Midges, Midges & More Midges!

This closeup of the upper corner of our shop door (~2 sq. ft. of it) was taken after numbers started to decline.
The heat of the day seemed to push them to the shade and then ultimately, off the buildings.

Yesterday, the marsh was visited by millions of guests -- my sister and brother-in-law were two of them; most of the rest came from a different family: Chironimidae. Unfortunately (or maybe fortunately), these visitors did not come by car or bus. Most came on the wing.

There are a great number of different species in this taxonomic group, but generically, those who perhaps most notably frequent the Lake Erie coast are referred to most often as "midges." Other colloquial names include "muffleheads" and "muckleheads" -- both references to their "furry looking" antennae, I believe. I've also found reference to them as "Canadian soldiers," but I think that nickname is misplaced. Instead, I believe that is a local label for mayflies -- which will have to be a topic for another day.

Midges are often mistaken for mosquitoes, but in this case (again, fortunately), they do not bite or carry disease. They are very roughly similar in appearance, but the species we most often see in marsh country tends to be larger (~3/8" long), wider, and a bit clumsier in flight. Singly or in isolated groups, they can even be mistaken for small moths, but as the photo above demonstrates, there was nothing small about their abundance earlier this week. Monday morning, when I arrived at the bunkhouse, I would have been hard-pressed to find a place to set my finger without smushing a midge or two!

Like mosquitoes, midges spend most of their life cycle in the water -- awaiting the seasonal temperature cues of spring and summer to trigger emergence -- often in staggering numbers. This is another example of the genius of nature. While the three of us (humans) were busy breathing through our teeth (to avoid the inevitable bug up the nose or to the back of the throat), migrating songbirds were gorging on these prolific and well-timed nutrient bundles. I can't vouch for midges being very tasty, but to a weary warbler fueling up for the ~40 mile non-stop flight to Ontario, they are a welcomed snack. It's striking to me that the vast emergence of these (and other) critters is perfectly choreographed with bird migrations (in both directions) and with nesting -- another nutrient-demanding activity -- for those who call the marsh a summertime home.

Alder or willow flycatcher
in Monday's sunshine,
likely following a breakfast of midges
with a side order of more midges

 A few other midge "fun facts" (you know you want some!):

• Some researchers believe that large midge "hatches" are a sign of increased pollution and/or low oxygen zones, while other researchers believe that they indicate a cleaner Lake Erie.
• The pollution tolerance of midges are very specific to the individual species. With over 10,000 species worldwide, there are a lot of variables and a lot of reasons for debate!
• Midges tend to spend months or years under water only to live hours to at most a couple weeks on land/in the air.
• Midges tend to be loved by Cleveland fans, particularly Cleveland Indians fans, because a well-timed emergence that blew into Jacobs Field in 2007 rattled a Yankees pitcher (Joba Chamberlain) so badly that he gave up two runs in a 2-0 Indians post-season win!