alyssamc's Journal

TIME & DATE: 29/09/2019 @ 11:46
DURATION: 135 minutes
LOCATION: Laurel Creek Nature Centre, Waterloo, Ontario
WEATHER: 13°C, gentle breeze (3 on Beaufort Scale), 90-100% cloud cover, no precipitation
HABITATS: Mixed woodland; Old coniferous plantation; Marsh/Pond, Savannah/Early successional woodland

Before I had even entered the Nature Centre’s property, I saw three animals that had been killed on a road that divided a wet meadow and a pine plantation. One was a Short-tailed shrew which, according to a quick Google search, is commonly found near pine forests, grassy areas or riverbanks, and another was a Star-nosed mole, also commonly found in moist habitats. The Red Pine plantation didn’t support much else in terms of vegetation (other than European Buckthorn) but a group of around ten small-to-medium-sized birds stayed awhile, feeding on the pinecones high up in the trees. Unfortunately, I’m not sure what species they were, as I couldn’t get a very good view of them.

Following along the road that leads into the Centre was a Canada Goldenrod-dominated meadow. Here, I saw several species of dragonflies and damselflies, taking advantage of the periodic sunshine and light winds. I ended up at a pond, maybe a metre deep, lined with cattails. It was obvious by the footprints and short trails leading to the edge of the pond that this ecosystem experiences a relative amount of human disturbance – likely from the school groups that attend the Centre. Despite the disturbance, however, I saw ten Northern Leopard frogs (all fairly small) and a very active crayfish. The crayfish was on the mud, about 1 m from the pond’s edge. There was no evidence of a nearby burrow, but he continued to crawl around for the fifteen minutes I was there. I image the calm, shallow, warm waters of the pond and the relatively dense cover provided by the cattails is ideal for crayfish habitat.

Down the trail from the pond/marsh was an early successional woodlot, still with strong remnants of its meadow past with asters, goldenrod, and other fall-flowering species dominating. Several butterflies and bumblebees darted around, enjoying their nectar, while two Turkey Vultures soared above. Into the more mature forest were tall Eastern Hemlock, American Beech and Sugar Maples. Parts of the forest were bare, with only the logs of the White Ash remaining. The Emerald Ash Borer had obviously done its damage here. There wasn’t a lot of animal activity within the forest, perhaps because it was so close to an active soy field, though there was a lot of evidence of woodpeckers – Pileated Woodpeckers, in particular – in the boreholes left on the trees.

TIME & DATE: 2019/10/14 @ 13:45
DURATION: 195 minutes
LOCATION: Bruce Trail/Crawford Lake, Halton Hills, Ontario
WEATHER: 11°C, gentle breeze (3 on Beaufort Scale), 50% cloud cover, no precipitation
HABITATS: Talus cliff (escarpment), mixed forest, meromictic lake, cedar swamp

We hiked in along the Bruce Trail entrance off of Canyon Rd, heading southeast toward Crawford Lake Conservation Area. Immediately, we were within a forested ecosystem. It was mostly mixed with Sugar Maple, White Ash, Ironwood, Black Cherry, Basswood, Paper Birch, Yellow Birch, Eastern White Pine, Eastern White Cedar, Eastern Hemlock and Red Oak. Two Northern Chipmunks scurried through the mixed forest, and I could hear two Red Squirrels up in the trees chirping at each other. Some of the ash and maple trees were covered in the silk tents of the Fall Webworm Moth. Their limbs were bare from the caterpillars.

Suddenly, the valley deepened, the forest turned damp and the ground was mucky. All around us were Eastern White Cedar, as the forest transitioned to a cedar swamp. The ground was moss covered and only Royal Ferns grew in the understorey. My mum and I checked under a couple of logs and rocks, hoping that we’d come across a salamander because we thought that this looked like perfect habitat for them – but alas, no salamanders. We could hear a couple of birds calling to each other above us, but I don’t really know what species they might have been.

We climbed up out of the valley and followed the ridgeline of the Niagara Escarpment. We paused at a lookout and I counted six Turkey Vultures soaring in the calm breeze above us. One Turkey Vulture posed for onlookers on a nearby snag. It’s likely that the topography in and around the escarpment creates a nice uplift of air that allows the vultures to scavenge easily from the air, gazing at the valley below. A sign posted next to the lookout said that Turkey Vultures can soar for as long as two hours without ever flapping their wings.

As we continued up the path toward Crawford Lake’s famous meromictic lake, I saw a couple of trees with obvious woodpecker drill holes. Some of the holes were larger – perhaps belonging to a Pileated Woodpecker; others were smaller and lower to the ground. My guess is that they perhaps belong to a Downy Woodpecker. Along the side of the path, we spotted a bird’s nest hanging low in a Basswood tree (maybe 1.5 m off the ground). The nest was small – only about the size of my palm – and iNaturalist suggests that it probably belonged to a vireo. I wondered why the nest was so low to the ground; wouldn't that make it easier to predate?

At the lake, I didn’t see anything except for a Red Squirrel. I do, however, know from previous visits to this lake that several species of fish, including Rock Bass and Sunfish species, as well as amphibians like Northern Leopard Frog inhabit the lake. These species of fish are pretty good generalists and can often be found in diverse ecological conditions. I suppose that is why they are able to survive despite the anoxic waters deeper in the lake.