NATURE CLUB NEWS July 2018

by John Dickson

On June 13, Barbara Palmer led “Botany on the lower Bruce Peninsula”, with OSFN members, visiting Petrel Point, where many more plants were evident since the new accessible boardwalk had been opened officially two weeks earlier. Pitcher plants, cotton grass and sensitive fern were especially abundant and displaying. A brief visit to the Oliphant Fen concluded the day, shortened somewhat by some heavy, but much needed rain during the mid day and early afternoon.

On June 14, the Owen Sound Field Naturalists held its final Indoor Meeting of the 2016-17 season. This included a pot luck supper, followed by a brief Annual General Meeting, at which Gord Toth was confirmed as the next President of the club.

The club’s Community Conservation Award was presented to Caframo, in recognition of its generous sponsorship and support of nature events and organizations, including Earth Day, and youth projects. This is the first time the award has been given to a business.

An Honourable Life Membership, awarded posthumously to Freeman Boyd, for his inspired and numerous contributions to the club since its inception almost thirty years ago, was accepted by Marion Boyd.

The evening’s speaker Ted Armstrong, originally from the Markdale area, spoke about the Woodland Caribou, its history even in our area, and the hopes and challenges for its future in areas farther north in Ontario. One of the main threats to its success is the fragmentation of its habitat with roads and infrastructure. Armstrong was pleasantly surprised by the number of OSFN club members who were familiar with Lake Superior, as he spent much of his career as a wildlife biologist in Thunder Bay, and is also active with the Thunder Bay Field Naturalists. His display of various antlers also complemented his presentation.

On June 16, OSFN and Young Naturalist Club members met with Chris Rickard at the Bognor Marsh Conservation Area, to discover what butterflies were on hand. The species in the greatest numbers was the common ringlet, as well as the Tiger Swallowtail.

On June 28, many were on hand for the grand opening of the newly refurbished Hibou Wetlands Interpretive Trail. This has been a project of the Friends of Hibou, spearheaded by Bob and Marie Knapp, in conjunction with Grey Sauble Conservation, and with input and/or support from the Community Foundation Grey Bruce, the Kiwanis club, and the Owen Sound Field Naturalists. Following some speeches and a ribbon cutting, Bob Knapp led a group of those attending on an interpretive hike, complete with the accompanying pamphlet, produced for the purpose of explanations at various signposts along the trails, and returning it to a pocket on the new larger signs that have been installed.

NeighbourWoods North has now initiated a regular weekly watering schedule for the trees planted this spring at the hospital grounds in Owen Sound. The dry summer has made the survival of these trees more challenging, even with a few watering sessions that have taken place. Thursdays from 7PM to 8:30PM will be the regular watering session. A strong team was on hand July 19th, improving the visibility of some of the smaller seedlings, and watering as many as possible. Bringing buckets and watering pails is appreciated. More details are posted on the OSFN website, at www.osfn.ca

Owen Sound Field Naturalists has also partnered with Grey Roots to bring two summer lectures with Nature themes to complement the Ice Age Mammals exhibit currently at the museum until September 16.

On July 14, Peter Russell’s lively and engaging address included historical tracking of the discoveries of both mastodon and mammoth evidence in Southern Ontario.. In particular, he related his connections with a Woolly Mammoth rib discovered in a hut in Shelburne, and the mastodon skeletal samples found near London, Ontario. After answering several questions from the audience, he then led a brief tour of of the exhibit, where he was able to explain in more detail, aspects of the original fossils and replicas on hand. Russell is an author, geologist, teacher and the retired curator of the Earth Sciences Museum at the University of Waterloo.

On Saturday July 21, from 2PM to 3:30PM, Stu Collier will present Treasures from the Bruce: Fossil Collecting for the Enthusiast.
Collier, will be sharing tales of his fossil hunting and adventures. He will also showcase some of the extraordinary finds made on the Bruce Peninsula over the past ten years while working on Royal Ontario Museum digs. Grey Roots and OSFN members have free admission, while for others regular admission fees apply.

Recently I have enjoyed reading, for the first time, The Sweetwater Explorer, Paddling in Grey and Bruce Counties, written by Andrew Armitage, with photography by Willy Waterton. Published in 1995 by the Ginger Press, this book not only gives the reader important information about the waters of this area, and paddling suggestions suitable for each season, but one can also learn about the diversity of wildlife – birds, flowers, trees, etc., and the geomorphology of the area, including the Gaelic source for drumlin. Armitage also sprinkles in a generous amount of interesting history about the various lighthouses along the shores, as well as memorable characters from the past, whose names are still with us – MacGregor Point Provincial Park – for Captain Alexander Murray MacGregor is one example. A reference to the Saugeen Peninsula, as the Bruce Peninsula was once known, also reinforces the current notion that that name should be restored, sooner than later.

Waterton’s photos enhance the narrative of the book, helping to document the research undertaken by the authors, and their paddling companions.
To close then, a Nature quote from the Summer Paddling chapter “Summer’s long evenings are perfect for an after work paddle. …. There is no better way to shed the concerns of the day.”

NATURE CLUB NEWS June 2018

by John Dickson

On Thursday May 10, the Owen Sound Field Naturalists (OSFN) hosted its annual Members Night when several speakers gave short presentations on diverse topics. They were:

Madeline Sanagan, about the bioblitz happening at MacGregor Point Provincial Park;
Bill Moses on Phragmites;
David Morris, on some of the likely causes of the Plague and related famines;
Liz Zetlin, with advance information on a film being developed, in aid of a healthier environment;
Bob Knapp with film of a special hike in Portugal; and
John Hlynialuk featuring astronomy.

On Tuesday May 22, Owen Sound Field Naturalists were well represented at an event hosted by the Nature Conservancy of Canada (NCC), with a nature hike led by coordinator Esme Batten on the Dwarf Lake Iris Nature Reserve. Batten was introduced to the club membership last November along with the head of NCC, John Lounds, when both outlined of their national and local initiatives and campaigns to the audience.

In the evening of the same day, a field trip entitled Grassland Birding across Farmer’s Fields in former Sarawak Township with Beth Anne Currie, brought out some keen birders to see the activities of nesting tree swallows in bluebird boxes, and some bluebirds too.

The evening also featured sightings (and/or hearings) of Killdeer, Brown Thrashers, Tree Swallows, Indigo Bunting, as well as Wilson’s Snipe. Currie has been doing research on these grassland species for several seasons, monitoring their nesting habits and degrees of success. Those on hand were most complimentary about the quality of this learning experience, with the intimate birding knowledge shared by the leader.

During this same evening, a final wrap up of the hospital tree planting project by NeighbourWoods North took place, finishing some important mulching, and staking, to complete this planting of over 2700 trees, on the hospital property over four and a half weeks. A dedicated contingent showed up to finish these steps, and then get together afterwards for a celebration of the completion of this most worthwhile endeavour. Kudos to Lloyd Lewis, Gord Edwards, and the entire NeighbourWoods North team for another job well done. Since very little rain fell in the days after this, a tree watering day was also held on Saturday June 2nd, to give the thirsty trees a drink to help them get through these early stages of growth and root development.

On Saturday May 26, again the OSFN was well represented at the official unveiling of the new “accessible” boardwalk at Petrel Point, hosted by Ontario Nature. OSFN’s Peter Middleton, one of the club’s stewards of nature reserves, gave an interpretive tour of the new boardwalk section highlighting the history, the geology, and the effects of fire, on the plant life in this special habitat, which includes meadow, wetland and woodland sections.

On Sunday May 27, the Young Naturalists Club were invited to the Huron Fringe Birding Festival – which is about much more than just birds.
MacGregor Point Provincial Park provided two staff members to lead a Pond Study program for the Young Nats, which started with a little nature hike, observing birds, butterflies, turtles on Turtle Pond, and plants along the way to the boardwalk where there had been set out dip nets, bowls and identification charts for many of the creatures likely to be found in or near the water there.

With an emphasis on safety, Park staff DJ and Connor explained and demonstrated the planned activities to the participants, also ensuring that none of the species from the water were to be left out of the water. While the youngsters dipped and then emptied their nets into the bowls to see what they had to examine, and learn about. The net was then immediately put back into the water, so that anything that might still be inside or on the outside would be in the water, and could return to its preferred environs. While there, they were also treated to a good look at the elusive green Heron, perched with its distinctive pose, high on a tree limb. There were also Yellow Warblers and American Redstarts on hand, along with Dragonflies, and Damselflies.

The OSFN support people on hand were very impressed with the knowledge, and teaching ability of the Park staff, and appreciated the efforts of many to get the Young Naturalists included in the Festival.

On Sunday June 10, Lynne Richardson led several OSFN members along the trails of the Loree Forest, listening to and observing various species of birds that included Indigo Bunting, American Wood Peewee, Red Eyed Vireo, Brown Thrasher, and even a chipmunk who had several in the group fooled into thinking it was a bird they were hearing, until they actually watched the puffing of its cheeks, in time with the sounds they were hearing. Another highlight was the discovery of a baby Milk Snake along the main entrance to the forest, as the group were returning to their vehicles. Richardson shared with the group that the habitat along the edges of the forest has changed a great deal in recent years, and much of the meadowland around the forest has filled in. The result is that many species which were abundant and included Eastern Towhees and Bobolinks have shifted away from the trails near what were the eastern edges of the Loree forest.

This Thursday June 14, OSFN presents its final speaker of the season, Ted Armstrong. Formerly of the Markdale area, where even as a youth he was a keen birder, his career as a wildlife biologist with the MNR in Thunder Bay included much research and many contributions to the formulation of species at risk policies in the province. Armstrong has also served as a board member and presenter in the Thunder Bay Field Naturalists Club. The evening begins with a pot luck dinner at 6PM in the hall of St. Andrew’s Presbyterian Church, followed by a brief AGM which will include two award presentations. After the meeting is adjourned Ted Armstrong will present “Where are they now? Why Woodland Caribou no longer roam much of Ontario.”

To close, a nature quote from famed Canadian painter Emily Carr, who, I only recently discovered, was an award winning writer, with a distinctive voice and style. I especially recommend her Klee Wyck, and The Heart of a Peacock where she expresses her connection to Nature this way – “To be honoured by the trust of wild things, is to have one’s self esteem hoisted.”