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“Thanksgiving Day 2024 and reflecting on the end of a glorious summer” by Bob Bowles

A magical place in Copeland Forest
A magical and enchanted location deep in the wetland swamps of Copeland Forest with mushrooms, mosses, lichens and many special wetland plants. Bob Bowles

Thanksgiving Day 2024 and reflecting on the end of a glorious summer

Bob Bowles looks back at his time spent exploring Copeland Forest and cataloguing his observations.
by Robert (Bob) Bowles

It was really more than just summer — it started in very early spring and lasted into two weeks of October, until the daytime temperatures dropped to single digits and overnight temperatures just above freezing.

I taught my last class of the Ontario Master Naturalist Winter Program on Thursday, March 10, but with no staff to continue into the spring and summer program which also ended up with no fall program as well. I realized that I would have the whole spring and summer off with no classes and only a few small contracts, so lots of time during the spring and summer of 2024.

I had read several reports on the 4,400 acres of forest in the Horseshoe Valley Provincial Forest — known as Copeland Forest — and was concerned about the habitat and species we were losing in this amazing habitat due to recreational pressure.

I started off on snowshoes in February and ended in hip-waders in October. I logged more than 250 hours strolling across Copeland Forest, recording plants and other interesting species as I waded through swamps, marshes and fens, climbed up and down steep, wooded escarpments and walked over 85 single and double-track trails in Copeland Forest. I recorded over 500 plant species in nine different locations, confirming and recording their presence on a large electronic spreadsheet.

I visited the forest wherever my interest took me over 50 days during the summer and early fall. I found many rare species that gave me joy and many invasive species that gave me grief, areas of heavy recreational use that needed to be changed and many wetland areas that needed to be protected. I walked railway tracks through the wetlands and waded across Craig Swamp, a trip that I don’t want to repeat and ended up getting lost three times over the summer in deep forests and wetlands that had no reference marks to take location bearings. I started to carry a global positioning system (GPS) with me on every trip after my crossing of the swamp and getting lost, which lasted to almost sunset.

It was a glorious, carefree summer with no timelines and no set goals or places to visit. I wanted to cover the whole area to the fullest of my satisfaction. Some areas, I visited several times to take water levels and record species. In fact, it took me seven trips to finally figure out the old route we call the Orchid Trail, now grown over in several areas and with no obvious path in one large section.

I ended the summer with a series of six workshops on asters and goldenrods found in Copeland Forest since this group of plants is one of the most difficult to identify individual plants to species. I was able to find and identify almost all the species on my target list for this difficult group of plants.

At one location deep in the heart of the wetlands surrounded by many species of mushrooms, mosses, lichens, and wetland plants, I found a large five-point antler dropped by a large white-tailed buck last winter early in the year. It was in perfect condition, but I could see green algae had started to grow on the calcium and small rodents had nibbled some of the tips to obtain calcium in their diet. It was a wonderful and enchanted location in the wetland, and I sat on the trunk of a fallen tree for almost an hour giving thanks for the many wonderful features in these wetland swamps and upland forests.

A female Rose-breasted Grosbeak finally decided to check out what I was doing in her habitat and moved to a location just above my head so she could peer down and watch me. She left and a few other small birds moved past me in the forest, but for most of the time all was still and quiet. I finally rose and found my way back to civilization with trees cut and cleared, recreational paths throughout and housing development on all sides. I can’t wait until this winter or next spring when I can visit this magical location in a new season.

John Muir may have found a Calypso Orchid at Holland Marsh and a Honey Locust Tree in Hamilton during his glorious summer of 1864 when he explored our area in Ontario, but I found several species of orchids, Bog Buckbean and Black Chokeberry in my glorious summer of 2024 in Copeland Forest, 160 years later.

Bob Bowles is an award-winning writer, artist, photographer and naturalist, founder, and co-ordinator of the Ontario master naturalist certificate program at Lakehead University.

“Birds don’t have much reason to sing in October” by David Hawke

Sandhill Crane in flight by David Hawke
Sandhill cranes, over the past decade or so, have become common sightings in our area; thousands now rest and feed in the fields between Barrie and Stayner. David Hawke

Birds don’t have much reason to sing in October
Don’t be alarmed, says columnist; that quiet you hear is a rather normal phenomenon at this time of the year
by David Hawke

Over the past week there have been a couple enquiries sent my way that asked the same seasonal question: “Where are all the birds?”

Seems that a few folks have noticed an overall quietness from the backyard shrubbery. However, I think we can relax as it’s a normal phenomenon.

As for the quietness of October, remember that bird song is used to establish boundaries and lure mates; now that those tasks are two seasons behind us, there is not much reason to sing, other than the occasional alarm call or feeding murmur. In mid-fall the avian chorus is reduced to crows, jays, and geese.

This season is quite complex in the bird’s world, as family units are breaking up, food sources are changing, the boundaries of breeding territories have been dismantled, travel plans are being made, and weather systems are unstable. And you thought your life was a series of broadsides.

Consider the little tykes who hatched from an egg only a dozen weeks ago … they must be quite bewildered by the events swirling around them. Mom and Dad used to bring them juicy fat caterpillars and when first fledged they nabbed a few succulent butterflies, moths and dragonflies; nowadays its dried berries and even drier weed seeds. On top of that, Mom and Dad seemed to have fluttered off somewhere, leaving them to fend for themselves.

And for many bird species this is what drives migration … finding a source of food that can fulfill both an individual’s nutritional needs as well as providing for a whole population’s demand for the food.

That little family of five birds that grew in your backyard are now part of a continent-wide migration consisting of multi-millions of birds. Each spider, late season caterpillar, and ripe berry to be found along the way has suddenly become very important to the survival of these migrants.

Consider the ruby-throated hummingbird, that colourful rascal of the summer-time flower garden. Well known as a sipper of nectar and spreader of pollen, hummingbirds actually balance their diet with a healthy helping of spiders and small insects.

As the insect world also changes its rhythm, with adults dying off after laying eggs, or crawling into a crevice to survive winter, the hummers are left to be flying hungry. So a southward shift has to happen in hopes of finding warmer climes that favour lots of bug and flower activity.

Ducks, geese and swans leave the area in carefully orchestrated waves of movement. That scheduling is very dependent on the weather, and if a small duck, such as a blue-winged teal, wants to access shallow water to forage for daily food, it has to avoid those frosty nights that can freeze over the surface waters. Larger ducks, like the mallard, can withstand a few additional frosty nights before the new ice becomes too thick to break.

As any duck hunter will attest, the “northerners” come through late in the autumn season, as a scaup, goldeneye, and bufflehead feed by diving into deep waters, waters that have not yet cooled enough for ice to form. By the time the teal are in Florida and the mallards are in Tennessee, the “northerners” are just arriving in the lower Great Lakes.

Geese and swans, thanks to their large body size, long neck, and layers of insulating feathers, hang around while the quiet lake waters slowly freeze from the shore outwards. These birds are the last to leave and will do so with some reluctance, going south just far enough to avoid the major dips in the temperature.

One species that has recently become a notable fall migrant is the sandhill crane. Historically, a bird of the Mississippi and Central flyways, over the past decade or so it has become a common sighting within our Atlantic flyway path. Thousands of cranes now rest and feed in the fields between Barrie and Stayner.

While October and November may well be a bit on the quiet side (bird-wise) there are those other species which will then just be arriving. Juncos, purple finch, evening grosbeak, redpolls, and snow buntings will be seeking our local supplies of weed seeds and cones. While their songs are delicate and difficult to hear, for a few weeks of winter they will become the local songsters.

For now, you will have to content yourself with the raucous calls of blue jays or crows, and hope that a familiar “chick-a-dee-dee” will soon be forthcoming from the hedgerow.

On a nice weekend your birdfeeders can be hauled out of storage and prepared for another season’s use by those birds that have made the switch from juicy bugs to dried seeds.

MPFN October Meeting

InPerson at Wye Marsh

Guest Speaker: Robert Burcher

Robert Burcher is a photographer, writer, historical researcher and wilderness explorer who has been fascinated by John Muir, the Scottish-born American conservationist and Sierra Club co-founder, for decades.

The discovery of an abandoned historical plaque in the Epping Conservation Area in the Beaver Valley galvanized Robert to action. The plaque honoured the fact that John Muir had lived in Meaford for two years during the late 1800s. That was the beginning of a 30-year research project culminating in a book called My Summer of Glorious Freedom. The book was a discovery process of tracing Muir’s 1864 wanderings in Southern Ontario using plant specimens that he had collected.

Robert recently led a group of MPFN members on a pilgrimage to the John Muir cabin site. This month’s meeting will give Robert a chance to tell us the full story of Muir’s time in Ontario.

The good news is that Robert will have several copies of his book for sale at Thursday’s meeting! It’s been out of print for some time as the first couple of printings sold out. The book was recently read and discussed by the MPFN Nature Book Club and received unanimous thumbs up. The book will sell for $40. Payment can be made by cash, cheque or e-transfer.

We will once again be fundraising at Thursday’s meeting by selling our 50/50 tickets. 1 chance for 2 dollars, 3 chances for 5 dollars.

We will also be running our GREAT NATURE BOOK SALE. You can bring along any used nature books you’d like to donate. Books donated will be resold for what the buyer thinks they’re worth with all proceeds going to club operations.