Apr. 8, 2017: Seeing the snow go On our first spring trip to our Nature Study Area, we could have used both snow boots and rubber boots. We tramped through acres of snow still deep enough to go over the tops of rubber boots, but there were also pools of meltwater that proved irresistible. Rubber [...]
Apr. 1, 2017: The wild life in Mongolia What do you see when you look at the horse shown here? It is rather stocky, isn't it? Note its thick neck and large, blocky head. And how its mane stands up so stiffly. Domestic horses don't have these features. This is a wild horse, the [...]
We started with some exotic birds. Rob Alvo had recently made a birding tour of southern Africa, hitting as many different ecosystems as possible. Surprisingly, we recognized many of the birds, which we ourselves had never seen: weavers, owls, ostriches, and African penguins. Rob asked thought provoking questions that led into issues of conservation. Then, [...]
Conditions were almost perfect in the Pakenham hills today: a refrozen snowpack we could all walk on, with animal tracks showing in a light layer on top; brilliant sunshine to warm us (it was minus 18°C); ices as smooth as a skating rink running down a hill (for inveterate sliders); and a steady wind (to make the [...]
Our speaker, Nick Lapointe, was himself once a member of the Macoun Club, so he was confident of having a knowledgeable audience. “What is the eel's scientific name?” Anguilla rostrata. “Where to they start from when they hatch? “The Sargasso Sea! “Where is that? “ Bermuda. “Where do they go to grow up? “ Rivers [...]
The Sarsaparilla Trail in winter seemed like just several loops of well beaten pathways and a bunch of greedy Chickadees. The observation dock, scene of so much wildlife activity spring, summer, and fall, looked out over an unbroken expanse of snow over ice. We fed the Chickadees, and then marched out into the middle of [...]
Unlike birds, most wild mammals are little seen. Some are nocturnal, some are crepuscular, some are subterranean – and a good many have reason to fear us and hide. But they are here all around us and Gordon Robertson from the OFNC reviewed our local species groups. The meeting was a great success because everyone [...]
In planning for today's field trip, we had to make a decision about snowshoes three days ahead of time. During January, daytime temperatures had been at or above freezing for weeks (this being about 6°C above normal), but then the weather had turned cold and added five inches of fresh snow. Would the shrunken snowpack [...]
If you wanted to see Woodland Caribou in the wild, how could you do it? They have been pushed so back into the far reaches of Canada that in most places you'd have to fly into some northern community. But there are one or two places where you can also drive into the north. It's [...]
There were animal tracks all over the place at the Study Area, but apart from a few squirrels, we really had to search to see anything with fur on it. There were the footprints of all sizes of dogs along the walking/skiing trails, deer tracks crossing those trails, and muddy raccoon footprints leading from one [...]
