ERS 346 - Outing #1

Date: Saturday, September 14, 2019
Time: 07:30-10:00h
Duration: 2.5h
Location: MapleCross Nature Reserve in Schomberg, ON
Weather: 15 degrees Celsius; clear skies but mixed clouds at 08:50h; heavy rain the previous night
Habitat/Vegetation Type: Majority grasslands with adjacent mixed coniferous forest; tree plantation; agricultural land in surrounding region

The area is a privately owned nature reserve not open to to public. It was converted from a tree plantation of an unidentified coniferous tree. While there are small patches of forest bordering the area, on the north side of the plantation there is a sizeable mixed coniferous forest. To the south and east were primarily agricultural land. On site, there were no observable sources of water, though aerial maps show a few small bodies of water a few hundred metres away.

Some of the trees and shrubs that were identified were as follows: maple, oak, common buckthorn, white pine, trembling aspen, sumac, raspberry bushes, beech, spruce, and some crabapple trees.

Some of the herbaceous plants in the area were as follows: wild strawberry, blood root, dandelions, common milkweed, joe pye weed, grape vine, red clover, vetch, poison ivy, and majority goldenrod and asters in the grassland areas.

The observed birds were as follows: mourning dove, eastern phoebe, cardinal, American robin, catbird, chickadee, downy woodpecker, blue jay, white breasted nuthatch, cedar waxwing, house wren, golden finch, and black billed cuckoo. Flying overhead crows, geese, king fisher, and a broad winged falcon were spotted.

Other notable wildlife were a red squirrel, American toad, and monarch butterflies.

The asters and goldenrod were beginning to seed, providing a potential food source for songbirds. The abundance of observed bird species is likely due to the rural nature of the region rather than any specific site features. It is 30km from the nearest major urban area, and surrounded by a number of conservation areas. With the ability for a wide dispersal range for birds, it is difficult to estimate the habitat range of the observed wildlife.

While a few birds were sighted inside the plantation, a majority of the birds were found in the bordering forest area or flying overhead. Of note, nearly half the birds sited were found in a small patch of forest south of the plantation with large oak trees. This may be due to the food source that it provides, especially with blue jay dispersal of acorns. With a 70% canopy cover in the interior, however, it may have more to do with the amount of shelter provided.

Due to cools temperatures, few monarchs were sited despite the abundance of nectar sources. Towards the middle of the afternoon when it became warmer more monarchs began to appear, but the sampling period had ended by that time. The lack of mammals in area is likely due to limited food and suitable habitat. Other than the patch of forested area in the north, it is much smaller than other nearby conservation areas and is disconnected by the surrounding farmland.

This was part of a bioblitz organized by the Oak Ridges Moraine Land Trust. The first half of the day was dedicated to birding, with advanced guides identifying specimens by both sight and sound. The latter half was dedicated to monarch monitoring, though observations about other wildlife continued to be made.

Publicado el 07 de diciembre de 2019 a las 02:00 AM por rnaval