Cross-watershed Tree Swallow Nesting Box Program: Booklet

We have just released a new Cross-Watershed Tree Swallow Box Program booklet on our website! Find this booklet on our website troutriverec.ca under resources or by clicking *here*.

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Trout River Environmental Committee

4 weeks ago

🐣 Watch as a Chickadee family grows in one of our nesting boxes in this short, two-minute video. We captured the entire nesting process—from egg to nestling to fully feathered Chickadee.🐣 5 fun facts about Chickadees!1. Did you know Chickadees usually mate for life?2. The Black-capped Chickadee hides seeds and other food items to eat later. Each item is placed in a different spot and the chickadee can remember thousands of hiding places.3. Chickadee calls are complex and language-like, communicating information on identity and recognition of other flocks as well as predator alarms and contact calls. The more dee notes in a chickadee-dee-dee call, the higher the threat level.4. Even when temperatures are far below zero, chickadees virtually always sleep in their own individual cavities. In rotten wood, they can excavate nesting and roosting holes entirely on their own.5. The oldest known wild Black-capped Chickadee was a male and at least 11 years, 8 months old when it was recaptured and rereleased during banding operations in New York in 2021. It had been banded in the same state in 2009.Learn more about Chickadees and other birds on Cornell Lab All About Birds: www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Black-capped_Chickadee/overview ... See MoreSee Less

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Trout River Environmental Committee

1 month ago

📷 Here are some recent photos from our trail cameras on Hope River and Granville Creek! We currently have 4 trail cameras installed on Hope River, Granville Creek, Lake of Shining Waters and 1 at a sandstone well. 🦦 4 of these cameras are installed at potential River Otter locations, but we have not been able to catch any images just yet! 🦇 The last trail camera is located at our bat well monitoring site in order to capture images of bats entering and leaving the well.Photos #1-4 are of a Barred Owl in the Devil's Punchbowl Trail (Granville Creek). We always knew this owl lived in the Punchbowl but this is the first time we have been able to capture a photo!Photo #5 is a Coyote in the Devil's Punchbowl Trail (Granville Creek).Photo #6 is a female Wood Duck on Hope River. This data has given us insight into a new suitable location for a Wood Duck box!Photos #7-9 are of a Great Blue Heron on Hope River, you can even catch them fishing in photo 8.Photo #10 a curious dog interested in our trail camera! ... See MoreSee Less

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Trout River Environmental Committee

1 month ago

🦇 Happy Bat Week! October 24th-31st 🦇TREC works to conserve bat populations on PEI! We track bat presence, install bat roosting boxes, and protect old sandstone wells that bats use for hibernation. If you have a sandstone well on your property or want to install a bat box, reach out to us at projects@troutriverec.ca — we may be able to help!Together, we can support bat populations by providing them safe spaces to roost and hibernate. But remember, preserving PEI's forests is the most impactful way to protect bat populations and their natural habitats! #BatWeek ... See MoreSee Less

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Trout River Environmental Committee

2 months ago

🐣 Nesting Box Survey Results Every fall TREC surveys and completes maintenance on all of the tree swallow nesting boxes we have installed around the watershed. We track if they are being used, if the user is a tree swallow, other bird or possibly an unwanted guest such as a red squirrel or eastern chipmunk.This year we checked 37 nesting boxes, including those which were used for banding tree swallows this summer. We also replaced 3 regular tree swallow nesting boxes with banding boxes, in order to increase the number of tree swallows we can band in the 2025 field season.Here are the results:Boxes used by wildlife: 26/37Species:Tree Swallow: 13Chickadee: 10Flying Squirrel: 1Eastern Red Squirrel or Chipmunk: 1Unknown Species: 1 ... See MoreSee Less

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Trout River Environmental Committee

2 months ago

🌳 A big thank you to everyone who attended our tree planting day on Saturday! We were able to plant 150 native trees, shrubs, and herbaceous plants next to Granville Creek. This work will provide improved habitat for wildlife and increased forest cover within the Granville Creek watershed area. 🦋 Our milkweed patch will also help to provide future habitat for monarch butterflies! ... See MoreSee Less

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Trout River Environmental Committee

2 months ago

It's not too late to sign up for our Volunteer Tree Planting Day taking place this Saturday! 🌦Please note that this event is happening rain or shine so please dress for the weather🌦 Hope to see you all there!🌳 TREC is hosting our annual Fall Volunteer Tree Planting Day Saturday, October 5th 🌳Volunteers will meet at the Trout River Environmental Committee office located at 575 Taylor Road, North Granville, PE, C0A 1E0 for 9am and travel together to the tree planting location on the Princetown rd. The tree planting site that has been chosen is an old farm field with a small number of trees and shrubs growing in the area. We hope to add more trees, shrubs and pollinator plants to this site in order to improve habitat for wildlife above Granville Creek. 🌸 The site is easily accessible with a wide trail, allowing for all age ranges to be able to attend this event. 🌸In total TREC plans to plant around 150 trees, plants, and shrubs within the area which will consist of:• 45 Milkweed• 12 Spikenard• 24 Red Maple• 12 White Birch • 12 Red Pine• 6 Eastern Larch• 6 Eastern White Cedar• 12 Willow • 12 Spirea• 6 BayberryVolunteers are encouraged to wear proper footwear and bring their own pair of gloves, if you do not have gloves TREC will provide them.☕ Coffee and snacks will also be provided on site! 🍪If you are interested in volunteering or have any questions please email projects@troutriverec.ca or message us on Facebook or Instagram. ... See MoreSee Less

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Trout River Environmental Committee

2 months ago

💧 Headwater Surveys 💧Understanding PEI's Seasonal Stream Flow 🌊TREC completes headwater surveys twice annually in spring and fall to determine how first-order streams within our watershed fluctuate throughout the year. Groundwater tables peak from mid-April to May and hit yearly lows between mid-September and mid-November. Stream flow follows a similar pattern, peaking in spring and dipping late summer to fall.Our key goals: 1. Identify streams at risk of running dry.2. Track seasonal water flow and headwater locations.3. Gather baseline data.4. Assess water connectivity within the watershed5. Use this data to target at-risk streams for future remediation efforts. This summer has been quite dry, and during our fall surveys, we’ve noticed lower stream flows, with some streams drying further downstream compared to past years. By gathering this data each year at the same time, we can better track and compare these changes over time. ... See MoreSee Less

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Trout River Environmental Committee

2 months ago

🌳 TREC is hosting our annual Fall Volunteer Tree Planting Day Saturday, October 5th 🌳Volunteers will meet at the Trout River Environmental Committee office located at 575 Taylor Road, North Granville, PE, C0A 1E0 for 9am and travel together to the tree planting location on the Princetown rd. The tree planting site that has been chosen is an old farm field with a small number of trees and shrubs growing in the area. We hope to add more trees, shrubs and pollinator plants to this site in order to improve habitat for wildlife above Granville Creek. 🌸 The site is easily accessible with a wide trail, allowing for all age ranges to be able to attend this event. 🌸In total TREC plans to plant around 150 trees, plants, and shrubs within the area which will consist of:• 45 Milkweed• 12 Spikenard• 24 Red Maple• 12 White Birch • 12 Red Pine• 6 Eastern Larch• 6 Eastern White Cedar• 12 Willow • 12 Spirea• 6 BayberryVolunteers are encouraged to wear proper footwear and bring their own pair of gloves, if you do not have gloves TREC will provide them.☕ Coffee and snacks will also be provided on site! 🍪If you are interested in volunteering or have any questions please email projects@troutriverec.ca or message us on Facebook or Instagram. ... See MoreSee Less

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