Wildlife seen at natural sodium-rich springs and at roadside pools contaminated by highway de-icing salt in northern Ontario included two species of wild ungulates, one species of rodent, three species of birds, and two species of butterflies. The three birds were finches of the sub-family Carduelinae, noted for feeding almost exclusively on plant material. The mammalian species were also herbivorous. Apart from Porcupines (Erethizon dorsaturn), small mammals were rarely seen at the saltwater locations, perhaps because of their apparent preference to ingest salt in solid form rather than in water

Fraser, D.

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WellBeing International WBI Studies Repository 1985 Mammals, Birds, and Butterflies at Sodium Sources in Northern Ontario Forests D. Fraser Ontario Ministry of Natural Resources Follow this and additional works at: https://www.wellbeingintlstudiesrepository.org/feebeh  Part of the Animal Studies Commons, Behavior and Ethology Commons, and the Comparative Psychology Commons Recommended Citation Fraser, D. (1985). Mammals, birds, and butterflies at sodium sources in northern Ontario forests. Canadian field-naturalist. Ottawa ON, 99(3), 365-367. This material is brought to you for free and open access by WellBeing International. It has been accepted for inclusion by an authorized administrator of the WBI Studies Repository. For more information, please contact wbisr-info@wellbeingintl.org. 1985 NOTES 365 Mammals, Birds, and Butterflies at Sodium Sources in Northern Ontario Forests 1 D. FRASER2 Ontario Ministry of Natural Resources, Wildlife Research Section, Box 50, Maple, Ontario LOJ IEO 10ntario Ministry of Natural Resources, Wildlife Research Section Contribution No. 83-05. 2Present address: Animal Research Centre, Agriculture Canada, Ottawa, Ontario KI A OC6 Fraser, D. I 985. Mammals, birds, and butterflies at sodium sources in northern Ontario forests. Canadian Field-Naturalist 99(3): 365-367. Wildlife seen at natural sodium-rich springs and at roadside pools contaminated by highway de-icing salt in northern Ontario included two species of wild ungulates, one species of rodent, three species of birds, and two species of butterflies. The three birds were finches of the sub-family Carduelinae, noted for feeding almost exclusively on plant material. The mammalian species were also herbivorous. Apart from Porcupines (Erethizon dorsaturn), small mammals were rarely seen at the saltwater locations, perhaps because of their apparent preference to ingest salt in solid form rather than in water. Key Words: Mammals, birds, butterflies, sodium, salt, feeding behavior. Much of the forested area of northern Ontario is underlain by the granitic rocks of the Precambrian Shield and is relatively poor in environmental sodium (Na). Two significant sources of Na in that area are natural mineral springs and roadside pools contami­nated by highway de-icing salt. Previously we have documented that Moose (Alces alces) and White­tailed Deer ( Odocoileus virginianus) are attracted to such sites (Fraser and Hristienko 1981; Fraser and Thomas 1982). While doing those studies, my co­workers and I recorded observations of other mam­mals, birds, and butterflies at the saltwater sources. Methods One study was conducted on a 156-km section of the Trans-Canada Highway near Wawa, Ontario (48°N, 84°45'W). Each winter, de-icing salt (NaCl) is spread on the highway at an estimated rate of 30-40 tonnes/ km. As a result, many pools of stagnant water near the roadside have a high Na content ( I 00-600 ppm). Because the roadside areas are laden with salt, many pools are recharged with brine at each rainfall and show little tendency for Na levels to decline dur­ing the summer (Fraser and Thomas 1982). The study involved a selection of 56.such pools inspected every second day from 16 May to 10 August 1980. Evidence of Moose activity was recorded in detail (Fraser and Thomas 1982). Records were also kept on any other mammals, birds or aggregations of insects seen at the pools. The second study involved two natural mineral springs (licks) in Sibley Provincial Park, Ontario (48°25'N, 88° 45'W). Water in the licks contains 50-200 ppm Na plus high levels of some other miner­als. A selection experiment at one site showed that . . Moose and White-tailed Deer at the lick were attracted specifically to Na (Fraser and Reardon 1980). The study included 1798 h of scheduled obser­vations mainly between 0600 and 2100 EDT, between May and September of 1977-80. The observer nor ­mally watched from a tent pitched near the licks and recorded all visits by Moose and White-tailed Deer. Other users of the licks were also noted when seen, but the records likely underestimate the actual number of visits by the smaller species. Results Moose were seen 41 times at the roadside pools in the Wawa area, and tracks indicated regular use at many sites. White-tailed Deer, which were rare in the area, were seen only once at such pools, but tracks indicated several other visits. A Woodchuck (Mar­mota monax) was seen once, and Snowshoe Hares ( Lepus americanus) were seen twice in or near pools, but their behavior at the sites could not be seen clearly. However, Woodchucks were frequently seen licking roadside gravel in the area during May and June. Most sightings of birds at roadside pools were con­fined to three species: Evening Grosbeaks, Purple Finches, and Pine Sisk ins (Table I). Those birds were commonly in groups of two or more, pecking in areas of damp soil near the salty water. Most sightings of these species were made in June and the first week of July. The few sightings of other bird species were probably unrelated to the high salt content of the pools, although Cedar Waxwings were occasionally seen pecking at mud in the pools. Tiger Swallowtail butterflies ( Papilio glaucus) were seen 58 times and White Admiral butterflies ( Limeni­tis arthemis) three times at pools, usually on the damp 366 THE CANADIAN FIELD-NATURALIST Vol. 99 TABLE I. Species of birds seen more than once at saltwater roadside pools in northern Ontario Number of Species sightings Evening Grosbeak (Coccothraustes vespertina) 157 Purple Finch (Carpodacus purpureus) 56 Pine Siskin (Carduelis pinus) 48 Cedar Waxwing (Bombycil/a cedrorum) 5 Ruffed Grouse (Bonasa umbel/us) 2 Chipping Sparrow (Spizella passerina) 2 mud. No other butterfly species and no unusual aggregations of other insects were noted at the sites. At the natural mineral licks, there were 260 visits by Moose and 134 by White-tailed Deer during sche­duled observations in 1977-80 (Fraser and Hristienko 1981). In most cases the animals drank for long peri­ods, mainly from the spring source area. Other mam­mals included 28 visits by Porcupines (Erethizo11 dor­satum) and two by Red Squirrels ( Tamiasciurus hudsonicus). Unlike the ungulates, the Porcupines and Squirrels did not drink the mineral-rich water , but licked the surface of exposed n1ud and rocks where salty water had presumably evaporated. Black Bears ( Ursus americanus), Red Foxes ( Vufpes vulpes) and Snowshoe Hares were occasionally seen at licks, but they simply passed by without feeding or drinking. However, Snowshoe Hares and Porcupines were commonly seen licking roadside gravel in the Sibley area. Purple Finches (49 sightings) and Pine Siskins (4 sightings) were seen at the licks. Generally they pecked bare mud in the lick area for many minutes at a time. There was no apparent use by other bird species. Evening Grosbeaks were not seen in the study area. Tiger Swallowtail butterflies, often in aggregations of 5 to I 0, were commonly seen on damp soil in the licks. No other butterflies and no aggregations of other insects were noted. Discussion In  view of the high levels of Na in the licks and roadside pools, and the scarcity of this element in other parts of the environment, it seems likely that Na was the major attraction for the various types of wild­life recorded. Birds might use soil or gravel areas as a source of calcium or grit. but calcium is readily avail­able in soil, and grit could be obtained easily from the large areas of bare gravel and soil near the roads. Hence, neither of these possibilities could likely explain the concentration of wildlife at the localized Na-rich sites. Attraction to Na sources appears to be exceptional among insects. Only Tiger Swallowtail butterflies have a demonstrated attraction to Na (Arms et al. 1974). That species and White Admiral butterflies accounted for all the unusual insect activity noted in the present study. Shiras ( 1936), the only other author to record insects at wildlife licks, mentioned only two butterfly species. From his descriptions and photo­graph, those appear to have been Tiger Swallowtails and White Admirals. Among birds, attraction to Na sources was limited to finches of the subfamily Carduelinae and possibly a few Cedar Waxwings. The many species of warblers, thrushes, flycatchers, and other groups in the area sho�ed no evidence of attraction to Na. Similarly, previous reports of attraction to Na are largely limited to the cardueline finches (Tordoff 1954; Dawson et al. I 965). Those birds are unusual in feeding, and rearing their young, almost exclusively on vegetable material [seeds of trees] (Newton 1972). The Na-poor vegetar­ian diet probably accounts for the attraction to Na (Tordoff I 954). Many herbivorous mammals show evidence of Na­deficiency or an attraction to Na in areas where the element is scarce. Species include Snowshoe Hares (Smith et al. 1978), Woodchucks (Weeks and Kirk­patrick 1978), and some microtine rodents (Aumann and Emlen 1965), as well as the large ungulates. In this study, however, only the ungulates (and Porcupines to a lesser extent) made heavy use of the licks and pools. The difference may be due in part to the greater mobil­ity of the ungulates. For example, Moose will travel long distances to mineral licks (Best et al. 1977). Pre­sumably that would be much less feasible for the smaller mammals. A more basic factor may be the manner in which the different species typically ingest salt. Evidently, the Moose and White-tailed Deer were willing to con­sume large amounts of water in order to obtain the dissolved minerals. By contrast, the smaller mammals at the licks ( Porcupines and Red Squirrels) appeared to be seeking more concentrated minerals where lick water had evaporated. Also, Snowshoe Hares, Wood­chucks and Porcupines were frequently seen licking roadside gravel, perhaps to obtain salt in solid form. The smaller mammals may lack the physiological capability to extract salt from large volumes of water. As the pools and licks mainly provide Na-rich water, with crystalline deposits occurring only incidentally, they rnay have limited attraction for small mammals. A cknow led gments I am grateful to H. Hristienko, C. Wedeles, W. May, L. Walters, and A. Hurly for assistance in the field; to B. A. Campbell and C. Wedeles for assistance and advice in preparing the manuscript: and to Minis-1985 NOTES 367 try of Natural Resources staff at Thunder Bay, Wawa, and Maple for support of the work. Literature Cited Arms, K., P. Feeny, and R. C. Lederhouse. 1974. Sodium: stimulus for puddling behavior by Tiger Swallowtail but­terflies, Papilio glaucus. Science 185: 372-374. Aumann, G. D., and J. T. Emlen. 1965. Relation of popu­lation density to sodium availability and sodium selection by microtine rodents. Nature 208: 198-199. Best, D. A., G. M. Lynch, and O. J. Rongstad. 1977. Annual spring movements of Moose to mineral licks in Swan Hills, Alberta. Proceedings of the North American Moose Conference and Workshop 13: 215-228. Dawson, W.R., V. H. Shoemaker, H. B. Tordoff, and A. Borut. 1965. Observations on metabolism of sodium chloride in the Red Crossbill. Auk 82: 606-623. Fraser, D., and H. Hristienko. 1981. Activity of Moose and White-tailed Deer at mineral springs. Canadian Journal of Zoology 59: 1991-2000. Fraser, D., and E. Reardon. 1980. Attraction of wild ungu­lates to mineral-rich springs in central Canada. Holarctic Ecology 3: 36-40. Fraser, 0., and E. R. Thomas. 1982. Moose-vehicle acci­dents in Ontario: Relation to highway salt. Wildlife Society Bulletin I 0: 261-265. Newton, I. 1972. Finches. Collins, London. Shiras, G. I 936. Hunting wild life with camera and flash­light, Volumes I and 2. National Geographic Society, Washington, D.C. Smith, M. C., J. F. Leatherland, and K. Myers. 1978. Effects of seasonal availability of sodium and potassium on the adrenal cortical function of a wild population of Snowshoe Hares, Lepus americanus. Canadian Journal of Zoology 56: 1869-1876. Tordoff, H. B. 1954. A systematic study of the avian family Fringillidae based on the structure of the skull. Miscel­laneous Publications, Museum of Zoology, University of Michigan, No. 81. Weeks, H.P., and C. M. Kirkpatrick. 1978. Salt prefer­ences and sodium drive .phenology in-Fox Squirrels and Woodchucks. Journal of Mammalogy 59: 531-542. Received 20 October 1983 Accepted 18 September 1984 Fisher, Martes pennanti, Behavior in Proximity to Human Activity WILLIAM A. JOHNSON1 and ARLEN w. TODD2 'Alberta Fish and Wildlife Division, Bag 900-26, Peace River, Alberta TOH 2XO 2Alberta Fish and Wildlife Division, 9945-108th Street, Edmonton, Alberta T5K 2C9 Johnson, William A., and Arlen W. Todd. 1985. Fisher, Martes pennanti, behavior in proximity to human activity. Canadian Field-Naturalist 99(3): 367-369. Accounts are given of three direct observations of the Fisher (Martes pennanti) in the wild. These accounts suggest the Fisher is less sensitive to human disturbance than reported in some of the traditional mammalogical literature. Key Words: Fisher, Martes pennanti, behavior, human disturbance. There are few published accounts of observations of the Fisher (Martes pennanti) in the wild. Some mam­malogists have considered mustelids such as the Marten (Martes americana) and Fisher to be "secre­tive" (Banfield 1974: 318) or inherently shy, "almost fanatically retiring" (Soper 1964: 294-299), implying that these species are extr�mely sensitive to human disturbance. However, Halvorson ( 1961) attributed the lack of sight records of these species to their gen­eral scarcity and occurrence in more remote areas, as well as possible inherent shyness. Two accounts of the Fisher in sanctuaries suggest the animal may not be as shy as believed. Hubbard ( 1943) described a Fisher in Sequoia National P�rk seemingly showing unconcern in the near presence of man until the animal appar-ently caught his scent. Pitta way ( 1978) recounted two observations of Fishers chasing Snowshoe Hares (Lepus a,nericanus) along highways in Algonquin Provincial Park and summarized observations of a Fisher habituated to a window feeder. Wildlife species are typically less shy in sanctuaries however, and there is a paucity of direct observations of Fishers outside such protected areas. This paper describes three observations of Fishers in proximity to human activ­ity, but where Fisher trapping is allowed. There is very little scientific information published on the effects of disturbances on Fisher. On 25 September 1982 a Fisher was observed in a mixed woods stand which borders on farmland 22 km north of Peace River, Alberta (55° 25'N, 117° l 3'W). 

Mammals, Birds, and Butterflies at Sodium Sources in Northern Ontario Forests

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Mammals, Birds, and Butterflies at Sodium Sources in Northern Ontario Forests

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