May days have come and gone, and the Creston Valley has been busy with events like the Blossom Festival and the Creston Bird Festival. Good weather blessed both events and brough many people into our area to enjoy the sights and local businesses, bird watch, walk and bike the local trails, and explore the CVWMA wetlands.
The dedicated committee members and many volunteers did such a great job during the Bird Fest and provided an array of gatherings, tours, and workshops. Many feathered friends of all shapes and sizes were present for the birders to observe. Details from the Creston Valley Birds organizers reported 146 bird species identified during the 4 days of the festival! You can follow these links to check out the list, and a summary of the events! 'Creston Valley Birds' Facebook page , Wildsight - Creston Valley Bird Festival
I am always fortunate to see so many species of birds, flowers, trees, and mammals on my walks along Wildlife Road from the CVWMA Admin office, but I also revel in the invertebrates I get to observe like insects and mollusks. I have included a picture of sweet little snail I saw recently, camouflaged among the stones on the road. Beautiful colours.
Continue reading to learn about another sweet family Julia Shewan will introduce you to!
Kindly,
Alyson Brda
CVWMA Office Administrator
Chickadee eggs, and newly hatched chicks
Black-capped chickadees surprise
Article by: Julia Shewan, CVWMA Conservation Programs Assistant
Spring has sprung and the sounds and sights of birds are in the air. I’d like to share a curious story from this past month. As many of you may know, the Corn Creek Marsh near the Discovery Centre hosts a tree swallow nest box route. This route has existed for decades and has been monitored by a variety of people since its inception, including local naturalists, post-graduate researchers, and now the wonderful Naturalists at the Discovery Centre.
I completed some early monitoring at the tree swallow boxes, starting in late April, to understand when the birds arrive and start laying their eggs. A review of past monitoring data suggested that the birds might start just before the inaugural survey by the Naturalists in mid-May, so I filled in the gap. Well, it didn’t take long to realize that the tree swallows were already getting busy by the time I started; I found nests in varying stages of completeness in nearly every box. But the biggest surprise was when I looked into one of the boxes on that first survey and found a fully finished nest with eight beautiful eggs. And surprise – this story isn’t about swallows (gotcha!). The box was being used by a pair of black-capped chickadees! We, the Naturalists and I, monitored the nest through to its successful fledging of eight chicks on the most recent survey. Well done, mom and dad chickadee.
We don’t know how often chickadees might use the tree swallow boxes down in the marsh. It’s certainly a first for some of us who have been part of the monitoring program for a number of years. It could be a relatively common occurrence because chickadees readily use nest boxes; hopefully some of you have your own boxes at home and are treated to seeing these spunky little birds take up residence. Chickadees also start breeding earlier than other songbirds and so there is a possibility that they could get a whole breeding attempt in before the typical start date for tree swallow monitoring. We hope to continue this early monitoring in the future and see!
I would be remiss not to mention that, while we love that you love the swallows too, please do not check inside the boxes yourself. Likewise with the Swallow Hotel; the barn swallows are back and breeding and we ask that people refrain from entering into the structure. We would be happy to provide any interested parties with a snapshot of what’s happening with the tree and barn swallows. Don’t hesitate to drop by the Discovery Centre to talk with the Naturalists about tree swallows or email askus@crestonwildlife.ca for information on our barn swallows. These birds are near and dear to me so I don’t mind having a little bird nerd session!
Chicks with pin feathers, and close to fledging
Permitted activities on CVWMA and area use of decorum
Since the COVID pandemic and with the promotion of connecting with the outdoors, CVWMA has seen a significant increase in use of the Area. While it is very positive and encouraging to see lots of people bond with nature in many ways, the increase public use comes at a cost to nature. Increase activity use often translates to increased habitat and wildlife disturbances and declining habitat quality and wildlife use. One way to lessen human impacts on habitat and wildlife is to use decorum, a Latin word for “Right or Proper” that means “polite, dignified, and socially acceptable behaviour”. In other words, think of how your actions may impact habitat or, wildlife, even if you cannot physically see it through your eyes as you travel though CVWMA.
One of the most challenging problems CVWMA is faced with is people walking dogs off leash and not picking up after them. This appears to be a very difficult concept for many dog owners to grasp with. Every dog owner thinks highly of their dog(s) and this is completely understandable, but letting your dog(s) wander into the water and off the beaten paths is not acceptable – this behaviour impacts habitat and wildlife in ways that you cannot see, i.e. causes birds to leave their nests with eggs or chicks exposing them to predators, or causes small mammals to rush for cover at the sight of your dog(s). Wildlife species invest a lot of energy in trying to reproduce and survive and many human activities directly impact expenditure of energy through disturbances. Think of yourself reacting to a close wildlife encounter with a large mammal or predator, your heartbeat goes up and your muscles tense up, and you may have to escape or run to find safe cover – this takes energy!
We would like everyone to have a chance to have the best experiences possible while visiting CVWMA whether you are regular visitors or not. As many of us like to visit, everyone needs to do their best to ensure that others can also enjoy their visit, with respectful behaviour to wildlife and habitat as the primary goal.
CVWMA is open to the public every day of the week and every hour of the day. Where you have to go past a locked gate, you are welcome to walk, run, bike (non-motorized only and this includes e-bikes, dirtbikes, and all other all-terrain vehicles), or ski (when there is snow!) – any other means of transportation are not allowed unless you have a permit from CVWMA. Horses are not permitted. If you are not positive you are doing the right thing, please get in touch with us and we will provide guidance.
Updates from the trails in CVWMA:
Corn Creek Marsh South Observation Tower repairs complete!
Thank you again for your patience. Viewing the wetlands from the observation tower in Corn Creek Marsh near the Kootenay-Columbia Discovery Centre Society interpretive building is now open to the public again!
All repairs have been completed. A big thank you to Marc-Andre Beaucher for his work and time on this project to organize with all the professionals to get the work and inspections completed and have the tower safe and ready for the public to enjoy for many more years to come.
CVWMA is a federally registered Charity.Donate Now,though our website, and an official receipt will be issued to you for tax purposes.
THANK YOU to all who support CVWMA, and believing in our mission to manage the Creston Valley Wildlife Management Area for conservation and natural species diversity through active habitat and wildlife management, research and education!
