Breeding Bird Surveys

Suncor retained Golder Associates Ltd. to conduct wildlife monitoring surveys on Leases 86/17 and the Steepbank/Millennium Mine reclamation areas over the past five years. The project report summarizes monitoring data collected between 2002 and 2008, including winter track counts surveys, photographic corridor monitoring surveys, amphibian surveys and Canadian toad telemetry surveys, breeding bird surveys, waterfowl/waterbird visual surveys, DNA hair sampling, small mammal trapping and coarse woody debris applications and incidental observations. This data was used to help evaluate if reclaimed lands are returning to equivalent capability for wildlife habitat. Objectives: (1) compare wildlife distribution, abundance and habitat use of reclaimed areas to natural areas of similar age; (2) determine if wildlife distribution, abundance and habitat use of reclaimed lands has changed over time (i.e. compare winter track results from 2003 to 2007); (3) determine wildlife movement along the Athabasca and Steepbank rivers adjacent to Suncor’s developments; and (4) determine songbird species communities, occurrence, relative abundance and habitat use in natural and reclaimed areas (2008 only).

Deer species showed higher track densities in reclaimed areas, while fisher/marten and red fox showed higher track densities in natural areas. Most typical boreal wildlife species were observed in both areas. The reclaimed areas provide good habitat for boreal chorus frogs, wood frogs and Canadian toads, Reclaimed water bodies with established shoreline vegetation, particularly Crane Lake, provide ideal nesting habitat waterfowl and waterbirds. Reclaimed areas support a diverse group of bird species, but number of species is lower than natural regenerating areas, and bird community compositions are not currently reflective of typical boreal bird communities. The Suncor bridge does not impede wildlife movement along the east bank of the Athabasca River. Reclaimed areas are highly suitable for deer mice that seem to favour early seral and/or disturbed areas than in undisturbed areas. Bird species occurrence was different between natural and reclaimed sites, with a higher proportion of sparrows in reclaimed sites and warblers in the natural regenerating sites. Mean bird abundance, richness values and species diversity were higher in natural regenerating sites than in reclaimed sites.