SAM SMITH PARK TURTLE MONITORING BY CONSERVATION AUTHORITY

The Toronto Region Conservation Authority staff will be trapping turtles along the Toronto Waterfront.  Please see below for project description.  

Trapping sites include:

Colonel Sam Smith Wetland - large pond

Humber Bay Park East/West;

Humber Marshes; and

Grenadier Pond.  

All trapping locations will be clearly identified with research signs.  Trapping activities have begun this week and will continue until the end July.

Turtle Population Dynamics of the Toronto Waterfront Wetlands

PROJECT DESCRIPTION The Toronto and Region Conservation Authority (TRCA) seeks to better understand the success of its restored coastal wetlands and use this understanding to improve future wetland restoration efforts.  Restored wetlands have received varying treatments and physical changes to repair impairments and/or enhance functionality. Turtles are long-lived and will colonize restored wetlands to varying degrees and over variable time spans depending on the quality of the wetland and its suitability for the specific turtle species.  The use of v16 transmitters will be used to spot check for turtles to aid in if future wetland restoration/enhancement/creation efforts. TRCA has not evaluated these restored wetlands with regards to turtle colonization and compared the restored sites to reference sites (control sites).  Specifically the project aims to examine:

1.        Turtle population demographics at multiple restored sites along the Lake Ontario waterfront

a.        Improve understanding of which wetlands hosts which species

b.        Discover and map resilient pockets of populations

c.        Examine sex ratios

d.        Examine assemblages and compare to reference wetlands

2.        Turtle movement at and between these sites 

a.        Discover connectivity (or lack of connectivity) between sites

b.        Better understand how turtles are occupying restored coastal wetlands during their critical life stages

c.        Understand resilience to climate change and habitat connectivity

Danny Moro

Project Manager

Restoration Projects | Restoration and Infrastructure

E:dmoro@trca.on.ca

A: 9755 Canada Company Avenue, Woodbridge, Ontario L4H 0A3

Toronto and Region Conservation Authority (TRCA) | trca.ca

YESTERDAY'S WHIMBREL WATCH REPORT - TIM McCARTHY: PHOTOS THANKS TO WAYNE RENAUD

Hello Whimbrel Fans

I really don't know what to say. today was the most amazing day I have ever seen at Whimbrel Point or anywhere else for that matter. The folks down at Machipongo, God bless 'em gave us the heads-up first thing. 3000 Whimbrels leaving the marshes. Sounds pretty encouraging , doesn't it? like maybe you might see a couple hundred fly past the point? Our brothers and sisters were right. They said get ready to stay out all day!

So out we trudged in our warm clothes having been told it was going to get hot later but so what it was cold at 6am and after all we are Canadian. As long as we saw some Whimbrels who cares? I can't remember exactly when they started to come but I do remember having to put my lunch down to record the first bunch of birds. When the next bunch came and looked like they might land I went out as fast as I could and put out the signs to keep the dog walkers off. 

Then the flocks started. and they were not too afraid to land. In fact, for the rest of the day we practically had to beat 'em back with a stick. 

Just listen to this. I'll have the breakdown for you tomorrow but as of 6 pm when we were all out of the Park we had seen 4,458 Whimbrels, some 500 or so which for some time landed at Whimbrel Point,accompanied by dozens of BlackBellied Plovers and a few RuddyTurnstones and huge bunches of Dunlin.
 
We'll give you some breakdowns tomorrow. Right now I'm still shaking.

And I have to go to bed.

GoodNight and GoodBirds,

Tim

DRONE HARRASSING TREE SWALLOWS

FOSS recently received a disturbing report of someone flying a drone over the Swallow Field in what appeared to be a deliberate attempt to harass the birds in their nesting area.

Under the 2018 Toronto Municipal Code # 608 (Parks), it is illegal to fly drones or harass wildlife in City parks.

Enforcement of the Code's provisions is the responsibility of provincial enforcement officers …. i.e. a police officer.