News « Cold Creek Conservation Area

NEW - Cold Creek Interpretive Guide

The Cold Creek Stewardship is pleased to release its newly published 56-page Interpretive Guide for the benefit of visitors and the public at large.

The guide has been years in the making and has grown from early initiatives to provide information signage along the 6.5 km Cold Creek trail. The Guide begins with a hiker’s code for the preservation of the natural landscape and protection of wildlife, and includes a brief history of the site back to the original settlers, describes the natural items of interest along the trail, identifies common animal tracks, describes the Oak Ridges Moraine upon which it sits, lists birds observed in Cold Creek, reports on forest composition and growth, and explains the control the cold water of the creek has on the valley microclimate in the conifer swamp.

Cold Creek is composed of many different habitats that attract over 100 species of birds and many mammals common to the region. The showpiece boardwalk wanders among multiple springs that form Cold Creek’s source, all deep in the conifer valley of Balsam Fir, Cedar , remnant Black Spruce and tiny bog plants.

Sponsorship for the production of the guide was generously provided by TD Friends of the Environment, the Evergreen Foundation/Walmart, and the OntarioTrillium Foundation.

Cold Creek Conservation Area is owned by Toronto and Region Conservation and is operated and managed by the Township of King, Parks Recreation and Culture department – our partners in the restoration and preservation of Cold Creek.

Copies of the guide are available through select shops, and from the Stewardship. If you would like a copy please send a cheque to our treasurer (Payable to "Cold Creek Stewardship) for $12 ($10 for the guide; $2 postage) with your name and address and a copy will be mailed to you.

Ron Deptuck – Treasurer
112 Tyson Drive
Holland Landing, Ontario L9N 1B2

Cold Creek is a magical place that will be preserved for future generations by those who protect it now.

Springfest

Come on out to Cold Creek this Saturday May 15 from 10am to 2pm for Springfest, put on byKing Township Parks Recreation & Culture.

FREE BBQ, games, rock climbing, high ropes, jumping castles and more!

SAVE 10% on Summer Camp and Swimming Registration if you register at this event.

For more information call the Parks, Recreation and Culture Department at 905-833-5321.

Frog Night Out - A walk at Cold Creek (May 6th)

If you’re interested in the Dufferin Marsh Frog Watch programme, but can’t make it out on a regular basis, or if you’re interested in learing about the frogs at Cold Creek, and how to tell them apart, come at 8:00 pm on Thursday May 6th for a guided walk to hear the frogs.
Meet at the Education Centre.

Organized by the Dufferin Marsh Committee.

The Dufferin Marsh Comittee will also be hosting a Frog Night Out this Saturday, May 8th at 8:30pm at the Dufferin Marsh. For more information, visit www.DufferinMarsh.ca

What's Up?

At this time of year, the many beautiful ephemeral Ontario wildflowers are springing up to our delight. Here are a few that you might see along your walks through Cold Creek Conservation Area:


Bloodroot	Blue Cohosh


Cut-leaved Toothwort	Early Meadow Rue


Wood Fern	Purple Violet


Red Trillium	White Trillium


Trout Lily

Garbage

Cold Creek Stewardship Trash Collectors

You’d be surprised what you can find at the side of the road…

On Saturday, Cold Creek Stewardship members, family, and friends came together to “take out the trash”. The annual roadside cleanup brings together volunteers to tackle the waste that’s thrown from cars as they travel along the 11th Concession past Cold Creek Conservation Area. Each year, we’re suprised by just how much there is.

Cigarette packages, fast food waste from Tim Horton’s and McDonalds, and plastic water bottles continued to top the list. We also found that drinking and driving is alive and well – although we appreciate the money we’ll get from returning the many beer bottles we picked up.

What appeared at first glance to be a relatively light load, ended up filling up a trailer. We even removed a tractor tire…

Thanks to all those who came out to help (and to all those who keep their garbage in their car until they can dispose of it properly).

Spring has arrived at Cold Creek

Spring has officially arrived at Cold Creek Conservation Area in King Township. As of April 2, the tell-tale sounds of Eastern Phoebes, Eastern Bluebirds, and Tree Swallows were added to the sounds of the returning Grackles, Red-winged Blackbirds, and Brown-headed Cowbirds. Song Sparrows arrived last week, and the Varied Thrush visitor from the West Coast is still hanging around. The pond is full of nesting Canadian Geese, Malards, and Hooded Mergansers (so please keep your dogs on leash). In terms of wildflowers, Coltsfoot has started to poke its head out.

And did we mention frogs? Listen to the video for sounds from two of the ponds at Cold Creek – our spring frogs have returned as well. Can you identify which frogs?

2009 Stewardship Annual Report

The 2009 Stewardship Annual Report is now available for download (PDF format). Another excellent year. Thanks to all the volunteer Stewardship members for all their hard work and dedication.

Spring Cleaning

Repaired Boardwalk

Many thanks to King Township staff for their quick response to fixing the boardwalk. A tree had come down Mid-March, crushing a section of the boardwalk. Three days later, the boardwalk was back in operation, looking good as new.

Happy Spring Hiking.

2009 Nesting Box Tenants

Box #	Type	Tenants	Box #	Type	Tenants
1	T	Chickadee	27	P	Chickadee
2	T	Chickadee 2 eggs	28	T	Tree Swallow
3	T	Chickadee	29	T	Tree Swallow
4	T	Chickadee	30	T	Grass nest 4 blue eggs* move
5	T	Empty	31	T	empty
6	T	Tree Swallow	32	T	Wren
7	T	Chickadee	33	T	Wren * move
8	T	Tree Swallow / Wren	34	P	Wren
9	P	Blue Bird /Wren	35	P	Tree Swallow /Wren
10	T	Wren 3 eggs unhatched & 1 broken	38	P	Tree Swallow/Wren
11	P	Empty	37	P	Sticks only
12	T	Empty	38	P	Blue Bird /Wren
13	T	empty	39	P	Blue Bird nest with 4 dead chicks
14	T	Wren* move	40	P	Wren * move
15	T	Wren	41	P	Blue Bird/Wren.
16	T	Wren	42	P	Wren
17	T	Tree Swallow/Wren	43	D	Blue Bird /Wren * move
18	T	empty	44	P	empty
19	T	Wren /wasps	45	P	Wren * move
20	P	Wren	46	S	Blue bird/Wren
21	P	Swallow/Wren	47	S	Wren
22	P	Blue bird	48	S	Blue Bird
23	T	Tree Swallow	49	S	Blue Bird
24	P	Tree Swallow/ 3 eggs	50	S	Wren
25	S	Tree Swallow	51	S	Tree Swallow
26	P	Tree Swallow

The nesting material was used to determine the types of birds that used each box.
The order of the birds listed indicates the order of the nests from the bottom of the box to the top
Key for boxes: T- TRCA, P- Peterson, S – Stewardship

2009 Songbird Nest Boxes Summary

• Boxes were monitored to a limited amount April through to July
• 44 of 51 boxes were occupied in 2009, 7 were empty.
• Some boxes have multiple nests. There were 5 blue bird nests, 5 blue bird and wren nests, 6 chickadee nests, 8 trees swallow nests, 4 trees swallow and wren nests, and 13 wren nests.
• 2 of the boxes with blue birds nest did not have full success. One had 4 dead chicks, the other 4 unhatched eggs. Both these boxes are in high traffic areas. I recommend these be moved
• 7 boxes are in need of repair needing new roofs or doors 1 needs replacing #12. The repairs have been completed in March.
• 6 boxes have been identified to be moved because they are in high traffic areas by the activities at cold creek or next to high traffic paths and the nests were unsuccessful. This meant the loss of 8 young blue birds.
• Another 4 boxes will need to be monitored for the same reason. For example, box 2, 51 and 37 showed signs of activity but either the wren and tree swallow did not stay or the chickadee just did not hatch all the eggs. We should also monitor box 10, 11, 12, 13 and 15 as they are in high traffic zones.

Respectfully submitted by,
Nigel
Revised March 11, 2010

Cold Creek Conservation Area