By Sandy Garland An OFNC excursion to Hampton Park Woods With the sun shining and the temperature hovering just below zero, it was a great day to be out in the woods! At least 30 other OFNC members had the same idea, so we all joined Owen Clarkin for a lesson in identifying [...]
93rd Ottawa-Gatineau Christmas Bird Count By Jonathan VanAmburg "Perfect Christmas Bird Count weather in Ottawa: -32°C and 20-25 cm of snow. Fun times, fun times,” remarked Gillian Shields on Facebook, as she set out for a day in the cold. She and dozens of other area birders came out for the 93rd Ottawa-Gatineau Christmas Bird [...]
By Natalie Sopinka Adult Silvery Blue.Photo by: Jocelyn Gill. Good-bye CMN At the December monthly meeting, OFNC members bid farewell to the Canadian Museum of Nature. The club fondly recalled the dedicated hospitality and help from museum staff and technicians over the decades. Starting in February, monthly meetings will be held in the [...]
hairy woodpecker work on ash trees by Christine Hanrahan December 4, a mild day, with the merest hints of snow. A day to visit the FWG and look for blog subjects. Apart from the many squirrels, it was pretty quiet. A small flock of house finches in the Backyard Garden (BYG), several cardinals, [...]
By Jeff Skevington, foreword by Natalie Sopinka Whether it's beetles, butterflies or bees, "bugs" are in the news. Invasive southern pine beetles are wreaking havoc on New Jersey’s pine trees, as the world warms butterflies are emerging earlier, and a parasitic fly may be changing honey bees into "zombees." In local news, on September 7 this year, the [...]
By William (Bill) Halliday, member of the OFNC Bill Halliday As many of you might have seen recently on the OFNC Facebook page, web site, and Trail & Landscape, I was (and still am) looking for snake hibernating sites (called hibernacula) around the National Capital Region. I received great feedback from this call-out. I [...]
By Natalie Sopinka At the November monthly meeting members were treated to an overview of the Ontario Nature Youth Summit by OFNC ambassador Sarah Wray, and amazed by Bruce Di Labio’s ability to recall memories of birding at Lac Deschênes. Sarah Wray attends youth summit When she’s not playing soccer and basketball, you can find [...]
by Christine Hanrahan The FWG's November blog is up and running now (http://www.pbase.com/fwg/fwg_blog_november_2013). It was kick-started by some excellent photos from Robert Berry. I've added a few more, and there'll be more to come as the month progresses. Incipient winter is felt in the decreasing numbers of birds and the almost entire lack of insects [...]
by Christine Hanrahan Where DOES the time go? Here it is, past the mid-way point in September, on the downslide to October. That autumn feeling is really seeping in with the colour changes in the leaves, the business of birds fuelling up for journeys south, and bees nectaring like mad on the dwindling supply of [...]
By Ted Farnworth One of the activities that we carry out at the FWG is to introduce or re-introduce bushes and trees into the property that will maintain and enhance the various habitats we are trying to highlight. A lot of thought, discussion, and planning goes into deciding which plants should go where. This is [...]