Here we are, with Paul Keddy
Paul Keddy (left), with OFNC friends Paul Catling and Dan Brunton by Lynn Ovenden Dr. Paul Keddy drove to Ottawa last Tuesday from his home deep in the forest of Lanark County to speak to a large meeting of OFNC members in the Neatby Building. He drove from forest on the marble and gneiss of a Precambrian continent, across the Ordivician limestone of an ancient sea, to the recent sediments of a post-glacial delta and seabed that underlie [...]
Visit to Canadian National Collection of Insects, Arachnids & Nematodes
By Barry Cottam Dr. Owen Lonsdale, Collection Manager for CNC On Saturday afternoon, February 15, about two dozen of us gathered in the foyer of the Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada's Neatby Building in eager anticipation of a tour of the Canadian National Collection (CNC) of Insects, Arachnids and Nematodes. The CNC is one of the largest insect collections in the world, with 17 million pinned specimens stashed away in cases piled high in special cabinets. The collection is so [...]
Flower flies!
Written on the fly by Lynn Ovenden The OFNC monthly meeting on Tuesday (February 11) last week was a big one, actually a joint meeting with the Ottawa Entomology Club. There were well over 100 of us in the salons of the Neatby Building (our new meeting location) buzzing with news and renewed acquaintances. Murray Citron opened the program with his poem inspired by a mating pair of Dragonflies. We listened rapt in silence to his ode and the sober [...]
Macoun Club snowshoes through forest and swamp
By Rob Lee Macoun Club members identifying signs of Emerald Ash Borers On their February 8th field trip, the Macoun Field Club snowshoed across their Study Area's biggest cedar and ash swamp in Ottawa's Greenbelt. We crossed deer, hare, and fisher tracks so often that most of the kids came to know them on sight. Ermine and shrew tracks, each seen only once or twice, required a good deal of prompting. From time to time we looked overhead [...]
Playing with light: an introduction to microscopy with Paul Hamilton
By Barry Cottam We field-naturalists tend to think the great outdoors and all its visible flora and fauna are pretty much where it’s at. We extend our vision with binoculars, spotting scopes, macro- and telephoto lenses. Often we’ll use a hand loupe to check out smaller items. But those of us who experienced Paul Hamilton’s whirlwind tour through the vast and intriguing world of microscopy will be forgiven for wanting something much stronger than a loupe. The "real" world for [...]
A visit to Long Point and its bird observatory
The Slanty Shanty on Long Point offers excellent protection from the wind and sun, an excellent view of tip birds, and a place to sit - photo by Rob Alvo by Rob Alvo, Bob Manson and Peter Manson What serious birder wouldn’t take flight at the chance for a week at an isolated prime location during the peak of spring migration? An announcement in Bird Studies Canada's e-newsletter read, "Are you interested in experiencing spring migration at the Tip of [...]
Many ways of seeing nature: OFNC members’ photo night
By Barry Cottam On January 18th at the Fletcher Wildlife Garden (FWG) interpretive centre, at least a couple dozen people came out for the OFNC members’ photography night, hosted by Hume Douglas and Barry Cottam. Eleven presenters took us to locations near and far in a nice mix of exotic and local that proved to be a perfect photographic pot luck. Photo by: Victor Rakmil We were treated to terrific views of the birds of New Zealand and Australia by [...]
Food for birds and other wildlife at the Fletcher Wildlife Garden
by Christine Hanrahan I thought it might be interesting to compile a list of all the natural food sources around the Fletcher Wildlife Garden, used by wildlife. I include only plants on which I have actually seen birds or other wildlife feed. Many are obvious, of course, the crabapples, mountain ash, wild grape, sumac, and cones of various conifers. What I find interesting, and hope you do too, is the number of weedy plants that are used by wildlife, mostly [...]
Year in review: 135th Annual OFNC Business Meeting
By Natalie Sopinka Diane Lepage holding award from Nature Canada for OFNC's volunteer efforts during the 2013 BirdLife International Congress. With over 30 members in attendance at the Fletcher Wildlife Garden Interpretive Centre, the 135th OFNC Annual Business Meeting was called to order by President Fenja Brodo. Some notable sightings were discussed first including a merlin enjoying a feast of pigeon and playful house finches bathing in a divot of ice. Fondly remembered were Bob Bracken, one of the [...]