Sunday Swamp Tromp

This evening I ended up at a favorite but infrequently visited local location, the Ellice Swamp.  I've discussed the swamp in previous posts, but it is well worth discussing again due to it's ecological significance.  With a size of about 2115 acres (856 hectares) it is easily the largest chunk of woodlot in Perth county.  In an area of mainly farmland, habitat like this an incredibly important resource for lots of wildlife, some of which are hard to easily find elsewhere in the county.  The google maps image below shows the size of the swamp in relation to surrounding farm country.

I headed into the swamp tonight hopeful to find some swamp specialties along the old rail trail.  I've never walked any significant distance along here, but tonight went over three kilometers one way and had an enjoyable evening.

There is an information board near the start of the trail.  The swamp has it's own claim to fame for creatures of the past.

Along the marsh, one of the first birds heard was an American Bittern with it's unique pump-er-lunk calls.  

Further along, the marsh gives way to dense brush on both sides of the trail.

  I heard a raven croak at one point, a species not uncommon at this location and suspected to be breeding here.  Further along I heard a Ruffed Grouse drumming.  If you've never heard a grouse drum in the wild, it's much different from listening to a recording.  It seems as though you feel the beats as much as you hear them.  Anxious clucking further down alerted me to another grouse off the side of the trail.  It allowed me a couple brief seconds of a view, before disappearing.  Grouse populations here seem quite good in comparison to the rest of the county although they are sometimes found in smaller local woodlots.

This beaver clearly didn't finish what it started.

Skunk cabbage is popping up.

A Sandhill Crane flew over as I headed out and the usual chorus of Grackles and Red-Winged Blackbirds was a nice finish.

I hope to get back to the swamp as migration picks up.  The area has a lot of potential and I suspect a lot of interesting species go overlooked.  I've even heard of reports of Snowshoe Hare which if true, would be a particularly interesting species for southern Ontario.

More information on the swamp is available on the UTRCA website here.  For anyone interested in visiting the swamp, it is important to note that hiking is permitted on Wednesday and Sunday.