The Ottawa Field-Naturalists’ Birds Committee
By Claire Elliott The 2014-2015 OFNC Birds Committee. Every month a dedicated group of OFNC bird enthusiasts meet at the Fletcher Wildlife Garden to discuss bird-related news in the Ottawa region and to plan bird-related events and conservation initiatives. If you have participated in a bird-related OFNC event, visited a bird feeder located in an Ottawa greenspace, or requested help with an ID from identifications@ofnc.ca, there is a good chance you have come in contact with the work [...]
NCC resources and land management: problems and possible solutions
By Bailey Cooke Bailey Cooke is a second-year University of Ottawa student in biology and geology. This winter, Bailey is volunteering with the OFNC through the Community Service Learning program. On Wednesday, February 18, the Ottawa Field-Naturalists’ Club held a workshop at the Fletcher Wildlife Garden to discuss natural history conservation in the Ottawa-Gatineau region. The evening kicked off with a presentation by Eva Katic from the National Capital Commission (NCC). Eva, manager of Natural Resources and Land Management - Greenbelt talked [...]
Beginners’ guide to nature
by Sandy Garland Thanks to participants Jim Picken and Eric Cohen who contributed photos for this posting. Porcupine ambling down the trail March came in with a porcupine this year, when OFNC members Dave Moore and Bev McBride led a nature walk in Stony Swamp. On Sunday, a small group of people gathered at Jack Pine Trail, eager to learn about the natural world and grateful to be outside on a mild, sunny day. Although it was a [...]
Wildlife on vacation – an all inclusive look at Cuba
By Bailey Cooke Bailey Cooke is a 2nd-year University of Ottawa student in biology and geology. This winter, Bailey is volunteering with the OFNC through the Community Service Learning program. Cuban Trogon Tuesday, February 10, the Ottawa Field-Naturalists' Club held their first monthly meeting of 2015 at the Central Experimental Farm’s Neatby Building, situated at 960 Carling Avenue. After a short social, the meeting kicked off with a poem read by OFNC’s long-time member and resident poet Murray Citron. The fantasia-themed poem, [...]
The taste of salt
Robert Lennox submerged in his study of salmon migration Robert Lennox is a PhD student at Carleton University. He is working on Atlantic salmon migration in Norway in Steve Cooke's lab (more info). He is also an avid naturalist with a special interest in birds. Every winter the first snowfall brings out an army of trucks, ploughing - and heavily salting - Ottawa's streets and highways to keep them safe. But safety comes at a price. Not only [...]
Second annual OFNC members’ photo night
By Claire Elliott and Barry Cottam Snapping Turtle by Josh McCullough On Saturday evening, January 17, Barry Cottam and Hume Douglas hosted the second annual OFNC Member’s Photo Night. To accommodate the growing popularity of this event, the meeting was held at the Central Experimental Farm's Neatby Building, the location of the OFNC monthly meetings. Fourteen club photographers presented to a group of a couple of dozen onlookers. The emergent theme of the night seemed to be naturalists [...]
Member profile – Diane Lepage
by Julia Cipriani 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 features profiles of members to showcase the incredible array of natural history enthusiasts. Whether you’ve just joined or are a lifetime member, please contact ottawaofnc@gmail.com if you’d like to share your natural history story! Many members know Diane as the champion for the Butterfly Meadow at Fletcher Wildlife [...]
Christmas Bird Count 2014: Downy’s and Hairy’s and Grebes, oh my!
by Lucy Patterson Lucy Patterson is a an OFNC member and a PhD student in Biology at the University of Ottawa. Peter Lin very kindly provided the photos. On Sunday, December 14th, 2014, over a hundred birders dug out their binoculars, bird guides and datasheets, and headed out to count every feathered creature they could find in the Ottawa area. It was the day of the 2014 Christmas Bird Count (CBC) in Ottawa, and the weather was near perfect: temperatures [...]
My experience as an OFNC blogger
By Jessica Sutton Jessica Sutton is a 2nd-year University of Ottawa student in Environmental Studies and Biology. This fall, Jessica volunteered with the OFNC through the university's Community Service Learning (CSL) program. The CSL program creates "placements" that link interested students with community organizations who will supervise a student's 30 hours of volunteer work on a specified project over the course of a semester. I really enjoyed my placement! As a student, I am constantly writing academic-style pieces and lengthy lab [...]