BIRDWATCH: Bear researcher to speak at Pembroke Area Field Naturalists' AGM
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The next Pembroke Area Field Naturalists’ event is the club’s annual general meeting to be held on Wednesday, April 10, at 6:30 p.m. in Room 429 at Algonquin College in Pembroke.
This year, the club has a very special speaker – Jeremy Inglis. He works with the Ontario Ministry of Natural Resources, Human Wildlife Interactions Division, which is responsible for the Bear Wise Program.
Jeremy has worked extensively with black bears for over 30 years in a human-bear conflicts role, as well as in a research capacity studying adult black bears in Algonquin Park. He played a key role in the development of the Bear Wise Program in 2004 as a member of the bear handling team, developing various policies, response protocols and training standards. He was lucky enough to assist a number of times in the Southern Hudson Bay Polar Bear Study, conducted in the early 2000s by Dr. Martyn Obbard. Needless to say, Jeremy is passionate about bears.
Jeremy’s presentation is entitled ‘A Year in the Life of a Black Bear in Ontario’, and why they sometimes come into conflict with humans.’ His presentation talks about when bears hibernate, when they are seasonally active, where they travel, breeding cycles and cubs, occasional trouble with humans, and perhaps most importantly, the feast or famine cycle that drives almost everything bears do.
This is not a presentation to miss! There will be a small business meeting starting at 6:30 p.m. and refreshments will be available. The meeting is open to club members and to the public. It is also a good time to renew or purchase a membership to the club. Come and enjoy a very pleasant evening!
Local birding scene
On the local scene, the first wave of spring migrants continues with the arrival of more Red-winged Blackbirds, American Robins, Canada Geese, Ring-billed Gulls, Mallards, Common Grackles, American Kestrels, Northern Harriers, Hooded Mergansers, Wood Ducks, Turkey Vultures, Killdeer and Eastern Bluebirds., The next group of migrants to arrive will include Song Sparrow, American Woodcock, Sandhill Cranes, more, Killdeer, Yellow-bellied Sapsucker and more Wood Ducks, Bufflehead and more Turkey Vultures. It is certainly a good time for birding.
March Owl Prowl
The Pembroke Area Field Naturalists held their annual March Owl Prowl on Saturday, March 23. As usual, there was a good turnout for the event and the participants were fortunate to find a very engaging pair of Barred Owls. Unfortunately, ‘Hootie’, the Great Horned Owl, did not make an appearance this year. Apparently, this Owl has been suffering from some sort of eye infection, and hopefully will recover. Hootie is over 18 years old, which is quite long-lived for an Owl in the wild.
Local sightings
Around March 13, Ann Smith of Lake Dore spotted three Trumpeter Swans at the Ross Road Swamp near Cobden. These Trumpeter Swans have been frequenting many of our open water areas and will soon be looking for a space to breed.
On March 16, Robert Mayo located a flock of Bohemian Waxwings on his drive around Renfrew County. He was also fortunate to photograph the area’s first spring Brown-headed Cowbird.
On this same date, Cat Harrison located and photographed the first Sandhill Cranes in the area. Hopefully, this is just the beginning of the arrival many of these majestic birds.
The next day, Garry Cowdroy located both Common Goldeneye ducks and Hooded Mergansers at Petawawa Point.
On March 24, I was fortunate to observe a flock of 45 Sandhill Cranes at the Micksburg Swamp area, as well as a Killdeer on Stafford Road Three.
On March 25, Robert Mayo photographed the area’s first spring Turkey Vulture. Nice find, Robert!
On this same date, Bob Ellah reported a Ring-necked Partridge in the area. This is not a natural bird here, but a few have shown up in the past few years. I suspect they are escapees from a wild bird farm. Over the years, I have encountered Ring-necked Partridge, Chukars and even a Bob White in our County. All tend to be very tame and used to humans.
Finally, on March 25, Patricia Swan photographed a lone American Coot at the Ross Swamp. These birds are usually only seen here during spring and fall migrations. Even then you must be lucky to spot them as they do not usually linger too long. Super find and great photo, Patricia!
Please call me with your bird sightings at 613-735-4430 or email me at hooles@bell.net . For upcoming nature events just google the Pembroke Area Field Naturalists or like them on Facebook.
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