Georgian Bay Land Trust

Hepatica is one of the earliest flowers to bloom around Georgian Bay, but is so small and unassuming that it can be easily overlooked. Check the ground now for this beautiful flower, appearing in several shades of pink, purple, blue, and white.

Georgian Bay Bird of the Day: Canada’s only kingfisher, the Belted Kingfisher is a medium sized large-headed bird with a shaggy crest and straight, pointed heron-like bill. This is a very active and noisy bird, and you are likely to hear its loud rattling call before you see it. As might be guessed from its name, the Belted Kingfisher feeds mostly on fish, diving headlong into the water from an observation perch; it will also hover with rapid wingbeats while zeroing in on it...s prey, in the manner of a Kestrel. Unlike most dimorphic bird species (where male and female have different plumage), the female Belted Kingfisher (pictured) is actually more colourful than the male: she has a rust-coloured belt across her belly in addition to the dark upper band. Kingfishers dig out nest burrows in embankments, usually close to water. Site choice and excavation is often worked into a mated pair’s courtship ritual. Read more: https://www.allaboutbirds.org/gu/Belted_Kingfisher/overview

The Winter Wren is a small round bundle of pure energy. You’re more likely to see them scurrying and fluttering around in scrub and undergrowth than up in trees and you will definitely hear them. According to Cornell Labs, Per unit weight, the Winter Wren delivers its song with 10 times more power than a crowing rooster. (Click here for a demonstration: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qw-NqhxwGWQ). Like other wrens it holds its tail at an uncomfortable-looking right angl...e to its body, and is fearless and aggressive in its defense of nest and territory. Winter Wrens prefer old growth forest as nesting habitat, which may account for its increased breeding abundance in the northern Boreal area of Ontario. The male Winter Wren will build several nests, from which the female chooses. They’re also known to be cavity nesters and will occasionally occupy nesting boxes. Learn more: https://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Winter_Wren

Georgian Bay Bird of the Day: Scarlet Tanager The brilliant male Scarlet Tanager in breeding plumage is unmistakeable; the only other Ontario bird with this much red is the Northern Cardinal. Females, on the other hand, are yellow, with brown wings and tails instead of black. A chunky medium sized songbird, the Scarlet Tanager is primarily an insectivore, but will also feed on fruit during migration and on its South American wintering grounds. When migrating this species make...s two annual night flights over the Gulf of Mexico. For breeding habitat the Scarlet Tanager favours large, intact mixed and deciduous forest. The second Ontario Breeding Bird Atlas shows the highest coastal Georgian Bay concentration of Scarlet Tanagers in the southern Parry Sound / Sans Souci / Massasauga Provincial Park region. It spends much of its time high in the forest canopy, and can be difficult to spot. Learn more: https://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Scarlet_Tanager/

How do scientists track bird migration, and what can it tell us about lifecycles, habitat use, and conservation needs? Join us this Saturday, March 20th for a fascinating presentation by Stu Mackenzie, Director of Migration Ecology at Birds Canada!... Register: https://zoom.us//regi/tJcvf-2pqT0uHNW0m9hPesISL_b29NoWBH3Z

Happy St. Patrick’s Day! For our final #WinterWildlifeWednesday, we’ve gone green with the (confusingly-named) Gray Treefrog. Georgian Bay’s frogs have several winter survival strategies, with many behaving similarly to turtles and overwintering at the bottom of a lake where the water doesn’t freeze. Gray Treefrogs, along with Spring Peepers and Wood Frogs, behave differently. These land-based frogs hibernate beneath leaf litter or tree bark, where they cannot escape below-f...reezing temperatures. For most animals, freezing means death, because when water in cells turns to ice it breaks the cell. These frogs get around this by sending massive amounts of glucose to vital cells, where it can act as a syrupy antifreeze. Meanwhile, most of the water in the body travels to the bloodstream, where it can safely freeze solid. Because of these adaptations, Gray Treefrogs can survive having up to 65% of their body frozen. Their heart stops beating and they don’t breathe all winter, and yet when spring comes they defrost and hop away as good as new!

In some ways, winter is more of the same for Barred Owls. They remain on their home territories and continue to hunt small animals that remain here year-round. However, their techniques have to adapt to a snowy environment. Fortunately, Barred Owls possess exceptionally good hearing, and the shape of their ears allows them to pinpoint the precise location that a sound comes from. Because of this, they are able to hear and pounce on a mouse running under up to two feet of snow...! They can use their talons to punch through icy crusts, and when the hunting is good, will store food in trees to eat later. However, these owls are also very vulnerable to seasonal variations and extreme weather events, which can affect the abundance of prey or the ability to access it. When food is scarce, it is not uncommon to see Barred Owls hanging around bird feeders to prey on either the birds or rodents that frequent them. #WinterWildlifeWednesday See more

It’s #WorldWildlifeDay AND #WinterWildlifeWednesday! We continue to celebrate the ways Georgian Bay’s wildlife gets through the winter with this week’s feature, the Eastern Chipmunk. A chipmunk spends the winter in its burrow, coming in and out of a state called torpor. Like a mini hibernation, torpor involves a significant reduction in heart rate and body temperature, which allows the chipmunk to sleep for a number of days without needing to eat. After a few days, or sometimes a week or more, the chipmunk must rouse from its torpor and eat some of the seeds that it has been storing in its burrow since the summer. Then it curls up into a ball, fluffs up its fur for insulation, and begins the process again.

Grateful for beautiful days in places like this. Happy Thanksgiving everyone!

We are excited to bring Bayscapes, our annual fundraising auction, to you online this year! Check out some of the amazing Georgian Bay art, photographs, items, and experiences that you can bid on to support conservation on Georgian Bay. Bayscapes will run online from October 16th-24th - a link to bid will be posted here when the time comes.

Thank you to everyone who joined us today in Walking for Wilderness! We had a wonderful time exploring the southern trails of Beausoleil Island and learning about the history and ecology of the area from our knowledgeable guides. Together we’ve raised almost $10,000 towards the protection of Georgian Bay’s wilderness places. If you haven’t yet had a chance to donate, it’s not too late! Help us reach our fundraising goal here: https://www.canadahelps.org///walking-for-wilderness-2020/

It’s the first day of fall! These asters are here to remind you that even before the leaves fall, this beautiful season has so much to offer. What are your favourite signs of fall?

Last week, we spent a day cutting Phragmites at five locations along Ogemawahj Road. This invasive reed is threatening wetlands throughout the Georgian Bay region and beyond, and in this case was on the verge of spreading into several very large wetland complexes. Fortunately, we were able to remove everything with a day’s work, but we anticipate that these sites will need annual maintenance to keep new growth in check. Thank you to everyone who is contributing to the fight against Phragmites throughout the region! The last photo is an example of who we’re protecting with this work.

Late summer at American Camp - the clouds roll past and the pink rocks remain.

Last but not least.. our final butterfly of the week is the Monarch! Fittingly named, the Monarch is undoubtedly the king of Ontario’s butterflies. Highly migratory, it typically arrives in June and can be found throughout the Georgian Bay region before leaving for Mexico in September. In late summer, it is not unusual to see large groups of Monarchs gathering on Georgian Bay’s outer islands. The black and yellow striped Monarch caterpillar feeds on plants in the milkweed ...family. This diet accumulates toxins that are then passed on to the adults, rendering them distasteful to predators who quickly learn to avoid eating them. Did you know that Monarchs are an endangered species? One way to help them is by planting milkweed - if you would like to do so, send us a message with your name and address* and we will send you a seed packet! *Ontario addresses only please, while supplies last