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The Tiny Marsh Important Bird Area (IBA)
includes an expansixe wetland that is home to one of Ontario's largest
populations of the Black tern, a species that is listed as Vulnerable
in Ontario. It also has significant numbers of the Least Bittern, a
Species of Concern nationally and Vulnerable provincially, and breeding
records of the Endangered King Rail.
Important Bird Areas are recognised around the world as the most important
sites for protecting bird diversity. Tiny Marsh is one of approximately
1,200 IBAs recognised in Canada.
This plan is the product of a collaborative effort of numerous stakeholders,
particularly the MTM Conservation Association, the non-profit organisation
resposible for management of the Tiny Marsh. Monitoring efforts will allow
tracking of populations. Dramatic population changes or significant trends
would alert stakeholders to concerns and stimulate management measures if
the problem is deemed to be local.
This plan should be considered a work in progress. The national and
provincial IBA partners encourage the stakeholders of the Tiny Marsh IBA
to revise and rework the plan as needed, but most importantly, to implement
it.
The vision and goals of the IBA follow:
Vision
The Tiny Marsh Imortant Bird Area will be conserved
and managed to protect populations of resident and migratory birds, as a place where
birds can be monitored, studied, and enjoyed for the ecological, educational benefits
to the people of Simcoe County and beyond.
Goals
- protect and conserve significance of Tiny marsh for Black Terns, Least Bitterns,
and other marshbirds and waterfowl
- protect landbird poplations within the IBA
- reduce or eliminate potential for disturbances during breeding season
- promote Tiny Marsh IBA for ecotourism and education
Introduction
Camille was mesmerized by the aerial acrobatics of the elegant, sooty black
birds swooping and darting in pursuit of flying insects over the expanse of
open water. His eyes followed the ballet back and forth.
“I wish I could fly,” he told me, giving voice to my exact thoughts.
If ever a bird made me want to fly, it had to be this species, a master
of graceful and effortless flight. Later, reflecting on his first
“birdathon,” Camille confided that Black Tern was his favourite species
and proceeded to put the images in his head onto paper.1
Perhaps the best location to observe the Black Tern in southern Ontario is
Tiny Marsh. Tiny Marsh IBA is located in south-central Ontario, near Elmvale,
approximately three kilometres inland from Nottawasaga Bay,
the southernmost lobe of Georgian Bay. This conservation plan will take
you to the 8.5 square kilometres of marshes, open water, bog, and upland
forest, where the headwaters of the Wye River start. Hundreds of Black
Terns use Tiny Marsh for nesting and feeding, along with an impressive
range and number of wetland-dependent species. These species and their
habitats are the focus of this conservation plan. The plan is intended
to assist those responsible for or interested in the Tiny Marsh, its birds,
and nature, with conservation planning, management, and actions well into
the future.
This conservation plan is intended to be a “work in progress.” Sections
describing the site, its birds, and the institutional arrangements are
presented in Chapters 3 to 7. Chapter 8 is about the stakeholder activity
in the area, while Chapters 9 and 10 explore opportunities within the
Important Bird Area (IBA) for conservation as well as identifying threats
to the IBA species. Chapter 11 elaborates the conservation action plan,
presenting the vision, goals, objectives, and strategies. The vision of
the Tiny Marsh IBA follows:
The Tiny Marsh Important Bird Area will be conserved and managed to
protect its populations of resident and migratory birds, as a place where
birds can be monitored, studied, and enjoyed for the ecological,
educational, and economic benefits to the people of Simcoe County and beyond.
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