Bulletin board

Colour breast marking of Eastern Loggerhead Shrikes

Loggerhead shrikes are declining across much of their range. In Canada, the Eastern subspecies is considered critically endangered, with less than 35 pairs found in 2009. The vast majority of pairs now breed in Ontario.

An extremely active and multi-faceted recovery program is underway for this species in Ontario, including captive breeding and release. This program has been releasing approximately 100 shrikes annually since 2006, in May through August.

We will be colouring the breast of released birds, in an effort to make them more detectable by birders. Birds will have an extensive coloured area on their breast or belly. Colours that may be used include green, blue, and purple. All released birds, and a large proportion of the wild population, are also colour banded.

If you see a shrike with a coloured breast and/or wearing bands, please report it to Wildlife Preservation Canada at jessica@wildlifepreservation.ca, telephone 519-836-9314, or fax 519-836-8840. We will need details about specific location (GPS coordinates are ideal, but not essential) and any colour(s) (breast and/or bands) seen. Thank you for your assistance.

Monitoring program to detect Emerald Ash Borer

Working with your friendly native wasp?

Invasive pests arrive in our communities often without any warning and settle in for long destructive stays. These pests include Dutch elm disease, purple loosestrife, zebra mussels, and most recently the emerald ash borer (beetle). Successful management of any introduced pest depends on early detection. Forewarned is forearmed!

The beetles are virtually undetectable - at least until it is too late. Larvae feed beneath the bark of our native ash trees and only emerge as adults (high in the tree's canopy) during summer. The larval feeding eventually girdles and kills our ash trees.

An initiative to get a jump on this most recent pest beetle is the new 'Wasp Watcher Program' working to spot new infestations of the emerald ash borer beetle before it can establish itself as a serious pest.

A native ground-nesting wasp, Cerceris fumipennis, is providing a handy solution to our beetle detection problem. This wasp will prey on the adult emerald ash borers (as well as related native beetles) and carry them, paralyzed, back to its burrow. The paralyzed beetle is then stored underground as food for the wasp's larva.

Monitoring for the emerald ash borer is now as simple as watching the wasps return to their nests with prey. The wasps, with prey in "hand," quickly inform us if the destructive emerald ash borer beetles have arrived.

An equally convenient aspect of this wasp's behaviour is that it won't sting humans, even when handled. So, provided we find the needed nests, Cerceris fumipennis is a valuable colleague in the search for pest beetles.

Just as volunteers do feeder watches, marsh monitoring, loon surveys, and butterfly counts, you can now become a wasp watcher, searching for and observing the Cerceris fumipennis wasps in your area. This provides us all with an early-warning system for emerald ash borers and other destructive beetle pests.

For more information on becoming a Wasp Watcher, go to www.cerceris.info

Useful information from the Maine Forestry Service: Beetle hunter

Unique Leitrim Wetland under Attack

Developers of the controversial Findlay Creek Village in south Ottawa have filed an application with the Ontario Ministry of the Environment for a Permit To Take Water, proposing to remove as much as 17 million litres of water per day from the site for the next 10 years – more than 60 billion litres in total, or the equivalent of nearly 50 Olympic-size swimming pools each week.

Not content to wait for the Permit to be granted, between September 10 and October 25 the developer, Tartan Homes, illegally removed water during 29 out of the 43 days. “Here is an example of what the Environmental Commissioner of Ontario warned about in his Annual Report last week,” says Carol Gudz, one of the Friends of Leitrim Wetland. “Wetlands are critically important ecosystems, but development and large water-takings are a major threat to their survival.”

A highly reputable soil scientist, Dr Clarke Topp, recently confirmed that the drainage for Stage 1 of the Village has already impaired the function of the Wetland and that further drainage will seriously degrade the Wetland within a matter of months.

The Friends of Leitrim Wetland urge you to write immediately to Ministers and Ministry officials, demanding that this Permit not be issued.

Read more at greenspace-alliance.ca/node/319.

The Friends of Leitrim Wetland comprises members of the Sierra Club of Canada, the Greenspace Alliance of Canada’s Capital, the Ottawa Field-Naturalists’ Club, and the Coalition for a Healthy Ottawa.

OFNC T-shirts now available

Club T-shirts will be available for sale at the next monthly meeting. They feature original artwork by Education and Publicity Committee member Laura Penney. The shirts are 100% organic cotton and are available in sizes small to X-large $15 each.