James, R.D. 1984. Structure, frequency of usage,and apparent learning in the primary song ofthe Yellow-throated Vireo, with comparativenotes on the Solitary Vireo. Canadian Journalof Zoology 62: 468-472.

James R.D. (in prep.). Ethological relationshipsof Solitary and Yellow-throated Vireos.

Lawrence, L de K. 1953. Nesting life andbehaviour of the Red-eyed Vireo. CanadianField-Naturalist 67: 47-87.

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Graber, J. W. 1961. Distribution, habitatrequirements, and life history of the Black­capped Vireo (Vireo atricapilla). EcologicalMonographs 31: 313-336.

Howes-Jones, D. 1985. Nesting habits andactivity patterns of Warbling Vireos. Vireogilvus. in southern Ontario. Canadian Field­Naturalist 99: 484-489.

James, R.D. 1978. Pairing and nest site selectionin Solitary and YeIlow-throated Vireos with adescription of a ritualized nest buildingdisplay. Canadian Journal of Zoology 56:1163-1169.

Ross D. James, Department of Ornithology, Royal Ontario Museum,100 Queen's Park, Toronto, Ontario M5S 2C6

Trumpeter Swans in theKenora District of Ontario

byLillian J. Anderson, Harry G. Lumsden

and W. Bruce Ranta

IntroductionEfforts to restore Trumpeter Swans totheir former range in the mid-west andGreat Lakes Region started in 1962 atthe Lacreek National Wildlife Refugein South Dakota. In 1966, HennepinParks in Minnesota started theirprogramfollowed by the state of Missouri andOntario in 1982. The Departments ofNatural Resources in Michigan andWisconsin began their projects in 1987,Iowa in 1994, and Ohio in 1996.

Pioneering swans from the LacreekNWR have colonized th_e PorcupineForest in Saskatchewan, and Minnesotabirds have started to breed in the Kenoraarea of northwestern Ontario.

Released'Trumpeters are usuallycolour marked so movements can betraced. Minnesota uses orange wingtags with three black digits. Wisconsin

uses yellow neckcollars. Michigan birdsare marked with green wing tags andOntario stocks carry yellow wing tags.There has been substantial wildreproduction from released birds overthe years and many offspring carry nomarkers. Marked Minnesota andMichigan swans have been recorded insouthern Ontario and unmarkedTrumpeters have also been recorded byreliable observers.

Trumpeter Swansin the Kenora area of OntarioDavid Schneider, a local baitfisherman,found swans nesting in theEnglish Riversystem in four consecutive years. b..1993, he brought these sightings withconfmning photographs to the attentionof Bruce Ranta and Lil Anderson of theOntario Ministry of Natural Resources

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staff in Kenora. He had seen a singlepair of swans with cygnets each yearfrom 1989 to 1992. During this periodthey had used two different lakes.

In 1993, Lil Anderson and BruceRanta visited the small lake where theswans were seen nesting in 1992. Thenest site was found, scattered witheggshell debris, but there was no sign ofthe swans. The nest, located in a smalllake influenced by the English Riversystem, had its edges flooded duringabnormally high water levels theprevious fall. It seemed in good repairand it was not clear whether the nest hadbeen used in 1993, or if it had justsurvived the flood waters well the yearbefore.

Although the area was flown byhelicopter extensively that year, therewas no sign of the swans. There was,however, a report in June of a pair ofswans with 4 mallard-sized cygnets ona creek 30 km west of Kenora. BruceRanta and Mike Dawe were able tophotograph one adult but were unableto locate the other birds. They saw asilver coloured leg band on the left legof the bird but were unable to read theidentifying numbers.

In 1994, while on compliancemonitoring, Lil Anderson and JoanSauve found a pair of Trumpeters with7 cygnets swimming near, and preeningon, a well defined nest easily visiblefrom a logging road. This location wassome 3.5 km northwest ofthe 1992 nestsite.

It was observed that one adult hadan orange patagial tag. Later that year.Lil Anderson was able to determine thenumber on the tag to be #125. Thisproved to be a female, hatched in 1988in the Brookfield Zoo in Chicago. It hadbeen released atField Lake in Minnesota

ONTARIO BIRDS DECE~1BER 1996

in 1990 (S. Kittleson, pers. comm.).This indicated that these were indeed adifferentpair from those nesting in 1989,or at least the female was different.

When these birds were videotapedin October 1994 by the owner ofRegional Logging, Doug Anderson, itwas apparent she had lost her wing tag.This marked female, according to SteveKittleson (Minnesota DNR) had beenrecorded on her wintering grounds at areservoiron the OttertailRiver southeastof Fargo, Minn. In 1991, she wasaccompanied by four cygnets, in 1992by five, and in 1993, when she had notbeen recorded on her breeding area inOntario, by six. By the fall of 1994, shehad lost her wing tag and it is not knownifher7 cygnets survived after they werelast seen in October.

In the fall of 1994, shortly aftervideotaping the swans and cygnetspreening on a small beaver pondconnected to the nesting lake, DougAnderson continued up the road to anearby cutover near the lake where the1992 nest was found. He reported thathe went to investigate a loud trumpetingsound on the little lake and saw 4 or 5adults and many cygnets, most ofwhichwere in the tall grass along the shore.The strong winds of the day made anaccurate count impossible, but the loudtrumpeting sounds could be heard at adistance despite the winds.

On the same lake that Lil Andersonhad reported the 1994 nest and brood of7 cygnets, Doug Anderson reported inJune of 1995 that the swans were backand had 5 cygnets.

The 1995 Aerial SurveyTo determine the breeding status,distribution and habitats occupied byTrumpeters north of Kenora and to

complete the continent-wide inventoryof Trumpeter Swans which is carriedout every five years, Harry Lumsden,Bruce Ranta and Lil Anderson plannedand completed a survey in the Kenoraarea in July of 1995.

Due to constraints on funds, anaerial survey could not be carried outusing Ontario Ministry of NaturalResources Kenora District funds. TheEndangered Species Recovery Fundcosponsored by the Canadian WildlifeService of Environment Canada andWorld Wild-life Fund (Canada)provided a grant of $800 toward thehire of an aircraft for an aerial survey.The remainder of the cost ($865.58)was paid by Scott Paper Ltd. throughthe Wye Marsh Wildlife Centre.

A 320 km2 study area was selectedon an area with relatively deep soils forthe region and containing most of thewaterbodieson whichTrumpeterSwanshad been reported in previous years.Flight lines were spaced 1km apart andflown at 120min a Bell "A" star 350 B2Helicopter at 150 kph on 19 July 1995.The machine was rented from MNRand crewed by Ted Hill (pilot), with LilAnderson, Bruce Ranta and HarryLumsden as observers.

A brood offive cygnets was foundand photographed, believed to be thebrood Doug Anderson had seen in June.The nest from which they had hatchedwas located on an abandoned beaverhouse situated on the shore of a smallisland. The cygnets were well grownand no wing tags were visible on theadult pair.

Six kilometres from the westernboundary of the search area, a pair ofTrumpeters was seen byDoug Andersonin October. He knew these to be adifferent pair from those with the five

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cygnets, as the original pair and broodhad been seen feeding on grass in acutover east of the nesting lake.

There were, therefore, at least 9Trumpeter Swans in the summer of1995 in theEnglish Riverdrainage northof Kenora.

Habitat

i) soilsThe breeding distribution of herbi­vorous waterfowl such as swans andgeese seems to be governed by theavailability ofcalcium(Lumsden 1984).Thearea in the KenoraDistrictoccupiedby Trumpeters lies in the bed of glacialLake Agassiz, a granitic area with lakesin which Ryder (1964) found highcalcium carbonate levels.

In the English River drainagesystem, the nesting Trumpeter Swansare using an area with a relatively deepoverburden within which the boundariesof the study area are located.

Soil samples were collected on thenorth shore of the known 1995 nestinglake. This area had been mapped as ashallow ground moraine over granitebedrock which is terraced, sloping anddry (Neilson 1979).

Table 1summarizes the analysis ofthese soil samples carried out by theDepartment ofLand Resource Science,University of Guelph. Although thesoils are acidic, sandy and gravelly witha very low agricultural capability(Ministry of Natural Resources 1981),the calcium levels are comparable tothose found in agricultural soils inSouthern Ontario.

Ii) nest sitesa) 1989 nest site

The 1989 nest site was never visited onthe ground, but was identified during an

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aerial survey. It appeared to be situatedon an old beaver house surrounded bywater in a small pond directly connectedto the English River system. It hadretained its shape and integrity as late as1995.

The waters were quite dark andtannic with floating vegetation visiblefrom the air.

b) 1992 nest siteThe 1992 nest site was composed of alarge mound of silt and rottingvegetation piled up, likely on an oldbeaverhouse. This mound was separatedfrom land by a silty mud flat that hadbeen underwater during major floodingthat took place on the English Riversystem the previous fall.

The wide creek that connects thissmall lake with the English Riversystemhas denseareas ofemergent, submergentand floating vegetation.

The lake itself has small bands ofemergent vegetation and grasses, withsmall areas of submergent vegetationseen along the shore.

c) 1994 and 1995 nest siteThe nest site used in 1994 and 1995 wason the northwest side of a small islandwhich is separated from land by a narrowchannel. It too is a large mound ofmud,rotting vegetation and sticks on top ofan old beaver house set out slightlyfrom shore.

This is the largest of the three lakeswhere swans are known to have nested.The first two were approximately 20and 40 ha respectively, compared toover 200 ha for the latter. They are allrelatively shallow and have muddy, siltyshores and lake bottoms.

The lake has not been surveyedand depths are unknown but presumedto be relatively shallow. A weed bed isvisible from the air in the northwest bayin which the swans were feeding whendiscovered. Average depth is likely lessthan 3 meters. Efforts to gain moreinformation on this lake have beencurtailed in order not to disturb thenesting birds. The channel between theshore and the island is shallow with anextensive mat of submergent, aquatic

TABLE 1: Nest location soil data.

Collection P N Mg CaSite pH mglL mglL mglL mglL

5.4 8 92 191 1961

2 5.4 8 175 457 2137

3 6.5 4 217 1310 4033

4 5.0 5 93 245 750

5 5.5 3 120 710 2369

ONTARIO BIRDS DECEMBER 1996

vegetation. The shorelines have densesedge growth.

iii) forestsThe forests around the 1989 nest sitehad been harvested in the 1950s andregenerated in a mixed coniferous/deciduous forest dominated by BlackSpruce and Balsam Fir. These soils are~lassed as relatively deep and product­ive (Forest Resource Inventory SiteClass 1).

The forest around the 1992 nestsite was in the process ofbeing harvestedat the time of nest discovery. Much ofthe original timber consisted of densemature to overmature deciduous/conife;mixed woods with Trembling Aspendominant. Areas recently harvestedhave been planted with conifer andsome natural regeneration has likelystarted. Herbs and forbs have establishedthemselves throughout the cutover.

The forest around the 1994-1995nest site is currently being harvested.The original stands were Black Sprucedominant with Balsam Fir andTrembling Aspen. Ridges separatingthese stands were shallow soiled JackPine dominant with Black and WhiteSpruce. The eastern and northeasternsides of the lake tended to be moreAspen dominated with Balsam Fir andBlack Spruce and bedrock ridges ofpine. Some recently harvested areas areplanted with spruce and many areestablishing a natural ground cover ofherbs, grasses and forbs.

PredatorsA variety of predators which have beer.rec?rded preying on Trumpeter Swans,their cygnets or eggs, occur in the area.We have no evidence, however, that the

109

Snapping Turtles (Chelydraserpentina) , Bald Eagles (Haliaeetusleucocephalus), Common Ravens(Corvus corvax) , Great Horned Owls(Bubo virginianus) , Timber Wolves(Canis lupus), Black Bears (Ursusamericanus), Lynx (Lynx canadensis),Red Foxes (Vulpes fulva), Mink(Mustela vison) and Otters (Lutracanadensis), which all occur in theKenora area, have preyed upon swans.

There is an Osprey's (Pandionhaliae!Us) nest nearoneTrumpeter nest­site. This predator has not been recordedas a predator of swans.

Disturbances to habitatMost of the timber around the 1992 nestsite has been harvested using clearcutlogging, with the exception of a reserveof undisturbed vegetation of 30 to 120m left to protect fish habitat and waterquality.

The 1995 nesting lake has asecondary timber resource road within10m of the shoreline and in full view ofthe nest. Depending on the snow coverand frost conditions, this road is oftennot maintained in April and May due todeep clays and silts which make traveldifficult. This may change as access toproposed harvest blocks to the north isrequired.

Approximately 50% of the sur­rounding stands, particularly to the northand west of this lake, were to beharvested in the 1995-1996 harvestingseason. Once again, with the exceptionof where the road runs beside the lakea 30 to 120 m reserve of undisturbedvegetation, with the width dependingu~on the steepnessofthe shorelineslope,Will be left to protect water quality andfish habitat.

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Continued timber harvesting initselfmay notbe aconcern to the nestingbirds, particularly when the operationstake place during the winter months.Disruption may occur, however, whenresource access roads are eventuallyopened for recreational use. Boat traffic,deposition of lead shot and accidentalharassment of birds are potentialconcerns. The forest managementpractice of applying herbicides toharvested areas may affect the amountor suitability of forage available for thegrowing cygnets.

Literature CitedLumsden, H.G. 1984. The pre-settlement breeding

distribution ofTrumpeter (Cygnus buccinator)and Tundra Swans (Cygnus columbianus) ineastern Canada. Canadian Field-Naturalist 94:415-424.

Neilson. 1979. Ontario Geological Survey Maps5106 and 5109. Ontario Ministry of NorthernDevelopment and Mines, Toronto.

Ontario Ministry of Natural Resources. 1981.Kenora District Land Use Plan, NorthwesternRegion.

Ryder, R.A. 1964. Chemical characteristics ofOntario lakes with reference to a method ofestimating fish production. Ontario DepartmentofLands and Forests Section Report (Fisheries)No. 48.

Lillian J. Anderson, Ontario Ministry of Natural Resouces, Kenora District,Box 5080, Kenora, Ontario P9N 3X9

Harry G. Lumsden, 144 Hillview Road, Aurora, Ontario L4G 2M5

W. Bruce Ranta, Ontario Ministry of Natural Resources, Kenora District,Box 5080, Kenora, Ontario P9N 3X9

Nashville X Tennessee Warbler Hybridsby

Kenneth C. Parkes

IntroductionA wood warbler specimen identified asa hybrid between the Nashville Warbler(Verlnivora ruficapilla) and theTennessee Warbler (V. peregrina) hasbeen mentioned by Bledsoe (1988, citedby Morse 1989), Williams (1996), andDick and James (1996), in each instancebased on information I supplied. Thedetailed analysis of this specimen hasnot been published, however.

ONTARIO BIRDS DECEMBER 1996

Dr. Ross James ofthe Royal OntarioMuseumcalled my attention to a secondspecimen tentatively identified as asimilar hybrid, and was kind enough tosend it to me for analysis. It seemsappropriate to discuss both specimensin a single paper, and the Ontarioprovenience of the second specimenmakes this journal an appropriatepublication outlet.