Natural History of the Niagara Frontier
The Niagara Frontier Region (as we define it) is bounded on the north by Lake Ontario and south of that lake it extends about 50 miles to the east, west and south of the Niagara River.
The region has a long and interesting geological history, having been covered by a series of glaciers, the last of which, the Wisconsin Ice Sheet dominated the entire area except for what is now Allegany State Park with up to a half-mile-deep mass of ice and debris. When that glacier retreated about 9500 years ago, it left the regional topography much as it is today.
The Niagara River is really an isthmus, a connecting link between Lake Erie and the three other Upper Great Lakes and Lake Ontario. Because the river rarely freezes in winter, it attracts thousands of waterfowl and gulls, which in turn attract not only local but national and international birders. This was among the reasons that the Niagara River was declared the first International Important Bird and Biodiversity Area.
The American Falls (left) and Canadian Falls are separated by Goat Island
Niagara Falls is only one of many waterfalls that drop over the Niagara Escarpment, a cliff-like feature that extends east-west through the entire region separating the Lake Ontario plains from higher lands to the south. The falls themselves have the highest flow rate of any North American falls, dropping more than six million cubic feet of water each minute during peak flow periods. At night, however, some of that water is diverted to produce hydroelectric power at the United States Robert Moses Power Plant and the Canadian Sir Adam Beck Power Plant.
Most of the region’s population is centered around Buffalo, New York and the two cities of Niagara Falls, one in New York, the other across the river in Ontario. Although the suburbs of those cities extend farther and farther out, much of the remainder of the region is rural, part of it given to farming but an increasing area is found to be wooded as you drive south from Buffalo. Indeed, as farms turn to single crops and fallow lands progress into woodlands, local ornithologists are concerned about the fate of field birds like meadowlark and bobolink.
The region is blessed with many state parks in New York and provincial parks in Ontario and local municipalities sponsor other conservation areas as well. Many of these serve as birding hotspots. (See Locations.)
Wildlife abounds in this region. Over 300 avian species are recorded each year and increasingly woodland mammals are being found in the suburbs and even urban areas: these include rabbits and squirrels; coyotes, foxes, beaver and even a few bears; as well as rarer species like mink, opossums, porcupine and fishers. Specialized censuses have also identified dozens of butterfly, moth and dragonfly species.