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Hello Sioux Lookout'ers.
Nice to see people out enjoying the sun while physical distancing.
Here is an article from NWHU on the newest positive case of COVID-19 found in Sioux Lookout. Two things stand out:
- it was inadvertently found when no respiratory symptoms were present;
- the lack of clarity as to whether the infection was a result of travel or community spread.
So when discouraged about the limits put on our lives, let's keep in mind how sneaky this virus is and how much more there is to understand it. With loosing restrictions, staying the course becomes even more important.
Stay safe everyone!COVID-19 case in Sioux Lookout did not show symptoms, NWHU - DrydenNow.com
www.drydennow.com
COVID-19 case in Sioux Lookout did not show symptoms, NWHUCedar Bay Frog Hop
Sadly this year we are not able to go for a Frog Hop and listen to the frogs. But the frogs are beginning to “sing”, so we are offering you some information and invite you to go out and listen. In the last few days, we have heard Wood Frogs, Spring Peepers and Boreal Chorus Frogs. The weather is still a bit cold, and it has been very dry, but as soon as it gets warmer and we have rain to fill the ponds and marshy areas, the frogs will be back in business.
First of all – Who will we hear?
Around Sioux Lookout we usually hear 3 different frogs – Spring Peepers, Boreal Chorus Frogs, and Wood frogs. The frogs start calling to attract their mates. This video has the sounds of each of these three frogs.
Click on the link (hold CTRL while you click)
www.youtube.com/watch?v=rVQtpXQcIV4
Sioux Lookout Frogs - see pictures below
Spring Peeper Boreal chorus Frog
Wood Frog
Where to go and Listen?
Good places to hear frogs are the very east end of Front Street where it meets First Avenue. There is a marshy area to the south of the Street. Another great place is along West Point Cove Road in the wet area between Sacred Heart School and the entrance to Cedar Bay Recreation area. And, if you go on the Interpretive Trail, the wet areas along there are good frog spots.
Frogs are very dependent on healthy, unpolluted wetlands. So let’s protect them. Happy Frog Hopping.
INTERESTING FROG FACTS
• Frogs are Amphibians – they can live in both water and on land
• They lay eggs in water. The tadpoles live in water. As the tadpoles transform into frogs, they can begin to live on land.
• They are Cold-blooded – which means the body is same temperature as its surroundings
• They have a permeable skin that needs to be moist. Oxygen can pass through skin and mouth
• Some Canadian frogs hibernate over winter by digging into mud. They stay frozen through the winter then thaw out in the spring.
• Frogs and toads are good indicators of healthy wetland environment
Here are some further details about our local frogs.
Spring Peeper (Pseudacris crucifer) For many people in North America, the first calls of the peeper mark the return of the spring. The tiny spring peeper (2-3 cm) is tan or light brown in colour with a darker X-shaped marking on the back. The largest peeper on record was a mere 3.7 centimetres long. The breeding call of this species is a single, loud, high-pitched peep repeated over and over. A full chorus can be deafening up close and can be heard over a kilometre away.
Amazing Fact: The spring peeper produces the greatest decibel level for its size – it is the loudest creature for its size in the world!
Size: 2-3 cm
Early breeder – males also call in fall on rainy days Breeds in woodland ponds, forage in woodlands and shrubby areas near ponds
Eats small invertebrates
Boreal Chorus Frog (Pseudacris maculata)
The boreal chorus frog is small (ca 3 cm) and smooth skinned, and varies in colour from green-grey to brown. A dark stripe runs through the eye and a white stripe along the upper lip. This species is distinguished from most other tree frogs by the three dark stripes down the back. In some individuals, the stripes are broken into dashes or dots. The maximum size of the adult is just under four centimetres. The breeding call of this species resembles the sound made by running a fingernail along the teeth of a comb.
Size: 3 cm
Very early breeder
Shallow edges of ponds, marches, ditches
Eggs laid as clusters attached to plants at bottom of pond
Eats mosquitoes, beetles, spiders, flies
Wood Frog (Lithobates sylvaticus)
The wood frog may be reddish, tan or dark brown but always has a dark mask under and behind the eyes. Some individuals have a light line down the middle of the back. This species has a dark blotch on the chest near each front leg. The belly is white and may have some dark mottling. Adult wood frogs can grow to up to eight centimetres in length. The call of this species is a series of sharp quacks, almost like those of a duck.
4 cm.
Earliest spring breeder
Woodland ponds with emergent vegetation for anchoring eggs.
Eggs hatch 1-2 weeks, tadpoles to adult in ca 60 days
Eat mosquitoes, beetles, spiders, flies
Ontario Frogs and Toads: There are three general types of frogs and toads in Ontario: true toads, tree frogs and true frogs (* indicates provincially and federally listed species at-risk).
True toads
American toad, Bufo americanus americanus
Fowler's toad*, Bufo fowleri
Treefrogs
Boreal chorus frog, Pseudacris maculata
Gray treefrog, Hyla versicolor
Spring peeper, Pseudacris crucifer
Western chorus frog, Pseudacris triseriata True frogs
Bullfrog, Lithobates catesbeianus
Green frog, Lithobates clamitans
Mink frog, Lithobates septentrionalis
Northern leopard frog, Lithobates pipiens
Pickerel frog, Lithobates palustris
Wood frog, Lithobates sylvaticus
FROG SIZES
TINY 2-3 CM Peeper, Chorus Frog
SMALL 4-5 CM Wood Frog
LARGE 7-9 CM Leopard Frog
Friends of Cedar Bay Facebook www.facebook.com/FriendsOfCedarBay/
Do post your findings on the FCB Facebook page – What have you heard? Where were you? What time of day were you listening? How loud were the frogs?
Happy Frog Hopping!
Prepared by our biologist-in-residence, Dr Aileen Urquhart.
Prepared by our biologist-in-residence, Dr Aileen UrquhartWith the beer store not taking your empties for now, are your bottles piling up? Friends of Cedar Bay will gladly take them off your hands. Just bring them to the Cedar Bay Parking Lot and place them outside the Bunkie House next to the Loader, preferable in a box or bag. Stay safe everyone.
While the Cedar Bay Easter Egg Hunt is cancelled, look what Dryden is doing:
www.ckdr.net/2020/03/24/dryden-easter-egg-hunt/