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By Howard Williams

The Essex County Field Naturalists’ Club (ECFNC) organizes semi-regular pop-ups throughout the year that are informal gatherings at places of natural historical interest.  The rationale behind pop-ups is to introduce members and others to a specific site, to encourage observation of the natural history and to facilitate social intercourse and networking.  Furthermore, thanks to Carl Maiolani, who amongst other things has a gift of generally providing good weather.

When I arrived in Windsor last Fall having migrated from Nova Scotia, the pop-ups were one of the only events in which I could participate safely, outdoors, maskless by choice but keeping my physical distance from others as and when necessary.  Moving to a new city is not easy during a pandemic, so the pop-ups were a wonderful introduction to a new social network with which I had a common interest.

The pop-ups also introduced me to new areas for birding and wildflower observation.  I knew about Ojibway and Point Pelee from previous visits to southwest Ontario, but the others, such as Kopegaron, Maidstone, Black Oak, and Devonwood were a delightful revelation.  One of the joys of being retired was that I could visit these places in a disciplined way, every week or two, to observe seasonal changes and understand the rhythm of nature, especially during Spring, when plants and birds appear and disappear so rapidly.

As an example of participation of a pop-up, the following is a write up of an event held at Maidstone Conservation Area on 13^th May 2022.  A beautiful warm sunny evening saw a select group of Essex County Field Naturalist’s Club members visit Maidstone Conservation Area, a little gem of a place that contains a wealth of wildflowers and birds.  We were far from disappointed by what we were hearing, smelling and seeing between 6.30 p.m. and dusk.  At least 16 species of birds were recognised, including Rose-breasted Grosbeak and Great Crested Flycatcher.  Over 25 species of wildflowers and small trees were recognised, including some notable examples of Wild Ginger that was showing its flowers perfectly, as was Large Flowered Bellwort.  

Much discussion centered around specific identification of wildflowers, some of which have yet to be confirmed.  We remarked on the occurrence at Maidstone of a planted Redbud (Cercis canadensis) a leguminous tree that has Canada implied in its name but does not now occur here naturally.  According to Waldron (Trees of the Carolinian Forest), a single specimen was reclaimed by Lake Erie from the southern tip of Pelee Island.  Back in the late 19th century it was only in the extreme south of Ontario that it was naturally distributed.  Readers are invited to explain this anomaly, including why websites such as the Catalogue of Life does not say when it was named, and by whom: (Catalogue of Life : Cercis canadensis L.), presumably a Canadian.  We were piped out of the woodland by a Wood Thrush chorus that was setting a peaceful melancholic tone before a magnificent sunset.

These conservation and other areas of natural habitat also allow the all too apparent negative aspects of living in a large city such as noise, drugs, and litter, to be offset by the beauty of nature.

Well done ECFNC, pop-ups are just the best idea, except on websites.

By Chris Hart

The ECFNC is a community based club promoting the excellence and the enjoyment of our local environment. As such, we often give back to those organizations whom align with these beliefs. One such contribution is the Lynda Corkum Essex County Nature Bursary, which is awarded to a Biology graduate student at the University of Windsor. This is a $1000 donation made possible from funds acquired selling the Fish Book. We are pleased to announce that this year’s recipient is Sarah Dobney. 

Sarah is a PhD student studying Savannah Sparrows on Kent Island, New Brunswick. She says “over the next several years, I will travel to this population to investigate how song relates to various aspects of development and reproduction. Specifically, I will test how song influences mate choice, nest-site selection, and parental behaviour. Additionally, I will determine how nestling vocal learning is influenced by adult song density within a nestling’s acoustic environment. I feel so lucky to have the opportunity to conduct field research at this site, and this would not be nearly as possible without the generous support of people like you. Thank you!”

Sarah is an avid birder originally from Long Point. In reaching out to Lynda, Sarah stated “Words cannot express how amazing it is to receive financial and emotional encouragement to continue conducting field research, from someone who has made so many important field contributions herself.”

Congratulations Sarah, and we look forward to hearing more as your research progresses.

Other recent donations by the Club include:

Jan/21 Jack Miner’s Foundation $1000.00  (towards Wall replacement)

July/21 Windsor Essex Community Foundation $300.00 (donation to Managed Fund started by LREG)

April/22 Town of Amherstburg $2000.00 (Map & Grow Tree Planting program – ‘Thank you’ letter included below)

May/22 Weston Park/Little Reg Committee $1000.00 (40th Anniversary Tree Planting)

Heritage Committee

Aug/21-Ontario Nature-$5000.00 (Sydenham Nature Reserve expansion)

For more information on these contributions, and/or how to make a donations to the Club, please contact a Club Board member.

By Don Bissonnette

   In the Spring of 1989, I found a nesting pair of Eastern Bluebirds near Harrow, Ont. This surprised me, because I knew they were extirpated in many areas. I spoke with some members of our club, & I learned that Essex County did have a very small population of Bluebirds, mostly in the Southern half of the County. 

  I learned that other Nature Clubs (both in Canada & the United States) had set up Bluebird Committees, which managed birdhouse trails in their areas. In the mid-1980s, I had set up 3 trails, so I was familiar with Bluebird trail monitoring.  I wondered if our Club would be interested in having a Bluebird Committee. 

  In 1989 or 1990, I attended a E.C.F.N. club meeting. I stood up, & gave a short talk on Bluebird Conservation. I held one of my birdhouses, for a prop. I asked the group, if any-one was interested in forming a Bluebird Committee, to speak with me at the end of the meeting. Fortunately, a few people did approach me. 

  I wanted this Committee to be successful, so I looked for information about Eastern Bluebirds,Tree Swallows, & setting up birdhouse trails. (This was before the internet!) Fortunately, people in the club sent me articles about these subjects, from magazines. I contacted a member of the Sydenham Field Naturalist’s ‘Bluebird Committee’, & he answered my questions, & gave me some practical information. 

  I spent some time, applying for grants. Our first grant came from Shell Oil’s ‘Environmental Fund’. That got the ball rolling, & we bought some t-bar posts, & birdhouse kits. A home improvement company sold us the kits (unassembled birdhouses). These kits were made with recycled wood, which kept our cost down to $8.33 each. 

Setting Up The Club’s Bluebird Trails​. In the early years,  the Committee members were always on the lookout for good Bluebird habitat. Fortunately, Bill Balkwill contacted some property he knew, & secured permission for us, to set up & monitor birdhouse trails on their properties. The rest of us, did contact people we knew with good habitat, & asked them about setting up trails. 

   A few times, some of us, stopped at a farm, with good habitat. It seems bold, but we knocked on the door, & spoke to the people, who we did not know.  We introduced ourselves, and explained that our Committee was looking for good Bluebird habitat. We asked if we could set up a Bluebird trail on their property, which was good Bluebird habitat.  A few people did say no.  Fortunately, some were enthusiastic & welcomed us. One couple I spoke with, told me they had occasionally seen Bluebirds on their farm, & were planning on setting up some birdhouses. 

 Setting Up Affiliate Trails​ In the early years, some of the local Newspapers reported about our Bluebird Committee. This led to some property owners contacting me, & asking for help in setting up a Bluebird trail.  I did visit some of these people, to determine if they had good Bluebird habitat. 

 If these people had good Bluebird habitat,  I gave them literature about Bluebird Conservation. (This was before the days of internet googling!) Some of these people allowed us to set up a Club trail on their property. 

   Others, wanted to own their own birdhouses, & do the monitoring themselves. Some of these people built their own birdhouses or bought birdhouses from me. These became the Affiliate trails.  Some Affiliates telephoned me, in their first years, with questions. I did my best to answer these questions, or help them find the answer. Some of these Affiliates shared their statistics with us, every Fall. 

The Bluebird Committee Today​ In the recent years, there are 4 monitors of the Bluebird Committee: Joan Affleck, Alan Batke, Graham Brown & myself. We look after the club’s 7 trails which contain 28 houses. Some of us also look after the 3 Essex Windsor Solid Waste Authority Bluebird trails. We also give some of the Affiliate bluebird landlords a hand with washing their houses in the fall, or setting up new houses. 

Bluebird  Trail  Maintenance  Through  The  Year.​

Winter … All of the trails are inspected. Any damaged houses are repaired, or replaced. Soiled or wet Pine Straw beds are replaced. Birdhouses that were taken over by House Wrens, are moved to more open locations, far from any shrubs or trees. Any houses that were not washed in the Fall are washed. Broken hunting perches are replaced. Deceased birds are removed from the houses. 

   The broken, damaged houses houses are taken apart. Any decent piece of wood is washed.  I build  and paint ‘new’ houses. ( These houses contain very little new wood.  They are mostly made of good pieces from old birdhouses, & scraps of wood, left-over from friend’s wood-working projects.) 

late Winter & early Spring … All of the birdhouse posts are regreased. (This prevents predation from Raccoons, Possums and other predators.) Any deceased birds are removed from the houses.  We apply Mint oil to the interior of the mice-prone houses, using cotton-balls. The smell of the Mint Oil repels the mice, but does not bother the birds. 

Spring & Summer … Most of us monitor, every 5 to 8 days. (Monitoring can be very irregular in April and May, due to rainy days.) As soon as the young Bluebirds, or Tree Swallows fledge, their nests are removed. A new bed of Pine straw is set in place. 

Fall … Houses are washed out. The inspection doors are left open for a few hours, to allow the interior to dry. A few hours later, when the interior is dry, a fresh bed of Pine Straw is set in place, & the inspection door is closed. Also, during the Fall, a list is made, of which houses need repairing or relocating. Houses that are prone to mice invasions, are left propped open for the Winter. 

Late Fall & early Winter … I collect the nesting statistics from all of the Bluebird And Tree Swallow landlords that I know, in Essex County. This includes our Bluebird Committee members & the Affiliate Bluebird landlords.  Nowadays, I do this with e-mails. Some of the Bluebird landlords do not have computers, so I call them on the phone. (In the olden days, I mailed out a 1 page questionnaire to all of the Bluebird landlords  and the Bluebird trail monitors.  They filled out the questionnaire & mailed it back to me.)  I make a statistic chart, & e-mail this chart back to the people who responded. Also, I send a copy to the Ontario Eastern Bluebird society. 

The Bluebird Committee is run totally on available Grants, a portion of what is raised through the Great Canadian Birdathon, and donations.  If you want to donate money directly to the Bluebird Committee please send a check to Essex County Field Naturalists Club c/o 5200 Matchette Rd. Windsor, Ontario N9C 4C8 (put in memo line-Bluebird Committee). Or through our website essexcountynature.com under membership there is a donation box through Canada Helps, just direct the donation to the Bluebird Committee.  Thank you.