Marsh monitors can tell a croak from a peep
Administrator | Feb 27, 2012 | Comments 0
The Bay of Quinte RAP (BQRAP) is looking for volunteers to monitor frogs and birds in the area as these species are great indicators of the health of wetlands.
Can you tell a Bullfrog’s croak from a Spring Peeper’s peep or a Least Bittern from a Virginia Rail?
If you’re not even sure what they are, don’t worry. In a workshop set for Monday, March 5, Quinte area naturalist and columnist, Terry Sprague will walk everyone through the ins and outs of marsh monitoring.
“The majority of wetland species of frogs and birds have calls that are different enough from each other that they can be identified with little trouble. This is also a great program for families to become involved in as young children can help out with the frog monitoring.” he adds.
Over the course of the evening, Sprague will teach participants how to monitor a marsh, whether it’s in your back yard, at the cottage, or at a selected monitoring site.
“Monitoring for frogs and birds in our marshes is a way for outdoor enthusiasts to enjoy their pastime while at the same time, contributing to our knowledge of the Bay of Quinte wetlands and their quality,” said Sprague.
There are two programs to choose from: the Marsh Monitoring Program, where you can monitor for both frogs and birds or Frog Watch Ontario which is super for the kids, as they only have to monitor once a week from April to June and submit their results on-line.
Sprague will be hosting a workshop which will focus on both frog and bird monitoring training on Monday, March 5 from 7-9pm at Quinte Conservation.
There is no cost to attend the workshop. If you are interested in attending, contact Terry Sprague by phoning 613-476-5072 or email tsprague@kos.net
Visit his website at http://naturestuff.net
Read his countylive.ca blog
The Bay of Quinte Remedial Action Plan is in partnership locally with Lower Trent Conservation and Quinte Conservation.
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