ten-times flow at Mudpuppy Night

[Frederick W. Schueler]

Everyone,

Here are my notes from last night - just Matt Keevil and myself, and a
couple of guys who saw our lights and came down to the Vantage Point
ledge to see what we were up to, so I was able to show them the
upstream-striving Crayfish and explain about Mudpuppies.

The Weather Network has this month pegged as the driest October in
recent decades in southern Ontario, and this is evident in the swirls of
drifted material on the shores, well above current water level, and the
flow only 10% of the average for this date. A month ago, and all summer,
the incessant rainfall had the flow at ten times normal, and this not
only precluded surveys for mussels, but below the dam here promoted a
luxurious growth of the Moss that, after droughty summers, only grows up
in the winter.

Stand by for reports on the Notonectidae/Corixidae seen in unprecedented
numbers last week, and still abundant yesterday, which may, with the
moss and Bull Frog tadpoles, be a consequence of the rainy summer.

fred.
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25 October 2024 - Canada: Ontario: Grenville County: Oxford-on-Rideau:
Oxford Mills Dam, Kemptville Creek. (100m ard dam), 31B/13, 44.96486° N
75.67863° W TIME: 2000-2046. AIR TEMP: 8°C, overcast, calm. HABITAT:
brown-water creek at limestone flats below old milldam, water 10 C.
OBSERVER: Frederick W. Schueler, Matt Keevil. 2024/292/e, visit (event).
natural history, wade, light, photo, specimen. low-flow Mudpuppy Night
in Oxford Mills. Mudpuppy Night: Flow 0.249 cubic metres/second from
RVCA graph, average 2.9 cubic metres/second. All spillways with equal
logs & flow over them. Vantage Point ledge is 15 cm above current water
level with the same sparse Helisoma campanulatum (Bell-mouth Ramshorn)
drift as last week. On both sides of the flats there are lumpy areas of
Moss and a deep carpet in midstream which produces plumes of
mud/detritus when waded on. No point in looking from bridge, since the
water was so murky from wading.

Necturus maculosus (Mudpuppy). 3 adult, captured. medium size, in
mid-flats, none previously PIT-tagged, retained for MGK tagging,

Rana clamitans (Green Frog). several juvenile, seen. again some very
small juvs and 1 small tadpole det by Matt

Rana catesbeiana (Bull Frog). common juvenile, adult, larva, seen. 1 ca
100 mm female on spillway ledge btw central & W spllways, a few juvs and
many tadpoles.

Rana pipiens (Leopard Frog). 3 adult, seen. seen by Matt in midstream moss.

Orconectes rusticus HYBRID:Orconectes propinquus. abundant adult,
juvenile, prey of predator, captured/ many active on the flats & many
predated remains. None around spillways, but an upstream-striving pile
at the current where it flows around the Vantage Point ledge, and one
out on the ledge there. No other upstream striving but many wandering
around on the flats. Quite a fair amount of shredded residue below the
central spillway.

Gyrinidae (Whirligig Beetle). abundant mature, seen. swarms on both
sides of the site, fewer than last week, especially on the E side.

Lethocerus americanus (Toebiter). 1 mature, near shore on E side flats.

Noturus (Mad Tom Catfish) 1 noted by Matt.