Duck and gulls swimming and eating in the estuary on a beautiful spring day.
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The Fall SAM Wetlands Conference for Newfoundland and Labrador will be hosted by the town of Channel Port aux Basques on September 23 and 24. Hotel Port aux Basques will be the venue for meetings and other events. Pat George, Bill Seymour, and Cathy Kleinwort will be attending the SAM Wetlands Conference as members of the Joint Management Committee for Shearstown Estuary from the Towns of Bay Roberts and Spaniard’s Bay.
“Today, one in two people on the planet live in a city. The world’s cities are growing at an exceptional rate and urbanisation is a continuum. The main reason they are growing is because of natural increase in urban population, but also due to rural-to-urban migration and reclassification of rural areas to urban areas. 93% of the urbanization occurs in poor or developing countries, and nearly 40% of the world’s urban expansion is growing slums. Between 1990-2001 the world’s slums increased at a rate of 18 million people a year, and is projected to increase to 27 million new slum citizens per year between 2005-2020.” From: Water for Cities: Responding to the Urban Challenge 40th Anniversary of the Ramsar Convention on Wetlands
The Shearstown Estuary is the wetlands home of many life forms. Among the most interesting are the bald eagles. In the spring of 2006, three juvenile (fledgling) Bald Eagles left their nest in Spaniard’s Bay and began visiting the small park at the edge of the estuary in Spaniard’s Bay. They posed and preened for cameras almost every day! The eaglets stopped traffic many times as people marvelled at their antics. (Two fledglings – assumed siblings – is good news, but three, according to a wildlife biologist from the Salmonier Nature Park, is a miracle!) Bald eagles are very often seen resting or fishing on the sandbar in the estuary. The majestic Bald Eagle is Canada’s largest bird of prey and the only exclusively North American eagle. Eagles are differentiated from other broad-winged birds of prey mainly by their larger size, more powerful build, and heavier head and bill. Like all birds of prey, eagles have very large powerful hooked beaks for tearing flesh from their prey, strong legs, and powerful talons. They also have extremely keen eyesight to enable them to spot potential prey from a very long distance. This keen eyesight is primarily contributed by their extremely large pupils, which cause minimal scattering of the incoming light. Mating and NestingBald Eagles are thought to usually mate for life, but if a mate dies, the survivor will seek a new mate. They build huge nests out of branches, usually in large trees near water. The nest may stretch as large as eight feet across and weigh up to a ton (907 kg). When breeding where there are no trees, the Bald Eagle will nest on the ground or on the side of cliffs near the sea. Care of Eggs and ChicksEagles produce between one and three eggs per year, but it is rare for all three chicks to successfully survive. The male and female take turns sitting on the eggs. The other parent will hunt for food or look for nesting material. The eggs average about 2.9 inches (7.3 cm) long and have a breadth of 2.2 inches (5.5 cm). The incubation period averages at about 35 days and the parents will brood their offspring until they are about 4 weeks of age. The fledging stage can occur at any time from 8 to 14 weeks, the wide variation dictated by the effects of sex and hatching order on growth and development. SizeBody length ranges from 27 to 40 in (68-100 cm). Adult females have an average wingspan of about 7 ft (2.1 meters); adult males have a wingspan of 6 ft 6 in (2 meters). Adult females weigh approximately 12.8 lb (5.8 kg), males weigh 9 lb (4.1 kg). The American Black Duck is the Shearstown Estuary’s most common species. American Black Duck feeding in Arnie’s Pond in October. More photos on Flickr > > The American Black Duck, one of the most common ducks in Newfoundland, is a medium sized dabbling duck. Their dark brown colour, lighter brown head and white underwing easily identify them. The adult male has a dark body, lighter head and neck, dark eyes, orange legs, and a greenish yellow bill. The adult female has a similar appearance, except that its bill is greenish with black patches, and it is slightly smaller. Both sexes have a shiny purple blue wing patch, which is not bordered with white as with the Mallard. They feed by tipping their tails up and dabbling in shallow water for molluscs and aquatic insects. They graze on land mainly eating plants, snails and berries. NestingThe female American Black Duck selects the site for nesting, and builds the nest from dry leaves and grasses, and then lines it with down. Nests are typically found in shallow depressions close to water. Their breeding habitat is lakes, ponds, rivers, marshes and other aquatic environments. With warmer spring temperatures, these ducks quickly disperse to nearby inland wetlands to breed. Care of Eggs and ChicksThe eggs are a greenish buff colour. The female usually lays from 6 14 eggs that hatch in an average of 30 days. Although the male remains nearby during incubation, he becomes more and more restless, and leaves towards the end of the incubation period. Shortly after the eggs hatch, the female leads her offspring to a brood rearing area that has abundant food and adequate escape cover. She continues to tend her brood until they fledge, 60 days or so after hatching (late July). Instinct to Return HomeAll ducks tend to return in fall and winter to the same marshes that they visited the previous year, but this trait is most pronounced in the American Black Duck. When tidal feeding areas become frozen, American Black Ducks, at times have starved rather than go to unfamiliar grounds. Wonderful opportunity for those interested in the Estuary Wetlands. Just contact the numbers below to say you want to attend. COMMUNITY STEWARDSHIP WORKSHOP Facilitated by Jessica Humber EHJV Stewardship Biologist Thursday, August 19, 2010 BAY ROBERTS – SPANIARD’S BAY (Next to the Spine Clinic @ the bridge – 6 A Con. Bay Hwy) AGENDA 1:30 Welcome and Introductions 1:40 The EHJV and Wetland Stewardship in Bay Roberts and Spaniard’s Bay (Jessica Humber, Wildlife Division) 2:10 Greetings from Cathy Kleinwort, JMC Chairperson, on the communities’ involvement in SAM and the Joint Management Committee 2:20 Overview of the Shearstown Estuary Wetlands Camp 2011, JMC Patricia George 2:30 NCC’s Goals and Actions on the Avalon, Chantelle LaFitte, NCC 3:15 Community-Based Waterfowl Monitoring, Jessica Humber EHJV 3:45 – 4:00 BREAK – provided by the Joint Management Committee 4:00 Birding Basics -Jessica Humber or a local birding expert 4:15 Shorebird Identification and Monitoring – Canadian Wildlife Service 4:45 Waterfowl Identification, Jessica Humber EHJV, Stewardship Biologist 5:00 Songbird / Land bird Identification, Jared Clarke, Local birding expert 6:00 – 7:15 Supper of BBQ hamburgers, hot dogs, salads, and beverages provided by EHJV (Please RSVP) 7:15 – 9:00 BIRDING WALK AROUND THE SHEARSTOWN ESTUARY ** Please remember to bring along your camera, rain gear (just in case!), and any binoculars or birding guides you may have! Please RSVP no later than Friday. August 13th by 4:00 pm. Please let us know if you plan to stay for the BBQ supper so we can have ample food on hand.
For more information, please call the following Virginia Wells @ 786.4630 – Seniors Satellite Office Spaniard’s Bay Green Team Office @ 788.3021 – Joint Management for the Shearstown Estuary Patricia George @ 786.1292 – Secretary for Shearstown Estuary Cathy Kleinwort @786.9829/cell: 691.0802 – Chairperson for the Shearstown Estuary For children between the ages of 5-12. The Wetlands Nature Camp is a two week summer program developed by the Conservation Corps of Newfoundland and Labrador, the Joint Management Committee of the Shearstown Estuary, and Eastern Habitat Joint Venture. From July 26th to August 6th 2010, children from Bay Roberts and surrounding communities are invited to come and join us for two weeks of summer fun! The camp runs from Monday to Friday, 10am – 2pm, with a drop off time at 9:30am. This is an excellent opportunity for children to get active and outdoors, while learning about the environment. Registration for camp is on a day to day basis, and children from all areas of the community may come and join our Green Team for many fun activities, and benefit from some of the wonderful guests that we have lined up. We are pleased to announce that this year’s two week Wetlands Nature Camp will be featuring special guests Dennis Minty, and Ticker Tom.  Dennis Minty, Naturalist and Photographer  Ticker Tom - Special Guest To join the camp, contact: A number of birds make their homes in the estuary during the winter. Gulls and American Black Ducks are the most common.  Arnie's Pond in Winter Town of Bay Roberts and the Town of Spaniard’s Bay were awarded the 2009 Torngat Municipal Achievement Award in the category of Environmental Sustainability, for their joint efforts on the Shearstown Estuary. The Torngat Municipal Achievement Awards program, an initiative of Municipalities Newfoundland and Labrador, recognizes the exemplary efforts of member municipalities in serving their residents and improving quality of life in their community and in the province as a whole. Environmental Sustainability is at the forefront of municipal concerns with waste management, water treatment and infrastructure development just to name a few. This award recognizes those municipal governments that have taken steps to resolve these policy challenges in an environmentally responsible way.  Torngat Mountain Award The Torngat Municipal Achievement Award was officially presented at the Municipalities Newfoundland Convention on November 6, 2009. When the award was brought home the to two municipalities, a number of people were on hand to officially receive it. They are pictured above with the award – [l-r] Deputy Mayor Philip Wood, Town of Bay Roberts, Committee Member Patricia George, Mayor John W. Drover, Committee Member Cathy Kleinwort and Councillor Sheri Collins. |
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