By Jenna Smith, Field and Stewardship Coordinator
Another field season has wrapped up, and this one was jam-packed! From amphibian and smelt surveys to water testing and bird banding, this year was busy. But that’s the best part of this job; you’re always doing something different.
A major highlight for me this year was getting to band tree swallows. This was done as part of a cross-watershed project on PEI. BAWG set up 10 new banding boxes—think regular swallow boxes, but slightly larger and fitted with a lid. It didn’t take long for the birds to find these boxes, with 8 out of 10 getting used. By the end of this project, we had successfully banded 35 tree swallows!
Invasive species management was another important part of this field season, specifically bittersweet nightshade management. This invasive climbing vine can take over forests, shading out and strangling entire trees. We discovered quite a few patches along the Portree Creek system. This resulted in several days of hand-pulling the plants, bagging them, and then hauling the bags out of the woods. We ended up having to rent a U-Haul just to get all the nightshade (over 1,400 lbs) into the incinerator. This was easily the most physically demanding project this year, but it was also one of the most rewarding. Next year, we’ll follow up on the patches, but until then, our arms and backs can rest easy!
One thing I look forward to doing every year is bank swallow surveys. This season marked our 7th year of bank swallow monitoring. We surveyed over 85 km of shoreline and riverbank spanning from Beach Point to Newtown. These surveys involve walking or kayaking as much of the coastline as possible while recording every colony along the way. Many of the colonies we know about are hard to reach and require extremely low tides and very fast walkers! Thankfully, the purchase of kayaks in 2023 has helped address some of these access issues. Bank swallows are considered a threatened species, making these surveys especially important. All of our data is submitted to the government and other organizations, ensuring we contribute to other bank swallow conservation efforts. These are the kind of beach days I look forward to! View interactive map here
A final memory from the season that I’ll share reminds me that I am making a difference. In my first year working for BAWG (2019), we hosted a community tree planting event in Belle River. The site is right beside the TCH (look for a large sign with BAWG on it). This area used to be just a field with a small hedgerow, but that changed after the community event. We ended up planting a few hundred trees and shrubs (in the pouring rain!), and thus, a new forest was born. Driving by today, 7 years later, this site looks very different. There are trees over 10 ft tall, and the smaller hardwoods are growing strong. I smile every time I pass this site, remembering why I do this job. Some of my favorite days at BAWG weren’t tied to a specific project but to the simple act of just being outside in nature. Fieldwork isn’t always easy, but it’s always incredibly rewarding. I’m already looking forward to the next field season!
