Survey Trip to Blue Seas Lakes

Name: Megan

Role: Natural Heritage Technician

Interests: Birds and turtles!

As a natural heritage technician working at Land’escapes, my job involves conducting various surveys to monitor wildlife, including turtle visual encounter surveys, breeding bird surveys, and frog call surveys, among others. Land’escapes is a vast park, home to many remote areas that require a bit of extra effort to access. Sometimes, this means embarking on overnight backcountry camping excursions to reach the more isolated survey sites. This particular trip turned out to be a perfect mix of rewarding work, stunning scenery, and a few surprises along the way.

Preparing well in advance proved to be a good strategy when packing for this back-country excursion. My work weeks tend to be packed, waking up early in the morning to catch those basking turtles, and long days of hiking and wading through wetlands. Because of this, the weekend before the trip I made sure that my pack was ready with all my usual camping gear. This included my sleeping bag, camp mat, hammock sleep system which I borrowed from the Land’escapes gear library, cook-stove kit including butane and a pot, water bottles and filtration system, bear-bag and food, first-aid, as well as some other comfort items.

When you are working in the backcountry, you not only have to carry all of your camping gear to your site, but you also have to think about necessary field equipment. Luckily for us, our surveys did not require any clunky data collection equipment, so it wasn’t too much of an extra strain to carry my daily field pack on my front, with my camping gear on my back. While this may not be a stylish look, it did help to balance out some of the weight of my gear. My typical daily field pack would include the items necessary for completing our surveys, namely a thermometer and clipboard containing our hard copy data sheets. Despite the amazing technology I carry around in my pocket there is always room for failure, especially with the added challenges of remote, back-country camping, so hard copies are our go-to. I also always carry important items to keep me healthy and safe, such as sunscreen, a hat, water, snacks, a compass, and a bear horn – just in case.

After an early morning turtle survey, we set off in our truck down Mackenzie Lane. The heat of the day began to set in as we made the drive to the trailhead, around 10 AM. We elected to take part in this trip in the middle of a heat wave. We could have called it off if conditions for our trek were unsafe; however, one thing we biologists will rarely choose to do is give up a chance for a fun work excursion because mother nature isn’t playing nice. We started our approximately 6 km hike at the Blue Seas Lakes trailhead, which passes by some beautiful wetlands west of Dixon Lake.

As we hike toward Dixon Lake, our trail becomes blocked by a beaver pond and a flooded bridge. Beaver activity at the park creates numerous, dynamic, everchanging wetland ecosystems. Adapting to these changes and working with the beavers is key, so park rangers have re-routed the trail to a small dam crossing just east of the trail. We cross the newly constructed rope bridge and continue on our way, passing some of the campsites that sit on Dixon Lake. We traverse small hills, valleys, and small streams crossing, soaking in the beautiful forest scenery. Because of the heat, we take any excuse to drop our packs and take breaks, observing little toadlets, listening to the red-eyed vireos, and trying to identify all of the woodland vegetation.

Finally, we reach the canoe cash to the south of the Blue Seas Lakes. Our paddle over to the peninsula where campsite 110 sits is short and sweet, and before we know it we’ve made it! The first thing we did was dive into the crystal-clear blue water to cool off from the hot afternoon sun. This uniquely clear water can be attributed to the pH or acidity of the lake. These types of lakes are often found in areas with granitic rock, including Land’escapes, and thin or less basic soils. They are often also the result of acid rain, which was predominant before the turn of the century. This reduces the ability of many plants, invertebrates, and fish to survive in such environments, resulting in crystal blue waters where you can see right to the bottom.

Despite this, we were treated to two Common Loons sharing the north lake, calmly paddling back and forth across the surface of the water each day we camped. While loons don’t mate for life, they do tend to return to the same breeding lake year after year, which often leads to them breeding with the same mate several years in a row. We got to watch and listen to the pair as we set up camp and prepared dinner. I tend to keep my camping meals pretty simple, breakfast is usually oatmeal (I like the kind with added protein) and instant coffee is a necessity for those early mornings. I’ll bring my usual field day lunches consisting of mini tuna cans, crackers, and a protein bar. For dinners I brought ramen (again with added protein), and instant rice to cook up and eat with some tuna. I also always pack extra snacks like granola bars, nuts, and dried fruit for a little fiber.

Our first survey of the trip was a nightjar survey. Nightjars are a group of nocturnal birds, some of which you may already be familiar with, which are named for their “jarring” calls. These birds typically call at night in the middle of the summer, around sunset and just before sunrise, particularly near the full moon. Two such birds found in the park include the common nighthawk and the eastern whip-poor-will. Both of these are species at risk, being listed as special concern and threatened in Ontario, respectively. This is a result of threats such as habitat loss and a reduction in insects which are their required food source. Widespread use of insecticides over the past several decades has significantly reduced insect populations which impacts these and other aerial insectivore species.

We waited until sunset of our first night, before paddling out across the north lake of Blue Seas Lakes. Luckily for us, our survey site was just at the top of the hill on the north shore of the lake. For this survey, we record data such as date, time, temperature, cloud cover, precipitation, background noise level, and how much of the moon is visible. All of these data are important for comparison later on when analyzing our findings. The survey consists of a five-minute listening period, within which we stand still and quiet listening for the distinct call of our target birds. That night we heard nothing during our survey, so we set on back down the hill toward our canoe. This wasn’t the end though!

As we settled down for the evening, getting ready for bed, we heard the faint, buzzing “peent” call of a common nighthawk to our west. This call is often heard just after sunset, as the nighthawk is flying. This species uses open habitats for breeding, which include lakeshores, like that of Blue Seas Lakes. Despite not hearing any nightjars, during our survey window, we can still record the coordinates, date, and time of this observation as an “incidental” observation. This is useful information to have, as it can still inform us of the locations and habitats of nightjars found within the park. As we settle ourselves into bed, we begin to hear the calls of not one, but three whip-poor-wills across the lake. These birds call out their name repeatedly to communicate with each other. Nature often reminds us that it doesn’t care about our carefully laid plans and will always work on its own time.

The next morning, we get up bright and early to get ready for another day of surveys. We give ourselves time to eat and drink our coffee while watching the loons glide over the lake. After paddling across the north lake to reach the canoe cash, we set off along the blue trail heading north towards our target wetland. Today we are starting off with marsh bird and frog call surveys. Marsh birds are birds that live, feed, and breed in wetlands. They can often be a useful indicator of wetland health, as many species are very sensitive to their environment. As a result, many marsh birds, such as the black tern, king rail, and yellow rail, are at risk in Ontario. It is important to monitor the presence and activity of such birds in the park to understand which habitats are being used, which species are present, and any potential threats to these species. Our marsh bird surveys are conducted the same way as our nightjar surveys. We collect environmental data, and then quietly listen and record all of the species we hear and see. A typical marsh bird protocol would require paddling out to a selected point in the wetland and playing recordings of specific target species to elicit a response from these birds. This, however, takes equipment that can be difficult to carry into remote environments such as those found in the back corners of the park. For our purposes, we keep the surveys simple and consistent in order to obtain a thorough database of species within the park.

We surveyed three locations along the edge of the wetlands, which required some pretty challenging bushwacking. Because surveys are often conducted in isolated, off-trail locations, we often have to walk through thick brush and unmaintained landscapes to reach them. The history of logging on park property means that some areas are in various stages of succession, that is the process by which vegetation takes over an area after disturbance. Early successional stages are often very brushy, with lots of short young trees, shrubs, and brambles, which as you may be able to guess, are a challenging terrain to traverse. In this case, our trek around the wetland involved clambering over large groups of fallen trees that had been taken down by the wind and moving through some pretty dense brush. For our efforts, we were rewarded with a few exciting observations! The open wetland allowed us to observe a pair of ring-necked ducks, a mother wood duck with her ducklings, and a great blue heron. We also had the pleasure of hearing an alder flycatcher just after the survey, which is always a pleasant surprise.

Our frog call surveys take place at the same locations as our marsh bird surveys, to maintain simplicity. Again, to keep all of our surveys consistent, we use a five-minute listening period and record all frog species we hear. We also use a special code system to indicate approximately how many frogs of each species we heard throughout this period. Mink frogs are a staple species throughout the park and can be seen throughout the many diverse wetlands. These frogs tend to call late spring to mid-summer to attract mates and sound similar to something knocking on a piece of wood. These were the only frogs that were heard during our survey that day.

We finish our field day bushwacking through the hills and valleys northwest of Blue Seas Lake to reach our forest survey locations. The protocol for these surveys is identical to those for nightjars and marsh birds, the only difference is the habitat being surveyed. During these surveys, we heard a variety of breeding forest birds, including red-eyed vireo, northern parula, winter wren, least flycatcher, scarlet tanager, and eastern wood-pewee. The latter few are typically of interest to many birders, whether due to their quick breeding season or increasing rarity. The eastern wood pewee is a species at risk in Ontario, listed as special concern due to various human disturbances including loss of habitat and prey, and increased predation. Places like land’escapes are becoming increasingly important to these species, as more and more of their habitats are developed for human use. They act as refuges for many species while allowing us to have a place to come and observe them in their natural habitats.

Once back at camp for our final night, after a refreshing swim and a hot meal, we were treated to a gorgeous ruby-throated hummingbird fluttering right in front of us as we sat and watched the sunset. This felt like the perfect ending to a fantastic birding trip. We slept peacefully after a long day’s work and hiked out early the next morning to beat the heat of the afternoon. This trip reminded me how lucky I am to have a job where I get to camp in beautiful scenic locations and observe wildlife in its natural beauty day after day.