How to Observe Owls This Winter
A Northern Saw-whet Owl in rehab with Safe Wings. If you find an owl in distress, call Safe Wings at 613-216-8999 or the Ottawa Valley Wild Bird Care Centre at (613) 854-2849 (photo credit: Safe Wings). First, Do No Harm Ottawa is home to six resident owl species throughout the year. In the late fall and winter, we also host visiting migrants like the Snowy Owl and Northern Hawk-Owl, which fly south from their summer territories in boreal forests and [...]
Tis the Season of Christmas Bird Counts – Revised
There are a number of Christmas Bird Counts taking place in the area. The attached table provides information on dates and contacts for counts that are in or touch upon the OFNC Study Area. You don't have to be an expert to participate. It's an opportunity to learn and meet fellow birders while contributing to Citizen Science. Corrected contact information for the Dunrobin-Breckenridge count Christmas Bird Count Calendar 2025-26 - Revised
OFNC Book Club Winter Pick
Cosy Reading for Cooler Nights In the introduction to his highly acclaimed book, An Immense World, the science writer Ed Yong creates an imaginary scenario with a room full of animals: an elephant, a mouse, a robin, an owl, a bat, a rattlesnake, a spider, a mosquito, a bumblebee, and a human. The chaos that ensues shows that these creatures “share the same physical space but experience it in wildly and wondrously different ways”. Whether you’re an elephant or a [...]
No butterfly count in 2025
It was recently brought to our attention that we haven't been posting results of our annual butterfly count. The last time we shared the data was for 2020 (see blog post). Here are the numbers for the latest years and updated totals for all counts since 1998. 2021 2022 2023 - rained out, no data 2024 Totals for all years from 1998
Editor’s Synopses of CFN 138(2) and 138(3): Molluscs and More
Free Online Access to Feature Article in 138(2) is at https://doi.org/10.22621/cfn.v138i2.3301 Free Online Access to Feature Article in 138(3) is at https://doi.org/10.22621/cfn.v138i3.3391 Photo: Dr. Tom Reimchen recording data on the coast of British Columbia. While I and others received print copies of volume 138, issue 2 of The Canadian Field-Naturalist (CFN) some time ago—and issue 3 should soon arrive in the mailboxes of those with print subscriptions (assuming there is no Canada Post strike!)—I now finally have some time to [...]
Myths, mimicry, and misidentification: Eastern Milksnakes in Ottawa
Text and photos by Jakob Mueller Recently, a report of a “rattlesnake” in a local greenspace got some media attention. The observer reported that the blotchy snake, when found by her dog, shook its tail and made a sound – as a rattlesnake would – so she urged caution. This was a case of mistaken identity, and a particular point of confusion that happens with some frequency in the area. Ontario, being the big and biodiverse place that it is, [...]
The threat to endangered species from Bill 5 continues…
We still need your help to protect the Endangered Species Act! Bill 5, which contains a provision to eliminate the Ontario Endangered Species Act, has been referred to the province's Standing Committee on the Interior. The committee has already held one hearing on May 22, and another is set for Monday, May 26. The proposed replacement act - the Species Conservation Act - would eliminate habitat protections for species at risk and eliminate the mandate for a recovery plan. Only [...]
Ontario’s Endangered Species Act is Under Threat
We Need Your Help to Protect the Endangered Species Act! Please read this Action Alert from Ontario Nature. Sign the petition to the Ontario government here. Pictured to the left: The Spotted Turtle is one of many Endangered species in Ontario that relies on legislated habitat protection for its survival. The primary threat to most Species at Risk – and most wildlife in general – is habitat loss. Outright habitat destruction, habitat fragmentation, and habitat degradation (from pollution, invasive species, [...]
OFNC Book Club Spring Pick
*** Update: Speaker Announcement! *** At our next meeting on Tuesday, May 27 at 7 p.m. (via Zoom) we are excited to welcome Jennifer Doubt, Curator of Botany at the Canadian Museum of Nature. Jennifer will be talking about the National Herbarium of Canada, which she manages. A herbarium (plural: ‘herbaria’) is essentially a library for plants. The national collection includes over one million specimens of dried and pressed plants (and algae and lichen) collected over the past 250 years. Now, more [...]