Tag Archives: Birds

Canada Geese Visit Lake Champlain

Canada geese (Branta canadensis) are one of the more common birds seen around the Lake Champlain Valley, especially during their spring and fall migrations. Lake Champlain is considered part of the Atlantic Flyway, which is one of the major flight corridors for migratory birds. Canada geese, like these stopping in Alburgh, Vermont, depend on Lake Champlain to provide rest and food on their journey.

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South Hero Bird House Forest

South Hero Painted Bird House Forest

The Champlain Islands are typically Vermont, but they also have a quirkiness that gives them their own unique charm. One of these unique locations is the South Hero Bird House Forest.

South Hero Bird House Forest

The South Hero Bird House Forest

South Hero’s West Shore Road is a narrow dirt road that winds along the many inlets and bays of South Hero’s west coast. Here you’ll find classic old summer camps, stony beaches, new multi-million dollar vacation homes, vineyards and wineries, and spectacular views and sunsets.

There are a few out-of-the-way, hidden, yet fascinating sites to explore, if you know where to look.

Hundreds of Bird Houses in South Hero, Vermont

Just north of Whites Beach, a few feet from the roadside, are hundreds of brilliantly colored bird houses hanging from the trees along the swampland. It’s almost impossible not to notice, and on summer days, it’s not uncommon to see someone slow down for a better look.

South Hero Bird House Forest

According to the property owners, they were trying to deal with the mosquitoes that came from the nearby swamp. The bird houses are home to tree swallows that eat mosquitoes. This natural pest control allows the owners to sit outside in the evening and enjoy themselves.

The project started 15 years ago, with 20 bird houses; when the owner checked after a year, he found each one occupied. He built more, and more; and now has over 400 bird houses. His wife was the one who convinced him to paint them the striking bold colors.

Want to see this for yourself?

Take Route 2 to South Hero, and turn onto South Street in South Hero village. Follow South Street until you reach West Shore Road, past Allenholm Orchards; then follow West Shore Road until you get to Whites Beach. The bird houses will be on your right, just past the parking lot.

Other Articles About Lake Champlain Islands:

List of Lake Champlain's Islands

Spectacular Snow Geese (video)

Snow Geese in Flight

Dan Swinton takes a look at the growing population and beauty of snow geese.

Spectacular Snow Geese (video) <Click Here>

Snow Geese

Other Invasive Threats to Lake Champlain

We’ve looked at fish, mollusks, crayfish and plants that want to make Lake Champlain their home. Here are some other invasive threats to Lake Champlain:.

Hemorrhaged Walleye

VHS: viral hemorrhagic septicemia: an often lethal fish disease affecting many species. VHS in the Great Lakes drainage has led to significant restrictions on transporting fish between water bodies. It is so significant that new outbreaks must be reported to the World Health Organization for Animal Health. The disease transmits easily between fish (both individuals and species) and mortality rates seem to be highest in colder waters (37-54 F). Because some fish can be carriers of the virus and show no external signs, the actual presence of the disease can only be determined by laboratory testing.

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Spiny water flea and fishhook water flea:

These two plankton species could drastically disrupt Lake Champlain’s food web. Spiny water flea and fishhook water flea both came from Northeast Europe; they were first noticed in Lake Huron in 1984 and Lake Ontario in 1998. These two species were most likely released with a ship’s ballast water. In 2008 spiny water flea were found in the Great Sacandaga Lake in New York, just upstream from the feeder for the Champlain Canal.

** Since this article was originally published (June 11, 2012), Spiny Water Fleas have been confirmed in the Champlain Canal and in Lake George; both of these waterways are linked directly to Lake Champlain. It now (August3, 2012) seems inevitable that Spiny Water Fleas will become established in Lake Champlain, if they haven’t already.

Spiny Waterfleas collect in masses on fishing lines.

In addition to competing with the native zoo-plankton, spiny water flea and fishhook water flea are much more difficult for small fish to ingest, and are therefore a poorer food source. The long spines of these species can hook them onto anglers’ lines by the hundreds, making fishing difficult. Eggs and adult water fleas can travel unseen in a boat’s bilge water, bait buckets, and live wells.

Learn to recognize these water-fleas on fishing gear.

Inspect and remove aquatic plants and animals, including gelatinous or cotton batting-like material from lines, especially where they meet a swivel, lure or down-rigger ball connection (plucking like a guitar string helps).

Drain lake or river water from live-well and bilge before leaving access.

Dispose of unwanted live bait and worms in the trash.

Double-crested Cormorants

Double-crested Cormorants: Cormorants are relative newcomers to Lake Champlain and have since become a concern to wildlife managers. They first nested on Young Island, Vermont, in 1981; then expanded to Four Brothers Islands, New York, by 1984, and peaked at over 20,000 birds by 1999. Population increases were associated with destruction of vegetation and displacement of other birds from nesting colonies of stick nests built high in trees on islands or in patches of flooded timber. .

Gangly Double-crested Cormorants are prehistoric-looking, black fishing birds with yellow-orange facial skin. Though they look like a combination of a goose and a loon, they are relatives of frigatebirds and boobies.

Double-crested Cormorants float low on the surface of water and dive to catch small fish. After fishing, they stand on docks, rocks, and tree limbs with wings spread open to dry. In flight, they often travel in V-shaped flocks that shift and reform as the birds alternate bursts of choppy flapping with short glides..

Obviously, Lake Champlain is a great lake; who could fault these newcomers for wanting to take up residence here? But these invasive species are threats to the health and survival of our native species, and will disrupt the health, recreation and aesthetic enjoyment of Lake Champlain’s human residents. We must protect our lake; so, what can we do…?.

Next: What Can You Do to Protect Lake Champlain? ( Next >> )

Previous: Invasive Invertebrates ( << Previous )

Osprey

Pandion haliaetus

The osprey or ‘fish-hawk’ is a bird of prey that nests near large areas of water. Ospreys can be found along Lake Champlain and may occasionally be seen ﬁshing on other water bodies.

Smaller and more streamlined than eagles, ospreys are still large birds of prey- approximately 21 to 26 inches in body length. Adult birds have a wingspan of 59 to 67 inches and weigh about 3.5 pounds. In flight, the osprey’s long, narrow wings appear to have a crook at the wrist where dark patches are apparent.

Characteristics

The crooked bend of the wings in ﬂight is the prominent characteristic of the osprey. Ospreys have dark brown backs with white undersides and a lightly brown-spotted breast; although this spotting may be absent in males. Females are generally slightly larger than the males. Juveniles have a speckled back and wings and red eyes; their plumage resembles that of the adult, with buff to white tips on the feathers of the back and upper wing.

Bright yellow eyes stare from a small, narrow white head with a dark crown. The head features a dark brown streak through the eye area. Sharp talons, used for hunting, protrude from the end of powerful legs.

The osprey makes a clear whistling noise to shrill cries indicate increasing levels of alarm. Listen for a slow whistled guard call – “kyew-kyew-kyew”. The osprey alarm call is a short clear whistle that increases to faster, higher squeals.

Food

Ospreys feed primarily on live fish, which they catch by using their long, hooked talons. The primary food is ﬁsh that swim close to the surface such as perch, suckers, and bullhead that ospreys capture by plummeting from the air and grabbing with their talons. Sometimes the osprey plunges deep enough to submerge its entire body.

Habitat & Distribution

Ospreys breed near large bodies of water with an abundant supply of ﬁsh. In the Lake Champlain Basin they nest near lakes and rivers, occasionally in loose colonies. Breeding occurs from Maine to Florida. Many ospreys from the Lake Champlain Basin are likely to spend their winters as far south as Central America.

An osprey nest is a large, bulky pile of sticks, put together on the top of a tall dead tree, a rocky ledge, telephone pole cross arms, or an artiﬁcial platform. In the spring the female lays one to four, but usually three, white or milky-white eggs, heavily marked with brown. Ospreys often use the same nest year after year and add more sticks each year. Some of these nests can become quite large- sometimes up to 10 feet tall! The young fledge at about eight weeks of age, then remain in the area of the nest for about two months.

Osprey Threats

DDT- used as an insecticide until banned in the U.S. in the early 1970s. It widely dispersed throughout the environment where it takes years to break down. Ospreys ingested the DDT when feeding on ﬁsh. The result was thinner eggshells that broke during incubation.
Ospreys like to nest in tall dead trees, but these trees may fall during the year, resulting in fewer available nesting sites.
In areas where there are dams and channels, the natural ﬂow of water is altered and the availability of ﬁsh may change; this can cause ospreys to move to a new location.
Disturbances at nest sites such as predation and human intrusion have had some eﬀects on the osprey population.

Management Efforts

Higher productivity of ospreys in Vermont in recent years has occurred due to the eﬀorts of many people and organizations including state Fish & Game Departments, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, and power companies. Management activities include:

Artiﬁcial nesting platforms put up in appropriate areas through cooperation with power companies and other landowners.Many have been used by ospreys to build nests and raise young.
Bands of metal (predator guards) are placed around trees and platform poles where ospreys are nesting to minimize the approach of predators from the ground.
Nesting areas are monitored so the number of nesting osprey can be tracked and disturbances by people can be minimized through placement of warning signs if needed.
Observations are noted as to where ospreys frequently occur so that nesting platforms can be put up in those areas.

How You Can Help

Recent management eﬀorts to provide safe and sturdy nest sites in the best foraging habitats have contributed to increased breeding success. Due to the sensitivity of these birds to disturbance, people are encouraged to remain at least 300 feet from nesting areas during this period.

Avoid getting too close to nesting sites during the breeding season.
Honor warning signs when posted.
Maintain a respectful distance from wild animals. Travel with binoculars! If an animal vocalizes when you’re near its territory, immediately back oﬀ.
Observe and report on osprey nesting activities in your area.

Helpul Articles:

Osprey (dec.ny.gov)

Osprey (vtfishandwildlife.com)

Osprey Fact Sheet (NYS Dept. Environmental Conservation)

Lake Champlain Life

Exploring Life on and Around Lake Champlain

Tag Archives: Birds

Canada Geese Visit Lake Champlain

South Hero Bird House Forest