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Lake Scugog may not be the deepest or clearest lake in the province but it has high biological productivity. That means a higher density of plants and animals live here than one would find in a deeper, clear water lake. The lake is also endowed with a large number of wetlands (including swamps, marshes and even some fens) in many of the secluded bays. These wetlands significantly contribute to this high productivity and provide important habitat for a lot of wetland bird species. The birds that are most visible around the lake are the Canada Geese that graze on grass near wa- ter’s edge and are often seen swim- ming out from shore. Did you know that in the 1970s Canada Geese did not nest around Lake Scugog but only showed up during spring and fall migra- tion? Fortunately the wet- lands support many more species than geese. The Great Blue Heron is a frequent sight, slowly walking the shoreline in its patient search for fish. Until a few years ago, Scugog Island contained a great colony with over 200 nest- ing pairs with haphazard clusters of stick nests in the tops of tall 07. JULY FOCUS 64 pages.indd 33 deciduous trees. They were there for over 50 years but have vacated for an unknown new location. The Osprey is also conspicuous as it flies high over water, then plunges down when it spots a fishy meal. Several nests occur around the lake including one on a tall light stand- ard at the baseball diamonds at the north end of Port Perry. Many of the other marsh birds are shy, disappearing into cattails when a boat approaches. But if one ventures out in a canoe in the early morning, there is a better chance of seeing them. Common Loons still nest within some of the secluded marshy bays. The machine-gun rattle of Marsh Wrens and the chatter of Swamp Spar- rows are heard among the larger cattail marshes. The Threatened Least Bittern slinks among the cattails where there are open wa- ter gaps present. The larger American Bittern makes one of the strangest calls of any bird, sounding like a giant echoing hand pump. It is fairly common in larger = SS of the Lake Scug og basin marshes but blends in so well that it is seldom seen. Black Terns can be seen foraging over the lake in search of small fish, then returning to their hidden colony to feed their young, somewhere in the great marsh at the south end of the lake. The great marsh at the south end of the lake (south of the Highway 7A causeway) is home to many marsh birds, including some rare species. There is no public access which is a blessing to the birds. While it is great to see these birds it is also impor- tant that they have refuges where they can feed and breed without the disturbances of humans and their technologies. The open lake itself is an impor- tant staging area for large numbers of waterfowl, particularly in the early spring and late autumn when there is not much boat traffic. Buffleheads, Common Mergansers, Common Goldeneyes, American Wigeons, Ring-necked Ducks and Mallards are among the species that can be seen by the hundreds and sometimes thou- sands during those times of year. This is just a sample of the many bird species that live in Lake Scugog’s wetlands. Take a look out in the lake or along some of the marshy shorelines. There is much life out there. By James Kamstra Special to Focus on Scugog FOCUS - JULY 2012 33 12-06-25 11:20AM