Community Stewardship Program Toronto - Forestry Training

Urban Hawks and the Ontario Breeding Bird Atlas

2021-09-02 by Mark Peck from Royal Ontario Museum

Food for hawks: rock pigeon, morning doves, …

Canada's bird populations rising and falling

Birds of prey nesting and presence is rising and migration into Ontario
Hawk migration will be in September. They like going around the lake. Great Great Lakes Hawkwatch - volunteers and hawk watchers to watch migration pathes
- Hawk Migration Association of North America:
  - Hawk Hill, High Park— Toronto Hawk watching - September and October
  - Cranberry Marsh Hawk Watch — Whitby Halls Road
  - Niagara Peninsula Hawk Watch - Beamer Memorial Conservation Area

Sounds that birds make

Audobon app
Sibley Birds of North America app
Cornell University has a site with all sounds of birds of North America, example Red Tailed Hawk

Red-tailed Hawk

Common in Ontario
Migrate to Americas and far south to South America

How to recognize?

Look for patagium on wing
Tail might be red or not in young hawks

Nests

Hawks build nests. Note vs owls who do not build nests and take over nests
Nest in trees. Can nest in human built architecture: electrical lines, tall lights at Toronto’s Varsity Stadium, air conditioner at University of Toronto

Hawk nest on air conditioner at University of Toronto

Ontario Breeding Bird Atlas

View atlas

Professionals and volunteers collect bird breeding evidence
This version will be the 3rd atlas created
Looking for volunteers
Used by all levels of government, conversation people, bird hobbyists

Cooper’s Hawk

25th most common bird going to bird feeders. It goes to find prey at feeders.

In Toronto, common with red tailed hawk nesting areas

How to identify?

Builds stick nest, usually on deciduous trees. Native habitat were deep woods
Likes cemeteries, parks, open forest areas
Can be used to humans
“Crow sized”

Vertical streaks in Cooper's Hawk, cinnamon colour

Peregrine Falcon (not a hawk)

More pointed wings vs hawks
Fast flyer
Peregrine Foundation has cameras of known nest in city

Merlin (pigeon hawk) (not a hawk)

Note pointed wing
Has a banded tail, so banded tails not good identifier for hawks
Initially lived mostly in Northern Ontario. Gradually moving south and have moved into Toronto
Usually nest in conifers (e.g. spruce)
Has a distinct sound

American Kestrel (not a hawk)

Likes nesting in tree cavities
Adapted to human architecture
Historically, widespread in Southern Ontario, now not nesting much in Toronto. May be due to loss of food sources

Broad-winged hawk

Half size of red-tail
Common in central Ontario. Not currently known nest in Toronto, but may come to city

Bald Eagle (predator to hawk)

They started nesting in Ontario
There was nesting in Tommy Thompson park

Turkey Vulture (not a hawk)

Coming from south and nesting in Ontario
Scavengers
Usually nest in tree cavities and also take advantage of abandoned buildings

Osprey (fish hawk)

Build large nest, usually top of tree
Like shallow water and feed on fish
If humans build platforms, osprey may like it for nests

Getting to Know Grasses

2021-08-05: Introduction to Grass Identification

Presented by: Natasha Gonsalves, Flora Biologist

Challenges with Grass Identification (ID)

5 largest plant family (e.g. rice, corn, wheat)
Lack showy flowers
Flowering plants require a hand lens

What is needed to ID grass?

Hand lens: x10 standard
Ruler for measurement
ID guides
Understand terminology
Positive mindset :-) It will be difficult.

What is a grass?

Monocots
Leaves with parallel veins
Graminoid — herbaceous or non-woody plant With elongated stems and blade-like leaves
Graminoids include:
- Poaceae (true grasses)
- Cyperaceae (sedges)
- Juncaceae (rushes)

Distinguish a grass from a grass-like plant

Leaves:

Two-ranked, alternate up the stem

Stems:

Round and hollow in cross-section, some could be flat, but most are round and hollow
Nodes present (growing points)

Sedges (grass like)

Leaves:

Mainly occur towards base of plant
Three-ranked (rows of 3)

Stems:

“have edges”
NOT jointed or hollow

Rushes (grass like)

Leaves:

Few to none
Blades tend to be narrow and tubular
No ligules

Stems:

Round
NOT jointed
Solid

How and when grasses grow

Life cycles

Annual:

Germinate, flower, set seed and die in a single year
Spread via seeds only (No stolons or rhizomes)

Ways to tell:

Entire plant straw-like after flowering
Only new growth visible
Shallow roots systems so easily pulled
Plants tend to have a compact appearance

Perennial:

Germinate, flower, set seed and die over several years
Spreads via seeds, rhizomes and/or stolons

Ways to tell:

Old remains of previous year usually present
More established root systems, harder to pull
Older plants tend to have a carpeted appearance

Growth habit

Bunch - see clumps, clusters (e.g. tall fescue)
Rhizomatous - grow outwards, not clumps, spread out, underground growth (e.g. smooth brome)
Stoloniferous - grow outwards, over ground growth (e.g. creeping bent grass)

Can grow in cool season - flower in spring

Warm/late season - flower in summer to early fall, deeper system

Anatomy of a grass

Culm - always round/flat, main stem
Leaves - growth attached to culm and attached at nodes
- Sheath - overlaps culm and can be open or closed
- Blade - flat part

Collar - where leaf and culm meet
Ligules - thin membrane, where sheath and blade meet, aka “rain guard”

Auricles - appendages that extend from sheath (not always present)

Flowers

Wind pollinated
Reduced and modified compared to “flowers”
Spinklet - can have 1 or more florets. Florets have protected flowers in glumes (aka scales
Awns are bristle like features on glumes, not all grasses have them

spinklet with multiple florets and glumes push to bottom of spinklet

Inflorescence - collection of spikelets, types:
- Spike - unbranched, attached to stems
- Raceme - tight branch, spikelets attached to short stalks, then attached to stems
- Panicle - like racemes, except longer stalks

panicle Inflorescence type with spikelet circles

Grass habitats

Meadows

Forests

Bottle-brush grass (native, common in deciduous forest)

Orchard grass (flood plains, moist soils, low land)

Riverbank Rye (also common in flood plains and can occur in dry land)

Wetlands

Common reed (phragmites), non native, massive stolons

Questions

What evergreen grasses are there?

There are some

How bad for a wet ecosystem is Reed Canary Grass compared to Phragmites?

Any non-native / invasive grasses would be problems as they push out other species.

What are the most common grasses wild and human grown in Toronto?

Wild rice
Cultivated - Lawn grass, nurseries growing native grass (e.g. prairie grass)

What grasses to plant in urban areas?

Depends on soil conditions.
Hearty species are Little Bluestem, Big Bluestem (clumping), Switchgrass, Virginia Rye, Riverbank Rye. All are visually appealing and easy to maintain.

Recommended grass ID books?

Field Guide to Wisconsin Grasses, Michigan flora, Grasses of the north east - much overlap between Ontario

Six Legs in 6ix Toronto: A Look at Toronto’s insects

2021-06-24 with Dr. Robert J. Pivar, invertebrate taxonomist, hosted by Mark Sherman, Emily Heidendahl from City of Toronto

Introduction to Insects

three main body segments: head, thorax, abdomen
Exoskeleton
3 pairs of legs
one pair of antennae
2 pairs of wings (usually)

Bottom pictures are not insects

They are diverse, ~1 million described species (~400,000 species of beetles alone). Canada has ~55,000

Insects near you

Orthoptera (grasshoppers, crickets, katydids)

Tridactylidae (pygmy mole crickets, Rhaphidophoridae (cave crickets), Tettigoniidae (Katydids)

Hemiptera (true bugs)

Telamona monticola
Glossonotus crataegi (Quince treehopper)
Membracidae (Treehoppers)
Smilia camelus (Camel treehopper)
Entylia carinata (Keeled treehopper)

Cicadidae (Cicadas):

Top left, shed exoskeleton of cicada
Neotibicen canicularis (Northern dog day cicada) - annual species, larvae feed underground on roots of plants, adult emerge from nymph. When emerging, air is pumped into wings and they can fly
Coreidae (Leaf-footed bugs), Acanthocephala terminalis

Panorpidae (Scorpionflies), Panorpa claripennis
Bittacidae (Hanging scorpionflies), Bittacus strigosus

Megaloptera (alderflies, dobsonflies, fishflies)

Corydalidae (Dobsonflies and fishflies) Corydalus cornutus (Eastern dobsonfly)
Sialidae (Alderflies) Sialis sp.
Hellgrammite (Dobsonfly larva)

Weak mandibles, used for fighting other males. Dead ones can be used for fishing

Neuroptera (lacewings, antlions, mantisflies)

Myrmeleontidae (Antlions), Dendroleon obsoletus (Spotted-winged antlion) Mantispidae (Mantisflies), Dicromantispa sayi

Antlion Pits - Larvae live in sand pits, traps ants and eaten by larvae. Hence antlion name.

Coleoptera (beetles):

Beetles are a large group, this picture is a small selection
Cerambycidae (Long-horned beetles)
Elateridae (Click beetles)
Chrysomelidae (leaf beetles), charidotella sexpunctata (golden tortoise beetle) - shell may change to transparent
Clytus ruricola (Round-necked longhorn beetle) Alaus oculatus (Eastern eyed click beetle)
Tenebrionidae (Darkling beetles) - shown in mating
Bolitotherus cornutus (Forked fungus beetle)

Males shown with wings, female on bottom right
Can sting

Pyrgotella chagnoni
Diopsidae (Stalk-eyed flies), (short horned ankle-headed flies)

Can plant larvae while flying on beetles and larvae hatch and eat beetle

Stratiomyidae (Soldier flies) Stratiomys sp.
Asilidae (Robber flies) Laphria sp.
Syrphidae (Flower/hover flies) Spilomyia sp.
Bombyliidae (Bee flies) Bombylius sp.

They are mimics, mimic more dangerous species. These flies help with pollination

Pelecinidae (Pelecinid wasps), Pelecinus polyturator
Cimbicidae (Cimbicid sawflies), (Elm sawfly)

Crabtonidae (solitary wasps), Sphecius speciosus (Cicada killer)

Paralyzes cicada, brings it underground nest for larvae
Usually harmless, though can sting

Chrysididae (Cuckoo wasps), Holopyga sp.
Apidae (Bees), Nomada articulata - like a honey bee
Mutilidae (Velvet ants), Pseudomethoca sp.
Megachilidae (Leafcutter/mason bees), make small holes in leaves, Megachile frigida

Invasive species

Elm Zigzag Sawfly (Aproceros leucopoda) Currently known from one locality in Quebec. If found contact Canadian Food Inspection Agency

Not known in Canada yet

Field guides and making your own collection

Book: Insects: Their Natural History and Diversity - Stephen A. Marshall
Bug Guide - online for North America
iNaturalist - social media insect site

Collection:

Atelier Jean Paquet Inc.
BioQuip
In a government controlled area or private area, you need permission
In a municipal, public area, bylaw restricts collection of wildlife

Questions

Are there insects in Canada used for medicine or other interesting uses?

Venoms from wasps and others could be used
Insects as food for protein, e.g. crickets
Fly larvae to break down waste
Insects could be used to control other insects

Any things that eat ticks?

No known insects actively seek them out, though animals (possums) do.

Ticks are present usually in tall grass and present in Toronto. Toronto Public Health sweeps for ticks, black legged ticks.