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The Spring Bay Important Bird Area on Manitou
Island is a major concentration point for Sandhill Cranes heading south
from north-central and northern Ontario. Approximately 1500 cranes gather
in the fields and pastures during the day, and seek refuge in large,
undisturbed wetlands at night. Marsh Lake, the natural feature that is the
focus of this report, has been discovered to be a major roosting and
resting site for Sandhill Cranes during their fall gatherings. 1339 cranes
were counted in the vicinity of Marsh Lake on October 19, 2000. Other
roosting sites, yet undiscovered, may be within the area.
The Spring Bay IBA is located in
south-central Manitoulin Island, Ontario, near the farming community of
the same name. Much of the land is cultivated for the growing grains
and hay; improved grasslands are maintained for cattle pasture.
Mixed woods of aspen amd maple border agricultural fields while
hedgerows of shrubs and trees break up the agriculural landscape.
Forest and wetlands dominate the southwest sector of this IBA.
The IBA has no imminent threats
to habitat. Sandhill Crane roosts are very sensitive to disturbance
though. A major goal of this IBA initiative will be to minimize or
eliminate disturbance to cranes, address some of the issues around
crane feeding behavior and farming activities, and continue to
promote ecotourism related to observing the crane migration.
The Spring Bay IBA has following
Vision and Goals:
Vision
The Spring Bay Important Bird Area recognises the importance of
south-central Manitoulin Island, particularly Marsh Lake for
congregating Sandhill Cranes, and will work to protect conditions that
support cranes, for their benefit, and so that they can be observed,
studied and enjoyed.
Goals
- describe and document the fall Sandhill Crane activity in Spring Bay IBA
- protect roosting and staging areas from distrubance, development,
or activities that threaten the value of area for cranes
- promote the study and observation of Sandhill Cranes in southern
Manitoulin Island, for the benefit of the local economy, while respecting
the needs of the cranes for safe roots
- determine the natural and biophysical significance of crane
roost sites within the IBA
Introduction
There are few natural spectacles that match the majesty and drama
of the crane dance. We had heard of it, read about it, but not yet seen it.
Today would be the day, our guide claimed. We sipped our tea and coffee in
the early morning darkness, then left our bed and beakfast in Providence Bay,
heading north in a convoy of four vehicles. The hoarfrost gave vereything
a ghoistly glow. Within minutes we were parked along a roadside, peering
through the early dawn darkness into a wispy low fog that clung to the field.
Venus had already faded into the brightening glow to the east. Several minutes
passed. Movement over the field caught my gaze: a short-eared owl glided
effortlessly over the pasture. Entranced and absorbed by its moth-like
flight, my heart leaped a eat when silence was broken by a spine-tingling
bugle from a Sandhill Crane passing no more than 10 metres over our heads.
A second, and a third arrived, then more, flying into the fields from a
distant wetland refuge where they had passed the night in fasety. Within moments,
dozens of cranes had assembled in the field, many still obscured by the low fog,
others c;early in view. Then one bird, quite close by, obliged us by starting
its dance. It danced two complete five-metre circles, stopping at the compass
points, turing inward, spreading its wings and jumping six feet in the
air ¹. A nearby pair danced a complete circle. We were awe-struck! ².
The stunning spectacles of the Sandhill Crane migration is relatively new
to Ontario. Manitoulin Island is a major concentration point for Cranes
heading south from north-central and northern Ontario. The Spring Bay
Important Bird Area (IBA) supports continentally significant number of
Sandhill Cranes during their fall migration. These cranes gather in the
fields and pastures during the day, and seek refuge in large, undisturbed
wetlands at night. Marsh Lake, the natural feature that is the focus of
the report, has been discovered to be a major roosting and resting site
for Sandhill Cranes during their fall gatherings. Other roosting sites,
yet undiscovered, may be within the area.
The Spring Bay IBA stakeholders met in Marsh 2000 to discus the IBA concept
and specifically, its meaning and value to the local area. From this meeting,
specific objectives were set to describe the biophysical conditions of Marsh
Lake that support Sandhill Cranes, and most importantly, to monitor and
document Crane use of the site during the fall. Identification of Marsh
Lake as a major crane refuge was based on an initial observation in 1999.
Work in the fall of 2000 confirmed the presence of 1000 cranes
(Chirs Bell, pres. comm., 2000).
The vision statement for the Spring Bay IBA is as follows:
The Spring Bay Important Bird Area recognises the importance of south-central
Manitoulin Island, particularly Marsh Lake for congregating Sandhill Cranes,
and will work to protect conditions that support cranes, for their benefit,
and so that they can be observed, studied and enjoyed.
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