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 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). [...]
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 RC, in the middle of the downpour , I saw [...]
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 [...]
Call for bird photos
Call for bird photos by Anouk Hoedeman Safe Wings Ottawa is looking for photos of local birds in local habitat to illustrate the Ottawa Bird Strategy, a document we are developing based on the Vancouver Bird Strategy We specifically would like images showing: typical Ottawa bird(s) against recognizable backdrops like Parliament Hill birds in forests, wetlands, river, fields, urban backyards, suburban and rural areas, etc. birds in different seasons (fall colours, winter). Lac Deschênes-Ottawa River Important Bird Area landscaping with native plants [...]
5th annual OFNC members’ photo night: from here to there and back again
by Barry Cottam The fifth annual OFNC members photo night almost didn’t happen. A last-minute glitch forced cancellation of the initial event, scheduled as usual on a January evening to help ward off the winter blues. But Doug Luoma, one of the presenters, just happens to work in the activities department of Villagia in the Glebe Residence. He suggested the ball-room there could accommodate our event and we jumped at the chance. Most of the original presenters booked on and, [...]