The NESTBOX #16 Winter 2006
Lordy, Lordy look who’s 40
Us, that’s who. That’s right, the Ottawa Duck Club turns middle-aged this year. In fact, the very first meeting of the club took place near the end of January 1966 and the first general meeting was held on March 10, 1966. Why not mark the anniversary by coming out to a meeting or outing?
***COMING EVENTS***
- Sundays 10:00am Weekly winter outings when shooting permits. Meet at Range Control
- Tuesday, Feb 21, 7:00pm Regular business meeting at the Citizen Conference Centre on Baxter Road
- Monday, March 27, 7:00pm Annual Meeting, includes election of officers, also at the Citizen Conference Centre
- April 7-9 National Capital Wildlife Festival, at Billings Bridge Shopping Centre. Volunteers needed to staff our booth. See Bill
- June 2-4 Ontario Nature Annual General Meeting in Kitchener-Waterloo
It’s that time again - membership renewals are due. Please see the letter from Tom Irwin enclosed with this newsletter and send him your cheque, or take it to the next meeting.
Speaking of cheques, many thanks to Dr. Ronald Tasker, Dale Crook’s son-in-law, for a generous donation to the club in Dale’s memory. Dr. Tasker is himself an enthusiastic birder. The club has also received a $500 cheque from Wetland Habitat Canada for our project at Petrie Island. And we’re hoping to get good financial news soon from the Ministry of Natural Resources.
Long time club member, George Martin, had a bit of a health set-back in late January and is currently in the Queensway-Carleton Hospital (room A3-317) where he marked his 88th birthday February 5. George would like to hear from members. You can visit him or send a card to 56 Crystal Beach Drive, Nepean, Ontario K2H 5N1.
Just before Christmas, Bill heard from Stuart Williams, a local photographer, offering us the use of his extensive collection of mallard photos for a calendar, to post on our website or to produce framed prints for fund raising. It was a generous offer, however, since we have lots of our own photos taken at the sanctuary, Petrie Island or Watts Creek, including Dale’s, we should use them first if we want to develop a calendar, or for the website. And if we choose to have a raffle for a framed print, we have limited edition conservation stamp prints from Wildlife Habitat Canada in stock - and we can get more if we want them - for free. We just have to have them framed.
Winter maintenance program - by Bill Bower
We started our winter maintenance program on December 18, clearing up some of the mess left by the bears - mostly in the Dike Pond area. Some boxes were repaired and others replaced.
Down at the birdfeeder, George brought in a nice new barrel to hold seed and also provided the seed. Tony and Gretchen Denton have agreed to keep our feeders filled and are checking them each Friday. The smaller feeders are up and most have been filled with suet, etc. Tony is working on a new feeder to replace one that was in bad shape and has been taken down. George will be getting another barrel for use at his feeder and will be keeping it stocked throughout the winter. Anyone wishing to provide seed, peanuts, suet or whatever, can get in touch with Tony or put it in our barrel sometime when they are out.
We had a great turnout on Jan 8. I counted 12 members and we have the photo (below) to prove it - well, 10 at least.
from left: Ron St.Louis, Corrie Rabbe, Bill Bower, Isabella Nicol,
Rod Brook, Gretchen Denton, Tony Denton, Ben Mancini,
Austin Taverner, Churchy. (photo by Ron St.Louis)
We found a box at Watts Creek that had evidence kestrels had nested in it. They can have up to seven young and there was one dead chick in the box amongst all the flattened debris. By the look of the inside of the box there must have been a large brood. It was covered in "whitewash". We collected a partial egg, the feet from the dead chick and a couple of feathers which Rod used to confirm the species.
Muskrat, photo by Tony Denton
Interesting sightings so far this winter include an adult bald eagle, snow buntings, Bohemian waxwings, downy and hairy woodpeckers, chickadees, red- and white-breasted nuthatches, tree sparrows, cardinals, porcupines and, of course, deer. Red-tailed and rough-legged hawks have been around the fields but no owls. There was also a very bold muskrat that allowed cars to stop a foot away from it as it grazed beside our road.
Our checks on February 10 and 12, with Bill, Austin, Tony, Gretchen, Merrill, Klaus Gottlob, Rod and his friend Patricia Lamoureux, turned up lots of damaged boxes in the South Arm and Inner and Outer Creek areas. Austin’s long to-do list just got longer.
We are just about finished but haven’t had a chance to come up with any figures yet. In a word, the results were poor for 2005. Our whole year was one we would like to forget about. The black bear destroyed between 15 and 20 of our nesting boxes that contained duck eggs. Boxes with no eggs were passed by. At Petrie Island our nesting boxes were well used by wood ducks but the results were down considerably from the last few years. At Watts Creek we did have great results which came as a surprise. Even the five new nesting boxes installed in 2004 were used (four by wood ducks and one by a kestrel).
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Austin, Bill and Rod replace one of the boxes damaged
by the bear. (Photo by Patricia Lamoureux)
Black ducks disappearing - again?
Back when the duck club was hatched, preserving stocks of black ducks was one of the main goals. Rod Brook contributed the following article on the continuing struggles of this species.
Black duck populations in Ontario went through a period of decline in the 1800s and early 1900s, which was also a period of agricultural expansion in the province. They went through another decline, from 1960 to about 1980, and now it appears they have been going through yet another decline since 1997. The data in the chart below are from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service midwinter count of ducks in the Mississippi Flyway. Black ducks that winter in the flyway (counted from aircraft in January) are thought to be mostly from Ontario and western Quebec.
Black Duck Population Decline 1960-2005
There are lots of hypotheses and arguments in the scientific literature regarding the cause of the black duck decline. One of the potential causes of decline most often promoted by waterfowl biologists is that habitat change, particularly in southern Ontario, has made the region unsuitable for breeding black ducks. They are thought to be quite intolerant of human disturbance and encroaching human land use on wetlands in the region may have contributed to their disappearance from the area. Another potential cause involves the increasing abundance of mallards in Ontario. Mallard populations seem to have exploded in the province and some suggest that mallards compete with blacks for resources and hybridize with them, causing their decline. This is a chicken and egg (or duck and egg) argument because mallards seem to excel in agriculture-based habitats like what southern Ontario has become. Did the black duck decline because of the habitat change or did they decline because the habitat change brought competition from the mallards which caused them to decline?
So what is causing the recent apparent decline in black ducks? Analysis I did for the Canadian Wildlife Service and the Ministry of Natural Resources indicated that the decline observed in the Mississippi Flyway since 1997 might not be all due to a decline in black duck abundance in Ontario. It might just be because of warmer winters! The CWS does its own mid-winter count of ducks each January. Counts from the north-shore of the St. Lawrence River, and Lake Ontario from Cornwall to Presqu‘ile Provincial Park, indicated that from 1995, there has been a steadily increasing number of black ducks and mallards wintering in Ontario. There is some evidence the ducks are there in January because of warmer temperatures in December. However, the number of black ducks counted by CWS only explains about 40 per cent of the ducks missing in the Mississippi Flyway count. In any event, while it appears that there is a decline in the Mississippi Flyway, it may not necessarily be as drastic as once thought.
We still don’t know exactly why black ducks declined in Ontario in the 1800s and 1900s (and 2000s?). Ontario breeding black ducks are now most common in a 300km wide east-west band just north of North Bay; an area increasingly under pressure by the forest industry and for recreation. Northern Ontario banding stations are also catching increasing numbers of mallards and are getting fewer black ducks each year.
I am afraid there isn’t nearly as much research completed as is needed to understand what should be done to reverse the trend for the Ontario black duck. Causes of the decline are likely many and difficult to understand. Harvest was reduced in the mid-1980s and may be reduced again. Unfortunately, without the needed research on the breeding grounds, it will be difficult to recommend the amount and type of habitat conservation measures required. Currently, there are research projects on black ducks across eastern Canada and the United States. All have the same general objective of learning more about the species so we can do more for its conservation. The best the duck club can do for the black duck (or any species really) is to support research and habitat conservation efforts as much as possible.
AVIAN INFLUENZA aka BIRD FLU
I am devoting quite a lot of this newsletter to avian influenza for obvious reasons, but I find a lot of the media coverage to be alarmist and I don’t want to add to that. Much of the coverage has been about pandemics, but there seems to be little explanation of just what a pandemic is. While a pandemic might be disastrous, it also might not be. As Dr. Richard Shabas noted in a Globe and Mail book review in October, we had flu pandemics in 1957-58 and again in 1968-69 but the viruses that caused them were relatively mild - very similar to the normal flu. “More people got sick and more people died because more people got infected, not because the pandemic flu was a super-killer.” So don’t panic.
The following article is drawn mostly from information on the Canadian Wildlife Service’s website. (http://www.cws-scf.ec.gc.ca/)
Avian influenza is a contagious viral infection caused by the influenza virus Type "A", which can affect several species of birds, domestic or wild. These viruses are present in a wide variety of birds and mammals and new strains are constantly evolving. Worldwide, most avian influenza strains originate in wild waterfowl, where they seldom cause illness in the birds.
There are at least 15 types of avian flu. They are all caused by various strains of the type A influenza virus. Birds spread avian flu virus to one another through secretions and droppings. Some species of wild birds, such as ducks, can carry the virus and infect other birds without getting sick themselves. Other bird species, including domestic poultry (e.g., chickens and turkeys), are more likely to become severely ill and die when infected.
H5N1 is a particular subtype of the avian influenza virus. (The letters refer to surface proteins, hemagglutinin (H) and neuraminidase (N), on the influenza virus that determine its subtype.) Within this subtype of the virus, there are different genetic strains with different biological properties. Some strains cause mild disease in poultry (known as low pathogenicity strains) while others cause severe, even fatal, disease in poultry (defined as high pathogenicity).
Recently, low pathogenicity H5N1 strains were found in a few samples from healthy wild birds in Canada. These strains are thought to be native to North America, and genetically, are not closely related to the highly pathogenic "Asian strain" of H5N1.
The pattern of outbreaks of Asian strain H5N1 avian influenza in Eurasia suggests that migratory birds may have contributed to the spread of this virus. It has also raised concerns that migratory birds may bring Asian strain H5N1 avian influenza to North America, where it is not thought to be present. There are native North American strains of H5 influenza, or possibly even H5N1, circulating in wild birds that may have no health significance for wild or domestic birds.
The role played by migratory birds in transmitting avian influenza is unclear and the source of much speculation. The strains detected in Canadian wild birds have not caused detectable disease in wild birds to date. Even in Eurasia, relatively few populations and species of wild birds have been affected by Asian strain H5N1.
While migratory birds are natural reservoirs for avian influenza, most strains pose little risk to humans. Transmission of avian influenza from wild birds directly to humans has never been documented. (emphasis mine)
At the moment there is no new risk to human health. However, migratory game bird hunting permit holders, aviculture permit holders, holders of scientific permits to capture and band migratory birds, and others who are in close contact with wild birds should always take precautions to minimize their risk of exposure to avian influenza and other diseases.
How Avian Flu spreads from birds to people
The exact mode of transmission from birds to people is not known, but most human cases of avian flu have been traced to direct contact with live infected birds or their droppings. The scientific evidence to date shows that avian flu virus does not spread easily or rapidly from one person to another.
There is no evidence that the influenza virus can be transmitted by mosquitoes.
The human health effects of Avian Flu
Although human cases of avian flu are rare, people who become infected with the H5N1 virus can become seriously ill and may die. The symptoms can resemble those of human influenza, including fever, cough, aching muscles and a sore throat. The human health effects of avian flu can also include eye infections and serious respiratory infections, including pneumonia.
At this time, there is no vaccine to provide people with specific protection against avian flu though one is not far off. Studies suggest that certain anti-viral drugs designed to fight human influenza may also help prevent serious illness in people who become infected with the avian flu virus.
As a general guideline, members of the public should avoid handling live or dead wild birds.
If contact is unavoidable, wear gloves or use a doubled-up plastic bag. Minimize contact with blood, body fluids, and feces. If you become ill while handling birds or shortly thereafter, see your doctor. Inform your doctor that you have been in contact with wild birds. For public health reasons, people who frequently handle wild birds should consider annual vaccinations against seasonal human influenza. This will not protect them from avian influenza, but it will reduce the likelihood of a person becoming infected with both human and avian influenza strains simultaneously. This reduces opportunities for viral reassortment and mutation that would allow a highly pathogenic avian influenza to become a highly pathogenic human influenza.
Following biosafety precautions when handling wild birds will keep the risk of transmission low.
Advice for bird banders (should be good for ODC members)
It is considered safe to handle healthy birds, especially if the following precautions are observed:
- Minimize direct contact with wild birds, by wearing protective clothing and gloves. If you are working under conditions where aerosols may be generated, or body fluids may be sprayed, consider wearing eye protection (glasses, goggles, face shield) and a mask that covers your nose and mouth.
- Wash hands with soap after handling birds, especially prior to eating, drinking, or smoking, which should be done away from the vicinity of birds.
- Disinfect all banding and sampling tools with 10% bleach between uses on individual birds.
- Disinfect all bird restraint, holding and transportation devices between uses. Disinfect all surfaces regularly.
- If you are exposed to blood, respiratory secretions or feces, wash skin immediately with soap and water (or alcohol-based disinfectants).
- Flush contaminated wounds and eyes thoroughly with clean water or saline solution.
- If collecting blood, fecal, or tissue samples, wear gloves and handle samples and sharps according to established biosafety protocols. Ensure that you have the training you need to prevent contaminating yourself, the birds, or the samples (in that order!).
- If you observe sick or dead birds and suspect that disease may be involved, contact appropriate Canadian Wildlife Service personnel and the Canadian Cooperative Wildlife Health Centre (call 1-800-567-2033 to learn how to collect and submit carcasses).
As of February 13, there have been 169 confirmed cases of avian influenza in humans worldwide since 2003 of which 91 have been fatal. Most have occurred in Southeast Asia – Vietnam (93-42), Indonesia (25-18), Thailand (22-14) and Cambodia (4-4). There have also been 12 cases reported in China, eight fatal, 12 in Turkey with 4 fatalities and one fatal case in Iraq. The disease has also been found in poultry flocks in Russia, Romania and Ukraine and wild swans in Greece.
A national survey of wild migratory ducks in Canada has detected avian influenza. Preliminary results indicate that 28 of the positive reactions in Quebec and five in Manitoba were due to the H5 subtype. The Public Health Agency of Canada has determined that there is no information in these findings suggesting a new threat to human health.
The detection of H5 avian influenza is not unexpected: the virus is commonly seen in migratory bird populations around the world and various types and strains have been detected in North America over the last 30 years, with no impact on human health. The birds tested in this national survey were healthy, and there is no evidence of influenza-related illness among domestic or wild birds in the test areas.
We know that subtypes of influenza have been detected in many species of apparently healthy wild birds, but we have no known cases where the virus was transmitted directly to humans.
Information gathered through the study will help Canadian animal health experts better understand the movement of the virus within migratory patterns. It will also provide early warnings of changes in the prevalence and types of viruses in Canada. These warnings would be used to adjust biosecurity approaches and animal health monitoring programs. This particular survey was initiated after the 2004 outbreak of avian influenza in the Fraser Valley of British Columbia.
Please note: the Ottawa Duck Club has latex gloves and dust masks for members to use when checking nest boxes. Members are also advised to note the locations of any dead birds they find, but to leave them for Austin or Bill to deal with.
CHURCHY’S COLUMN
Bill wants me to mention that if you’re donating seed or other items for use by the club, make sure Jim Sauer gets any receipts for purchases made before the end of December 2005. This is so we can record the "donations-in-kind" in our books. Make sure your receipts detail what was purchased so that Tom Irwin can issue income tax receipts for you.
Likewise, if you have made purchases on behalf of the club in 2005, make sure that Jim gets all your bills so those can be recorded and a cheque can be issued to you. We want to keep things nice at tidy at year-end.
Did you know…
…that the Shirley’s Bay Sanctuary has been in existence since 1929?
…that the duck club grew out of the QUEONT Wild Duck Project that was started in 1965?
And this is for Austin:
Newfoundland Medical Terminology
Artery: The study of paintings
Bacteria: Back door to cafeteria
Barium: What doctors do when patients die
Benign: What you be, after you be eight
Cesarean Section: A neighbourhood in Rome
Catscan: Searching for Kitty
Cauterize: Made eye contact with her
Colic: A sheep dog
Coma: A punctuation mark
To be continued …if Austin doesn’t kill me first.
Tags: Avian Flu, Black Ducks, duck boxes