June 4, 2016: an afternoon at the waterfall
There are several places where we could have got into the water on this hot day — the floating bog (pictured at the top of this page), a deep cool basin in a beaver pond up on the plateau, or at the narrows on Indian Creek. But Morgan asked to go to a fondly remembered place from when she was new to the Macoun Club, the waterfall. For miles upstream, Indian Creek meanders through a marshy floodplain, but here it [...]
Ducks and gulls along the river
by Roy John Report of an Ottawa Field-Naturalists' Club excursion on Sunday, 22 May 2016. A dozen people went to Mud Lake to take advantage of the recent change from cold windy weather to lovely warm sunshine. This had brought in numerous, much delayed, migrants over the last few days. Wood Duck photographed by Roy John As soon as we arrived at Mud Lake we were told that a rare Yellow-throated Vireo had been found in the woods. [...]
May 28, 2016: Beech Bark Disease: what are we going to do about it?
It's been 125 years coming, but Beech Bark Scale Disease is here. It was accidentally introduced at Halifax, NS, in 1890, on some European beeches sent over by Queen Victoria. It is a two-stage disease, the first being the introduced scale insects. Though tiny, they proliferate over the bark of a tree, visible as a scurfy white waxy covering. When the feeding activities of the scales have opened thousands of tiny wounds, fungi invade and kill patches of bark. The [...]
Build a “home” for mason bees
In 2015, we learned how to build simple mason bee boxes out of recycled materials. Unlike many “gadgets” purported to help wildlife, these actually work. Mason bees laid eggs in the paper tunnels we made for them, the eggs hatched and completed the life cycle, and the progeny are busily pollinating our fruit trees right now (spring 2016). About mason bees Mason bees are named for their use of mud or clay in their “nests.” They belong in the genus [...]
Naturalists in the making: 2016 OFNC award winners at the Ottawa Regional Science Fair
by Lucy Patterson What is the most endangered bird species in the world? What is the best way to contain an oil spill? Will the emerald ash borer begin attacking lilacs once ash trees have died out? These questions and many more were tackled by students on April 8 and 9 this year at the annual Ottawa Regional Science Fair. Since 1961, this volunteer-run event has encouraged students from grades 7 to 12 in the Ottawa-Carleton region to design, develop, [...]
The search for flower flies – an exploration of Australia and its wildlife
by Danielle Chiasson For the OFNC’s March monthly meeting we were pleased to welcome Jeff Skevington and his family for a presentation on the natural history of Australia and stories from their recent trip down under. For the OFNC’s March monthly meeting we were pleased to welcome Jeff Skevington and his family for a presentation on the natural history of Australia and stories from their recent trip down under. Jeff Skevington is a research scientist with the Canadian National Collection [...]
Third Annual OFNC Members Photo Night
By Barry Cottam Nine presenters turned out on a messy winter’s night, with about a dozen more folks in the audience, for our 3rd annual members photo night event. Organizers Hume Douglas and Barry Cottam had some initial concern about the low numbers, but then were kept on their toes finding time for everyone to present as much as they wished. The room at the Neatby Building had already been set up with tables and chairs, an arrangement we decided [...]
Help save the American Eel: write a letter now
by Ken Buchan, OFNC Conservation Committee Note: The deadline for submissions is 18 March 2016 Background American Eel (Anguilla rostrata). See Freezing Nature for more photos The American Eel (Anguilla rostrata), once common over a large portion of eastern Canada, has declined dramatically in much of its Canadian range due to pressures from fishing, dams blocking migration routes, hydro turbines, habitat degradation, and pollution. According to Conservation Committee member, Ian Whyte, "There were eels in the Ottawa region, [...]
FWG participates in the Great Backyard Bird Count
An American Robin getting a drink from still-open water in our creek by Sandy Garland This year, a group of FWG volunteers reported the smallest number of birds ever, although not the fewest species. The bitter cold over the weekend likely drove most birds into shelter. David Hobden, who leads this activity for us, writes, "The FWG has participated for a number of years, with a group count on Friday morning and often counts done at other times [...]