By Jessica Sutton Jessica Sutton is a 2nd-year University of Ottawa student in Environmental Studies and Biology. This fall, Jessica is volunteering with the OFNC through the Community Service Learning (CSL) program. On October 4, 2014, I attended the Mushrooms of MacSkimming event at the MacSkimming Outdoor Education Centre. MacSkimming Outdoor Education Centre opened in 1967 as [...]
By Jon Ruddy The Red-tailed Hawk is the quintessential hawk – it’s big, powerful, graceful, and beautiful. Eastern Red-tailed Hawk (Buteo jamaicensis ssp borealis) Adult Eastern Red-tailed Hawk. Photo: Brenda McRae Our local breeder, the Eastern Red-tailed Hawk is a familiar sight along roadsides. Anyone who has ever driven along the 416 has most [...]
By Natalie Sopinka At the September monthly meeting OFNC members were treated to an enlightening and entertaining presentation on Canada's national animal, the beaver. Showcased on The Hudson’s Bay Company's coat of arms and Parks Canada's logo, and the first animal to be featured on a postage stamp, the beaver is a well-recognized emblem of Canadian culture and history. The beaver [...]
By Jakob Mueller On Saturday July 19, eight OFNC members joined me for a hike in Marlborough Forest. Marlborough Forest is the name ascribed to a large natural area owned by the City of Ottawa, in the southwestern corner of the municipal boundary. The largest forested area in the City of Ottawa boundaries, it contains a [...]
By Jeff Skevington Hans Blokpoel with one of the easier to find Appalachian Browns from the count. Photo Alexander Skevington. Single-day insect surveys are nerve-wracking as they are controlled to a great extent by the weather. It was thus a pleasure to awake on July 5 to spectacular weather for the 14th annual OFNC [...]
Members of the Ottawa Field-Naturalists' Club are as diverse as the taxa they study; from birders to botanists, highschool students to university professors, backyard garden admirers to conservation officers. The OFNC blog will be featuring profiles of members to showcase the incredible array of natural history enthusiasts. Whether you've just joined or are a lifetime member, please [...]
By Linda Burr Photographing butterflies in Larose Forest It is always a remarkable experience to get out on a walk with someone who is an acknowledged expert in their field. Such was the case on Sunday, June 22, when 14 people joined butterfly expert Peter Hall for an incredible day of butterfly watching [...]
By Natalie Sopinka Can you spot the special visitor to the OFNC booth? On Saturday May 31st Nature Canada held its 2nd annual Bird Day Fair at Andrew Haydon Park and members of the OFNC were on hand to celebrate our avian friends. Mark Brenchley, Natalie Sopinka, Julia Cipriani and Anouk Hoedeman manned [...]
by Sandy Garland Today (1 June 2014), OFNC members were treated to a tour of an Ottawa gem: the Pinhey sand dunes. According to Biodiversity Conservancy International's (BCI) web site, the complex "has survived over 10,000 years since the last ice age. This unique ecosystem is home to a number of plant and animal species [...]
Grasshopper Sparrow seen on a recent OFNC field trip to the open area south of Ottawa airport by Heather Oake Pickard I attended the excellent OFNC event held yesterday (May 28) in the fields near the airport - a guided birding trip for rare sparrows and other local birds. Many thanks to trip [...]
