September 5^th 2024

The Meadow Dwellers

The meadow is a clear standout among all the remarkable spots at Gault Nature Reserve. Though surrounded by forest, the open space provides an unbeatable panoramic view of the hills encircling Hertel Lake and the waters lying some 30 metres below. But the meadow hasn’t always looked the way it does today, and has in fact undergone a number of changes over the last few centuries.

As you can imagine, the meadow was once covered in trees like the forest that surrounds it. But after the trees were cleared, the area was used for a number of different purposes. For example, like elsewhere around the mountain, apple trees were planted on terraces of sandy, gravelly soil that they should thrive in. But the conditions must’ve been different in the meadow, because it ceased to be used as an orchard after just a few years. A few wild apple trees descended from the orchard trees continue to grow in and around the meadow as remnants of this bygone era. White-tailed deer sometimes come to bask in their shade, munch on their tender leaves and eat their apples in late summer. When the trees bloom in the spring, the ruby-throated hummingbird can often be seen visiting their pink blossoms that infuse the air with their gentle aroma.

In another not-so-distant past, the meadow was a pasture where horses grazed undisturbed and enjoyed the tranquil calm of the area, which at that time was accessible by road. Today the enclosed pasture is no more, the horses have been replaced by white-tailed deer, and all that remains of the road is a narrow, closed-off stone trail. If you look around closely, you might notice that the forest is slowly growing back. Pioneer trees and shrubs such as staghorn sumac, poplar and paper birch are creeping in, and slowly but surely the meadow is shrinking. A few decades from now, perhaps it will be nothing more than a memory, a mere blip in Mont Saint-Hilaire’s long history.

The meadow’s unique characteristics and vegetation make it a perfect place for a number of bird species to hunt, rest and nest. Not so long ago, the access trail south of the meadow used to cross paths with a grove of staghorn sumac, a pioneer tree species that was replaced by younger growth once it reached “retirement” age. Among these trees is where you would find the chestnut-sided warbler, a small bird that is particularly fond of sites where the forest has experienced some kind of disturbance, such as regenerating woodlands, as places to feed and raise its young. Starting in mid May, you could hear its clear, high-pitched song ringing out again and again: “Pleased, pleased, pleased to meetcha!” These days it spends its time in other disturbed areas, where it may be camouflaged in vegetation but is recognizable by its song. In early spring, the American robin could be found feasting on the fruit of the staghorn sumac, as its top choice—insects and earthworms—was sadly a rare delicacy. In early April of 2000, a large group of newly migrated robins were caught in a huge snowstorm, and the sumac’s clusters of crimson fruit helped many of them survive until the ground was visible again.

The dense thickets that line the meadow make the perfect hiding spot for a bird whose presence is betrayed by the sound of its eloquent song. Meet the grey catbird: a master of mimicry, so named because its alarm call resembles a cat like mew. Some find its vocalizations to be more cacophony than symphony, but its virtuosic talents are undeniable. If you hold still and wait patiently, you might get to see it burst out of a grove of trees and perch on a branch, often at eye height. If you’re so lucky, you will see a sleek bird with slate grey plumage and a long tail that it twitches nervously. If you look carefully, you might be able to spot its chestnut undertail coverts.

The meadow is a prime location for seeing one of the real standouts of our winged wildlife population: the indigo bunting. If you’re visiting anytime from late May to late July, look up at the top of the trees in the middle of the meadow and along its borders. You might just spot a small bird sporting brilliantly blue plumage, standing guard and singing a combination of high pitched double-noted patterns. You might also see the male indigo bunting chase away other males that are encroaching on his turf. The female is more modestly attired in soft buff brown feathers. Your best chance for an indigo bunting sighting is in low lying bushes and scrubs, where they hide their nests.

Meanwhile, you might find a much higher-pitched “witchety-witchety-witchety!” drawing your attention. Often it will be coming from a cluster of shrubs in the very heart of the meadow where, perched atop a low plant stalk, you will find the common yellowthroat belting out this tune. The male common yellowthroat sports a bright yellow throat and breast and a black mask bordered in grey. The mask gives him a roguish charm as he flies out of tall grass to briefly rest on a perch before disappearing back into the herbaceous vegetation. The female does not sport a mask like her beau, but she does have the same intensely yellow throat. Often her alarm call, a gruff “chuck,” is what gives her away. The yellow warbler, a cousin to the common yellowthroat, is found in the dense areas of vegetation dotting the meadow. Its song varies but can include a rapid, energetic series of notes that sounds like “sweet sweet sweet I’m so sweet!” These small birds are uniformly yellow, with the male sporting chestnut streaks on his breast.

The song sparrow is another bird that makes the meadow its summer home, where you can often see it perched in a small tree or shrub. Like other sparrows, his appearance is more subdued: red brown and grey feathers, with rusty streaks on its flanks and breast and a dark spot in the centre. Despite its appearance, the song sparrow has one of the most beautiful voices of all our feathered friends, and its song is easily recognizable. We also have the American goldfinch, a living embodiment of perpetual motion. Its cheerful song can be heard throughout the Gault Nature Reserve as it flies over the forest in an undulating pattern. The American goldfinch is a regular visitor to the meadow, and will often perch atop the tall trees that stand guard around the area, sharing space on their bare, skeletal branches with the indigo bunting. Other birds use these perches as well, and it’s not uncommon to see teensy ruby throated hummingbirds, cedar waxwings coming and going, and brown-headed cowbirds spying on their neighbours. During breeding season, the brown-headed cowbird—the only parasitic bird that inhabits the meadow—spends its time looking for nests for the female to lay her eggs in, leaving the head of the household (often a sparrow or warbler) to raise the flock itself, neglecting its own young in the process. The brown-headed cowbird also uses these high perches as a lookout, from which it can spot flying insects for it to swoop down and snatch mid-air, much like flycatchers.

As you round the bend of the trail that wraps around the meadow, you might come upon a rather large woodpecker pacing back and forth on the ground—not typical behaviour for this family of birds, to say the least. But the Northern flicker forages on the ground by using its long beak to probe the soil surface and its extendable tongue to lap up ants. This woodpecker often makes its presence known when perching or clinging to a branch with a loud “laughing” call, effectively saying, “This is my home!” You might also see a common garter snake zip across the trail to hide in the tall grass. While this snake can be up to a metre long and look fierce when it feels threatened, it is completely harmless. The common garter snake is sometimes preyed upon by the broad-winged hawk, whose sharp eyesight helps it detect the snake’s subtle movements.

Because the meadow is a large open space in the middle of the forest, a variety of forest birds have to pass through to get from one part of the forest to another, sometimes stopping at the small grove in the middle of the meadow. Here you might see the stunning male rose-breasted grosbeak, or the less flamboyant female that resembles a large sparrow, as well as the highly vocal blue jay and the friendly black-capped chickadee. It’s also not uncommon to spot the impressive pileated woodpecker gliding through the air above the meadow. In the spring, the crisp, dewy morning air resonates with the striking calls of the white-throated sparrow as it makes a stop on the mountain before moving on to claim its nesting spot. The common grackle and the Baltimore oriole can also be seen in the meadow, while the common raven and its smaller cousin, the American crow, fly overhead.

The meadow is also one of the best places to see the many birds of prey that nest on the mountain in flight, such as the peregrine falcon, both the sharp-shinned hawk and Cooper’s hawk, and more rarely the American goshawk, the broad-winged hawk and the red-shouldered hawk. During migration, the red-tailed hawk casts a familiar silhouette in the sky, and if you’re lucky, you might catch a glimpse of a golden eagle or a bald eagle soaring gracefully high above. The osprey is a fairly regular visitor to the meadow in the spring and fall; look toward the lake, and you may see it surveying the fish-filled waters looking for its next meal. From early April to late October, you might find a bird of prey with large wings and a small head catching your eye as it sways in the wind. That would be the turkey vulture, a scavenger that feeds on the bodies of dead animals. This provides a valuable service, as the turkey vulture helps to rid its surroundings of potential bacteria and disease and eliminate foul smells.

As the seasons change, a plethora of different bird species are drawn to the meadow and the vegetation surrounding it. In the past, there have been sightings of the brown thrasher, the great grey shrike and the black-billed cuckoo. An alder flycatcher spent a few days here in the spring of 1999 and again in the spring of 2000, and in October 2000, one lucky visitor got to take in the sight of a northern hawk owl for several minutes. No matter the season, there are always birds around. I remember one freezing cold January afternoon, the meadow was enveloped in complete silence—until piercing through the silence came the calls of a black capped chickadee, a reminder that the meadow is never devoid of life!

Christian Coté
May 2001, updated June 2024

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