
Horned Grebe? Many (reportedly 60!) birders saw and photographed the bird the next day in better light with better optics - their consensus was Western Grebe.
However, photos sent to experts resulted in an opinion of hybrid Western/Clark's. The bird has persisted at Long-eared Owl seen at the Spit. the Spit at least until today (March 31), with the latest Photo by Margaret McRae. report indicating that molt is causing the face to TFN 548 - 14
MONTHLY MEETING REPORT “A Blast from the Past: Environmental Changes Recorded by High Arctic Lake Sediments and Organisms”, Sunday, April 1. Marianne S. Douglas, PhD, Professor in the Earth and Atmospheric Sciences Department, University of Alberta in Edmonton, and Director of the Canadian Circumpolar Institute.
At an earlier lecture, we were privileged to learn a May, approximately a one-month change in just a few good deal about diamonds; this time the focus was on years. This is a truly extraordinary, and worrying, “diatoms”, a major group of unicellular algae that are development. The audience was also shown more among the most common types of phytoplankton. A evidence of recent climate change in the Arctic: characteristic feature of diatom cells is that they are pictures of unfrozen ocean at Tuktoyaktuk in October, encased within a unique cell wall made of glass slumping landforms and collapsing buildings caused (silica), so they are preserved as microfossils in by the thawing of “permafrost”, the drying up of ponds sediments formed on the bottom of lakes and ponds. that had existed for thousands of years, and the More than 100 people watched with rapt attention as appearance of robins in the Arctic, a bird that had been the link was made between changes in the presence of so rare that the Inuit had no name for it in their these tiny fossils in sediments and the larger story of language. climate change in the Arctic Professor Douglas noted that the Northwest Passage is Professor Douglas’s ground-breaking work entailed being explored as a feasible alternative to the Panama examining core samples taken from the bottom of Canal. This raises many questions about the precise Arctic ponds on Ellesmere Island in the High Arctic. way in which currents will interact with icebergs and The historical record that she was able to access by shifting ice floes to either allow or impede ship traffic studying cores at these particular ponds went back attempting to use these newly navigable waters. It also thousands of years. During the first 4,000 years or so, raises serious geopolitical issues related to Canada’s there was very little difference in the types of diatoms claims of ownership of this part of the Arctic. It was identified. However, in the upper section of the cores noted that not all countries accept Canada’s claims, the representing the period beginning around 1850 and United States being among the dissenters. continuing to the present, there was a startling change in the diatom population. Instead of the three or four Professor Douglas concluded her presentation with species of diatom, she suddenly (well, “suddenly” in disturbing information about the migration of pollution paleolimnological terms) found more than one hundred from the industrial south to the Arctic. The persistence additional species! Her conclusion was that the of this pollution threatens local food supplies for native creatures in the top layer of the sediment, representing people and others in the North. the most recent century and a half, must have lived in very different conditions which favoured the growth of During the question and answer session, members of species not able to compete successfully during the the audience expressed concerns and asked about earlier period. In fact, the “changing conditions” came government plans to counteract the now accepted fact down to longer summer periods caused by global of climate change. Professor Douglas suggested it is warming. This period of higher temperatures is, of important that we support those politicians and course, closely associated with the increase in human political parties who are serious about seeking use of fossil fuels, releasing larger quantities of carbon solutions to this global challenge. into the atmosphere. A final note: Professor Douglas accepted TFN’s More recently, Professor Douglas has been examining invitation to speak a year ago when she was still at the the length of time these ponds exist each year. Being University of Toronto. We are grateful that she frozen for much of the year, they are “wet” lakes and travelled from Edmonton to Toronto in order to honour ponds for only a few months. Professor Douglas has that commitment. found that the date at which the ice turns to water has been moving back rapidly in recent years. Indeed, Barry Mitchell “break-up” has moved from a date in June to a date in TFN 548 - 15
MONARCH BUTTERFLIES
The extraordinary life cycle of the monarch butterfly, capacities develop in Mexico during the winter migrating between Canada and Mexico, was unravelled months. These monarchs live up to about 8 to 10 by Dr. Fred and Mrs. Norah Urquhart of Toronto. The months. actual discovery in Mexico of the first over-wintering site was made by their volunteer Research Associates, The migration south begins slowly in July and early Ken and Cathy Brugger. Involving hundreds of other August, and becomes much more apparent in mid- to volunteers, this was a remarkable feat of investigation. late August. While it appears that all monarchs fly The Urquharts also studied the migration of the west southward during the migration, particularly in coast population of monarch butterflies. The Urquharts advance of cold fronts, those that are not true migrants were appointed to the Order of Canada in 1998 for will mate, lay eggs and die along the journey while the their accomplishments. Don Davis of the Toronto true migrants will continue the journey to Mexico. Entomologists Association (TEA) is a current expert In Mexico, the monarchs hang together in huge clusters on the subject. on Oyamel fir trees. The reason for this clustering is unclear, but may relate to the retention of heat or Life Cycle of the Monarch: reducing the sway of the branches on which they roost. In mid- to late March, the over-wintering Mexico Deforestation and loss of habitat in Mexico is very monarchs leave Mexico and enter Texas and other concerning. southern states, where many lay eggs and die. The next generation continues the journey northward, followed Depending on conditions, it takes about a month to by successive generations. The monarchs arrive in progress from egg, to caterpillar (larva), to chrysalis Canada in early May, with some individuals being seen (pupa), to adult butterfly. When the weather is warmer, in late April in some years. In recent years, small year- the butterflies develop more quickly. round resident populations of monarch butterflies have The male monarch has a spot of darker scales in the been discovered in Florida and along the southern centre of its hind wings where the scent glands are. coast of Texas. All the foregoing surely begs the following questions: Monarch caterpillars feed on milkweed leaves (Asclepias) and also tender milkweed flower buds and a) What are the male scent glands for? seed pods if necessary. The butterflies themselves live b) How do the fall immature Mexican youngsters, who on the nectar of flowers, and thereby contribute to have never made their anticipated trip south before, pollination. know when to leave, and how to find their way to a relatively small area northwest of Mexico City? Depending on conditions, such as weather and c) How and why did the monarch butterfly get its available food, in the summer they may go through up name? to four or five generations. Monarch butterflies d) One butterfly book includes “Dogbane and related ordinarily live only 30 days. However, the last plants”, as caterpillar feed. Is this correct? generation that emerges in the late summer and early e) What about the west coast monarchs? fall is immature and unable to reproduce. These youngsters are the true migrants that will travel to the Continued on page 17. over-wintering sites in Mexico. Their reproductive
Egg Caterpillar Preparing for pupation Pupa Adult Photographs by Margaret McRae
TFN 548 - 16
ECOLOGY TIDBITS
Pollinators in general, and bees in particular, have from the mother. At one time, this system was thought been declining. Worrisome reports about honey bees in to make Hymenopterans less susceptible to small North America and bumblebees in Europe have gotten population effects, because it means that males cannot the most attention, but other kinds of wild bees are be healthy carriers of harmful mutations. Unlike you or particularly vulnerable to habitat loss and me, a drone who gets a defective copy of a particular fragmentation; a quarter of bee species in Europe are gene from mom has no dad to get a working copy threatened or declining. Loss of pollinators threatens from, and so will not develop normally or reproduce. the reproduction of plants, and since some plants This has the effect of cleaning defective genes out of depend on particular species of insects for pollination, the gene pool (Zayed and Packer 2005). loss of pollinator diversity can lead directly to loss of plant diversity. Most fruit and seed crops (other than Matters are not so simple, however. It turns out that grains) benefit from insect pollination, and many what makes a bee female is not being diploid per se. A vegetables and forage crops also require insect bee is female if she carries any two different versions pollination for seed production. Some plants require (alleles) of the gene that determines sex. In most specialized pollinators, but even crop species that can healthy bee populations, there are between 9 and 20 be pollinated by generalist insects seem to benefit from different versions of this gene, so the odds of a a diversity of pollinators (Steffan-Dewenter et al. fertilized egg receiving two of a kind is pretty low 2005). Bees are thus becoming a focus of attention in (Zayed and Packer 2005). That’s why fertilized eggs conservation biology. usually grow into females. Unfertilized eggs, having only one copy of the gene, can’t have two different One of the principles of conservation biology is that versions and thus are always male. Some fertilized small isolated populations of any organism are eggs will end up with two of the same allele of the sex vulnerable to extinction in part because they are prone gene, and they produce diploid males. In a small, to lose genetic diversity. This is especially so if the inbred population or one that for some other reason has population fluctuates. When a population crashes it low genetic diversity, the odds that a mating will result creates a “bottleneck” in gene transmission, so that in diploid males increases. This is bad news because subsequent generations are genetically impoverished diploid males are effectively sterile (their offspring are even if numbers recover. Loss of genetic diversity can non-viable triploid females). lead to inbreeding depression and the accumulation of deleterious mutations, but it can have other harmful The loss of genetic diversity (specifically at the sex effects as well (Packer and Owen 2001). When we determination locus) leads, at least in computer speak of “small populations” in this context, it is simulations, to a vicious circle that Zayed and Packer important to keep in mind that we are referring to (2005) call an “extinction vortex”. The fewer different effective breeding populations. In the case of social alleles of the sex determination gene in the population, bees, the effective breeding population consists of the more fertilized eggs produce diploid males. The queens and drones only, and so is much smaller than more diploid males, the smaller the effective the total number of individuals (the vast majority of population size, because correspondingly fewer whom are sterile workers). Recent research by fertilized eggs produce fertile females and because the Lawrence Packer of York University and his males that the fertile females mate with are less likely colleagues shows that Hymenopterans (bees, wasps, to be fertile themselves. The smaller the effective ants, sawflies) are particularly vulnerable to the loss of breeding population, the less genetic diversity—thus, genetic diversity in ways that can have dire the fewer different alleles of the sex determination consequences. gene—and the more diploid males. The proportion of diploid males increases and the proportion of females In order to understand why, it is necessary know a bit decreases in each generation until the population goes about the genetics of sex determination in extinct. Hymenopterans. In this group of insects, females come from fertilized eggs and males normally come from So much for the fate of virtual bees in cyberspace. unfertilized eggs. Females are diploid—they have two What about real bees in nature? Researchers do not yet sets of chromosomes, one from the mother and one know how much of a role the diploid male vortex plays from the father (just like most animals). Males are in observed bee population declines and pollination haploid—they have only one set of chromosomes, deficits. What has been discovered is disquieting. TFN 548 - 17
Zayed and colleagues (2004) discovered that diploid restricted gene flow further contributes to low genetic male numbers are very high in at least one common diversity within many subpopulations. These species of Euglossine orchid bee in the Panamanian conditions are consistent with the vortex model and, as rain forest. Although the species is still quite abundant, predicted, populations are declining even in protected its effective population size is relatively low because of areas. If this species of bee goes extinct it will take population fluctuations and because male breeding with it several hundred species of orchids for which it success depends on the uncertain enterprise of is the sole pollinator. obtaining fragrant chemicals from rare orchids. The high proportion of diploid males itself depresses the Allan Greenbaum effective breeding population size. Geographically
References: Packer, Lawrence and Robin Owen. 2001. Population genetics aspects of pollinator decline. Conservation Ecology 5(1): art. 4 Steffan-Dewenter, Ingolf, Simon Potts and Lawrence Packer 2005. Pollinator diversity and crop pollination serves are at risk. Trends in Ecology and Evolution 20(12): 651-2. Zayed, Amro and Lawrence Packer. 2005. Complementary sex determination substantially increases extinction proneness of haplodiploid populations. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences 104(30):10742-6. Zayed, Amro, David Roubik and Lawrence Packer. 2004.Use of diploid male frequency as an indicator of pollinator decline. Proceedings of the Royal Society of London B (Supl.) 271: S9-S12.
MONARCH BUTTERFLIES continued from page 15
Some answers: pioneers after their king, William of Orange. Don a) The male scent glands are used to attract females; in Davis recalls that his late grandfather called monarchs the same way as the brilliant red of the male cardinal “King Billies”. bird does. e) In the summer months, the west coast monarchs that b) There clearly must be a genetic component. spent the winter months clustered in trees near the Research by Dr. Barrie Frost of Queen’s University in ocean (i.e. Pacific Grove) head north and inland. Kingston, Ontario, suggests that monarchs use the sun There are some tagging programs in California to find as a time-compensated compass. out more about the movement of the west coast c) The monarch may have been named by the early monarchs. Jim S. Allan Much appreciation to the following people who helped me on this project: Robert and Kellie Scott, Ann Gray, Alan Hanks, Margaret McRae (photographs), and especially Don Davis.
TFN 548 - 18
TORONTO CHRISTMAS BIRD COUNT 2006
From Toronto Ornithological Club website: www.torontobirding.ca
The Toronto Christmas Bird Count is part of the North American effort coordinated by the National Audubon Society and Bird Studies Canada. For the past several decades, the Toronto circle has been organized by the Toronto Ornithological Club. Toronto was one of only 25 communities (including just two in Canada) to take part in the inaugural Christmas Bird Count season in 1900. On December 25 that year, Toronto's lone participant, E. Fannie Jones, observed 51 individuals of four species (15 American Crows, 10 Black-capped Chickadees, 1 White- breasted Nuthatch, 25 Golden-crowned Kinglets). Since then, Toronto's Christmas Bird Counts continued sporadically through the early twentieth century, and have taken place annually since 1941.
82nd annual Toronto Christmas Bird Count: Sunday December 17, 2006 89 species; 56,022 individuals. Weather: partly sunny, breezy at times, very mild, high +13°. See www.torontobirding.ca for a complete list of the species observed. Continued on next page.
Robin eating sea-buckthorn berries, beside Lake Ontario on Centre Island, March 28, 2007. Sea-buckthorn (Hippophae rhamnoides) is a Eurasian shrub planted in Mute Swan (above and below). Western Lakeshore coastal regions and along highways because of its salt Heritage and Nature Walk, January 20, 2007. Photos by Augusta Takeda. tolerance. Photo by Jenny Bull.
Male Wood Duck, October 2006. Photo by Jerry Spevak. TFN 548 - 19
Highlights Ovenbird - 1 (2nd record in Cackling Goose - 1 (2nd record in Wilson's Snipe - 1 (7th record in count count history) count history) history) Orange-crowned Warbler - 1 Chipping Sparrow - 1 (7th record in Hybrid Barrow's x Common Goldeneye - (3rd record in count history) count history) 1 (new record for the count)
Record Highs Great Blue Heron - 17 (17 also in 1996) Red-bellied Woodpecker - 3 (ties 3 previous years) Blk-cr. Night Heron - 20 (12 in 1998) Downy Woodpecker - 232 (222 in 2005) Horned Grebe - 3 (also 3 in 1975) Red-breasted Nuthatch - 70 (63 in 2003) Red-necked Grebe - 4 (2 in 1997 and 2003) Northern Mockingbird - 34 (30 in 2005) Northern Shoveler - 94 (51 in 1994) Yellow-rumped Warbler - 4 (3 in 1959) Northern Pintail - 14 (8 in 1953) Northern Cardinal - 478 (398 in 2005) Red-breasted Merganser - 309 (179 in 1993) American Goldfinch - 1198 (1032 in 1963) Cooper's Hawk - 16 (13 in 2005) House Sparrow - 2834 (2618 in 2005) Peregrine Falcon - 10 (also 10 in 2005)
Unusual Lows Greater Scaup - 1033 (fewest since 1997) Great Horned Owl - 1 (fewest since 1971) Redhead - 340 (fewest since 1996) American Crow - 72 (similar to last year, but still under Great Black-backed Gull - 7 (fewest since 1970) 10% of the 10-year average 1992-2001)
Count Week Species: Seen during the three days before and/or after count day (Dec. 14-20) Green-winged Teal Yellow-bellied Sapsucker Brown-headed Cowbird Northern Goshawk Fox Sparrow Common Grackle
Top 10 Species: Number in parantheses indicates rank in 2005 count. European Starling (1) 21523 Canada Goose (9) 2913 American Goldfinch (12) 1198 Long-tailed Duck (3) 7180 House Sparrow (7) 2834 Greater Scaup (2) 1033 Ring-billed Gull (4) 5668 Mallard (5) 1888 Black-capped Chickadee (10) 973 Rock Pigeon (6) 3358
It was an incredibly mild day for the count - certainly among the warmest ever, if not an absolute record. Pleasant as it was in comparison to the very cold counts in some recent years, it did feel odd to be doing a Christmas Bird Count while countless people were out barbecuing, and even wearing shorts and t-shirts! It seemed that the level of human activity in the parks made it more difficult than usual to find birds, but on the whole the total numbers of species and individuals for the day were high anyway. However, the number of individuals was high largely due to a big jump this year in the abundance of European Starlings, up over 12,000 individuals from 2005, which more than accounts for the overall rise in total numbers. The 17 species tying or exceeding old record highs were an unusually large number. In addition, there were three other species that didn't set all time records, but were at their highest numbers in a long time - 76 Hairy Woodpeckers were the most since 1965, 62 Song Sparrows the most since 1989, and 767 Dark-eyed Juncos also the most since 1989, and the second highest total ever. TFN 548 - 20
INTERNATIONAL MIGRATORY BIRD DAY – MAY 12
The theme of International Migratory Bird Day (IMDB) this year is Birds in a Changing Climate. TFN and various bird-related organizations will be setting up displays at Toronto Zoo in the Conservation Connec- tion Centre (just outside the Indo-Malaya pavilion). Drop by and say hello to the volunteers at our table!
The Zoo will be conducting one and two hour guided bird watching tours of the Rouge Valley and around the Zoo site on the hour from 8 am to 3 pm ($5.00 per person). To pre-register for the tours, or for more information, contact Elaine Christens at 416-392-5960 or [email protected].
Contribute to the Conservation of Wild Birds From an IMBD fact sheet published in Urban Forest Network News, newsletter of LEAF
• Create Backyard Habitat. Provide food and shelter in your garden, with native plants, shrubs and trees. • Think before your spray. An estimated 67 million birds die each year from exposure to the harmful effects of pesticides. • Be a responsible cat owner. Biologists estimate that free- ranging cats kill hundred of millions of birds each year. • Buy shade-grown coffee. You can help conserve vital rainforest habitat and protect more than 150 forest- dependent migratory bird species just by drinking shade-grown coffee. • Get involved in community planning. Make sure future use and zoning plans consider the interests of wildlife. • Donate your old binoculars. Give new life to your old binoculars by passing them on to new birding enthusiasts. • Celebrate International Migratory Bird Day, May 12, 2007. Find and attend an IMBD event in your community, or start something yourself. Visit www.birdday.org for more information.
Night – Ontario Northland. Watercolour by Eva Davis. TFN 548 - 21
HOW TO HELP AN INJURED BIRD
From Fatal Light Awareness Program (FLAP) website: www flap.org
• If you find an injured bird, carefully pick it up and place it in an un-waxed paper bag or cardboard box that you have lined with tissue, paper towel or ravel-free cloth. Place it in a quiet, dark place. Make sure that the bird is upright.
• If it cannot sit up, create a "donut cushion" out of a piece of tissue and place the bird inside. Contact a Humane Society or rehabilitation center which accepts wild birds (see below). Be prepared to transport it there.
• Do not give the bird anything to eat or drink. Leave it undisturbed for an hour or two. If after this time it appears alert and unharmed, simply let it out of the bag or box well away from any windows.
• Handling causes great stress to the bird, so avoid this if at all possible. If you must hold the bird in hand when you go to release it, do not launch it as this will disorient the bird. Just open your hand and be patient.
• If you have any doubts or concerns, call your local wildlife rehabilitation centre or Humane Society, or a veterinarian who has some experience with birds.
You can take injured birds to: FLAP’s Wingspread Songbird Recovery Centre: 416-366-FLAP Toronto Humane Society: 416-392-2273 Toronto Wildlife Centre. Wildlife Hotline: 416-631-0662. Available 7 days a week
Make sure that bird feeders and other attractants (birdbaths, nutritious vegetation) are either less than 1 meter or more than 3 meters away from the window. If the attractant is very close to the house, the bird cannot build up enough momentum to injure itself should it hit the window. Alternatively, if the feeder is 3 metres (10 feet) away, the bird is less likely to come close enough to the house for a collision to take place.
Cats and pesticides also pose a serious threat to birds. Keep your cat indoors or build screened enclosures for them complete with branches and other perches. (The birds and your cats will be safer!)
You can also help by becoming a member of the Fatal Light Awareness Program or by making a donation. FLAP’S mission is To Preserve The Lives of Migratory Birds in Urban Areas. FLAP members receive two issues per year of the newsletter "Touching Down" as well as periodic bulletins.
Please let FLAP know of any ideas for preventing window strikes that have worked for you (416-366-FLAP).
TFN WEBSITE
We are continuing to revise our website and would like to invite member participation in several areas. As we experiment with changing the look and feel, we would like to have people test our changes and give us feedback. Pages look different on different operating systems, browsers, and screen resolutions and we would like to be advised if there are any problems viewing it. If you would like to help us test the site, please email me and tell me whether you use a Mac or PC, and what browser and screen size you use.
We would also welcome your photos and artwork. We would like to have some pages of photos from recent walks, perhaps one page for each month. We would also be happy to feature a page for nature arts or use some of your drawings on selected pages. We would give credit to the artist or photographer but are unable to control how the artwork might be used by others who access it, so require your permission to use it on the website. Submissions may be sent to [email protected] and should be in .jpg format. For photos, I would suggest a width of 400 pixels. Please identify the subject matter and include the date and place of viewing and any other relevant information. If your artwork was used in a newsletter and you are willing to have it published on the website, please advise us, as we require your permission specifically for the website.
Margaret McRae, webmaster, [email protected] TFN 548 - 22
NATURALISTS’ CODE OF ETHICS
With thanks to various naturalist group websites.
Help to preserve plants in our parks, ravines and other natural spaces: • walk only on established trails. Compacted soil is not easily penetrated by plant roots and does not absorb water as well as loose soil. • don’t pick wildflowers. A plant cannot produce seed without flowers. Some plants take many years to accumulate enough energy to flower. • don’t harvest plants from natural areas. Plants can quickly become extirpated from overuse (for example, fiddle head ostrich ferns no longer grow in some Toronto ravines). When plants are harvested by people, they are no longer available for wild animals which may depend on them. • don’t dig up plants for your garden. Not only is this theft but many plants will not survive transplanting. • don’t collect seed. Many animals rely on fruits and seeds for food. If you wish to grow native plants in your garden, seeds and plants can be bought at local native plant and seed sales (see Coming Events, p. 29). • don’t plant your own plants into natural areas! Garden plants may disturb native plants and sometimes become invasive.
Help to welcome wildlife in our city: • keep your distance from nesting birds and any animals which may abandon their young if stressed by human presence. Use binoculars, blinds, etc. to keep some distance. • move slowly and quietly around animals. • leave pets at home. • don’t repeat bird recordings more than a few times to attract birds. Birds can become stressed. • don’t kill, harass or collect snakes or other animals you may dislike or wish to harvest. • don’t feed wildlife. It is not good for animals to become used to humans or to eat human food.
And… Do not enter private property without permission! When using binoculars in a residential area, do not give the impression that you are looking in windows! Do not litter! Share your knowledge and enthusiasm with other people. Participate in conservation activities.
Columbine (Aquilegia canadensis). Watercolour by Mary Anne Miller. TFN 548 - 23
IN THE NEWS
Provincial Funds Too Thinly Spread to Protect Natural Heritage Properties Summary by Ellen Schwartzel, Office of the Environmental Commissioner of Ontario
The Ministry of Natural Resources’ budget to purchase nearly $30 million U.S. in this program area in 2005. natural heritage lands has remained frozen for almost a Ontario’s land acquisition programs have had various decade, making it very difficult to protect habitat in incarnations over recent years; the newest program is southern Ontario, where land values are high. That is a operated by the Ontario Heritage Trust, and is called the finding of the Environmental Commissioner of Ontario Natural Spaces Land Acquisition and Stewardship (ECO) in his 2005-2006 Annual Report. MNR’s land Program (NSLASP). Though program names have acquisition budget has been frozen at approximately $5- changed, the budgets have not improved. The ECO is 6 million per year since 1998/99, despite the fact that disappointed that the province has relied on various land prices have risen dramatically in the past decade – small-budget, short-term programs to purchase in fact, farmland in southern Ontario has doubled in vulnerable natural heritage lands. Furthermore, the value over the period 1995-2005. The ECO notes that programs and their criteria and areas of eligibility have some U.S. states spend significantly higher amounts on shifted every few years, which is not an effective way acquiring natural spaces. Neighbouring Michigan spent of setting and achieving long-term goals.
Major Increase in Tree Planting to Occur in Southern Ontario From a media release from eco-site.com, Toronto, March 22, 2007
Southern Ontario will see a major increase in tree right direction. We are now poised to almost double planting over the next several years, as a result of $2 existing levels in southern Ontario over the next few million in new funding to the Trees Ontario Foundation years,” said Mr. Cary, Chair of TOF. Trees are vital for (TOF) announced in today’s Ontario Budget. Since our health and well-being, and can help in the climate 2004, TOF has assisted its partners in increasing tree change battle. One hectare of trees produces enough planting efforts throughout the southern Ontario region oxygen for 45 people to breathe. A hectare of trees by more than 2.2 million trees. “This is a long way consumes the amount of carbon dioxide an average car from the 20 million trees a year that were being planted produces driving 100,000 kilometres. up until the early nineties, but we are moving in the
Budgets Deal some winning cards, but ultimately a Losing Hand for the Natural Environment by Tad Franklin and Franz Hartmann. Tad Franklin is a volunteer at Toronto Environmental Alliance (TEA). Franz Hartmann is the Co-executive Director. TEA campaigns locally to find solutions to Toronto's urban environmental problems. Our Mission is to promote a greener Toronto. For more information, visit www.torontoenvironment.org.
Both the federal and provincial budgets have dealt our now seen as a priority by our elected officials. natural heritage some winning cards, but ultimately a Despite these efforts, the single largest threat to our losing hand. The federal government has put new natural heritage has largely been ignored. Neither the money towards the Species at Risk Act in order to provincial nor the federal government has invested the effectively implement monitoring and protection of necessary funds required to properly reduce greenhouse Canada’s endangered species. Ottawa is also providing gas emissions, the cause of global warming. This is in $22 million to expand the enforcement of environ- spite of the overwhelming scientific evidence that mental protection laws, including a 50% increase in global warming will have devastating impacts on all of environmental enforcement officers. Locally, $41 Canada’s natural ecosystems as well as Canadians. The million has been pledged to restore and sustain the only government addressing this issue in a meaningful Great Lakes ecosystems. The Ontario government has way is the City of Toronto. committed $2 million to the Rouge Park Alliance and While it is encouraging to see provincial and federal $25 million to Friends of the Greenbelt, in order to money spent on initiatives that will protect our natural continue protecting these areas from development. This heritage, these efforts will ultimately be in vain unless allocation of funds is encouraging because it suggests Mayor Miller’s willingness to confront global warming that preserving green space and natural ecosystems is catches on in Queen’s Park and Ottawa. TFN 548 - 24
KEEPING IN TOUCH
NOW YOU SEE THEM … NOW YOU DON’T their time, and they have disappeared, leaving “not a wrack behind” in Prospero’s words. Not a leaf, not a Churchville, which branches off from Steeles decayed root. One day they are there. On an West highway, was, when I discovered it eight th ordained day, they are as suddenly gone. years ago, a tiny 19 Century village remnant Next year, on the dot, they reappear en with its own historic cemetery, bounded by masse. I, too, therefore, have learned to the Credit River and farmers’ fields. These “arrive on time.” fields have (inevitably) now become an enormous sub-division, and Churchville is an Eva Davis isolated community no more. It still owns a park with mown grass, children’s slides and Remember! Don’t eat any mushrooms fallen trees for climbing, from which a narrow unless you are an expert in their identification. Ed. earth path leads into the remnant of forest bordering the Credit River down into Mississauga. Reference: Orson K. Miller, Jr. Mushrooms of
The entrance to this forest boasts two pullulations North America.
(there’s no other word for such extravagance) of 10- foot high sunflowers and Himalayan balsam, the BIRD WATCHING IN COMFORT exquisite pink-belled relative of spotted touch-me-not. (I much prefer the old name of jewelweed, a “weed” A new condominium building on the south side of but a jewel of a “weed!” However, one must be Bloor Street blocks my view of High Park and Lake ‘politically correct.’) The entrance is also guarded by a Ontario. However, with a glass-topped desk behind 10 massing of escaped goutweed and a plentiful array of feet of south-facing windows, I enjoy a surprising stinging nettles. Once carefully past these, the track variety of mirror images of birds that fly past while I reveals the occasional bloodroot, false Solomon’s seal am doing other things at the desk. and trillium, both white and red. The wet areas are rich with ostrich fern, small white aster (which can grow Also, thanks to southwest-facing windows, I have into a 10-foot wall despite its name), purple loosestrife, elecampane and goldenrod, both Canada and zigzag. In the spring there are large patches of yellow trout lily and one patch of white trout lily whose boundaries, interestingly, never enlarge. There is the occasional Jack-in-the-pulpit, which I understand is becoming rare, and many growths of bracket fungi, specifically the striking dryad’s saddle (Polyporus squamosus) as well as the less noticeable artist’s conk (Ganoderma applanatum), which is a perennial and ultimately spells discovered that, while lying down for my afternoon death to its host tree. There was even, on one lovingly nap, I have access to an enormous area of sky and its remembered occasion, a huge fruiting of Agaricus occupants. On March 19th, a Red-tailed Hawk was augustus (stem up to 5 inches tall, cap anything up to checking out the area, including a visit to High Park 12 inches in circumference: Edible, choice, smells of before finally heading off to the west. After which, I anise – Miller) which I rejoicingly collected, running snugly closed my eyes and had my nap. all the way home to pop them into the frying pan.
Peter Hoad But the real find for me has been a ground cover of Dutchman’s breeches. I had never come across these P.S. Peter phoned on March 30th to say that two Red- perky little creatures outside the textbooks, and they tailed Hawks appear to be nesting right near his have to be “caught” at the right time. Their season is apartment. It looks like he has neighbours! from April to May – no longer. Go even one day after
TFN 545 –25
KEEPING IN TOUCH continued.
This watercolour painting was done on site on a dull November day in High Park zoo. The buck actually posed long enough for me to get a comprehensive painting. While I was debating as to whether the painting was finished (artists always have this problem), the buck decided for me. At that precise moment, he arose and walked towards me. He had had enough of posing. I thanked him for posing so nicely all that time. Imagine, my surprise when he bowed his head, magnificent antlers and all, as if to say, "You're welcome".
Nancy Anderson
“Handsome buck in High Park.” Watercolour, l2" x l6", by Nancy Anderson
RECOMMENDED FIELD GUIDE: Kaufman Field Guide to Insects of North America, Eric R. Eaton and Kenn Kaufman, Houghton Mifflin Co., 2007. $25.95
At last, an insect guide that’s as easy to use as our bird guides. It’s a small book (same size as my bird guide by Robbins – a Golden Guide). Insects are shown to scale on the right-hand pages, with information about each on the facing page. The index is excellent. The introductory material is well worth reading. The authors have nothing bad to say about insects. I find myself reading the book from cover to cover. My favourite quote so far is: “The cigarette beetle infests a variety of dried vegetable matter but appears most addicted to tobacco at all stages of production. So far, it has not been observed smoking.” The best way to overcome an aversion to anything, they tell us, is to learn more about it. This book certainly gives anyone who uses it an opportunity to learn more about this group of animals that so many people complain about.
Helen Juhola
DO NOT DISTURB
WILDLIFE TREES
SAVED FOR FOOD
SHELTER AND NESTING
Sign beside two rotten-looking trees along a nature trail in Oak Bay, B.C. (part of Victoria). Sent by Helen Juhola. Wetland. Acrylic by Mary Anne Miller. TFN 548 - 26
FROM THE ARCHIVES
TOAD ACRE OR SKUNK HALL, from an article by Mrs. N.L. Brown in TFN Newsletter no. 120, December 1953.
We bought our home in the country in December, a and wondering how many spuds would turn out of the most deceitful time of the year. It wasn't till early earth. Ours were very large but rather warty. Three in spring that a hint of trouble was foreshadowed. On the the first hill was good going, but the next hill produced first warm day we went out eagerly to tidy up the something that moved and with a sickening thought I flower bed and to discover what plants were there. Our realized I had dug up a hibernating toad, or had I attention was drawn to holes in assorted sizes, and speared him up? He was lying on his back and moving soon a neighbour came along and suggested that we ever so slightly. Upon examination I found, thank not dig in there yet. "Better wait until the toads come heaven, that I hadn't damaged him. I picked him up out." That was alright with us, we were delighted to and toted him off to the flower garden where he would have toads hibernating in our garden. So we waited for be safe. As I went along the row every other hill or so several days but by that time many other jobs were produced potatoes and toads nestled close together. crowding in on us, and we were Finally I brought a second container, one for well behind in cleaning up potatoes and one for toads. Digging had lost the flower beds. However its fun and had become a prodigious chore we felt rewarded when we because I had to sink the fork a long way heard the songs of the from the centre of the hill in order not toads and frogs in the pond to chance spearing my sleeping friends. next to our property. I promised myself one speared toad and the place goes up for sale. We were beginning, though, to have Drawing by Diana Banville an uneasy feeling that this acre of land Well toads may be sissies and curl up for wasn't ours. In the summer evenings it became a a long sleep at the first breath of cool air in the fall, but constant fear that we might step on toads, and so after they are not malicious. Skunks are. Not that you mind dark if it were necessary to move around outdoors we skunks digging in the garden after dark when you had to stamp our feet so that the toads would have aren't looking. You really don't care about those some warning of our approach and hustle out of the expensive bulbs you have planted, or your precious way. root of bleeding heart being disturbed. Oh no! You
don't begrudge them their slugs, but when they are One day early in July I was returning home after a mean enough to back up to your bedroom window and quiet day in the city, and saw, as I approached our pull the trigger night after night, that's going too far. house, that the road was hopping up and down. On Another thing is you daren't visit the compost pile at close examination I saw that it was covered for an area night to sneak on a few orange peels without being with small toads. Our walks and lawn were also armed with a flashlight and plenty of fortitude. If you dancing with the movement of many thousands of disturb one of these pussies gamboling on the walk these small creatures. Norm had the lawn mower out with its young, or munching fallen pears on the lawn it but cutting the grass had to be abandoned, not for just might resent you - in the usual way. that day but for a week, until most of the small toads had moved on or at least out of sight. They had One hears so much about the strain of city living, but emerged en masse from the pond below us that very give me the clang of the streetcar to soothe my jaded day. I should add that they penetrated into the house nerves compared to the ordeal of having an uninvited and garage, and rescue work went on all summer. skunk in the basement. Norm devised such a good way of coaxing him out that we have now patented the idea, Fall is a time of year we have always liked, no flies or and for a small fee this information will be divulged. mosquitoes, nothing to bother you outdoors. So the Funds from this project are being amassed for a time arrives for the pleasurable job of digging potatoes. peaceful weekend in New York. I used to like this job, sinking the fork in the ground
Ed. note: Where might we find such an abundance of toads today? On the other hand, in the 21st century, within earshot of a clanging Toronto streetcar, it is possible to experience the aroma of skunk wafting through the bedroom windows. TFN 548 - 27
WEATHER (THIS TIME LAST YEAR)
May 2006
May had several phases. The first phase was dominated This was the hottest May weather since 1962 (when it by the high pressure portion of an Omega Block. This hit 34.4o at the airport). The heat lasted two days. brought sunny and moderately warm conditions almost uninterruptedly for the first ten days. The second phase The result of all this variability was another slightly brought in a persistent cold low with unsettled and warmer-than-normal month (about 1o above normal increasingly cool conditions. This culminated on the and the warmest May in 5 years), and near-to-slightly Victoria Day weekend with daytime temperatures above normal rainfall, with the rain coming during the below 10o, showers, and even wet snow as far south as unsettled period of mid-month. Rainfall totals were Lake Simcoe (though none officially at Toronto). 82.0 mm at Pearson and 75.3 mm downtown. Finally, the trough was gradually replaced by a strong ridge that, as it drifted east, placed southern Ontario in In spite of the unsettled and changeable conditions, the grip of a short but sharp heat-wave. Eight days after sunshine was above normal again for the fifth the wet snow and November-like chill of May 21, consecutive month. We had 251.9 hours, while the temperatures reached a record 34.1o at Pearson Airport. normal is 228.9 hours.
June 2006
June was generally close to normal in all respects. It only 0.3 hours above the long-term average (calculated was somewhat above the long-term average, but much for downtown). cooler than last year. It also brought much more moisture. The monthly mean at Pearson was 19.8o, 2 No single pattern prevailed. Troughs and ridges degrees above the 1971-2000 average but 2.8 degrees alternated. It got very cool on the weekend of June 9- cooler than June 2005. Rainfall was irregular (as is 11, and moderately hot the following weekend. This typical in the summer with thunderstorm rainfall) but warm spell, however, could not be considered a heat generally higher than 2005. Pearson’s 45.4 mm was wave. Slight troughing the last week of June brought almost 30 mm below normal, but downtown’s 89.9 near-normal temperatures overall but frequent mm was about 20 mm above normal. Sunshine at thundershowers. Pearson was almost exactly normal at 254.3 hours,
July 2006
July was a fairly warm month, but considerably cooler cooler than 2005. The hottest period was the 16th-17th than in 2005. The extreme heat that affected much of with temperatures in the 33-34o range – very hot but the U.S. (it was the second hottest July U.S.-averaged not unusual in recent years. since 1936) only grazed Toronto as a trough affecting the east side of North America occasionally asserted Unlike most of the rest of the continent, Ontario and itself. Distinct cool spells hit Toronto 4-7 and 21-24, the northeastern U.S. were rather wet. Heavy rain fell while hot and/or humid conditions were prevalent on on the 10th and 12th, with severe thunderstorms to the the 3rd, the 15th to 17th, and the final 7 days of the north on the 17th with reports of tornadoes from month, when no minimum temperatures below 20o Newmarket. Although we were spared the tornadoes were recorded. The month averaged 23.4o both at and even much rain on the 17th, Pearson Airport did Pearson and downtown. (In recent years, urbanization record a gust of 98 km/h from the west. Rainfall totals has engulfed the airport so that it is almost as much were 120.8 mm downtown and 105.2 mm at Pearson. part of the urban heat island as downtown. The urbanization has also exaggerated the effects of global A normal amount of mostly convective cloud cover warming at Pearson and complicates the interpretation resulted in near-normal sunshine totals again: 278.8 of weather records from that location). In any case, the hours as opposed to the old downtown average of downtown average was 0.8o above normal but 0.9o 276.2 hours. TFN 548 - 28
WEATHER (THIS TIME LAST YEAR) continued …
August 2006
August began with stifling heat but quickly entered a 3rd brought more rain and further cooling. North persistent moderating trend. August 1 was the hottest America moved into a cooling trend. day on record at Pearson Airport with a daily mean temperature of 31.5 o. (The maximum was 36.6 o, which The remainder of August was dominated by this has been exceeded a few times, but the minimum was pattern change and had generally seasonable conditions an incredible 26.3 o.) The humidex hit 47o. (The with some days that felt downright cool. Rains were highest was 50.3 o in July1995.) These conditions are generally light and fairly frequent. Sunshine was 277 more typical of Texas or the Persian Gulf than Ontario. hours, about 35 above normal and the highest since 2002. The heat ended with a bang on the 2nd when a cold front brought a line of severe thunderstorms across Monthly mean temperatures were near to fractionally southern and eastern Ontario. Toronto, however, was above the 1971-2000 mean because of the first two spared a repeat of last year (August 19, 2005), as this days of the month. Rainfall was 40.2 mm at Pearson time we just had a good downpour and a wind gust of and 26.3 mm (preliminary estimate) downtown. It was 83 km/h. Eastern Ontario suffered, however. the driest August since 2002 but because of rains Combermere (east of Algonquin Park and north of earlier in the summer and high humidity, there was no Bancroft) was struck by a major tornado that felled moisture deficit to speak of. hundreds of trees but caused no human casualties. The Gavin Miller
“Phobia.” Watercolour by Eric Lin. TFN 548 - 29
COMING EVENTS
Jim Baillie Memorial Bird Walks – Toronto Ornithological Club • Sat., May 5, 7:30 am to noon. Spring Migration–High Park. Leader: Bob Yukich. Meet in the parking area inside the Bloor St. entrance at High Park. • Sat., May 12, 7:30 am to noon. Warblers – Lambton Woods. Leader: Don Burton. Meet in the parking lot at James Gardens (access from Edenbridge Dr.) • Sat., May 19, 7:30 am to noon. Whimbrel and other Migrants – Colonel Samuel Smith Park. Leader: Steven Favier. Meet in the southerly parking lot at the foot of Kipling Avenue. • Mon., May 21, 7:45 am (all day). Peak Migration – Toronto Islands. Leader: Luc Fazio. Meet at the Toronto Islands Ferry Docks at the foot of Bay St. to catch the 8 am ferry to Hanlon’s Point. Bring a lunch.
High Park Spring Walking Tours Moderately paced, naturalist led. Duration 1.5 to 2 hours. May go on wooded trails, so wear appropriate clothing and footwear. Meet at the benches across the road from the south side of the Grenadier Café and Teahouse in High Park. $2.00 donation. Information: 416-392-1748 ext. 5, website www highpark.org. • Sun. April 29, 1:15 pm. On Grenadier Pond • Sun. May 13, 9:00 am. Spring Migration (bring binoculars, especially recommended for families) • Sun. May 27, 1:15 pm. Nature Photography (bring a camera, digital or film) • Tues. June 5, 6:45 pm. TBA • Tues. June 19, 6:45 pm. Native and Invasive Plants (Hands-on workshop, bring work gloves)
High Park Native Plant Sale Sun., May 6, 12 noon to 4:30 pm. Purchase native plants grown in High Park and help support the Volunteer Stewardship Program’s Black Oak Savannah and other restoration projects. Next to Colborne Lodge at the south end of the Park near the Queensway entrance. Information: www highpark.org
Heritage Seeds, Plants and Wildflowers Sale Sat., May 26, 11am – 5pm. Two locations: Tollkeeper’s Cottage, northwest corner of Davenport & Bathurst; and, 155 Upper Canada Drive, east of Yonge St., south of 401 in Willowdale
The Market Gallery To June 10. The Spadina Expressway Affair. South St. Lawrence Market, 2nd floor, 95 Front St. E. Free. The people and communities involved in the debate surrounding the expressway. Wed.-Fri. 10 am to 4 pm; Sat. 9 am to 4 pm; Sun. noon to 4 pm. Information: 416-392-7604.
COMMUNITY ENVIRONMENT DAYS
During the summer, Community Environment Days are held throughout the City, hosted by City Councilors. They provide an opportunity for you to bring unused household items to be recycled or reused by folks who want and need them rather than ending up on landfill. A spring WasteWatch flyer, listing dates and locations, was recently delivered to households in Toronto. If you didn’t receive one, contact your City Councilor for information.
RECYCLING COMPUTERS
reBOOT Canada is a non-profit organization providing computer hardware, training and technical support to charities, non-profits and people with limited access to technology. Since 1996 reBOOT Canada has distributed over 60,000 pieces of computer equipment to charitable organizations across Canada. reBOOT Canada accepts donations of computer equipment throughout Canada. As much equipment as possible is refurbished and made available for distribution to organizations across Canada. Over 3,000 organizations have received equipment from reBOOT. What cannot be fixed is recycled.
Monitors subject to a $10 handling fee to offset recycling charges and insure safe disposal of cathode-ray tubes. Drop off donations at 136 Geary Ave., #110, Mon. to Fri. between 10 am and 4 pm. Pickups $50. www.rebootcanada.ca 416-534-6017 TFN 548 - 30
COMING EVENTS continued ….
Lost Rivers Bike Hike - Discover vestiges of a prehistoric Lake Iroquois Baymouth Bar. Sun., June 24, 2 pm. Leader: John Wilson. Meet at Kiwanis Parkette, south end of Leaside Bridge, north of O'Connor Dr. on Pape Ave. Bicycle about 14 km, mainly on city streets at moderate speeds, stopping at locations of geological and cultural interest. Finish at Rosetta McClain Gardens, Kingston Rd. and Glen Everest Rd. (east of Birchmount Rd). Duration 2-3 hours. Information: Toronto Green Community, 416-781-7663 or www.lostrivers.ca.
Rouge Valley Hikes Sundays, 1:30 pm. (apx. 1.5 to 2 hrs.) Note different meeting places. Rouge Valley Conservation Centre (RVCC - Pearse House) is at 1749 Meadowvale Rd., Scarborough (bus 85B from Don Mills subway; 86A from Kennedy subway; 85A from Rouge Hills GO station). Walks rain or shine, donations welcome. For information call 416-282-8265. • May 13. “Nature photography and Spring wildflowers.” Meet at RVCC east of zoo bridge. • May 27. Nature Walk. Meet at Glen Eagles Vista parking lot, Twyn Rivers Drive and Sheppard Ave. • June 10. “Turtles in the Rouge” Meet at Twyn Rivers Drive curve east of bridge. • June 24. Nature Walk. Meet at Twyn Rivers Drive parking lot at former ski hill. • July 8. “Nature's Pollinators” Meet at RVCC. • July 29. Nature Walk. Meet at Amos Ponds, Old Finch and Pickering Townline. • August 12. “Summer in the Valley” Meet at RVCC. • August 26. Nature Walk. Meet at Woodlands Park, Reesor Road and Steeles Ave.
Ian Wheal Walks • Sat., May 19, 2 pm. Shoreline of Lake Ontario: Rouge Hill – Pickering Bluffs. Meet at Rouge Hill GO Station. Free. • Sat., June 2, 2 pm. Timber Wolves of Garrison Common – Meet at northwest corner of Bathurst St. and King St. W. Free. A walk to showpiece actual stories of wolf packs that once roamed Garrison Common (c.1826). • Sat., June 16, 2 pm. North by Northwest: Military Heritage of Northwest Parkdale with Norfolk Reds (tunics). Meet at northeast corner of Gladstone Ave. and Queen St. W. Free. • Sat., July 14, 1:30 pm. Scarborough’s Class A Wetlands. Meet at last bus stop on Meadowvale Rd. before Toronto Zoo, #86 bus from Kennedy Station. Free
Toronto Bird Observatory – Bird Banding in High Park Saturday mornings during spring and fall migration (to end of May and Mid-August to early October). Observe an avian ecologist, up close, as he documents song birds and shares his observations. Information 416-236-7234
Toronto Region Conservation Authority Family Nature Events recommended for adults and children above the age of 5 yrs. Call at least 2 business days before to register. 416-661-6600, ext. 5660 • Sat., May 12, 9am – 11 am (early bird hike at 7 am). Bring Back the Birds. Tommy Thompson Park (foot of Leslie St.). Hone your bird identification skills and learn about research and conservation work in this urban park. Bring binoculars and bird field guide if you have them. • Sun., August 19, 1:30 pm – 3:30 pm. Wetland Wonders. Discover the wonders of wetlands, including the many contributions they make to a living city! Experienced naturalists will provide guidance and equipment. Bring rubber boots and field guides if you have them. Wildwood Park, southwest corner of Derry Rd. and Goreway Dr., Mississauga. • Fish Check-Up: Improve your fish identification skills and learn about local fish research projects. Fish will be captured, identified, measured, tagged and released back into the water. • Sat., July 7, 9am – 10:30 am. Tommy Thompson Park, foot of Leslie St. • Wed., July 18, 7 pm – 8:30 pm. Humber Bay Park West, south of Lake Shore Blvd. W. at the base of Park Lawn Rd. Meet on the boardwalk south of Marina Del Ray condo.
The Arboretum – University of Guelph Thurs. May 10, 1– 4 pm. A Woodland and Wildflower Garden. Tour through Victoria Woods examining wildflowers, ferns and sedges that can be part of your own evolving backyard woodland. Emphasis on interpreting the organization of woodlands and the function, establishment and care of trees. Participants will receive a booklet on woodland gardening and local wildflowers. Pre-register with payment of $35 by April 26. 519-824-4120, ext. 52358
Toronto Bay Initiative: www.torontobay.net/events 416-598-2277
Toronto Entomologists’ Association (TEA): www.ontarioinsects.org TFN 548 - 31
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Three sedges at TFN’s Jim Baillie Nature Reserve, drawn by Diana Banville.
L to R: Porcupine sedge (Carex hystericina), dark-green bulrush (Scirpus atrovirens), crowded sedge (Carex stipata). TFN 548 - 32
Toronto Field Naturalists Publications Mail Registration No. 40049590 2 Carlton St., #1519 Toronto, Ontario M5B 1J3
MEMBERSHIP RENEWAL
Your TFN membership expires June 30, 2007. To renew for the year July 1, 2007 to June 30, 2008, and ensure a September newsletter, either • Cut out the form on the reverse side of this page, or • photocopy both the form on page 31 and this page containing your mailing information, or • print the Membership application form from the TFN website and complete it, ensuring that the name appears exactly as printed above. If your address has changed, please indicate this so our records will be updated. Send the form with your payment by June 30 to: Toronto Field Naturalists, 2 Carlton Street, Suite 1519, Toronto, ON, M5B 1J3
Black-crowned Night-Heron at Don Valley Brick Works, June 17, 2006.
Photo by Yoshie Nagata.