Nature Club News for April 2023

by John Dickson

Naturalists throughout Bruce and Grey counties will be saddened to learn of the recent passing of Jean Maher, in her 90th year. She and her late husband Nels Maher were very active participants and award winners in the Saugeen Field Naturalists (now Saugeen Nature), the Owen Sound Field Naturalists (OSFN) and on its Plant Committee which produced several highly acclaimed Nature Books.  Only a month ago Jean joined the other remaining Plant Committee members for recognition and photos, at the launch of the Vascular Plant List Bruce & Grey 5^th Edition.

It has been such a rewarding experience for me to have known Jean Maher even a little, through our mutual involvement in the Owen Sound Field Naturalists. I will certainly miss her fun and engaging questions and stories at OSFN club meetings, and her enthusiasm for Nature too.

Jean was such a friendly and generous lady, often inviting the club members for field trips at her Family Farm/Nature Reserve, where the enjoyment of Nature, plus her hospitality and good food, always went hand in hand. My sincere condolences to all her family and friends.

Others have shared their memories of Jean Maher too:

Nels Maher may have been the more recognized local nature expert but Jean was just as knowledgeable as indicated by their business card that they handed out.  “Outdoor Nature Guides – “Individual or group Adventures in Grey & Bruce. Nels and Jean Maher.” After Nels’ death in 2005, Jean hand wrote on the business card above her name “Consultant” and “I can still tell people where to go ” typical Jean – tongue in cheek.  

Jean and Nels were arguably the most knowledgeable outdoor guides in Bruce and Grey, both having grown up in the area, and shared their combined love and knowledge of Bruce and Grey’s special nature spots. Jean was especially proud of her family’s farm on the Saugeen River near Durham. The whole family worked together to foster this as a nature reserve. They loved to share it with OSFN members and the public. 

Other than the huge respect for their knowledge of nature in Bruce & Grey, which the couple so willingly shared with us, we will always fondly remember their offerings of homemade elderberry wine.  After any outing you were offered a sample from the trunk of their car or after a tour of the Maher’s lush and shady Owen Sound backyard fern garden you were handed a glass of rich and robust elderberry wine. We’re happy to think that Jean and Nels are  now reunited, the two are out exploring a favorite haunt in Bruce and Grey.  

 Audrey Armstrong & Willy Waterton

Please visit https://www.tannahill.com/  for obituary, visitation and funeral details for Jean Maher.

The Owen Sound Field Naturalists (OSFN) are offering two speaker events this month. First, a regular Indoor Meeting with guest Don Scallen about one of his favourite topics – Salamanders. For decades, Don Scallen has visited springtime ponds to witness the wondrous spectacle of Spotted Salamander and Jefferson Salamander breeding. He will share pictures and videos of this special time of year. Also a prolific writer of Nature articles for In the Hills, and other publications, he will have with him, for sale, copies of his popular book Nature Where We Live. 

This presentation will begin at 7pm (open by 6:20pm) Thursday April 13, at the Harry Lumley Bayshore Community Centre, and will also be available on Zoom. The event is open to the public and everyone is welcome. Admission is free or by donation, and if you wish to receive a zoom link, please email in advance to  web@osfn.ca with Don in the subject line.

Secondly, a special 8th Annual Celebrate Earth Day event with keynote speaker Lenore Keeshig, will be held, once again aboard the Chi Cheemaun at its berth in the Owen Sound harbour, at 2pm Sunday April 23. 

 An award winning storyteller, poet, author, and naturalist, Lenore Keeshig will present “Good of the Earth.” and shared this description – “In celebration of Earth Day, I want to share through stories, my understanding of Anishinaabe relationship to the land beginning with the name we call ourselves and where we come from. These stories will highlight various facets of Anishinaabe connection to the land and water, from a barren landscape to the food we eat and where we stand today in this era of Truth and Reconciliation.”  

Due to limited seating aboard the Chi Cheemaun (an Ojibway name meaning Big Canoe, and suggested by Donald Keeshig, Lenore’s father), advance purchase of tickets, only $5. each, are recommended from the Owen Sound and North Grey Union Public Library, Suntrail Source for Adventure in Hepworth, and at the Owen Sound Farmers’ Market from Sheila Gunby, as well as at the OSFN’s Salamander talk, April 13.  Thank you to event sponsor Caframo, and host Owen Sound Transportation Company. Please visit    www.osfn.ca    for more details and information. 

The Bruce Birding Club had a special adventure in the Algonquin Park area this past week, led by Kiah Jasper and Alessandra Kite. After the warming temperatures melted the ice build-up, a successful owl outing that evening garnered quick responses from a Northern Saw-whet Owl, and two separate  Barred Owls. Other highlights the next day were Boreal Chickadees, (a Lifer for some) one Canada Jay and three Pine Martens, followed by some successful birding along the way back home again.

Thank you to Jody Johnson Pettit for this outline: 

The Young Naturalists Club got creative and hands-on at The Georgian Bay School of the Arts for their March meeting. Under the guide of Beth and Alan, the kids created trash owls and weaved scenes of water and wheat fields. The two nature-inspired projects were crafted using yarn, recycled materials, fabric and wood. The children enjoyed the experience, and learning how to weave yarn, and safely use hammers and screwdrivers.

The second annual Earth Day Grey Bruce has an exciting afternoon lined up:  Bring your Kids out to the Earth Day Celebration on April 22 from 2 to 5pm at the Owen Sound Farmers’ Market. There will be live music and theatre, face painting, henna, and sidewalk chalk. And don’t forget the parade at 4pm! Feel free to dress up as your favourite animal or Earth loving character.

The event itinerary includes activities at both the Owen Sound and North Grey Union Public Library, and the Tom Thomson Art Gallery from 11:00am to 2:00pm. Outdoors at 12:45 to 1:30pm will feature a Water Ceremony in Queen’s Park, 1st Ave. W (across the river from the Farmers’ Market) with Shirley John, Strong White Buffalo Woman from Saugeen First Nation and the M’Wikwedong Hand Drumming Group.

2:00-5:00 – Climate Fair and Children’s Area opens at the Owen Sound Farmers’ Market, 88 8th Street East.
and featuring: Music with Saugeen Sound Conspiracy, then Poet Laureate Richard-Yves Sitoski, followed by Wildflower Dance Arts, O’Sing, G.R.I.N.D., Sheatre ‘Act for Climate’ group and Durham Sauntering Band, all leading to a 4:00 ‘Procession of the Species’ Parade that everyone can join, featuring puppets, masks, and costumes reflecting the theme of endangered wildlife and a Sheatre Act for Climate theatrical  performance on the parade route. 

To close, nature quotes from two well-known and popular entertainment personalities, who both were talented and skilled as musicians, painters, and writers, and both were raised on large islands – Newfoundland and Vancouver Island.

From Gordon Pinsent’s Next, high in the volcanic mountains of the Sierra Madre Occidental range, while portraying Ontario’s Fred Urquhart in Flight of the Butterflies: “As we approached I could see a group of tall trees, whose trunks and branches were dripping with …big yellow cascades … and as we got closer we could suddenly hear the strange, unique sound of millions of fluttering wings and could see thousands of monarch butterflies…We came back down, returning to reality. Looking up at the Sierra Madre made us wonder if we had really been up there, or if we’d dreamed the whole thing. I had had the strange sense, while being with the monarchs, that we were only as much a part of their world as they had allowed us to be; the monarchs had been given to Mexico as a gift, and now, would be seen by the world.”

From Ian Tyson’s The Long Trail – My Life in the West: “The ravens have returned..[for]..their sixth or seventh spring here at the ranch, and the male, jet black, is almost the size of an eagle. When I went to move bales in the hayshed yesterday, I heard the faint mutterings of their babies in the nest, high in the rafters… I like having ’em around, even though they can be noisy as hell.” and “The Rockies … are so aesthetically over the top – changing every morning, orchestrated by the light – I never get tired of ’em.” and finally “Only the wind is forever.”

Nature Club News for March 2023

by John Dickson

The Owen Sound Field Naturalists (OSFN) present Members’ Night,  6:30 to 9pm, Thursday, March 9, at the Harry Lumley Bayshore Community Centre. This popular annual event features several speakers with a variety of Nature topics to share.

Audrey Armstrong of the OSFN Publications Committee is  delighted to announce that “You are invited to arrive early and join us for the Book Launch and Sale of Vascular Plant List  Bruce & Grey,  5th Edition, from 6:30 to 7pm. During this time you will have the opportunity to purchase (cash or cheque) copies of the book at the early bird price of $20.00.
When the OSFN club meeting starts at 7pm we will have a brief presentation by the compiler, Tyler Miller, who will talk about the process of revising the Vascular Plant List Bruce & Grey, including his detailed dataset for the Vascular Plant List Bruce & Grey: Compendium version.”

The 5th edition of the Vascular Plant List Bruce & Grey is a keystone publication of the Owen Sound Field Naturalists. If you want to sustain wildlife with native plants, this book will give you all the native plants, shrubs and trees for Bruce & Grey.  It is an essential reference for naturalists, botanists, life science inventory specialists, land use planners, resource management agencies, and consultants who are working within Bruce and Grey Counties.

Popular hike leader and presenter, David Morris calls his remarks “What’s Up, Buttercup”.  It will be a quick look at the diversity of buttercup species that can be found in this area, and some tips as to how to tell them apart.  Meg Dean will present a display of Nature mementos from around North America, and Rob Wray will offer “A multi-genre photographic tour of Grey/Bruce’s natural environment, by a beginner photographer.”

The evening will also feature a second launch – of ticket sales for OSFN’s 8th annual Celebrate Earth Day Keynote Speaker event featuring Lenore Keeshig, aboard the Chi Cheemaun at 2pm Sunday April 23, and sponsored by Caframo.

Renowned storyteller, poet, author and naturalist Lenore Keeshig’s presentation is entitled “Good of the Earth” and in Lenore’s words: “In celebration of Earth Day, I want to share through stories, my understanding of Anishinaabe relationship to the land beginning with the name we call ourselves and where we come from. These stories will highlight various facets of Anishinaabe connection to the land and water, from a barren landscape to the food we eat and where we stand today in this era of Truth and Reconciliation.”

 John Dickson will have the first available tickets (limited seating, still only $5. each, cash please) for this special event, for sale to those in attendance.  

In addition to being LIVE at the Bayshore, OSFN also plans to offer this March 9th event as a zoom webinar. To request a ZOOM LINK please send an email, in advance, to web@osfn.ca with Members in the subject line

To learn more about OSFN, Young Naturalists, upcoming Speakers and Field Trips, etc., please visit  www.osfn.ca

Congratulations to the Huron Fringe Birding Festival, on their 25th anniversary season, May 26 – 29 and June 1 – 4, 2023.  celebrating birds, birding and nature! The Festival is based out of beautiful MacGregor Point Provincial Park, where events explore the rich niches of the Park, and also venture throughout the ‘Huron Fringe’ of land along Lake Huron’s shore, up the bountiful Bruce Peninsula, and to many significant natural areas of Bruce and Grey Counties.

The Festival offers an incredible 90+ events over two 4-day weekends in late May and early June! This time of year captures both the end of migration and the beginning of the nesting season, ensuring an abundance of birds. Morning, afternoon, all-day and evening events are offered daily. You can choose to attend one, some, or pick a full-Festival package!  All events are led by top local, provincial and global tour leaders.

Whether your interest is strictly ‘for the birds’, or if you wish to delve into botany, photography, geology, cultural history and more, you will be sure to find interesting, informative and fun events.   But sign up early as many events fill within the first few days of registration.  This is one popular Festival!

I recommend you visit the website at https://huronfringebirdingfestival.ca and check out this year’s lineup so that you can select your preferred items when the HFBF registration opens March 17 at 6am.

On March 4, at 11am, Grey County Master Gardeners are offering Seminar 2 of their free 2023 Eco-Responsible Gardener Seminar Series, via zoom. Entitled “The Best Plants for Ontario Food Forests”, it will feature Ben Caesar, owner of Fiddlehead Nursery in Kimberley, Ontario, as he identifies some of the easy to care for trees, shrubs and herbaceous perennials that provide sustainable crop harvesting. “We will go on a virtual tour with Ben as he shows us his ever-expanding demonstration garden of the best plants for edible and beautiful landscapes. Learn how to grow a sustainable food source while helping the environment!” To learn more and to register please visit www.greycountymastergardeners.com

OSFN’s Young Naturalists (YN) Coordinator, Jody Johnson Pettit, compiled this report on their recent activities: Seven children and their caregivers attended the Owen Sound Young Naturalists hike from the Pottawatomi Memorial Forest to Jones Falls and back on Sunday, February 26.   We played several rounds of owl and mouse – a predator/prey game, looked in crevices, examined tracks in the snow, ferns, moss, fungi, marveled at the escarpment and the power of the waterfall. The next meeting of the YN is scheduled for Sunday, March 26 at the Georgian Bay School for the Arts. We will be creating several nature inspired arts and crafts.

Quite a few people in this area have been rewarded for their nocturnal efforts and adventures in recent weeks witnessing, first hand, many fabulous Natural (some might say Supernatural) sightings of Northern Lights/Aurora Borealis as well as unusual juxtapositions of celestial bodies in our night skies.  And, in the Mediterranean, the  powerful forces of Nature have recently contributed to rough seas, resulting in the destruction and sinking of sea-going vessels along with passengers and crew members, in the area of Calabria, Italy. 

To close, I have apropos Nature phenomena quotes from two sources – first from Peter Nichols’ Ruffo of Calabria, which I just happened to be reading when I heard Calabria mentioned in the news. “Often I dream that I am out riding in the mountains…It is beautiful country… The air is a soft champagne from which the cork has just that moment flown away; the breeze light, the chestnut forests a rich green marked with the cream of the blossoms.”  and later “In my dreams it is all one, the prelude and the catastrophe; the relentless hot wind…followed by torrential rain and the subterranean roaring. Then the great rents in the surface of the earth…the earthquake had split the Ancient city apart…”

Secondly, from OSFN’s Earth Day Keynote Speaker of 2022, Hap Wilson, in his Dance of the Deadmen – As Jack Hornby in his nightmare dreams of the Great War was  seeing “men falling, flailing, getting up again in a strange macabre dance … the dance of the deadmen” and Edgar wakes him with “Come down to the river! …The northern lights, remember, the dance of the dead Jack, they’re incredible. You can get a dandy look at them from the river” …”they walked to the centre of the frozen Thelon River…looking up into the heavens to watch the spirits dance.” 

Nature Club News for February 2023

by John Dickson

Kiah Jasper, Ontario’s new Champion Birder, will be the featured guest speaker at the Owen Sound Field Naturalists’ (OSFN) monthly Indoor Meeting, for his “2022 Big Year”. This popular gathering is also an opportunity to share your recent wildlife and Nature “Sightings”.

OSFN and I first became aware of Kiah, when he introduced himself in an email I received in January 2017, as “a 14 year old Wildlife Photographer from the Bruce”. He indicated that he had “enjoyed birding since he was young.”

Since that time Kiah has been connected to a community of helpful experts, and has become one himself, leading outings for the Bruce Birding Club, as the Compiler for the Saugeen Shores Christmas Bird Count (CBC), and he recently joined the board of the Ontario Field Ornithologists (OFO) sharing his research and suggestions on tricky ID challenges in essays and articles.

In January of 2022 he set out to challenge the Ontario Birding “Big Year” record. Using such apps as eBird and his well-developed communication skills, he has documented this journey with updates along the way, complemented by his superb photography, as he chased a new record, with several other competitors never far behind.

Here is your chance to see and hear Kiah Jasper’s story of this monumental accomplishment, first hand, at the Bayshore Community Centre, 7pm February 9.

Everyone is welcome to attend in person, and admission is free or by donation.

However, OSFN also plans to offer the presentation as a hybrid, via Zoom as well. A zoom link is emailed to OSFN club members. Others who are interested may request a zoom link, in advance, by emailing web@osfn.ca with Kiah in the subject line.

For more details about OSFN (a registered charity) on this event, the Young Naturalists Club, Nature publications, field trips and more, please visit www.osfn.ca

This just in from the Publications Committee of the OSFN:

The 5th edition of the Vascular Plant List Bruce & Grey is a keystone publication of the Owen Sound Field Naturalists. If you want to sustain wildlife with native plants, this book will give you all the native plants, shrubs and trees for Bruce & Grey. It is an essential reference for naturalists, botanists, life science inventory specialists, land use planners, resource management agencies, and consultants who are working within Bruce and Grey Counties. The OSFN approached and contracted Tyler Miller, Field Ecologist to digitize and revise the list; over the past two years he has totally updated our 5th Edition. It includes 1611 taxa (species, subspecies and hybrids) for 131 families, which are listed including all locally and provincially rare plants found in the counties. If you have an old copy of the Vascular Plant List, you will definitely want to order this new release; available in spiral bound print format, PDF and for the serious botanist, the Vascular Plant List Bruce & Grey: Compendium – a fully annotated digital version with dataset. All three versions will be available this spring through owensoundfieldnaturalists.ca

We, the Publications Committee of the OSFN, will have a table and sign up sheet for advance orders at this February 9th meeting.

The Bluewater Association for Lifelong Learning (BALL) still has two more lectures, (only on Zoom), in its “acclaimed” current series – Climate Crisis: Perspectives, Insights, and Solutions.
10am February 9, A Good War: Mobilizing Canada for the Climate Emergency with Seth Klein, a columnist Canada’s National Observer and adjunct professor with Simon Fraser University.
10am February16, So Global Warming is Real, Now What Are We Going To Do About It? with Timothy Dixon, a professor at the University of South Florida (USF), who studies earthquakes, subsidence, flooding and the Greenland Ice Sheet; and Jaqueline Dixon also of SFU, who studies Earth’s deep CO2 and water cycles that provide CO2 to the atmosphere.

For full details on these engaging presentations visit www.bluewaterlearns.com

When the snow began to return in later January, I was able to find enough to ski some wilderness areas where I observed beaver, lots of crows, a few ravens, hawks, and woodpeckers, including one Pileated. Now that we are into February, I am confident that we will see plenty of sunshine, with clear skies, higher than usual barometric pressure, and temperatures often cooler than last month. This is the February weather pattern I began to notice here about four decades ago.

Jody Johnson Pettit, coordinator of OSFN’s Young Naturalists Club shared this report –

The snow was deep, and the wind was cold, but 15 members of the Owen Sound Young Naturalists Club, along with their parents, were troopers to search for fossils on Sunday, January 29th at the Fossil Glen Nature Reserve. Several in the group wore snowshoes to help blaze the trail. It was also an opportunity for a few of the children to try out snowshoes for the first time. The group spotted red squirrel tracks in the snow, rock formations, and halysite fossils.

A message from Jim Penner of the Bruce Grey Woodland Association suggests that you –
Mark Your Calendars: The 2023 Woodlot Conference will return to an in-person format.
The date is Saturday March 25th at the Elmwood Community Centre.
The following is the tentative Agenda:

9:00 – 9:30 Registration
9:30 – 9:40 Opening remarks and administration
9:40 – 10:25 Willet’s Woods Rehabilitation – John Willet – LindsayTownship.
10:25 – 11:10 Moths – Brian Robin – OS Field Naturalist.
11:10 – 11:55 Forest Health – MNRF specialist or CFIA specialist
11:55 – 12:05 Draws
12:05 – 1:15 Lunch and view exhibits
1:15 – 1:20 Award of Merit Presentation – Bruce Grey Woodlands Association
1:20 – 1:30 Draws
1:30 – 2:15 Grading Standing Timber – Joe Allen.
2:15 – 3:00 Why Your Neighbour Gets More for Their Harvested Woodlot – Terry Schwann.
3:00 – 3:10 Evaluation and details of Sunday tour.

Registration fees are $30 if you pre-register and $40 at the door.
To pre-register please email your name and email address to:
Info@gbwc.blog If you are registering other attendees please provide their info as well.

Congratulations are in order for another young Bruce County Birder! Over the past couple of years I occasionally heard the name Zane Shantz, in local birding circumstances, and one day recently I met him, with his binoculars and camera, on the trail near Ben Allen. When I opened up my Birds Canada 2023 Calendar, seeing in each month specially selected photos sent by their supporters, it was a pleasant surprise indeed to see Zane Shantz, 16, listed with the April photo with his comments that “Black-billed Cuckoos are very secretive birds, and are quite challenging to photograph. Over the years I have failed to get the perfect shot of one, but at last during spring migration of 2022, I succeeded! The bird was hardly aware of my presence, and just sat comfortably on this branch in my backyard for a few seconds, allowing me to capture this photo!”

To close, a Nature quote from Robert Graves, a prolific poet and author, from his early memoir Goodbye to All That, writing in 1929 about the hills above Harlech, in north Wales – “This country (and I know no country like it) seemed to be independent of formal nature. One hardly noticed the passage of the seasons there; the wind always blew across the stunted grass, the black streams ran cold and clear, over black stones. The mountain sheep were wild and free…and, when in repose easily mistaken for the lichen-covered granite boulders strewn everywhere… We saw hardly any birds, bar an occasional buzzard, and curlews wheeling in the distance.”

Nature Club News for December 2022

by John Dickson

Sarah McComb-Turbitt, was born in Chatsworth and her love for Nature, the ocean, and painting began at a young age.

Now an accomplished scientist and visual artist, she will be the Owen Sound Field Naturalists’ ( OSFN) featured presenter of “Catching Penguins and Diving into the Icy Cold, plus Wildlife Art for Conservation”, at 7pm Thursday December 8, at the Harry Lumley Bayshore Community Centre.

She will share her research into individual variations in the winter foraging behaviours of Gentoo Penguins, while she camped beside the penguin colony in the Falkland Islands.

Having developed her skills as a wildlife photographer out on the ocean, earned a degree in marine biology, and a certificate in animal behaviour she combines her Science and Artistry to share the stories of the species she has studied so closely.

Now an accomplished scientist and a busy visual artist too, Sarah McComb-Turbitt received her initial training at OSCVI here in Owen Sound. She excelled as an art student with her teacher Jim Sebesta in high school, and at University she majored in the natural sciences to work in the Nature field.

Having recently returned to Owen Sound, she has been concentrating more on her Art career. This has included the installation of an amazing and beautiful mural in downtown Wiarton, and this past summer she was also on the conference committee for the Society for Marine Mammalogy https://www.smmconference.org where she coordinated the art exhibit, the online auction and also presented research on pilot whales.

Sarah is also a Signature Member of Artists for Conservation, based in Vancouver where her painting was selected for the front cover of their 2023 Environmental Calendar, which is still available – for more info please visit https://www.artistsforconservation.org/

This is a family and children friendly event and everyone is welcome to attend, at the Bayshore, 7pm Thursday December 8, and admission is free or by donation. OSFN also plans to offer the presentation on zoom, and a zoom link can be requested by emailing web@osfn.ca with Penguin in the subject line.

Annual Christmas Bird Counts (CBCs)

This year, Christmas Bird Counts are scheduled between December 14, 2022 and January 5, 2023. The CBC is North America’s longest running Citizen Science project. Volunteers record and submit sightings which contribute to an understanding of population trends and bird distribution. Become a Citizen Scientist by getting involved! Here are many of the local CBC’s with the dates, and contact details for the Compilers for you to consider:
Wednesday, December 14, 2022 – Tobermory – Tyler Miller – Tyler.miller@pc.gc.ca
Thursday, December 15, 2022 – Kincardine – James Turland – jaturland@gmail.com
Saturday, December 17, 2022- Owen Sound – Erik Van Den Kieboom – erikkieboom@outlook.com
Saturday, December 17, 2022 – Hanover/Walkerton – Gerard McNaughton – gmcnaughton@wightman.ca
Sunday, December 18, 2022 – Wiarton – Jarmo Jalava – jvjalava@gmail.com
Wednesday, December 28, 2022 – Meaford – Lynne Richardson – lynnerichardson@rogers.com
Thursday, December 29, 2022 – Pike Bay – Andrew Keaveney – uofgtwitcher@gmail.com
Friday, December 30, 2022 – Cape Chin – Andrew Keaveney – uofgtwitcher@gmail.com
Wednesday, January 4, 2023 – Saugeen Shores – Kiah Jasper – kiahjasper@gmail.com

Or visit this link to find a CBC near you. www.birdscanada.org/volunteer/cbc/index.jsp?argetpg=mapviewer&lang=EN
Participate and Become a Citizen Scientist!

Thank you to Norah Toth for compiling and sharing this information.

Each year at this time, I usually purchase a few “extra nice” Calendars, with local connections, for myself and for gifting. This year there are at least three of these I will be considering, that especially feature Nature and Art too. 2023 Calendars. They are:

The Tom Thomson Art Gallery’s fundraising calendar this year features much loved works sponsored and selected from the Collection. Always a winner! Visit them at Tom Thomson Art Gallery 840 1st Avenue West, Owen Sound or Phone: 519-376-1932

As mentioned above Sarah McComb-Turbitt is also a Signature Member of Artists for Conservation, based in Vancouver where her painting was selected for the front cover of their 2023 Environmental Calendar, which is still available – for more info please visit https://www.artistsforconservation.org/

The exquisite bird photography by David Turner of Local Colour/Flesherton Art Gallery and Beaver Valley Birding – Calendars are available for pick-up (or can be shipped) at Flesherton Art Gallery 20 Collingwood Street Flesherton, Ontario N0C1E0 Tel. 519-924-3560

To close, a Nature quote from Welcome to Owen Sound, Fern Capital of Ontario, by Nelson Maher (1933-2005). Green and graceful, ferns embody a charm that is also universal. The lush symmetry of their arching fronds draws many a weary city-dweller back to woodlands, escarpments and streams, even if the tired traveller is unable totell one fern from another. And ferns are somehow the emblem of a shady forest, a symbol of its cool solitude and repose, inspiring a poetical turn of mind in even the most prosaic of us.

Nature Club News for November 2022

by John Dickson

The Owen Sound Field Naturalists club (OSFN) is pleased to present its November monthly meeting featuring Steve Ritchie, a popular local radio host on CFOS, and a well known musician, with Love At First Light:  

Small-town radio, a telescope, and a mid-life discovery of backyard astronomy. 

Ritchie will speak about his fascination with the night sky, which is not a new interest; when he was nine years old his Grade 4 teacher asked him to teach a series of astronomy lessons to the class. But Covid, lockdowns and being the host of a buy-and-sell radio show converged to drop a Meade Lightbridge 12 in his lap in the winter of 2021. You’ll hear about aperture, Deep Sky, the magnification myth, his zero interest in astrophotography, and how seeing with his own eyes is, for him, an experience that cements a
personal, physical connection to the cosmos.

And you will hear a 62-year-old man’s inner 9-year-old convey the sheer delight of discovery that happens every time he looks through his telescope. If weather permits, Steve will bring his Telescope outside and invite audience members to view the night sky which should include an almost full moon.

This event will take place in the Bay Room at the Harry Lumley Bayshore Community Centre starting at 7pm, Thursday November 10. Admission is free or by donation and everyone is welcome. OSFN memberships may be purchased or renewed in the lobby from 6:30 to 7pm.OSFN also plans to offer this event as a webinar via zoom. If you would like to participate virtually, you may request a zoom link by emailing    web@osfn.ca    with Steve in the subject line. 

On November 2, Lynne Richardson and Shirley Harrison led a tour 

in the Thornbury to Collingwood area for twenty members of the Bruce Birding Club, and were rewarded with terrific sightings, as Fred Jazvac reports here:  “November is considered waterfowl season, and while large bird numbers failed to show, the number of individual species of waterfowl seen was quite impressive – 18 species in total. Also, considering that the fall southern migration is almost over, and wintering birds have only shown up in small numbers; we did see an impressive total number of bird species – 38.  Not bad, eh! The highlight of the day was a distant Peregrine Falcon who  sat out for us, then proceeded to capture a bird of disputed identity, and ate it in an empty Osprey stand.  It was one of those moments when nature showed you how things work in the real world.”

Grey Roots Museum and Archives is once again presenting its Fall Lecture Series, at 1pm on Tuesdays, and the final two talks have themes that include Nature and Science.    Lectures are included with admission. Members enjoy free admission. Complimentary refreshments following each talk. Visit www.greyroots.com to learn more.

November 15 – Join David Holah for “How Green is Green Energy? Our hopes of moving away from fossil fuels lies with the increased use of green energy (solar and wind) and the production of batteries for electric cars. Success will largely be dependent on a few metals of which most people have never heard and which come with a significant environmental cost.”

November 22 – Join David Holah for the final talk of the 2022 Fall Lecture Series, on Nuclear Waste, with a simple review of the science associated with nuclear reactors leading to an understanding of the nature of the byproducts and the options for their use/disposal.

The OSFN and its Young Naturalist Club had a great turnout on October 30, as Rosemary (Rosie) Martin led an Aquatic Invertebrate Identification (ID) workshop at Harrison Park beside, and in, the Sydenham river. Similar to the one she offered last November, it was a carefully crafted event complete with microscope, and charts of invertebrate ID field marks and specifics. After a careful teaching lesson on how to acquire samples from the water, the youngsters on hand enthusiastically followed Martin’s example, dipping and retrieving specimens for identification and comparison, before they were safely returned to their river habitat.  

The Young Naturalists meet next on  Sunday, November 27 for a Hidden Pond Nature Reserve hike, in the Woodford area. For more information about the Young Naturalists Club, and other activities of the Owen Sound Field Naturalists, please visit   www.osfn.ca 

I continue to see the occasional butterfly and a few bees on wildflower blooms, and like others,  have discovered a few bird nests which had been hidden until the past week or two. I have also been hearing and seeong more woodpeckers than usual. Many backyard feeders have been visited recently by boisterous and colourful flocks of Evening Grosbeaks as they cruise throughout the region. 

Bo Penny of the Beaver Valley had a marvellous treat – “What a surprise! Seven snapping turtles hatched today. I’ve never seen them hatch this late (November 4). We had a bunch that hatched in September from the same nest so I was very surprised to see little black heads poking out of the gravel.”

The Bruce Peninsula Bird Observatory (BPBO) has wrapped up its banding and monitoring operations for 2022, and has set some records along the way, as shared by Stéphane Menu: “This more than remarkable season didn’t end in a whisper but with more remarkable sightings and banding. On October 27, while watching a distant bird on the bay through the scope,  white ghosts appeared on the hazy horizon. Flapping strongly, the large pure white birds could only be swans, Tundra Swans – only the fourth observation of Tundra Swans at Cabot Head over 21 years:

There were more surprises: on October 28, we banded a beautiful adult male Northern Parula. Later the same day, on the very last net round, a flashy yellow big bird was waiting for us in a net: An adult male Evening Grosbeak! Its namesake bill was something to behold and… avoid, with not much success. This species had never been banded before at Cabot Head: it tends to fly high and stay high in the canopy. It was such a remarkable bird to band.

On the last day of monitoring, October 31, the banding total was a solid 17 birds, bringing the fall season total to a stratospheric 2925 birds banded, almost 450 birds more than the previous record of 2476 birds in fall. A small flock of 17 Evening Grosbeaks was flying around but no amount of incantations brought them down into our nets. An eerie whinnying was appropriate on that Halloween evening: there are no ghosts in my world and the call came from an aptly-named Eastern Screech Owl.”

To close, a Nature quote from a northern Africa setting in Flight of the Phoenix, by Elleston Trevor: “With the coming of the full moon they saw the mirage. Used to the desert, they knew that a mirage is never seen after sundown, but when the full moon rose the mirage was there. It was a sandstorm, yet there was no breath of wind.”  

Owen Sound Field Naturalists (OSFN) present: A Scientist Visits the Holy Land

Dan Ostler, our intrepid cruise ship lecturer, ventures forth into the Holy Land and considers the stories we all know so well through the eyes of a scientist. Correlating known History with Earth Science, the Volcanic History of the Mediterranean, a little Cultural Anthropology, and the cultures of the Egyptians and Minoans and Romans (not to mention the Philistines) some rather surprising findings emerge. From the plagues of Moses to the parting of the Red Sea to the abrupt vanishing of the Minoan civilization to Joshua and the Walls of Jericho, the stories become even more fascinating when viewed from the perspective of a scientist.

Dan Ostler has also received recognition as a favourite lecturer on International Cruise Ships. OSFN is grateful to Dan for filling in once again on short notice for the scheduled speaker, who is unable to attend due to feeling under the weather.

Date: October 13, 2022
Time: 7 pm
Location: Harry Lumley Bayshore Community Centre, Owen Sound

Admission is free, or by donation.
For our club members, and the public, who are not comfortable in larger groups or have to travel great distances to join us, we are continuing to offer a ZOOM option.

If interested, you may request a zoom link by emailing web@osfn.ca with “med” in the subject line.

It is also the best time to purchase and/or renew an OSFN membership. To learn about the upcoming speakers, the many guided field trips, the Young Naturalists, support opportunities and more, please visit www.osfn.ca

Just in on Monday evening October 10:

Local birding phenom, and popular leader for OSFN and the Bruce Birding Club (BBC), Kiah Jasper has broken the previous record, with more than two months remaining in 2022. From Kiah’s Blog

“New Ontario Big Year record!!!!!??
After going hard for 283 days this year, this evening I broke the Ontario Big Year record with a Tropical Kingbird in Windsor!!! ??? This came hot on the heels after my last new addition, a Magnificent Frigatebird yesterday at Lighthouse Cove in Chatham-Kent.

I guessed that my record breaker would be a Purple Sandpiper, since there had been a few around recently and it’s the most common species I have left.
Needless to say I was surprised and very excited when my phone buzzed today with the news that a Tropical Kingbird was found by Eddy Beaubien in Windsor this morning. Oh the suspense!! Two hours later we squeezed up to the stakeout, where a crowd of birders were gathered looking up at a nearby treeline. Sure enough, a yellowish kingbird was sitting atop a tall, leafless tree. Success!!!! Our timing turned out to be great too, because just after we walked up the bird called after being silent for the whole day, confirming it was a Tropical Kingbird! (and not the very similar Couch’s Kingbird).
Now on to 350 and beyond!! ? Still over 2 months left and I have a few “easy birds” remaining… let’s see what happens

NEW PROJECT: TRANSFORM THE LAWN Grey County with NeighbourWoods North is launching the first phase of naturalizing the property of the Administration building. The community is invited to join in a morning of tree planting, celebrating trees & local climate action, and learning about a right relationship with the land. The first year of the plan for the Administration property includes the planting of approximately 20 trees, two pollinator gardens, and exploring a future rain garden. Council approved the plan at a meeting earlier this year. The event will take place October 15th from 9:30 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. at the Grey County head office located at 595 9th Avenue East in Owen Sound. Volunteers are invited to come out and support the planting of approximately 20 young trees while learning about Grey County’s Climate Change Action Plan, Going Green in Grey, and ways to stay involved locally. The event will open with an Indigenous teaching on the importance of stewardship and connection with the land, our local environment, and each other. Master Gardeners, who assisted in the design, will be present along with NeighbourWoods North and Owen Sound Field Naturalists. Light refreshments will be available for all who attend. Pre-registration is encouraged but not required through Grey-Tree-Planting.eventbrite.ca (link is external). Parking is available behind the County building at the east end of 6th Street.

“Nature-based solutions are key to Grey County’s Climate Change Action Plan, Going Green in Grey,” said Grey County Warden Selwyn ‘Buck’ Hicks. “The re-naturalization of this property is a small but symbolic step forward in Grey County’s commitment to climate action and meeting our greenhouse gas net-zero community target by 2050. If you’re passionate about climate action, I encourage you and your family to join us on October 15.”

The Bruce Peninsula Bird Observatory Station Scientist Stephane Menu, is continuing to document the birds at Cabot Head, as indicated in this excerpt from his blog: Busy, busy, busy!

After a seemingly long stretch of five days of overcast conditions, clear skies and bright sun returned on September 29 and have been with us ever since. The return of good weather brought a lot – and I mean, A LOT – of birds at Cabot Head and they were not shy about flying into our nets. The most abundant species captured was Golden-crowned Kinglets, notably with a cool 100 birds on October 4. A lot of Dark-eyed Juncos have been captured during the past few days as well, alongside a few White-throated and White-crowned Sparrows. Hermit Thrushes have started their migration in earnest, reflected in good captures since September 30, notably with 7 birds on October 4.

The first Fox Sparrow of the season was banded on October 1. On that day, we also captured a loud and sharp-billed young female Pileated Woodpecker! (see pics on Facebook and Instagram)

It was a busy and fun and exciting week!

Coming soon: The Bruce Peninsula Bird Observatory cordially invites you to “Flock Together for their 20th Anniversary GALA Fundraising Celebration”, Oct. 29th,2022 Visit their website at www.bpbo.ca (Doors open @ 5pm to music of Mad Robin) at

Best Western, Inn on the Bay, Owen Sound

Tickets Available here.

Miriam Oudejans shared this outline for us:

On September 25, the first OSFN Young Naturalist’s program of the year kicked off with an excursion at the Arboretum of the Grey Sauble Conservation Authority. On the agenda was registration and the cleaning out of nest boxes in the meadows by the GSCA administrative offices. The small group of kids proved to be enthusiastic sleuths and took the time to carefully examine each nest box and its contents. They found nesting evidence of several different birds including wrens and tree swallows, based on construction materials and techniques. They learned that wrens build big, messy nests of twigs while swallow nests are typically made with grasses, pine needles, moss and other organic material. Both these species of birds like to build nests in open woodland rarely more than 100 feet from woody vegetation and avoid heavily wooded nest sites where it’s hard to see predators coming.

The kids found a number of feathers in the nests including several Blue Jay feathers. The gold & black on one tail feather showed it was from a Baltimore Oriole. Other feathers were trickier to identify, and we could only guess which birds they were from; possibly warblers and a breast feather from a Ruffed Grouse.

As the nest boxes were emptied of their contents, other residents such as wasps and spiders were discovered too. A preying mantis cocoon was found in the long grasses. The Young Nats were also captivated with the beautiful symmetry found on the inside of milkweed pods and they marvelled at how neatly the seeds were stacked together.

The afternoon ended with a quick walk through the Arboretum woods over to the river to look for salmon moving upstream to spawn. Several salmon were spotted resting in the shallows waiting to jump further up the rapids while a few, very fast ones, raced by upstream. A few dead salmon were found by the bridge including a large one covered with hundreds of maggots doing a fine job at recycling the fish back into earth! All in all, it was a good afternoon.
For the keeners among us, here is a site that helps identify bird feathers.
https://www.fws.gov/lab/featheratlas/resultSearch.php

The Young Naturalists (YN) meet next on Sunday October 30 from 2pm to 4pm in Harrison Park for a workshop on Aquatic Invertebrates, led by Rosie Martin. The YN Club is mainly for ages 7 to 12, although 5 and 6 year olds are welcome if accompanied by an adult to supervise them. To learn more and to pre-register please visit www.osfn.ca and click on the Young Naturalists heading on the left column for a sign up form and waiver, plus a year-at-a-glance poster of activities planned for the rest of the 2022-2023 season.

James White sent this information about the Bruce Grey Woodland Association which has monthly events for its members – this month includes a forest inventory marking workshop and a BBQ. The events are for BGWA members.

Here is the link to anyone interested in joining the BGWA and pre-registering for either or both events.

Join the Bruce Grey Woodlands Association – Bruce Grey Woodlands Association (bgwa.ca)

Oct 22 is the date for both events

I have noted that many in the area are getting outside and seeing snakes, turtles, forest fungi, and a variety of botanical specimens, some of which are also very colourful. I am still seeing butterflies – a Viceroy just last week, and once more we seem to have quite a few praying mantis in our yard.

To close, Nature quotes from In Spite of Myself, A Memoir, by Christopher Plummer who, as a young lad in Montreal visited an island where “there was a bridge where we could stare down at the giant lily pads that carpeted the black water…and inlets through which we would paddle our canoe and watch the bitterns stand on one leg or listen to the long sad chorale of the frogs…” and impressing his ornithologist family and friends, he discovered one day “on top of a spruce which was bent over from the weight of it, an enormous bird with strange claws the likes of which I’d never seen….the experts identified it as an Arctic Three-toed Woodpecker – probably the first ever to be seen in our part of the world. Thank God and Mister Audubon.”

Nature Club News For September 2022

by John Dickson

The Owen Sound Field Naturalists (OSFN) present the first featured speaker of their new season, Rosemary Martin, starting at 7pm this Thursday September 8. Sidelined by the still present Covid virus, her presentation will be offered only on Zoom. Entitled Winter Survival in the Insect World, it deals with these questions:  Have you ever wondered how dragonflies and other insects survive the winter? What impact will climate change have on these important ecological communities? Drill through the ice with Rosemary to discover the active ecosystem found below the ice.  She will highlight under-ice video footage captured in a beaver pond in Georgian Bluffs.

Rosemary “Rosie” Martin is a senior PhD Candidate in Ecology and Evolutionary Biology at the University of Toronto, Mississauga. Her work focuses on how aquatic insects overwinter and how the under-ice physical conditions determine who survives, who stays active, who eats whom, and how that all plays into food web and community structure in subsequent seasons. In November of 2021, she led an exciting workshop for OSFN, in Harrison Park, to learn tips on how to identify aquatic insects like (larval) dragonflies, damselflies, mayflies, caddisflies; had tables set up with microscopes for those attending and explained some differences between organisms living in lentic and lotic habitats. It is now planned that Rosie will repeat this popular event on October 30. 

In years past she was a camper and then counsellor at the local YMCA/Rotary Camp Presqu’ile and attributes her love for the outdoors and interest in ecology to cross country skiing along the Bruce Trail, exploring the gardens at Keppel Croft, and summer days spent on the shores of Georgian Bay catching frogs and flipping rocks for crayfish. As mentioned above this presentation will only be available on Zoom. If interested, you may request a zoom link by emailing web@osfn.ca with “insects” in the subject line. It is also the best time to purchase and/or renew an OSFN membership. To learn about the upcoming speakers, the many guided field trips, the Young Naturalists,  support opportunities and more, please visit www.osfn.ca

Two decades ago, I joined the fledgling Bruce Birding Club (BBC) which offered a birding tour on the first and third Wednesdays of the month from September to June, (and still does). I really enjoyed occasionally taking a Wednesday off work to carpool and convoy with these friendly folks to see the many warblers, shorebirds, songbirds, owls, hawks, eagles and more with endless opportunities to learn and even get some photos of them. I was also introduced to many interesting birding hot spots of which I had not been aware.  Congratulations to the BBC, for when I asked Coordinator Fred Jazvac, for some history of the club he confirmed that yes:

“The Bruce Birding Club started in the fall of 2002.  We have exactly 199 people on our mailing list, of which there are about 50 who take part in the hikes. The rest enjoy the photos and the information. With my teaching background I like to teach about how to ID birds. There are no fees to join the BBC and our hike leaders choose where we are going on their Wednesdays and whether we are going to brown bag it or eat in a restaurant. Someone asked Judy Wyatt what credentials you need to join the BBC and she said to join, the one thing you needed was you had to be nice. Most of our participants are retired. If one came out with us, came consistently, it would take about 2 years to be an above average birder. The birds are seasonal and with each season we get new birds, contrasting with birds leaving. We get the May season when the migration is concentrated, and on the way back the reverse migration will last about 5 months. Right now it is shorebird season as they have bred and are heading south. Some of these shorebirds started leaving for the south in June. The fall will bring in northern birds who will winter here, especially if seed crops fail in the north. In the winter we get arctic birds like the Rough-legged Hawk who hunt visually and you can’t do that in 24 hours of night. They have no problem with the cold of our winter. When the days get longer, they will head to the far north. We learn from each other. The hike leading is easy since we have so many knowledgeable birders amongst us and many eyes find many birds, which takes the onus right off the leader. We have developed many outstanding birders, including Kiah Jasper who joined us at about age 14. He now ranks with the top birders in the province.  He was homeschooled and could attend our hikes. He is currently on a path to set a new record for the most birds seen in a year in Ontario and has already surpassed the previous record holder’s totals for this time of year.” 

If this birding club is of interest to you, please contact Fred at fredjazvac@gmail.com 

Congratulations also to the Bruce Peninsula Bird Observatory, for its first 20 years of operation. I enjoy reading the weekly blogs of Station Scientist Stéphane Menu: “It is becoming more and more clear that we have a Red-breasted Nuthatch irruption in the making this fall. With already 74 birds banded (notably 10 birds on August 30), it is more Red-breasted Nuthatches banded than 14 of the past 20 fall seasons, and September has just begun.” I have been hearing Red-breasted Nuthatches quite often too. Also on their website, at www.bpbo.ca I discovered a terrific little video (created by TVO) with Menu describing and demonstrating the monitoring and banding process. Check it out!

Also celebrating a milestone this year is the Escarpment Biosphere Conservancy, (EBC) with a 25th Year Celebration Day planned for September 17th between 12 Noon and 3pm beginning at Bluewater Outdoor Education Centre, west of Wiarton, then over at the new Orlowski Nature Preserve for hiking, Nature ID, survival skills and more. To learn more or just to offer congratulations email Bob Barnett at rbarnett@escarpment.ca

OSFN’s Dan Ostler kindly sent me this report, and photos too, of a recent event –  “The much anticipated Monarch Butterfly Tagging Workshop at Isaac Lake September 3, exceeded expectation in all respects and was a great success on a number of levels. The weather was perfect, neither too hot nor too cold, participants of both the human (34) and Monarch species (96 tagged) turned out in strong numbers, and, most importantly, the youngsters had a great experience, far better than some cold video game. I’m sure a number of future naturalists were created that very afternoon. Our thanks to Audrey Armstrong and Willy Waterton for hosting this perfect tagging event, and Brian Robin for helping along with the tagging (those are his hands in the picture).”

To close, I have a Nature quote that includes the Hart’s Tongue Fern, a species that is rare in North America, but very common in our region and featured in OSFN’s logo, created by esteemed local artist and naturalist, George McLean. From Mary Stewart’s The Crystal Cave, Merlin discovers it thus: “In the face of the rock was a cave…with oak and rowan, whose branches overhung the cave with shadow…and only a few feet from the archway was the spring….Through the clear water I could see every pebble, every grain of sand at the bottom of the basin. Hart’s-tongue fern grew above it and there was moss at the lip, and below it green, moist grass.”

Nature Club News For August 2022

by John Dickson

More than any other season, Summer is the time to see and enjoy Butterflies –  and Moths too. Starting with Butterflies, here is a comprehensive report from Park Interpreter Cate Crawford-Thompson -“On Saturday, July 16th, 2022, MacGregor Point Provincial Park held its annual North American Butterfly Association Count, bringing together community members to participate in the survey and raise awareness for butterfly conservation. The event occurred during the morning and afternoon of the 16th and covered a large section of Bruce Country, including MacGregor Point Provincial Park, Inverhuron Provincial Park, and the greater Saugeen Shores area. This year’s count saw a relatively average number of butterflies, with a total count of 1969 individuals observed and 37 species recorded. Some of the highlights of our 2022 count included Baltimore Checkerspots, a Red Spotted Purple, and a Milbert’s Tortoiseshell. In addition to these finds, we also observed close to 150 monarch butterflies–a significant increase from last year’s count. A huge thanks goes out to the many volunteers without whom this event would not be possible. Their continued interest and support in the butterfly count allow us to run this event year after year, helping us gain valuable insight into our local butterfly populations and raise awareness for the importance of butterfly conservation in Ontario.”

Now switching to Moths, the Owen Sound Field Naturalists (OSFN), on July 19, and for the third consecutive summer, held a  Moth Night, led by Alan Macnaughton, a Vice-President of the Toronto Entomologists Association. Here is part of a message from him after the event, which was held, for the second year, at Grey Sauble Conservation’s (GSCA) Inglis Falls Arboretum area. Alan also conducted a second Moth Night on his own, on July 20.

“The weather on the night of the main event (Tuesday, July 19) was just perfect for moths — hot, humid and cloudy. I think there were about 25 people there, and I was very pleased by the size of the turnout and the enthusiasm of the participants. On my 2-night visit to Owen Sound, I had 150 observations of 116 species of moths.  The number of observations is about the same as last year, with an especially large number, but the number of species was down, due at least partly to the weather. I posted all of the observations on the iNaturalist website for anyone to see. The 116 species are shown here:https://inaturalist.ca/observations?month=7&nelat=44.95183704542325&nelng=-80.2290690491909&order_by=observed_on&page=2&place_id=any&subview=table&swlat=43.96791594007961&swlng=-81.14033009394899&user_id=amacnaughton&verifiable=any&view=species

The complete list of 150 observations is listed here:https://inaturalist.ca/observations?month=7&nelat=44.95183704542325&nelng=-80.2290690491909&order_by=observed_on&page=2&place_id=any&subview=table&swlat=43.96791594007961&swlng=-81.14033009394899&user_id=amacnaughton&verifiable=any

Combining both years (2021 and 2022) of observations together, 206 species of moths were seen at the Conservation Area. This year we chose a time of year a few weeks earlier, so a lot of the moths were ones not seen last year. Here is the complete list of the 206 species:https://inaturalist.ca/observations?nelat=44.95183704542325&nelng=-80.2290690491909&order_by=observed_on&page=2&place_id=any&subview=table&swlat=43.96791594007961&swlng=-81.14033009394899&user_id=amacnaughton&verifiable=any&view=species

There were no especially notable moth observations this year from the point of view of the community of people interested in moths (although that may change as experts look over my observations). However, there were several moth species which I personally had not seen in at least 15 years, and so it was particularly exciting for me. These were particularly large and showy moths that are of wide interest among naturalists: Elm Sphinx, Great Ash Sphinx and Laurel Sphinx. I enjoyed myself greatly and I hope it will be possible to do this event again next year.”

I can confirm that Alan has accepted OSFN’s invitation to give a Moth Talk, in June 2023, and to hopefully lead a Moth Night then too.

Hibou Conservation Area was all abuzz as the Friends of Hibou and GSCA staff partnered to offer the very successful “Free Family Fun Day”, on August 7, allowing visitors to stop, look, listen and learn what Hibou has to offer. As Marie Knapp shared “The use of Explore Passports accounted for close to 250 participants, plus the many beach goers who were there. The snakes were a real hit, and every station provided very interesting learning for visitors of all ages. We were very grateful for the sponsors as well as the donors of draw prizes.”

Dr. Brendan Mulroy, President of OSFN and liaison with NeighbourWoods North recently shared this planning update on the Healing Path at the Owen Sound Hospital. The target for beginning the excavation for the first section of the Healing Path is the end of August or early September although weather will also be a factor. Phase 1 starts at the west entrance of 16th Avenue East and heads south to the intersection at 8th Street East, then east to the first entrance on 8th Street East. Some describe this as the helicopter pad portion. The Healing Path is a 3 season (spring, summer, fall) trail system that will cater to hospital employees, patients and visitors who would like a gentle walk in a park setting. The Owen Sound Hospital sees over 100,000 patient visits per year from across the Grey Bruce region, and employs approximately 1100 staff and physicians.

The goal is to create a path that can be accessible for all, including those with mobility challenges. So unlike the more informal mulch trails in the forest area, the Healing Path will have a firm and stable top layer of stone dust. The trail will be 1.7 metres (5’6″) wide. This section will have 4 resting areas which are called pods. Each pod has a theme. Two themes have been selected to date – a Native Plant pod, and one incorporating the Marine/Veteran Heritage of the hospital and area. 

Now, back to Butterflies: I always enjoy seeing them, and along with a few monarchs every week, this year the highlights so far have been a wonderful yellow and black Canadian Tiger Swallowtail (Papilio canadensis) flying alongside while I was cycling south of Chesley last month, and two Lifers – an exquisite  Zebra Swallowtail ( Protographium marcellus) at a flower garden, and a gorgeous Gray Comma (Polygonia progne) beside my vegetable garden.

 The Escarpment Biosphere Conservancy (EBC), 25 this year, will be hosting a  Monarch Butterfly tagging event on Friday, August 26th starting at 11am at Dorcas Bay on the Saugeen Bruce Peninsula. For further details and to get the exact location, please contact Liv Callo at liv@escarpment.ca if you would like to participate in this event.

With Monarch Butterflies still the focus, OSFN’s  Audrey Amstrong is leading a Monarch Tagging Workshop on Saturday September 3, (rain date September 4) from 1:00 pm to 3:00 pm, and once again this family friendly event will take place at the Isaac Lake Boat Launch just north of Wiarton. “How is it that monarch butterflies migrate 4,000 km to a place they’ve never been before? Why do we still need Citizen Scientists to assist in a North American monarch tagging initiative? How can they fly with a tiny “license plate” stuck to one wing? And how can you help monarchs in our Grey/Bruce area? These questions and your questions will be addressed in the afternoon tagging workshop. We hope to net and tag monarchs to send off to Mexico, so wear your running shoes and bring your insect nets (some will be provided).”  To register and for further details, please email Audrey at: sweetwateraudrey@gmail.com or visit www.osfn.ca

To close, Nature quotes from Summer World, a Season of Bounty, by Bernd Heinrich – “We humans cannot change into any radically different body colour, body shape or behaviour…However, the genes of a butterfly are the same as those in a caterpillar. The difference is which are turned on or off, and when… The possibility of individual caterpillars to generate amazingly different forms makes me appreciate what is possible in the debate over nature versus nurture.” and “Summer nights belong to the moths and fireflies.”