March 22, 2007

Another year has gone by and it is again time to review the activities of the Ottawa Duck Club for the year 2006.

The one large item that impacted on just about all our activities in 2006 was the approval received for $3,800 in grants under the Community Fisheries and Wildlife Involvement Program (CFWIP). Three separate grants were approved, $500 for Wood Duck nesting boxes, $500 for Blue Bird, Kestrel and Purple Martin boxes and the largest being $2,800 for grassland habitat maintenance and improvements. We spent approximately $3,700 of the $3,800 available to us.

You will note from the financial reports and notes provided by the Treasurer that we ended the year with a cash balance of $12,537 and in fact we showed a deficit for the year of $1,449. This deficit relates directly to how the grants have to be managed. We have to spend our funds on the various projects and then submit an application to the Ministry of Natural Resources to recover. This process took us well into the final months of the year. We had completed making the expenditures but as of December 31, 2006 but we still had three outstanding applications totaling $1,982.04. Those monies have now been received and will form part of our income for 2007. You will also note that our largest single expenditure for the year was $1,219.32 for our liability insurance coverage.

Last spring we continued our nesting box check program and checked 61 of our boxes as often as we were out and had an opportunity to do so during the nesting season. Repairs were made when necessary and observations recorded. A total of 462 Wood Duck eggs were laid in those boxes and 192 hatched. Black bears were around again during the nesting season and five boxes were destroyed and 72 eggs eaten. All the predation we noted was from the bears. No chicks or hens were banded in 2006.

Looking at the larger picture out at the sanctuary, we had 917 Wood Duck eggs laid in our boxes and of those 472 hatched. This is a much better result than we had in 2005. Our most successful area was down in the Inner Creek. Going back to 1986, we have now had 25,334 Wood Duck eggs laid in our boxes at the sanctuary and 14,379 of them have hatched. In that same time period we have had 3,688 Hooded Merganser eggs laid with a total of 2,281 eggs hatched.

Our off sanctuary locations produced very well in 2006. At Petrie Island 11 of our 13 nesting boxes were used by Wood Ducks resulting in 166 eggs laid and about 90 eggs hatching. It has been 20 nesting seasons since the project began at Petrie Island and in that period we have had 1,244 Wood Duck eggs laid in our boxes and of those 919 (or 74%) have hatched. The spring of 2006 was the best year ever at Watts Creek with 5 of our 10 nesting boxes being used by Wood Ducks. A total of 69 eggs were laid with a surprising result that all those eggs hatched.

The 2006 Blue Bird report is attached* and you will note that the only productive area was the Munster Trail where 56 Blue Birds fledged. Although Blue Birds were seen on and near the sanctuary, none of our nesting boxes there were used.

All of our floating duck nesting structures are located on the Boegel Pond. In 2006 half of the eight floats were used by Mallards. The smaller entrance holes now prevent the Canada Geese from using them.

The Club also maintained eight Kestrel nesting boxes, Osprey platforms and two Purple Martin houses. One Osprey platform on the Osprey Pond was used and at least nine pairs of Purple Martins used our houses in 2006.

Funding provided by the two smaller grants enabled us to construct 32 Wood Duck nesting boxes, 12 Kestrel boxes, 10 Blue Bird boxes and we have one new Purple Martin house ready to go up this spring. We also purchased the pipes and other hardware needed for installation of all thee nesting boxes.

One of our biggest challenges in 2006 was to catch up with the mowing and recover areas that had grown up due to our inability to keep up back in 2005. Our sit-on mowers were repaired in the spring and were used weekly without any further mechanical problems. In order to use our dikes we had to fill in some holes and fix some other eroded sections. These problems were the result of beaver and muskrat activity over quite a number of years. Repairs were made to our observation deck and we were able to purchase some miscellaneous saws and clippers to help us with our maintenance requirements. We made some good headway in 2006 but more remains to be done in 2007.

To complete our grant applications we had to keep track of all time (volunteer hours) for those members who assisted on the various projects. There was a very good turnout and a great effort put forth by everyone. Just on the three CFWIP projects alone we recorded 810 volunteer hours. In addition to completing the spring check program, members participated in the Wildlife Week activities at the Billings Bridge Plaza in April, helped complete our very important winter maintenance program, kept our bird feeders filled, looked after the Blue Bird, Kestrel and Purple Martin boxes and put out the duck nesting floats in the spring and removed them after the nesting season.

At this time I would like to give a big thank you to Lt/Col. Cyr at the DND Connaught Range and Primary Training Centre and his staff at the range for their terrific support and assistance to the Club in 2006. Our club members frequently comment on just how well they are received when calling or dropping in to the Range Control office. It is a pleasure working with all these fine people.

Many thanks also to Scott Smithers and other MNR staff members at Kemptville for their support to the Duck Club in 2006. The financial support provided came at an opportune time and was very much needed and appreciated. This assistance put us back on the road to recovery after a very disappointing year in 2005. It is good to remember also that the waterfowl and other birds that live at the sanctuary are the real benefactors.

I would also like to give a well earned thank you to the Club executive and directors for their efforts in 2006. I appreciate all the time that they put in and their dedication to the Club.

The Club is now entering its 41 st year of operations on the Shirley’s Bay Crown Game Preserve and I believe we are prepared for another exciting year of waterfowl conservation. We have lots of work planned and hopefully we will be able to put a big dent in our list. Foremost will be the re-shingling of our two storage sheds followed by much needed exterior painting. The good news is that we have the supplies and a number of members have already indicated an interest in helping complete these projects.

We are looking at some additional improvements to our WEB site, specifically with regards to members photos, which is always popular with visitors. Other areas are being updated and members are urged to pass on our address to any interested persons. I also urge members to contribute to our newsletter (The Nest Box) which provides everyone with information on club activities, conservation topics, observations, club photos and even a bit of humour. Thanks to Ron and Merrill for managing these two important means of communication.

The Club has applied for further financial assistance from the Ministry of Natural Resources through the CFWIP program and I am confident we will be successful. We are seeking funds to build more Wood Duck nesting boxes, replace and repair our floating duck nesting structures and to further the recovery of and maintenance of the grassland areas. There will be plenty to do and I believe that with a similar member participation and response to that shown in 2006 we will be able to complete our plans for 2007.

Once we know the schedule for the spring and summer work evenings it will be passed on to you as well as any other available times when we plan to go to the sanctuary. All members are invited to join us and bring along a family member or friend who is interested in this type of rewarding outdoor activity.

All the best in 2007. Thank you.

Bill Bower President Ottawa Duck Club

* Reports available upon request