Terrestrial Monitoring Winter Training
Transcript of Terrestrial Monitoring Winter Training
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Terrestrial Monitoring
Winter Training
November/December 2012
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Agenda
Sign-in
Pick up & drop off data sheets & trail maps
Introductions
TRCA update
Fall survey discussion
� feedback & questions
� photo survey
Winter protocol & safety
Winter survey species
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TRCA Update
Watershed Monitoring & Reporting
• TVM 10 year report will be prepared in 2013
• balance of 2012 data needed urgently
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Fall survey photo tour
photos by
Daniel Morodvanschi
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Giant puffball mushrooms
found in the forest
Site 16
looking west, we are at the
northeast corner of the site
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Lichens: Mealy rosette found growing with candleflame – note that the
lobes of the mealy are almost as small as those of the candleflame
(unlike other grey-blue or grey-green lichens you'll see). The photo
was taken through the hand lens – Nice job !!
� including scale in the photo
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Lichens: Rough speckled shield
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Lichens: Hammered shield
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More cool lichens, some not very common in our jurisdiction
Cladonia sp.
Peltigera sp.
Graphis scripta
Cladonia sp.
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just starting to bloom – zig-zag
stem helps with identification
Zig-zag goldenrod
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Disturbance
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Winter Training ProtocolSeason Month Indicator Species Frequency Effort Total
Winter • Jan or Feb
• March
• trees, 3 fauna
• screech owl
• 1 morning
• 1 evening
• 1.5 hrs
• 0.5 hr 2 hrs
Spring • April
• May
• frogs, birds
• spring
flowers, birds
• 2 evenings
• 1 morning
• 1 hr/ea
• 2 hrs 4 hrs
Summer • June
• Jul & Aug
• song birds
• summer
flowers
• 2 evenings
• 2 afternoons
• 1.5 hr/ea
• 1.5 hr/ea 6 hrs
Fall • Oct • woody plants
• lichens
• 1 afternoon • 3 hours 3 hrs
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Safety
• Work with a companion
• Compass & map, warm clothing, water, small light
• Avoid walking on ice-covered ponds
• Tell someone where you are going and when you
plan to return
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Safety & incident reporting
• site concerns/hazard reporting
• emergency contacts
Theresa - cell: see first page of manual for #
Scott Jarvie - cell: “
Victoria Kinniburgh - cell: “
• moving through site
• awareness of surroundings
• allergies, asthma, epi-pen?
• partner informed of emergency contact for you
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Indicator Species - Winter
• porcupine L2
• mink L4
• ruffed grouse L2
• screech owl L4
• eastern hemlock L4
• white pine L4
• white cedar L4
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Winter Visit #1
� Importance of protocol adherence
� Jan or Feb, morning, 1½ hours
� Morning – the earlier the better once light – before other people are out
� After a light snowfall is ideal
� Take camera if you have one
� Take binoculars if you can
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Mink (Mustela vison) L4
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Why mink?
� mammalian predator (carnivore)
� needs healthy riparian habitat
(both terrestrial & aquatic prey)
� year-round resident
� L4 species – good indicator for condition of
urban zone
Photo: Tom Lusk
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Protocol: Why winter morning?
� Jan – Feb beginning of mating season – more
active
� easier to observe – trails in snow
� crepuscular –active early morning, as is its
terrestrial prey – very difficult to find later in
day
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How to find Mink
• Go early !!!
• Habitat: in & alongside water – riparian zone
• Look for and follow trail of tracks (footprints) in this habitat
• Distinguish from other weasels and raccoon/squirrel/rabbit
tracks
• Measure track (footprint) and trail (series of footprints)
• Photograph if possible - include scale (preferably a ruler)
• follow trail to den if possible – is den in riverbank, wetland,
muskrat den, or is it under cover such as old log in forest?
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Identifying trail patterns
• Bounding
• 2-2 bounding
• Alternating
Mice, squirrels,
rabbits/hares
Weasel family including
ermine, mink, fisher, otter
Porcupine, raccoon,
muskrat, beaver, coyote
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Measuring tracks & trails
� Track length
� Track width (single footprint) & trail width (set of two)
� Stride
� take series of photos with a ruler lined up to measure track width, trail width, & stride or length
trail width
length
stride
track width
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Mink Tracks
� Front foot: 1 to 2" (3 to 5 cm) long &
wide – 5 toes
� Hind foot: same size (+up to 1” if heel
registers) – 5 toes
� Trail width: 2 to 4" (5 to 10 cm)
� Stride: 11 to 38” (28 to 95 cm)
� Pattern: 2-2 bounding
Photos: Jason Shabaga
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Mink tracks & trails
� may show groups of 3 or 4 prints
� follow trail - impression of overall pattern
� slides in snow – otter or mink – measure width
Photos: Jason Shabaga
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Photo: Garry ConwayPhoto: Glenn Reed
Photo: Glenn Reed Photo: Glenn Reed
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Winter surveying
Photo: Pat Stone
Mink
slides
Photo: Glenn Reed
Squirrel
Photo: Glenn Reed
Mink
Red fox
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Photo: Glenn Reed
Photo: Glenn Reed
� smaller foot, shorter stride in
relation to width of track; small body
size results in lots of drag even in
quite shallow snow
Ermine (short-tailed weasel)
NOT mink
� tracks were found in forest far from water
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� 2-2 bounding pattern with characteristic offset of feet each time
they land (i.e. one foot a little ahead of the other)
� clue to mink – tracks are on ice and lead to open water
� view whole trail and take measurements (but not on thin ice!)
Photos; Pat Stone
Mink Tracks
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� NOT mink – feet too large, placed too far apart, width of trail
much too wide (ruler is 6"/15 cm)
Photo: Bernie Taylor
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Photos: Derek Basdeo
� weasel family, but is it mink??
� each track less than 2 cm across (3/4")
– foot is too small for mink - most likely
long tailed weasel
� drag mark also suggests this species
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Mink (Mustela vison)L4
1o one foot long, skinny, furred tail
2o black/brown colour (small white
spot under chin often visible)
3o tracks in 2-2 bounding pattern; near water; to 4" wide per
pair; pairs 11" to 38" apart; trail may include slides up to
4" wide (submit photo or comment with measurements)
Photo: Tom Lusk
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Porcupine (Erithizon dorsatum) L2
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Why porcupine?
� one of just 3 mammal indicators
� area sensitive – needs ≈ 100 hectares
� sensitive to fragmentation of habitat – slow moving –
won't survive most road crossing attempts
� critical winter habitat area &
food supply – native trees
� L2 species – good indicator for
rural zone
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Protocol: Why winter morning?
� easier to observe in winter when foliage reduced
� if found, site is providing critical winter needs,
i.e. food supply of native trees
� primarily nocturnal – look while still active early
in the morning
� trails & other signs on snow help
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How to find Porcupine
• Tracks, signs in forest, along trails, around edges
of wetlands or streams
• Signs – torn hemlock branches on ground – look
up – bark peeled from trees
• Binoculars help
• Piles of scat, urine trails in snow
• Tracks – with belly drag – "mini snow plow trail“
• Alternating pattern – 5 to 9” wide (12 to 23 cm)
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Porcupine sign
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Porcupine sign
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follow the trail & signs
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Found him/her
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Porcupine sign
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Porcupine (Erithizon dorsatum) L2
1o black, dark grey or dark brown
2o no mask on face, or bands on
tail
3o trail in snow 5-9" wide, showing body drag all along
length & may contain urine trails; sign includes fresh
stripping of bark from trees*
*enter description of observation if this characteristic is checked;
digital photo with scale if possible
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Ruffed Grouse (Bonasa umbellus) L2
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Why ruffed grouse?
� year round resident
� ground nester
� need for drumming platforms (logs)
� need for winter cover & food supply of native
trees (aspen buds important winter food)
� L2 species – good indicator for condition of
forest in rural zone
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Protocol: Why winter morning?
� easier to observe in winter – less foliage, and
may find tracks
� more active early morning & dusk
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Ruffed grouse
� foot adapted for winter – scales expand – act like snowshoes
Clark, G. A. 2004. Form &
Function: The External Bird. In
Handbook of Bird Biology,
Cornell Lab of Ornithology (S.
Podulka et al.,eds.). The Cornell
Lab of Ornithology. Ithaca, NY.
Drawing by John Schmitt,
from Fig. 3-39 on page 3-45,
reproduced with permission
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Ruffed grouse (Bonasa umbellus)
� Look/listen in forest – cover all forest
area
� Wing noise when take flight
� Tracks:
� track size: approx. 2 x 2 inches (5 cm.)
� hind toe not visible, or smaller than others
� single line of prints
� about half the size of wild turkey track & similar in
shape
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Photos copyright by Walter Muma
Used with permission
See more photos at:
www.wildwoodtracking.com
Ruffed grouse tracks
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Ruffed Grouse (Bonasa umbellus) L2
1o when flushed - brown bird with loud wing flutter
2o tracks chicken-sized, raised hind toe often
not seen in track
3o chicken-sized bird
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Eastern hemlock (Tsuga canadensis) L4
� climax species in our native forest
� moist slopes
� winter food/shelter for porcupine
� L4 species
� sensitive to over herbivory
� survey all coniferous indicators
in winter – easier to observe
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Eastern hemlock (Tsuga canadensis) L4
1o single flat needles on a
small stalk in a flat
arrangement on branch
2o needles very short with
pale stripes on back
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Eastern hemlock (Tsuga canadensis) L4
Photo: R. Shachak
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White pine (Pinus strobus) L4
� also a climax species - mature forest
� upland forest – drier
� L4
� sensitive to over herbivory
� target species for forestry
� often planted in restoration
� enter comment if trees you
find appear to be planted; also if
you observe regeneration (seedlings)
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White pine (Pinus strobus)
L4
1o soft needles in clusters of five
2o cones open loosely,elongated (8-20cm),woody
Careful:
Norway spruce cones are similar
size, but closed and with papery,
not woody scales
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White cedar (Thuja occidentalis) L4
� swamp, wetland habitat
� thick growth provides cover for resident
fauna species
� often planted – enter
comment if trees
appear to be planted
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White cedar (Thuja occidentalis) L4
1o evergreen tree with
flat scaly leaves, not
needles
2o tiny brown cones in
clusters
Careful:
Don’t confuse red cedar with this one –Note “messy” growth form of native white cedar vs. “neat” garden variety red cedars; red cedar has blue berry-like fruit, not straw-coloured cones
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Winter Visit # 2
� Importance of protocol adherence
� March evening
� ½ hr visit
� after dusk, i.e. ≈7:00 pm(19:00) earliest start till Mar 10
� clocks change on 11th, plus sunset gets later
� go ≈ 8:00 to 8:30 pm (20:00 to 20:30) later in month
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Eastern Screech Owl (Megascops asio) L4
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Eastern Screech Owl (Megascops asio) L4
� avian predator
� year round resident
� good indicator urban zone
� out-competed or preyed on
by larger owls (great-horned)
� tree cavity nester
� March is breeding season
� nocturnal
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How to find Eastern Screech Owl
� Deciduous woods & wetlands (swamp or marsh
with dead standing trees)
� Play call, listen and wait 2-3min
� Move and try again if no response
� STOP playing as soon as response heard or if
another owl responds (enter comment)
� Continue to wait quietly – may fly right in to
investigate
� one or both of pair may respond
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Eastern Screech Owl (Megascops asio)
1o call is a mournful horse-like
whinny and/or a deep trill
2o sings at night
3o about the same size as a
grey squirrel
* responds to recording - play where
there are large deciduous trees, & at
wetlands with dead standing trees
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• www.allaboutbirds.org
• identification, habitat info., range maps,
photos & sound files for N. American birds
• Book: Tracking & The Art of Seeing, How to
read animal tracks and sign
By: Paul Rezendes
Birds & Tracking Resources
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Wrap up
� Questions?
� Online data entry
� Hand in fall data and trail maps
� Sign in sheet
� Pick up winter data sheets