From all of us at the Rondeau Visitor Centre, we wish you and your families a very happy New Year! The Visitor Centre is now closed for the season but we will re-open for the Family Day Weekend in February (15, 16 & 17) with some great family activities (see our Events page. We will also be open during the March Break with more family fun (activities will be posted on the Events page shortly).
We hope you all come out and enjoy Rondeau in the winter!
See you soon
We would like to take this opportunity to thank the many generous volunteers who came out to the park on Saturday September 28th for our second annual Shoreline Cleanup.
Volunteers spent the morning combing the beach collecting garbage that had washed ashore during the summer. Some of the most common items found included balloons and ribbons, fishing nets, bottle caps and food wrappers. It added up fast, and by the end of the morning we had collected 1800 pounds of litter from the beach (500 more pounds than last year’s cleanup)!
Without the help of our volunteers this wouldn’t have been possible – so again we thank you all very much for your efforts. We would also like to thank the Friends of Rondeau for providing everyone with a yummy barbeque afterwards.
Hope to see you all next year!
During the last few weeks in Rondeau, the most common question at the Visitor Centre was about the large, sandy hills popping up at beach access 9 and various other locations in the park.
It didn’t take us long to realize that these were the entrances to the large, underground burrows of the Cicada Killer Wasps. These underground tunnels can be over a foot long and have as many as 15 egg-shaped chambers off the main branch.
The female wasp will provision each chamber with food for her grub-like larvae to eat as they grow. It may be obvious that their favourite food is Cicadas (the noisy insects of late summer). The female wasp uses her large stinger to paralyze the unlucky Cicadas who are then carried back to her burrow. She stocks each chamber with up to 3 paralyzed Cicadas and a single egg. Once the hungry larvae hatch, they feed on the defenceless insects until only the exoskeleton remains.
In the fall, the larvae spin silken cases and overwinter in their chambers. They will emerge next summer and begin the process again.
Although these wasps may look menacing, Cicadas are the only ones that need to be worried about being stung by these large wasps. Females are actually quite docile when compared to more social species of wasps. The females usually only live for 30 days, so if you have these amazing wasps on or near your property, enjoy the show…they won’t be around too much longer!
We would like to take this opportunity to thank everyone who made it out to Turtle Day this past Saturday. The weather couldn’t have been nicer and we were thrilled to see so many happy people out supporting our turtle research program in the park. We are pleased to announce that thanks to your generous donations we raised over $500 dollars! These funds will be used to continue species at risk conservation projects in Rondeau. Thank you all so much on behalf of the Friends of Rondeau, Wildlife Preservation, and Rondeau Provincial Park!
Although the summer is winding down, we still have some exciting programs for you to mark on your calendars. This Saturday August 31 the Friends of Rondeau are once again sponsoring a preformance by the Ontario Falconry Centre! This is a must-see presentation that we know you will enjoy. Meet at Beach Access #9 at 1:00pm to get a closer look at some ofOntario’s coolest birds! What a great way to spend the last weekend before the kids are back at school.
We are also gearing up for this year’s Monarch Migration Festival which will be held at the Visitor Centre on Sunday September 15th from 10:00am to 4:00pm. It’s true, it has been a slow year for Monarchs all across North America, but we are starting to see more and more of these brilliant butterflies in the park every day. Come out to enjoy guided butterfly hikes, Monarch tagging demonstrations, an art show and so much more!
If you enjoy long walks on the beach then you may be interested in volunteering for the annual Great Canadian Shoreline Cleanup at Rondeau Provincial Park on Saturday September 28th. This program was created by the Vancouver Aquarium and World Wildlife Fund twenty years ago with a goal to keep our waters clean for the creatures and communities that depend on them. To date, volunteers have removed over 1.1 million kg of litter from Canadian shorelines! If you are interested in helping to keep Rondeau’s shoreline clean or would like more information on any of these amazing programs contact Sarah here at the Rondeau Visitor Centre at 519-674-1768.
There are five senses that humans rely on: sight, taste, smell, touch and hearing. These senses are all very important to us, but most animals seem to rely on only a few. Because a lot of our animals search for food in dark, uncertain conditions where they also need to be aware of lurking predators at the same time, certain senses are heightened in order for them to be successful. When vision fails, the sense of smell takes over.
Everyone knows the distinct scent that a skunk emits when they feel threatened – this smell is used to deter predators from eating them. This method works well against many predators, except the king of the night’s sky: the Great Horned Owl! Owls’ hearing and vision are so amazing, that they have no need for using their sense of smell when hunting, so therefore, it is less developed than their other senses. Because the odour of this striped mammal doesn’t affect the owls, they are able to monopolize on the population of skunks as a tasty treat, where other predators run the other way. PEEE YEWWW!!
If you have ever handled a wild snake, you may have noticed that they emit a similar odour, which they use to protect themselves from harm. This opaque liquid is known as ‘musk’. Snakes can excrete this musk from their anal glands, and its oily consistency does an excellent job of sticking to the snake’s attacker. As curious park staff, we come away from encounters with our scaly friends with only stinky hands for a few hours. But just imagine if you were the unlucky predator that tried to make the snake into a snack. YUCKKKKYYY!!
It might be hard to believe, but some fish rely heavily on their senses of smelling and tasting when searching for food. Brown Bullheads are a common catfish that can be found within Rondeau’s Bay. These fish are primarily nocturnal and are considered bottom-feeders. They use their barbels (long whisker-like projections located on their chin) to search through the substrate for edible creatures. Their smooth, scale-less skin is covered in thousands of tastes buds, which helps them detect food sources that are much farther away than their barbels can reach. If you’d like a mental picture, try thinking of these fish as a giant, swimming tongue, tasting the flavours of the water which directs them to higher concentrations of food. COOL!!
Brown Bullhead
The average visitor to Rondeau mainly uses their sense of sight and hearing to take in the beautiful surroundings. Why not challenge yourself to experience our beloved park like some of the animals we talked about today. Try and enjoy the earthy smell of our marsh, the sweet aroma of wildflowers in bloom, or the citrusy scent of the sassafras leaves.
Come learn more about some of these animals in our upcoming programs (see the Events Calendar).
At night, a lot of things are going to sleep, including most humans, but after dark is the perfect time for some wildlife to wake up and come out. Nocturnal creatures have less competition for food, less predators, and often specialized senses to help them survive in their low light environment. People think of mammals and birds when they picture nocturnal things, but we’re going to focus on something a little different and smaller!
At night, many backyards come alive with countless insects that just aren’t seen during the day. The insect group has the largest number of species in the world, and make up a lot of the biodiversity on the planet. They are very important for pollination, and an integral part of the food chain. They also have to use their senses very differently than us humans do.
At Rondeau, we have many interesting nocturnal insects that make the night quite interesting. One which many are familiar with is the little insect that lights up the night. They’re known as fireflies, or to some lightning bugs. These winged insects are a member of the beetle family. Most people know how fireflies got their name. It’s due to their ability to light up their abdomen. They have specialized ‘light organs’, which allow them to glow. These insects take oxygen into these special organs, which combines with a substance known as luciferin to produce light. It might surprise you to know that it takes almost no heat or energy for the firefly to do this.
Fireflies flash their abdomen at night to attract a mate. Each species of firefly has a different flash pattern that they use. Females lay their eggs in the ground. When the larvae hatch, they feed on worms and slugs by injecting them with a numbing fluid. Their glowing abdomen also warns their prey that they are not a tasty treat!
Moths are also a type of insect that does best at night. Many people picture moths as bland, brown-ish coloured insects that fly at their patio lights as the night begins to set in. However, moths are one special nocturnal insect! They fly at a constant angle in relation to the moon so they can navigate around. When artificial lights are near moths, they become confused and often fly repeatedly at the source of the light.
Moths are also very sensitive to smells, and use this to their advantage. Looking for a mate in the dark can be a difficult thing. Moths use their excellent sense of smell to find their partners. The females of most species will emit an odour or pheromone that can be smelled by males a few kilometres away! The distance the male can smell all depends on the species.
If their use of smell and light weren’t cool enough, some moths have actually developed a way to avoid one of their biggest predators… the bat. Some species of tiger moths emit a sound, which is similar to the one that bats use in echolocation. This sound confuses the bat and essentially ‘jams’ their echolocation. The confused bat can no longer find them in the dark, and the tiger moth escapes unscathed.
Join us for some of our night hikes in hopes of seeing some of these interesting nocturnal insects that call Rondeau home!
Spring is a time of new life and re-growth. During the migration season, many of us are looking up into the trees to admire the beautiful colours of the songbirds that are returning to the park…few of us think to look down into the leaf litter for migrating birds!
While out in the marsh trail searching for Fox snakes last week, Rondeau staff were a little startled to notice that they were standing in the middle of an American Woodcock family. For those of you who aren’t familiar with Woodcock, they are small, chunky members of the Sandpiper family with very unique features! Woodcock have very long bills which they use to probe the soil for earthworms (which make up about 60% of their diet). Their large eyes are set well back and high on the sides of their heads allowing them to basically see in all directions while their nose is buried in the ground. Woodcock ears are located between the eyes and bill, helping them to focus on the faint sounds of their prey. The leaf litter that covers the forest floor is the perfect backdrop to their mottled brown feathers – making them really hard to see!
The only time that Woodcock are conspicuous is early in the spring while the males are busy attracting mates. Males will move to open areas just after sunset and perform courtship flights where they spiral high into the night sky. As the wind moves through specialized feathers, a twittering sound is produced. After reaching a height of around 300 ft. they fall lightly to the ground and begin the process again.
The eggs are laid in a shallow depression in the leaf litter. Woodcock young are precocial, meaning they are able to leave the nest just a few hours after hatching. Chicks quickly learn to “freeze” when threatened or in response to an alarm call given by the female – which is exactly why we didn’t see them until we were standing right beside them. So while in Rondeau, pay extra close attention to the forest floor and you will be surprised at what you see!
Look closely at the photo below and see if you can spot the Woodcock!
It looks like the warm weather might finally be here to stay. Already the forest is starting to show signs of life again. The Spicebush is in bloom and the forest floor is carpeted in hues of white, purple and pink.
It may still seem too cold for delicate flowers to be blooming, but many species of wildflowers have adopted this early growing season and have unique strategies for dealing with the unpredictable weather. During the spring sunlight reaches the forest floor and warms the soil since the forest canopy has not yet emerged.
These early bloomers are known as ‘spring ephemerals’ which best describes their early and brief life cycles. The word ‘ephemeral’ refers to the plants’ flowers, not the plant itself. The leaves of these plants remain all summer long to produce the food which will then be used to develop next year’s early bloom.
A walk down Spicebush Trail will showcase the many spring ephemerals here at Rondeau Provincial Park. One of the earliest to bloom is Hepatica, sometimes being seen as early as late March. Luckily for Hepatica, it doesn’t rely on visiting insects for pollination as there wouldn’t be many around…it can fertilize itself!
Another early bloomer is Bloodroot. Look for its distinct leaf which stands on a separate stalk just behind the white bloom. It is the bright orange-red juice that runs through the stem and leaves of this plant that give it its name. The large white flowers only last for a day or two so you need to hurry to see them!
If you are interested in learning more about the wildflowers of Rondeau, come out and join us on one of our wildflower hikes during the month of May. We are also gearing up for our Festival of Flight which runs from May 4th – 20th. The Visitor Centre will be open from 7:00am – 5:00pm to greet birders from around the world and help them connect with the beautiful songbirds that migrate through the park this month.
I’d also like to take this opportunity to welcomeSarah Fleischhauerto the Rondeau team. Sarah is filling in the Summer Naturalist position at the Visitor Centre – so come down and introduce yourself to her!
I know that for many youngsters the countdown for March break is on! For a lot of parents, the question of how to keep your little ones entertained for a week is burning in your minds. A trip to Rondeau Provincial Park may be just what you and your family need. The Rondeau Visitor Centre will open its doors on March 9-17 from 10am-4pm each day. Come in and enjoy a variety of fun and interactive displays and take a look at some of our live animals that we have on display.
Let’s not forget that on March 16 and 17 the Friends of Rondeau and the Rondeau Bay Waterfowler’s Association will be hosting the ‘Wings of Spring’ waterfowl migration festival at the Visitor Centre. Come and enjoy waterfowl viewing, birdhouse building, a BBQ, local artisan show and sale, children’s crafts and more! We are also very pleased to welcome back Sam and Laura from the Ontario Falconry Centre who will be doing a live raptor show on March 17 at 1:00pm!
So bring the whole family out to Rondeau this March break and enjoy the week in the great outdoors!
I would like to take a quick moment to wish everyone a Happy World Wetlands Day! Many people don’t realize the benefits that wetlands bring for both humans and animals alike. Wetlands can help reduce erosion, maintain and improve water quality and provide a great habitat for a wide variety of fish, birds, amphibians and reptiles. In addition, they can be an excellent place for recreational activities such as canoeing, kayaking and fishing! This World Wetlands Day, take some time to think about what you can do to help improve or maintain wetlands in your area.
For more information about wetlands and to see what you can do to help, please visit http://goo.gl/Ht17f