Soil mites might SoilYourUndies
Dr. Marla Schwarzfeld and Victoria Nowell (AAFC) displayed mites extracted from soil at FWG and elsewhere, just visible under 10X scopes. by Lynn Ovenden For the mite workshop on July 12, participants arriving at Fletcher Wildlife Garden found the entry bedecked with a line of stained shredded undies. This was the result of a SoilYourUndies experiment conducted by five FWG volunteers following the Soil Conservation Council’s protocol. In early May, each pair of 100% white cotton underwear was buried in [...]
There’s a turtle team?!
After a washed out turtle nest was reported, the eggs were salvaged, examined, and reburied safely by OFNC member Dave Seburn and his "turtle team" - Hannah, Hannah, and Mackenzie. by Sandy Garland A rescue mission ended successfully today (July 27), but a happy ending depends on 28 baby turtles, now safely buried at the Fletcher Wildlife Garden. Turtle eggs were washed out of the ground by torrential rain this week. The story started with an email message [...]
Gatineau Park birding outing
OFNC members compare bird songs, learn nesting etiquette, and enjoy spectacular birding along Gatineau trails. by Sophie Roy with photos by Norbert Haché On the 9th of June, members of the OFNC enjoyed the birds of Gatineau park with leaders Justin Peter and Sophie Roy. 26 people attended the outing this year. As usual, we started the day off at P8 in Gatineau Park. The group had a great opportunity to compare Chipping Sparrow and Pine Warbler songs early in [...]
National historic plaque for John Macoun
The Honorable Catherine McKenna unveiled a plaque at the Museum of Nature in honour of John Macoun who collected and catalogued Canada's flora and fauna. Photos and text by Diane Lepage On Saturday June 23th 2018, The Honourable Catherine McKenna, Minster of the Environment and Climate Change and the Minister responsible for Parks Canada, held a ceremony at the Canadian Museum of Nature on McLeod Street in Ottawa to commemorate John Macoun’s national historic significance. A bronze plaque from the [...]
Beware of dive-bombing Redwings
by Ted Farnworth When I first took on the job of trying to clean up the pond of Flowering Rush (Butomus umbellatus L.), I was warned about the Snapping Turtles (Chelydra serpentine). Apparently we have some pretty big ones living and nesting around d the pond. The boot sucking muck on the bottom was also something that I soon discovered as a waded out into the weed patch. But no-one warned me about the Red Winged Blackbirds (Agelaius phoeniceus). No, [...]
Restoring the gully at the FWG
One FWG volunteer is reclaiming a wet meadow from invasive species and planting it with sedges, Swamp Milkweed, Meadowsweet, and other local wetland species. by Sandy Garland, photos and strategy by Catherine Shearer Bumble bee visiting Comfrey flowers. Photo by Catherine Shearer. Catherine Shearer, who received a volunteer recognition award from the FWG Management Committee this year (see The FWG loves its volunteers) is waging a war against the invasive species in what we call "the gully" at [...]
Turtle alert
by Ted Farnworth When I arrived at the pond this morning – before the rain, I met a brave/foolhardy father and daughter who had just put a female snapping turtle into the pond. They found it making a nest in the parking lot. Maybe it was better than getting run over. Anyways, it seems that turtle egg laying has begun. On my way home from the Resource Centre, in the middle of the downpour, I saw another female turtle at [...]
CFN Issue 131(4) is Now Online
By William Halliday, Journal Manager of CFN The latest issue of The Canadian Field-Naturalist has now been published online! This issue contains a lot of content focused on birds: from Bald Eagles and Merlins to Red-winged Blackbirds, Buffleheads, and Herons. Other manuscripts focus on the influence of salmon on foodwebs, and new records for fish species in Canada, among other topics. Special this issue, we have a summary of BioBlitzes in the Northwest Territories as part of the Canada 150 [...]
The private lives of our native bees: talk and walk
by Lynn Ovenden, photos by Renate Sander-Regier Jessica Forrest checking her net for bees in the backyard garden at the Fletcher Wildlife Garden. Bees are big this year. On May 12, the Wild Pollinator Partners network, led by Sandy Garland and Renate Sander-Regier, hosted a workshop on bees at the Fletcher Wildlife Garden with Dr. Jessica Forrest of Ottawa U. It was a standing room only crowd of over 25 people. We learned that bees (like thrips) are [...]