Wellers Bay National Wildlife Area Management Plan: chapter 3

2 Ecological resources

Wellers Bay National Wildlife Area (NWA) has not been subjected to thorough ecological studies due to the sensitive sand spit and dune habitats, and the presence of Unexploded Explosive Ordnance (UXO). Information on ecological resources is limited to historic records, periodic studies, Environment and Climate Change Canada (Canadian Wildlife Service and Wildlife Enforcement Directorate [ECCC-WED]) and Department of National Defence (DND) site visits, and incidental observations.

2.1 Terrestrial and aquatic habitats

Terrestrial habitats range from open beach, sand dunes and treed dunes on the sand spit, to small areas of deciduous forest and grassed patches (Figure 4).

The Baldhead Peninsula is a long, narrow sand spit. There are narrow sand beaches and dunes along both sides of the peninsula (Figure 5). The sand beach along the southwest side is sparsely vegetated due to wave action from Lake Ontario. The most common species growing on the open beach include American Sea-rocket (Cakile edentula), Wormwood (Artemisia campestris) and Marram/American Beach Grass (Ammophila breviligulata) (White, 2008; Figure 6). There are four significant dune and beach bar communities (i.e. Treed, Open, Shrub Sand Dune and Mineral Treed Beach/Bar Ecosites) located on Baldhead Island and the Baldhead Peninsula, ranked S1 Critically Imperiled in Ontario (NatureServe, 2015) because of extreme rarity (Bakowsky, 2008 and 1996).

On areas with higher elevation (Bald, Fox, Baldhead Islands and along tops of dune ridges), deciduous trees and shrubs have become established. These areas are generally immature deciduous forest and are characteristic of habitat that is recovering from an extended period of human disturbance (i.e., previous use of the site as a bombing range, and ongoing disturbance to dunes and vegetation from unauthorized recreational activities).

Bald Island (3.6 ha) has stands of White Elm (Ulmus americana) and Balsam Poplar (Populus balsamifera), with a few willow shrubs (Salix spp.) that grow adjacent to marshes on the east shore of the island (White, 2008; Figure 7). Fox Island (0.9 ha) is small and covered mainly with tall grasses and shrubs such as willow and Red Raspberry (Rubus idaeus ssp. strigosus), and scattered trees along the water’s edge (White, 2008).

Baldhead Island is connected to the mainland via the Baldhead Peninsula. Vegetation on Baldhead Island is predominantly deciduous forest with a few small herbaceous patches where vegetation was disturbed. Dense stands of trees (Balsam Poplar [Populus balsamifera], Red Ash [Fraxinus pennsylvanica], Manitoba Maple/Box Elder [Acer negundo], Eastern Cottonwood [Populus deltoides] and Silver/White Poplar [Populus alba], with a shrub layer of primarily willows and Red-osier Dogwood [Cornus stolonifera]), grow on the west and east portions of the island (White, 2008). The most common ground flora are Canada Goldenrod (Solidago canadensis), Reed Canary Grass (Phalaris arundinacea), Common Milkweed (Asclepias syriaca) and Red Raspberry (White, 2008).

There are four areas of wetland within the NWA. There is a narrow fringe of marsh vegetation dominated by Narrow-leaved Cattail (Typha angustifolia) and Hybrid Cattail (Typhax glauca) surrounding both Bald and Fox Islands (Figure 8). Bulrush (Schoenoplectus spp.) beds are present offshore to the east and north side of Bald Island and within small interior depressions at the southern section of the Baldhead Peninsula. These small shallow depressions, known as “panne” habitat, occur in low-lying areas between the dunes (Figure 9). The panne habitat (i.e., Great Lakes Coastal Meadow Marsh Ecosite) is very rare in Ontario and ranked G2/S2 imperiled (NatureServe, 2015; Bakowsky, 1996). The wetland habitats change over time because they are influenced by both seasonal and inter-annual water level fluctuations in Lake Ontario and Wellers Bay.

2.2 Wildlife

2.2.1 Birds

There is a long history of birds using the Wellers Bay area (Wellers Bay, Wellers Bay Coastal Sand Spit and Wellers Bay NWA). However, because most bird surveys cover the broader Wellers Bay area, there is limited information on bird populations specific to Wellers Bay NWA.

Numerous bird species use the sand spit and Wellers Bay as a stopover site or pass through as migrants during spring and fall. The sand spit is integral to the persistence of the high-quality marshes adjacent to the NWA and along the shores of Wellers Bay. Large numbers of ducks and geese seek shelter from Lake Ontario and feed in the shallow marshes within the bay. In 2009, Environment and Climate Change Canade - Canadian Wildlife Services (ECCC-CWS) migrant waterfowl surveys of Wellers Bay (includes the bay, sand spit and NWA), found approximately 22% and 14% of the total number of waterfowl in eastern Lake Ontario occurred within the Wellers Bay area in the fall and spring, respectively (EC-CWS, 2009). The most abundant waterfowl species being Greater and Lesser Scaup (Aythya spp.) and Canada Goose (Branta canadensis). Other waterfowl species found during migration were American Black Duck (Anas rubripes), Mallard (Anas platyrhynchos),Common and Red-breasted Merganser (Mergus spp.). ECCC-CWS mid-winter surveys found that a variety of waterfowl use eastern Lake Ontario and Wellers Bay (EC-CWS, 2012a). The most common species found were Mute Swan (Cygnus olor), Long-tailed Duck (Clangula hyemalis), Canada Goose, Mallard and American Black Duck (EC-CWS, 2012a).

General wildlife surveys (spring and summer 2008 and 2009, and summer 2013) within the NWA reported over 50 species, including Common Yellowthroat (Geothlypis trichas), Warbling Vireo (Vireo gilvus), Wood Thrush (Hylocichla mustelina), Northern Harrier (Circus cyaneus), Least Flycatcher (Empidonax minimus), Willow Flycatcher (Empidonax traillii), Barn Swallow (Hirundo rustica), Bald Eagle (Haliaeetus leucocephalus), Osprey (Pandion haliaetus), Double-crested Cormorant (Phalacrocorax auritus), Common Tern (Sterna hirundo), Great Egret (Ardea alba), Pied-billed Grebe (Podilymbus podiceps), Least Bittern (Ixobrychus exilis), Black Tern (Chlidonias niger), Bufflehead (Bucephala albeola) and Common Goldeneye (Bucephala clangula) (EC-CWS, 2013; EC-CWS, 2009; Ecological Services, 2013; Hamill, 2008; Hamill, 2009).

Many species have been confirmed nesting within the NWA, including Baltimore Oriole (Icterus galbula), Song Sparrow (Melospiza melodia), Belted Kingfisher (Megaceryle alcyon), Northern Rough-winged Swallow (Stelgidopteryx serripennis), Bank Swallow (Riparia riparia), Red-winged Blackbird (Agelaius phoeniceus),Spotted Sandpiper (Actitis macularius), Mallard, Wood Duck (Aix sponsa), Mute Swan and Caspian Tern (Hydroprogne caspia)(EC-CWS, 2013; Hamill, 2009).

The records of Piping Plover circumcinctus subspecies (Charadrius melodus circumcinctus) nests and migrants in the NWA are historic and predate the designation of this species as endangered in 1986 (EC-CWS, 2014). Nonetheless, there is suitable Piping Plover habitat available at the NWA, and in 2010 and 2012, Piping Plovers were observed at nearby Presqu’ile Provincial Park during spring migration (EC-CWS, 2012b) and more recently, nesting in two locations on Lake Ontario (CWS pers. comm. 2015), suggesting that populations may be improving. Annual surveys are conducted at the NWA to monitor the habitat and detect the presence of Piping Ploversas they continue to recover in the Great Lakes region.

2.2.2 Mammals

Mammals reported in the NWA include Coyote (Canis latrans),North American Beaver (Castor canadensis), Raccoon (Procyon lotor) and White-tailed Deer (Odocoileus virginianus).

2.2.3 Reptiles and amphibians

The marsh areas and shallow open water, and sandy beaches, dunes and upland areas, of the NWA provide important overwintering, egg-laying, nursery and adult feeding habitats for amphibians and reptiles.

Nine species of reptiles and amphibians have been reported within the NWA, including Eastern Garter Snake (Thamnophis sirtalis sirtalis), threatened Western Chorus Frog (Pseudacris triseriata), American Bullfrog (Lithobates catesbeiana), Green Frog (Lithobates clamitans), Northern Leopard Frog (Lithobates pipiens) and Eastern American Toad (Anaxyrus americanus) and three species of turtles(EC-CWS, 2012c; Hamill, 2009).

2.2.4 Invertebrates

The nearby wetlands in Wellers Bay produce numerous flying insects, which insectivorous bird species consume to fuel their spring and fall migrations. ECCC-CWS sampling of aquatic macroinvertebrates in Wellers Bay in 2011 indicated that the wetland complex is in good condition and comparable to other wetlands in eastern Lake Ontario (EC-CWS, 2011).

Invertebrates within the NWA have not been well inventoried or surveyed. Field visits and general wildlife surveys reported the special concern Monarch Butterfly (Danaus plexippus) in the NWA, sometimes in large numbers (Government of Canada, 2016; Hamill, 2009, CWS pers. comm., 2013). Areas in natural succession on the Wellers Bay Coastal Sand Spit likely provides stopover habitat for Monarchs on the shore of Lake Ontario. Large numbers of Monarchs congregate to feed and rest at nearby Prince Edward Point NWA (east of Wellers Bay NWA) during late summer and early fall on their way south to their wintering grounds (COSEWIC, 2010).

2.2.5 Fishes

The fish populations and aquatic habitat found within Lake Ontario and Wellers Bay are an important component of the food chain for a variety of wildlife, including the birds, mammals and reptiles that use the NWA. Major fish species include Walleye (Sander vitreus), Northern Pike (Esox lucius), Large and Smallmouth Bass (Micropterus spp.), Perch (Perca flavescens), Bluegill (Lepomis macrochirus) and Muskellunge (Esox masquinongy) (OMNR 2009), but also smaller at-risk species like the endangered Pugnose Shiner (Notropis anogenus) and special concern Bridle Shiner (Notropis bifrenatus) have been recorded in Wellers Bay, adjacent to the NWA (Mandrak, 2010).

Fish habitat in Wellers Bay NWA is limited to a small area of wetland and shallow water around Bald and Fox islands, and small panne habitat areas along the sand spit that lie between the high water mark and the water’s edge that may become inundated during periods of high water in Lake Ontario.

2.3 Species at risk

Ten known species at risk, listed under the federal Species at Risk Act (SARA), have been reported at the Wellers Bay NWA, including three reptiles, one amphibian, two fishes, one insect and three birds, one of which has not been observed in over 40 years (Table 3; EC-CWS, 2014; Government of Canada, 2016). To date, critical habitat^{Footnote 4} has been identified under SARA for Pugnose Shiner and Western Chorus Frog (Fisheries and Oceans Canada, 2012; EC 2015). It is anticipated that critical habitat may be identified within the NWA for other species at risk (e.g., Least Bittern) and including sensitive species^{Footnote 5}.

Also observed at the NWA are Barn Swallow, Eastern Meadowlark (Sturnella magna) and Wood Thrush, designated as threatened by the Committee on the Status of Endangered Wildlife in Canada (COSEWIC)(Table 3; COSEWIC, 2016; EC-CWS, 2014; Ecological Services 2013; Hamill, 2009). Not listed under SARA but of local importance and reported at this site are the Bald Eagle and Black Tern, listed as special concern under the Ontario Endangered Species Act, 2007 (Table 3; EC-CWS, 2014; Government of Ontario, 2012; Hamill, 2009). Appendix 1 provides links to more information on federal and provincial species at risk legislation in Ontario.

^a SARA (Species at Risk Act): Extinct, Extirpated, Endangered, Threatened, Special Concern, Not at risk (assessed and deemed not at risk of extinction) or No status (not rated).

^b COSEWIC (Committee on the Status of Endangered Wildlife in Canada): Extinct, Extirpated, Endangered, Threatened, Special Concern, Not at Risk (assessed not at risk), or Data Deficient (available information is insufficient to resolve eligibility for assessment or permit an assessment of the wildlife species’ risk of extinction).

^c ESA, 2007 (Endangered Species Act, 2007): Ontario Ministry of Natural Resources (Species at Risk in Ontario [SARO] List): Extirpated, Endangered, Threatened, or Special Concern.

^d “Confirmed”, “probable” or “potential.”

2.4 Non-native and invasive species

There is a significant number of non-native and invasive plant and animal species within the Wellers Bay NWA, including Tartarian Honeysuckle (Lonicera tatarica), Common Buckthorn (Rhamnus cathartica), White/Silver Poplar (Populus alba), non-native Phragmites/Common Reed (Phragmites australis subsp. australis), Purple Loosestrife (Lythrum salicaria), Mute Swan and Double-crested Cormorant.

Some plant species have been well-established over decades and, in essence, are integrated into existing habitats. However, problems arise with aggressive species that have the ability to rapidly spread and displace native species and decrease biodiversity: two plants of particular concern at Wellers Bay NWA are non-native Phragmites/Common Reed and White/Silver Poplar. Disturbance from foot traffic (e.g., DND UXO sweeps and trespassing) offer opportunities for invasive species to spread.