Four dedicated volunteers monitored 44 boxes once a week from March 30 to September 8 with the following results: 50 bluebirds, 63 tree swallows and 15 house wrens. There were twelve successful Bluebird nestings in ten of our boxes and seven unsuccessful nestings (eggs predated by wrens, dead bluebirds fledglings, etc.). We found a lot…
Tag: birding
Recap - 2024 Chimney Swift Watch
11 people showed up during a break in the stormy weather of May 22nd to watch 96 chimney swifts enter the chimneys at Residence on West and the Desjardin Insurance building. That is the highest count in the past three years! It was beautiful to see so many chittering birds circling a sky filled with…
Exploring East Coulson Swamp: A Chilly Spring Outing with the Orillia Naturalists Club
On a crisp spring evening, eight nature enthusiasts from the Orillia Naturalists Club gathered for our last Sights & Sounds outing to the East Coulson Swamp, a pristine nature reserve protected by the Nature Conservancy of Canada. Although the air was cool and the sky blue, we were eager to explore this unique wetland ecosystem…
Sights & Sounds #2: A Refreshing Evening Stroll at George Langman Sanctuary
The Orillia Naturalists’ Club embarked on a tranquil journey through George Langman Sanctuary, greeted by a cooler breeze at 7 degrees Celsius. Despite a day of rain, fortune smiled upon us as we ventured around the sanctuary without a single drop falling from the sky. Our senses were treated to a plethora of natural wonders,…
Recap: Migration Birding at Point Pelee with Jeremy Bensette
We had over 50 people attend our virtual meeting with guest speaker Jeremy Bensette. HIGHLIGHTS: Perfect geography for migration since the landscape reaches into Lake Erie; Many migratory birds prefer to follow coastlines; Great Lakes make a southward “funnel” shape; Southernmost point in mainland Canada; 20 square kilometres of protected naturalist habitat. A mix of…
Christmas Bird Count Summary 2023
Warm weather with barely any snow and a wide open lake made for an enjoyable count, but definitely different. Teams were able to stay out longer because of the weather but there were also birds missing from the count. Overall 11,220 individual birds counted (slightly lower than last year). There were 68 species, which is a…
Sights & Sounds #2 Outing
Location: Ramara Trail Date: April 19th Well I can just say that this week’s walk was a huge difference from last week’s. This week it was about 4 degrees C compared to last weeks 25 degrees. All 11 stalwart walkers were bundled up against the cold as we walked down the Ramara Trail. Despite the…