Timiskaming Birding Hotspots
Timiskaming is rich and varied in bird habitat. For a general overview
of birding in Timiskaming, see the Birding in Timiskaming
page. The following is a list of areas that are popular with birders
locally, either because of a high density of species, relatively
easy public access, habitats that are locally unique or scarce, or some
combination of the above factors. You will find this list fairly
short. There are a number of reasons that this is so. Because of the
prevalence of natural areas throughout Timiskaming District, most people who
enjoy watching birds here choose to do so as an adjunct to their other outdoor activities wherever they happen to find themselves. Good habitat is virtually
everywhere. As such, Timiskaming birders generally do not feel any great
need to regularly seek out special areas to hone their observation skills the
way that birders in southern Ontario or other heavily developed landscapes do. Because of the prevalence of habitat, the birds themselves are
well distributed and do not need to cram themselves into small patches of
suitable habitat. Also, since the human population density of the area is low to begin
with, Timiskaming does not have a large number of active birders. Consequently,
birding here is generally more of a solitary pastime than a social one, and
there is thus little need for places to regularly gather.
Nevertheless, some Timiskaming birders will find the following information
useful.
Timiskaming has a fair amount of natural swamp and wetland habitat of
various kinds. Most of it, however, is relatively inaccessible to the
birder, especially if you don't own a boat. The great value of
Hilliardton Marsh is that it makes a variety of wetland habitats easily
accessible from the berms surrounding the "cells", and without even
needing to get your feet wet! Another advantage to the birder is that the water
levels at
Hilliardton Marsh are artificially manipulated in such a way as to create a
consistently good mix of open water and marsh vegetation. This means that
there is always suitable habitat for the greatest possible number of wetland
bird species. In contrast, many natural wetlands are temporary, such as the
small marshes around old abandoned beaver ponds. Hilliardton Marsh is,
without a doubt, the best place in Timiskaming to see most wetland loving
species, such as ducks, rails, herons, bitterns and migrating shorebirds, and
the upland areas around the berms are also good places to see many songbird species which like shrubby edge habitats.
Black terns have become a regular breeder in the marsh - the only place in
Timiskaming where they can regularly be seen.
For a complete checklist of the birds that have been
documented at Hilliardton Marsh, see HERE
In early 1991 Ducks Unlimited began planning the construction of Hilliardton Marsh
with an initial project design of three cells. For the most
part, the marsh was to be constructed over developed farmland that had been
artificially drained, thus recreating wetland habitat from areas that once were natural wetlands
prior to their agricultural development.
Shortly after construction began
in 1993, sufficient funding was
received to not only finish the initial project, but allow for the creation a fourth cell, which was split into
subcells 4a and 4b. Pumping stations
between the cells are used to separately regulate water levels in each cell.
According to Doug Brooks,
(Former Ducks Unlimited Representative), the marsh investment, without
man-hours, was over one million dollars! Of this, $250 000 was
for the land and $750 000 for construction. The funding was raised by Ducks
Unlimited Canada, Eastern
Habitat Joint Venture, Nature
Conservancy of Canada, Environment
Canada, and the Ontario
Ministry
of Natural Resources. To govern development and use of the marsh, Ducks
Unlimited created a Public Advisory Committee, which is made up of teachers,
hunters, naturalists, and other interested individuals.
With the current four cell design, the total area of the marsh is 725 ha,
consisting of 516 ha of upland habitat and 209 ha of flooded wetland. This
creates a large enough wetland complex to attract significant numbers of
waterfowl and shorebirds during spring and fall migrations, and is a regionally
significant staging area for some species. Many species also stay to breed
in the marsh. All four cells are surrounded by berms that can be walked, though
sometimes not easily. Unauthorized vehicle access to the berms is prohibited.
Although the berms make access much easier than to most other
places where these types of wetlands naturally occur, be cautioned that they are
not actively maintained trails. Low usage means that for much of the
spring and summer
the berms are covered in a tangle of chest high grasses and other open meadow
species, including significant amounts of thistle. This means that the
berms themselves are often relatively undisturbed areas that are used as nesting
sites for geese and ducks. It also means that some stubborn determination
is necessary to see very much of the marsh at certain times of the year. The
easiest area to access is the open water areas of cells one and two immediately
adjacent to the main parking lot. Although there is a constructed blind that was
initially intended to be wheelchair accessible, lack of trail maintenance means
that even this can be a bit of a struggle to get to at certain times of the year,
even for an able-bodied person. The berms become more passable around mid
August when increased traffic associated with duck banding and recreational
activities usually increases.
Birders should be aware that hunting is permitted in the marsh in the
fall on certain days of the week throughout the waterfowl hunting season.
Hunting is restricted to Mondays, Wednesdays and Saturdays. The season
generally begins September 1 for geese, with hunting for ducks and other
migratory birds beginning September 10. The season usually continues until
December 15. Parking space is reserved for hunters on hunting days, though
after the end of September you will not find much competition for parking
space. Hunters are not permitted to hunt from the berms, nor discharge a
firearm within 500 meters of highway 569 within Hilliard Township. The main
entrance to the marsh is at the north boundary of Hilliard Township, so this 500
meter rule applies to cells 3 and 4 only. Please
refer to the signage at the main entrance for additional details.
Hilliardton Marsh has become a hub of local birding activity. Banding of song birds is carried out every year during the spring
and fall migrations.
Owl banding takes place at two different locations in the marsh every fall, and
duck banding takes place in late summer and early fall. The marsh also has over 50 duck boxes for nesting. Additionally, there are a large number of bird houses scattered throughout the
marsh for a variety of song birds, and a 40 foot high osprey platform. Buildings
and walkways have been constructed at various locations in the marsh, some with
the assistance of students in the T.E.R.R.A
program from Timiskaming District Secondary School in New Liskeard.
Note that in May of 2002 the Ontario Ministry of Natural Resources created a new Conservation Reserve in the
remaining crown lands to the southeast of the Hilliardton Marsh Ducks Unlimited
project. The Conservation Reserve is comprised of disconnected pieces of
crown land scattered through Ingram, Pense, Hilliard, Brethour, Harley and Casey
townships. Unfortunately, they designated this newly created protected area as Hilliardton Marsh Conservation
Reserve. This is not the same area as that normally referred to locally as
Hilliardton Marsh. To make matters more confusing, the Conservation
Reserve appears on updated maps of the area, but the Ducks Unlimited project
generally does not. Please consult the map to the right to clarify the location
of the Hilliardton Marsh Ducks Unlimited Project. There are no plans to do
any development in any of the pieces of the newly created Conservation Reserve, and
therefore most
of the habitat within them will remain largely difficult to access for birders.
To learn more about the Hilliardton Marsh and its ongoing
education and research programs, please visit the Hilliardton Marsh website, at www.themarsh.ca
Kap-Kig-Iwan is a small but charming park whose centrepiece is the rushing
Englehart River. With a series of white-water rapids, rugged rock
outcrops, deep ravines and a wide diversity of vegetation types within short
walking distances, it is as enjoyable a spot as any in Timiskaming to go
birding. The park is located just off Highway 11, two kilometers south of
the town on Englehart on Kap-Kig-Iwan Road. There is currently no
overnight camping in the park, though former campground areas are still
evident. A day use park fee applies to any visits to the park. Although
the park brochure says that there are no black flies, that is just wishful
thinking, and you'll find your share in season once you get onto the trails.
The park lies at the northern edge of the Little Claybelt. Although the
park is in the Boreal Forest, it also contains tree species characteristic of
the Great Lakes-St. Lawrence forest to the south. Northern trees such as
aspen, birch and red and white pine stand alongside more southern varieties such
as white elm and black ash. Combined with the dramatic topographic
changes, the result is a richer diversity of habitat than can be found in most
other areas in Timiskaming of similar size. Notable
features include the black ash-balsam poplar bottomland south of the river (which is enriched by annual alluvial deposits,
providing for a prolific ground
cover), the associations of mosses and vascular plants located at High Falls,
and the black ash-elm flat east of the old group camping area, which is well known locally for its spring
flowers. The vegetative communities associated with the calcareous boulder and limestone/shale islands in the
river are also of interest.
The easy access afforded by the park's system of well maintained hiking trails is one of the features of
the park that makes it attractive to local birders. There are three main hiking
trails, as well as several smaller trails to the falls and the lookout
points. Hiking in the park often involves climbing and possibly crossing wet terrain, so visitors are advised to bring suitable shoes and clothing.
Numerous scenic lookouts in the park also provide opportunities for the birder
to experience the forest canopy from above - a very helpful vantage, especially
at such times as during the spring warbler migration.
Every spring, the flooded fields south of Belle-Vallée
in Casey Township are teaming with waterfowl, and with them often come the large
diurnal raptors. The Kirkland Lake Nature Club has made a trip to Casey
Township an annual pilgrimage on the second weekend of April for many
years. A typical day birding this area in mid to late April will yield significant
numbers of the following species: Harrier, Rough-legged Hawk, Kestrel,
Sharp-shinned Hawk, Pintail, Black Duck, Mallard, Green-winged Teal, Canada
Goose, Lesser Scaup, Common Goldeneye, Bufflehead, Ring-necked Duck, Greater
Yellowlegs, and Killdeer along
with many of the gulls and early songbirds. Occasionally one may observe other
species such as Greater Scaup, Northern Shoveler, Tundra Swan, Snow Goose, Sandhill
Crane, Glaucous or Great Black-backed Gull and Northern Shrike.
Keep in mind that there is very little crown land in
this area. Do not trespass and view only from the roadside. Pay attention
to other traffic. Driving slowly along or stopping to have a closer look
while other traffic is in the vicinity will only cause aggravation.
Development Road in particular receives a great deal of traffic, as it serves as
a New Liskeard bypass and is a popular commuter route, so try not to dawdle or
pull well off to let traffic pass. Shoulders can be very soft at this time of
year, so be very careful pulling too far off to the side. A good strategy
is to find a place to pull over and let any vehicle pass as soon as you notice
them coming up from behind you regardless of where you happen to be at the time,
so that you can resume a spectator's pace after they've gone by. If you
cannot do so, please be considerate and resume normal traffic speed until you
can safely let them go by. The birds will still be there even if you have
to drive around the concession. You may want to avoid Development Road during
morning and evening commuter times.
The timing of the peak of activity will vary from year
to year depending on the progression of the spring melt, the amount of spring
rain, and the timing of the southern winds that bring in the flocks of waterfowl
with them. It is a good idea to check often at this time of year, as
conditions and the mix of species will often change considerably from day to
day. Some species, like Tundra Swans or Snow Geese, may only be present
for one or two days per season, if at all. Keeping track of the weather
while making frequent spring visits will greatly assist in deciphering and
appreciating the pulse of the spring waterfowl migration, and is a thrill to
experience year after year.