Lake Clear cormorants

For birders the arrival of cormorants on Lake Clear adds to the diversity of water fowl, while those interested in fishing fear for the future health of the lake's fishery, others are concerned about the trees and their related habitat.   Since first spotted on the lake in 2002 they have grown to a colony of about 16 birds - no one has yet reported seeing any nesting sites.

A comment from Bob Peltzer in mid-June, 2005
Kim Carmichael who is working for Anishinabek / Ontario Fisheries Resource Centre stop by today to do a check on the Cormorant population on Lake Clear. This is part of a project she is working on at Golden Lake. According to her survey there are about 16 adult birds on Lake Clear but, more importantly, no sign of present or past nesting activities. She said that she did observe some nests on Cherry Island but they were definitely not Cormorant nests. She also examined the twin islands and Feather and only spotted one of the birds on one of the twins. No nests in any location. She has promised me some more details once she has finished with her study.

1
(photo, Bob Sweet, August 2004)
Cormorants favourite roosting tree seems to be on east side of Cherry Island.  Cormorants are noted for being hard on woodland flora as can be seen in the above
2
(photo, Bob Sweet, August 2004)
Shrubs under the roosting tree covered in cormorant excrement.

From near extinction in the 1960s, cormorants have made an amazing recovery to the point where they now cause:
The Ontario Ministry of Natural Resources (MNR) has been researching and monitoring Ontario's Cormorant problem and in 2004 will be shooting up to 6,000 birds in Presqu’ile Provincial Park.  For more information see:
- Presqu’ile Provincial Park management strategy
- Georgian Bay-North Channel Area of Lake Huron research and monitoring program
- Presqu'ile Park management plan

Lake Clear's cormorant response