What we don’t know about mosquitoes: West Nile Virus research in the Nicola Valley. Thursday 15th March, 7 PM at NVIT

Posted on February 18, 2012 by Alan Burger

Bob Davis, formerly a lecturer at the Nicola Valley Institute of Technology (NVIT), has been involved with many different studies of wildlife in the BC interior. Recently he was involved with research into West Nile Virus in the Nicola Valley area around Merritt, BC. Most of us have heard of West Nile Virus, but know very little about how it is spread and the biological interactions that are involved. Bob will explain the life cycles of the virus and the mosquitoes which are responsible for transmitting it.

Mosquitoes are the vectors for transmitting West Nile Virus

Normally West Nile Virus is transmitted by mosquitoes from bird to bird. But occasionally the mosquitoes pass the virus on to mammals …. including humans. This can result in fatal sickness. The virus has spread through much of North America.

Mosquitoes can transmit West Nile Virus to birds and mammals. Image: UCLA Institute of the Environment and Sustainability

Join us to hear about the fascinating interactions between virus, mosquitoes, birds and mammals, and the biological research that was done in the Nicola region on this issue.

Common Ravens can be carriers of the West Nile Virus. Photo: Greg & Terry Tellier, http://www.telliersfishermanscove.com/

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Restoring Nature in the Thompson Highlands – Thursday 16th February, 7 PM in the NVIT Lecture Theatre

Posted on February 1, 2012 by Alan Burger

Rick Howie is a renowned biologist/naturalist from Kamloops. Rick worked for many years as a regional biologist for the BC Ministry of Environment and now works as a consultant, focusing on restoration of mine sites in the Thompson Highlands. He is also one of the most respected and widely consulted birders and naturalists, with a wealth of local knowledge of the BC interior, from geology through vegetation to insects and mammals.

Pika - photo: Rick Howie

A Pika photographed in the Thompson Highlands. Photo: Rick Howie

Rick is also an excellent photographer. Come and enjoy an evening of information and nature photography.

A young moose in a mine restoration area in the Thompson Highlands. Photo: Rick Howie

Highmont Pond - one of the restoration projects that Rick Howie is working on. Photo: Rick Howie

 

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Merritt Christmas Bird Count – 2 January 2012

Posted on January 7, 2012 by Alan Burger

Merritt’s 13th Christmas Bird Count took place on 2 January 2012 with excellent weather and a record number of participants (23 in the field and 3 feeder-watchers). Thanks to Wayne Weber who traveled up from Delta for the count and Rick Howie, Ken Lipinski, Marina Lipinski and Andy Raniseth who came from Kamloops – their expert help was much appreciated. We were able to have six parties so the area was relatively well covered.

Overall we recorded 60 species and 3704 birds, both numbers were slightly higher than average. Click here to download the full count spreadsheet and comparison with past counts: Merritt Xmas Count data MERRCBC

Spotted Towhee (formerly known as Rufous-sided Towhee). Photo: Corey Burger

Highlights and Lowlights

A single Western Grebe was the first record for the Merritt CBC, although there had been a count week bird in 1995. Other sightings of unusual CBC birds for this count circle included one Varied Thrush (second record), two Ruffed Grouse (3rd record), three Gray Jays (3rd record), and a lone White-crowned Sparrow (4th record). Wayne Weber also reported two count-week Ruddy Ducks on Nicola Lake the day after the count.

New high counts were recorded for Great-blue Heron (9 birds), Gadwall (31), Common Raven (131), Northern Shrike (8), Brewer’s Blackbirds (152), House Finch (439), and American Goldfinch (60). The relentless invasion of the Eurasian Collared Dove was evident with a high count of 112 birds – the species first appeared in Merritt in 2009 (14 birds) and last year’s count was 34 birds. Perhaps as a consequence of competition with this alien invader, the count of Mourning Doves (34 birds) was well below the average of 120 birds. Other introduced species are also doing well in Merritt with high counts recorded for European Starling (563) and House Sparrow (186).

Eurasian Collared Dove photographed at Douglas Lake near Merritt in 2011. Photo: Alan Burger

Low counts for regular species included Green-winged Teal (3; average is 21) and Bohemian Waxwing (76; average is 462). Species which are regulars in our count circle but not recorded this time were Horned Grebe, Pied-billed Grebe and American Coot. Wayne did get one count-week Horned Grebe the next day on Nicola Lake. Even though there was lots of unfrozen water on Nicola Lake and the two local rivers, our count of all waterfowl (1205 birds in total) was somewhat below the average of 1406 birds.

Adult Bald Eagle. Photo: Corey Burger

Thanks to all who participated to make this a very successful count.

Participants: Ed Abels, Alan Burger (compiler), Corey Burger, Glen Carlson, Margaret Carlson, Judy Farris, Rick Howie, Liis Jeffries, Allen Johnson, Chris Lepsoe, Ken Lipinski, Marina Lipinski, Carol Madryga, Jack Madryga, Debbie Mowat, Anne Pang, Meg Paulson, Andy Raniseth, Elizabeth Salomon-de-Friedberg, Gerry Sanford, Jill Sanford, Wayne Weber, Lynne Zettergreen.   Feeder watchers: Janet Roth, Katharine Shewchuk, Cathy Starr.

Hairy Woodpecker at a Merritt feeder. Photo: Corey Burger

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Amphibians in peril: conserving frogs in a changing world – 26th January 2012, 7 PM at NVIT

Posted on January 4, 2012 by Alan Burger

Dr. Kristiina Ovaska of Biolinx Environmental Research Inc., Victoria, is one of BC’s most experienced herpetologists, and is leading the Nicola Naturalist Society’s Amphibian Monitoring Project in the Merritt area. She has worked on research and conservation projects in many parts of the world, including the tropics with its rich frog diversity. Kristiina is also an excellent nature photographer and lecturer. In a richly illustrated talk, she will share some of her experiences with us, while explaining why amphibians are so vulnerable to the many changes the earth is experiencing.

Diasporus diastema – a frog from the moist tropical forests of Panama. Photo: Kristiina Ovaska

 

Coqui Churi frog Eleutherodactylus antillensis from the British Virgin Islands. Photo Kristiina Ovaska

Pacific Chorus Frog (formerly treefrog) – a common resident of the Merritt/Nicola area. Photo: Kristiina Ovaska

For more information on the Amphibian Monitoring Project that Dr. Ovaska is leading in the Merritt/Nicola area in collaboration with the Nicola Naturalist Society go to our Projects page

To download a progress report from this monitoring project click here: Nicola amphibian monitoring report, Dec 2011

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Nicola Ampibian Monitoring Project – First Progress Report

Posted on January 3, 2012 by Alan Burger

In the spring of 2011, the Nicola Naturalist Society in partnership with Biolinx Environmental Research Ltd. of Victoria, began an ambitious project to map and monitor breeding amphibians (frogs and salamanders) in the Merritt region. The Biolinx team, led by Dr. Kristiina Ovaska, has released the first progress report on this project.

To download a copy of the report click here (1.5 Mb): Nicola amphibian monitoring report, Dec 2011

Nicola Naturalist Society volunteers frogging at Harrison Lake. Photo: Kristiina Ovaska.

Highlights of the report:

  • Nicola Naturalist volunteers contributed 253 volunteer hours;
  • 54 wetlands were surveyed;
  • 109 frog call listening stations along six routes were sampled;
  • amphibians were mapped in 10×10 km grids – 30 grids were sampled in 2011.

These surveys detected all five amphibian species known from the region:

  • Great Basin Spadefoot (nationally “Threatened”) was found in 27% of  grids surveyed;
  • Western Toad (nationally “Special Concern”) in 37%;
  • Columbia Spotted Frog in 43%;
  • Pacific Chorus Frog in 67%; and
  • Long-toed Salamander in 17%.

Seven major and two minor-breeding sites of the Western Toad were identified. These sites are exceedingly important to protect as they can attract hundreds or thousands of toads over a wide area.

The Spadefoot and Pacific Chorus Frog were readily detected during night-time frog call surveys. This looks like a promising method to track population trends in future years.

The data collected contribute to the provincial database through the B.C. FrogWatch.

A Great Basin Spadefoot tadpole, upper Nicola Valley. Photo: Kristiina Ovaska

An important part of the project is liaison with local landowners. Biolinx prepared site-specific habitat management guidelines for three large landowners with amphibian habitat on their lands, including breeding sites for the Western Toad and Spadefoot. Contacts were established with the Nicola Tribal Association and are expected to lead to collaboration with local First Nations.

Funding for the project was provided by the BC Habitat Conservation Trust Foundation and the BC Public Conservation Assistance Fund.

The project will continue in 2012.

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Winter bird identification workshop – Saturday 10 December 2011, 12-2 PM

Posted on November 21, 2011 by Alan Burger

Our second winter bird identification workshop will be held on Saturday 10 December, 1 PM to 3 PM in Room L017 at NVIT (note change in time and venue).  Come and tune up your bird identification skills before the Christmas Bird Count season gets underway. Catering to beginners and those of moderate identification skills we will focus on species likely to occur around Merritt in the wintertime.

A classroom session will be followed by a visit to a local birding hotspot. Bring your binoculars and field guides.

Can you identify these bird species? One is a local year-round resident and the other a migrant that visits during the winter.    Scroll way down to see the answers………

Mystery bird #1 (Photo: Thor Veen)

Mystery bird species #2 (Photo: Anne Pang)

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Answers (both species are commonly found around Merritt in the winter)

Mystery species #1 is a pale morph Rough-legged Hawk (winter migrant from the Arctic)

Mystery species #2 is Pygmy Nuthatch (a local resident)

 

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Across the top of Russia: wildlife adventures on the Northeast Passage – 17 November 2011, 7 PM at NVIT

Posted on November 2, 2011 by Alan Burger

Nicola Naturalist Society president Dr. Alan Burger regularly works as a naturalist-lecturer with Aurora Expeditions on ships in the Arctic and Antarctic. A resident of the Merritt area, Alan is also an Adjunct professor in Biology at the University of Victoria and does research on seabirds and marine biology. In 2011 he was on one of the first tourist ships to transit the Northeast Passage – traveling from Murmansk to Anadyr and then on to Sakhalin. Join Alan for a unique insight into the wildlife and scenery of this remote part of the arctic and Russian Far East. This photo odyssey covers arctic specialties like Polar Bears and Walrus plus some seldom-photographed animals like Wrangel Island wolverines, Sabine’s Gulls and Ribbon Seals.

Voyage tracks of the M.V. Akademik Shokalskiy across the Northeast Passage and in the Russian Far East in 2011

A very fat polar bear prepares for the winter denning when she will give birth and suckle her cubs. Photo: © Alan Burger

Walruses on pack-ice near Wrangel island, Russia. Photo: © Alan Burger

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Wildlife photos from the Merritt area – Summer 2011

Posted on October 26, 2011 by Alan Burger

Another set of photos from members of the Nicola Naturalist Society, Merritt, BC.

Click on the thumbnails to see full-size images. Then click the links below the photo to move to the next enlarged photo. To return to the thumbnail page click the link above an enlarged photo.

Enjoy!

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More photos from 2011 amphibian monitoring

Posted on August 1, 2011 by Alan Burger

Here are more photos from the amphibian monitoring project run by the Nicola Naturalist Society and Biolinx Environmental Research Ltd. in the Merritt area.

Click on the thumbnails to see full-size images. Then click the links below the photo to move to the next enlarged photo. To return to the thumbnail page click the link above an enlarged photo.

Practice your frog identification skills.

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Frog monitoring adventures – Summer 2011

Posted on August 1, 2011 by Alan Burger

This has been an active and rewarding summer for the amphibian monitoring project being run jointly by the Nicola Naturalist Society and Biolinx Environmental Research Ltd. After our initial training workshop and field training sessions, about 20 NNS volunteers signed up to contribute to the monitoring of breeding frogs in the greater Nicola Valley area.

Kristiina Ovaska and NNS volunteers checking tadpoles at Harrison Lake

June monitoring

The Biolinx team (Kristiina Ovaska, Lennart Sopuck and Christian Engelstoft) visited on 3-6 June and NNS vounteers joined them to check  numerous wetlands and lakes for amphibians. Clear skies and gorgeous weather prevailed, making the surveys very pleasant. Paul McLellan from ShawTV joined the group to prepare a short documentary on the project to be shown on Shaw channel 10.

Shaw TV filming Spadefoot tadpoles - Nicola Valley. Photo: Kristiina Ovaska

Over the weekend, we found several mass breeding sites of Western Toads, mostly due to tips from NNS members  – the water in the shallows was virtually “boiling” with the wriggling of the small, black tadpoles at these sites. We also saw several Columbia Spotted Frogs basking in the weeds at new sites, Long-toed Salamanders on the verge of emerging from eggs, and Spadefoot tadpoles with their distinct close-set eyes and metallic sheen in grassland pools. Check out new photos on the NNS website

Western Toad tadpoles by the hundred! Photo: Christian Engelstoft

On night drives we heard the Pacific Chorus Frogs and Spadefoots still calling, indicating that egg-laying might still be ongoing in early June, but the breeding season nearing its end.

A male Great Basin Spadefoot calling - Douglas Plateau grasslands. Photo: Lennart Sopuck

July monitoring

The Biolinx team returned on 4-7 July for another action-packed 3 days of frogging with our keen NNS volunteers.  We set 28 “minnow traps” in the shoreline reeds in some of the Kane Valley Lakes and checked them in the day using both kayaks and hip waders. It’s all “catch and release” – we just wanted to examine the development stages of the tadpoles and see what species are present.

A minnow trap set in the shallows to sample tadpoles. Photo: Kristiina Ovaska

We caught all 3 types of expected tadpoles: Pacific Chorus Frogs (tree frogs) – small brown tadpoles; Columbia Spotted Frogs – the largest tadpoles, some with front feet developing; and the Western Toad tadpoles – small black ones in dense clusters and “flowing rivers” of hundreds of swimming tadpoles. In places they were in feeding frenzies on floating algae.

A swarm of Western Toad tadpoles eating algae. Photo: Kristiina Ovaska

Christian and Lennart got some amazing videos of a Western Garter Snake in the middle of a cluster of toad tadpoles, attacking and eating its fill of these tadpoles. Click on the start button below to run the video within this page OR click here to open the Garter Snake attacking tadpoles video in a separate page.

Speaking of snakes, we also found three garter snakes that had swum into our minnow traps, both Common (green stripes) and Western (brown with black spots) Garter Snakes. The traps also captured water beetles, leeches, snails and dragon fly larvae. Only one trap caught quite a few minnows and some traps were empty. In two places we found Columbia Spotted frogs sunning themselves on top of our floating traps!

Columbia Spotted Frog sitting on a minnow trap. Photo: Kristiina Ovaska.

We follow a strict protocol of cleaning and sterilizing all our traps and nets, once we have released all the captives, to prevent the chance of spreading diseases from one water body to another.

Individual volunteers continue to do reconnaissance trips to look for frogs, tadpoles and salamanders at local ponds and lakes, and check the progress of developing tadpoles. We are particularly keen to know when and where the Western Toad toadlets emerge from lakes in the Merritt area – usually by the hundreds or thousands. Please report any sightings of tadpoles and emerging toadlets to our Amphibian Project e-mail: nicola.amphibians@gmail.com.

Click here to see more photos of the amphibian monitoring.

Below are two more videos made by the Biolinx biologists from the work in the Merritt area.

Great Basin Spadefoot tadpoles feeding in a shallow grassland marsh – these large spadefoot tadpoles are in water with low oxygen content so they need to come to the surface to gulp some air in between feeding.

Western Toads breeding:

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