Long-eared Owl, Asio otus
I have never had a lot of luck in finding this species. This image is almost 10 years old, from winter in Point Pelee.
All Images are Available for Licensing at Singular Video&Pix
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
February 15, 2013
Long-eared Owl, Asio otus
August 3, 2011
Wood Thrush in the mist
A misty morning at Point Pelee produced this cooperative Wood Thrush. One of the finest singers, it does lovely flute like variations with an introduction and a counterpoint.
It breeds in the deep forest of eastern North America and it’s numbers are in decline due to loss of habitant, and parasitism by Brown-headed Cowbird.
All Images are Available for Licensing at Singular Video&Pix
|
|
|
|
|
|
 |
|
May 14, 2010
Point Pelee morning
Point Pelee morning
In May every year we make a three day trip to Point Pelee, Ontario. This is one of my favorite images ,the sun rising as seen from the marsh boardwalk there.
All Images are Available for Licensing at Singular Video&Pix
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
April 14, 2009
Double-crested Cormorant Culling Issues
Double-crested Cormorant
The Double-crested Cormorant was at one time an endangered species in North America, primarily because of DDT contamination. It has made dramatic recoveries and is common on the Great Lakes. Its recovery has brought about calls for reduction in its numbers. Culls have taken place in both Canada and the United States. Much of the impetus for these culls seems to have been created by sports fishing organizations.
Point Pelee National Park are planning to kill thousands of birds on Middle Island starting this week.
One of the main issues is the claim that Cormorants are a threat to the Yellow Perch population. A study commissioned by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (and later ignored by them), found that Cormorants took about 1% of the legal size Yellow Perch and Sports fishing took about 2.5%, but that neither had an impact on the population.
Cormorants have been blamed for declines in the populations of other colonial nesting species like Black-crowned Night Heron, although I have found no studies that show this. In Hamilton bay, Ontario, I have seen a colony of Night Herons , who had shared nesting trees with cormorants, desert it as the trees dies and became bare. However, they merely relocated to a more favorable tree nearby.
The question of vegetation impact has also been put forth as a good reason for reducing the species’ numbers, and there is no doubt that the acidity of their guano kills off plants. Whether this is sufficent reason is questionable, and seems especially dubious considering the massive habitat loss caused by human populations.
Arguments against culling include the fact that it is not done in a humane manner, with many birds left injured who eventually starve. Proponents suggest oiling of eggs as a solution.
The process of culling is also a disturbance to other colonial breeders and probably does far more damage to them than the cormorants presence.
Double-crested Cormorant
Diana, J.S., S. Maruca, and Bobbi Low. 2006. “Do increasing cormorant populations threaten sport fishing in the great lakes? A case study in Lake Huron.” Journal of Great Lakes Research, 32 (2): 306-320 (Abstract)
All Images are Available for Licensing at Singular Video&Pix
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
May 13, 2008
Dunlin-Fattening up on the way north
Dunlin
I came across this ball-shaped Dunlin, (Calidris alpina) at Point Pelee. It was among a group of about 20 others who were feeding while making their way to the tundra of the far north to breed. But this Dunlin was not like the typical Dunlin like the image below. It kept itself hunched up in a ball like this but otherwise acted just like the others. Perhaps it had eggs ready to lay, or was ill, but it certainly looked different. (more…)
