When Bobolinks are mentioned in mixed audiences, you invariably get muffled laughter, quizzical looks and finally the question, “A bobo-what?”
Bobolinks are small songbirds in the same family as grackles and meadowlarks. The breeding male is most recognizable by its black body and white back with a buff patch at the nape.
Today’s post comes from our Northwest Regional Planning Ecologist Bill Greaves.
Ouimet Canyon Provincial Park is typically visited for its jaw-dropping geological feature, but it’s also one of the better birding hotspots in the Thunder Bay area.
What might you see at Ouimet Canyon?
Continue reading Ouimet Canyon: a northwestern birding hotspot
This installment of our 2017 blog series IBAs in provincial parks — brought to you by Ontario IBA Coordinator Amanda Bichel of Bird Studies Canada —focuses on the spring migrations at two of our southwestern parks.
On my recent trip to Rondeau Provincial Park / IBA for the Wings of Spring festival and the Port Franks Forested Dunes IBA (close to Pinery Provincial Park), one thing was clear…
…tundra swans make a big impression.
Continue reading IBAs of Ontario Parks: tundra swans and spring songbirds
This installment of our 2017 blog series IBAs in provincial parks — brought to you by Ontario IBA Coordinator Amanda Bichel of Bird Studies Canada — is very “cool.”
Welcome to our year-long blog series! For our inaugural spotlight, we are staying in the winter spirit and focusing on Ontario’s far north. That’s right: our worlds collide up there in a big way.
The Piping Plover 10th anniversary event, lovingly entitled Ploverpalooza, is scheduled to take place over the course of the summer of 2017.
Wasaga Beach Provincial Park and the Friends of Nancy Island have spearheaded the Piping Plover Recovery Program since the species returned to Wasaga Beach in 2008.
Help us celebrate the 10th anniversary of the return of this beloved species at risk!
We’re jazzed to introduce a new series for 2017 — IBAs in provincial parks — brought to you by Ontario IBA Coordinator Amanda Bichel of Bird Studies Canada. If you love birds, you won’t want to miss these monthly features.
Wondering what an IBA is? The acronym stands for “Important Bird and Biodiversity Areas.”
The IBA program aims to identify, monitor and protect the world’s most important sites for birds and biodiversity.
Today’s post comes from Park Biologist Erica Barkley.
As a kid, I always pictured bird migration as Canada Geese flying south in a “V” during the day.
But that changed one calm, clear September evening. A park naturalist pointed out dozens of tiny “peep” noises over our heads. “Those are songbirds,” he said.
“No way!” I said. “Thousands of birds are migrating at night?!”
Today’s post comes from Brad Steinberg, our Natural Heritage Education and Learning Coordinator. An avid birder, Brad identifies several “migration superhighways” and the role provincial parks play in protecting Canada’s Important Bird Areas.
Being stuck in traffic sucks. Especially with young kids.
This sentiment recently ran through my head while mired in bumper-to-bumper traffic on the Don Valley Parkway in Toronto, Ontario. (My conclusion was reinforced when my son loudly announced his urgent need for a bio-break.)
But as frustrating as highways can be; they are vitally important to us, providing a reliable route from one place to another.
Continue reading Billions travel Ontario’s migration superhighways
One of my favourite signs is from a lookout over the Grand Canyon. It simply says,
ONE MINUTE.
DON’T READ.
DON’T TALK.
NO PHOTOS.
JUST LOOK…..AND SEE.
It is something that I hope you will do often when you visit our parks or other natural areas in Ontario. But how about this variation?
TWO MINUTES.
PUT DOWN YOUR PHONE.
DON’T READ.
DON’T TALK.
SIT QUIETLY…AND LISTEN.
And you can do that right now.
Below are some one to two minute recordings of birds and amphibians. Several organizations contributed recordings from across the province.
On these recordings you will hear a multitude of bird, amphibian, and perhaps some insect species. You will even hear wolves in the recording from Ivanhoe Lake Provincial Park!
So put on some headphones, sit quietly, and simply listen to these natural soundscapes.
You may need to increase the volume on your computer or device to hear them properly. Just don’t start at full volume! Download them to your computer or other device if you wish.
I Listen.
A trained person can identify bird or amphibian species from their distinctive calls. When I was an intern, I first trained by accompanying a more experienced birder. Now I listen to recordings of bird songs and amphibians calls. It is a skill one needs to practice to maintain.
There are great training apps for computers, tablets and smart phones. There are also websites, such as the Cornell Lab of Ornithology’s Macaulay Library.
Surveying for birds can be passive or active. In passive surveying, I listen for a five or 10 minute period and record all the species I hear.
However, some species rarely call. For these species I use a portable sound system to broadcast their calls, and wait for a response. Broadcasting calls is a form of harassment, so I do it only a few times at any one site.
We strongly discourage park visitors from broadcasting calls, unless it is a research activity that we have reviewed and approved.
Sometimes I just want to know what species occur in our various parks.
Sometimes I am looking for specific birds or amphibians, such as a species at risk.
Which ones are common? Which species are rare? What kind of habitat do they need?
Over time I could discover population trends that alarm me, comfort me, or even excite me. And sometimes I survey birds for environmental assessments, so that I understand which species may be affected by a new development or restoration project.
A pair of birds may call to each other as part of courtship behaviour. Birds may call to communicate with other members of their family or flock. However, most of the time it is the males that sing. For them it is all about defending territory and trying to impress a mate. They are basically saying “This is my land. Keep out!” and “Hey ladies….check out MY colours!”
In songbirds, the song is learned from parents at an early age. For the researcher, young males practicing their ‘voice’ can be misleading. Within some bird species the variation in songs can be interesting, or even frustrating. For example, the American Redstart has several song variations.
A few years ago I invested in a few automated recording devices. These can be programmed to record at certain times of day, for almost any length of time. At a minimum it is a 10-minute recording half an hour after sunrise, and a 5-minute recording half an hour after sunset.
These devices increase my ability to survey birds and amphibians. Essentially, they allow me to be in more than one place at the same time.
They may also record things I otherwise would not hear. Why? Some species know when I am present, and may remain silent or avoid me. But they behave normally if only the device is present, and are more likely to be recorded.
I take the device back to the office, download the recordings, listen to them, and record what I hear. I can listen to the recording as many times as needed. I am much less likely to miss or misidentify a bird than an on-site survey. And if still unsure, I can extract the confusing call and send it to an expert.
Yes, but…
Current computer software may be used to search for calls of specific species, but I would have to train the software to recognize them.
I am interested in recording the entire bird and calling amphibian community, so I have not explored this software capability. Manually interpreting the recordings also ensures that I maintain or improve my ability to identify all species when I am working in a park.
I do use software to help me interpret what I hear, however. The software can help me isolate particular sounds from background noise, or sometimes the sounds of other species. It also produces a graphical representation of the bird’s or amphibian’s song: a sonogram. Different species produce distinctive patterns.
After hours of intense listening, interpreting, and tabulating data, I realized I had been mentally dissecting the recording but not really listening. I “rewound” the recording and just enjoyed it without concerning myself with what species were calling.
So take a few quiet moments, sit back, and listen to these recordings. You may find yourself transported to another place and time.
Ed Morris
Ecologist, Northeast Zone
Additional recordings supplied by:
