Eighteen years in the making Bird Studies Canada releases The Great Lakes Marsh Monitoring Program.

This 12 page report concludes that most marsh breeding birds are in decline. No real surprise with loss of wetland habitat and human population growth surrounding coastal marshes. The population of frogs remains stable except for chorus frog which shows decline. The program helped to increase the public’s awareness of the importance of wetland conservation.

Two or our club members deserve special mention for being citizen scientists who volunteered their time to collect data. Diane and her mother Norma have been going to Corner’s Corners since 2006 to record their frog and bird sightings. They start in April with frogs and add the birds after May 20th. The survey runs till early July each year. They were able to see pied-billed grebe’s and hear Sora. They heard spring peepers, chorus frogs, American toads, bullfrogs and green frogs. The mosquitoes were never a issue at Pete’s place and their most memorable event was watching a raccoon try to squeeze its way out of a wood duck box. Thank you Diane for sharing this with us.