Nine teams had a tough job with the weather this year, with cool temperatures and snow almost the entire day. Even in those conditions, there were some new records of note. It was apparent how important bird feeders are to count numbers! 6905 TOTAL BIRDS 264 (Total individuals) Species in Count Week or Unidentified 63 …
Activities
2021 Bluebird Update
Leanore Wianko provided an update on the 29 Bluebird boxes that she maintains and monitors along the 12th Concession in Oro Medonte and Bass Lake Sideroad. Number of Fledglings this year: 20 Eastern Bluebirds (worst count ever and not sure why)13 American Robins35 Tree Swallows (a record number)22 House Wrens Leanore noted challenging conditions this…
THE NATURE BOOK OF THE MONTH FOR NOVEMBER IS JUNGLE PEACE BY WILLIAM BEEBE
Nancy Ironside, ONC member, has reviewed Jungle Peace by William Beebe.When Jungle Peace was published in 1918, Theodore (Teddy) Roosevelt wrote a Book Review, published in the New York Times.He advised all who love good books, very good books to get this book of Mr. Beebe. And so do I.Mr. Beebe, he says, was a…
THE NATURE BOOK OF THE MONTH FOR JULY IS UNDERLAND BY ROBERT MACFARLAND
Underland: A deep time journey, by Robert Macfarlane, is one of those rare books that defies categorization. Naturalists will love it, as will history buffs, as will those of a more philosophical bent. It is about our relationship with that which lies beneath, the underland.Macfarlane ranges around the world and through time, pulling together the…
THE NATURE BOOK OF THE MONTH FOR JUNE IS UNDER A WHITE SKY:THE NATURE OF THE FUTURE BY ELIZABETH KOLBERT
The Army Corps of Engineers once boasted of the Mississippi River, “We harnessed it, straightened it, regularized it, shackled it.” This is the reason that southern Louisiana is disintegrating. If control is the problem, then by people’s reasoning, more control must be the solution.Elizabeth Kolbert, the Pulitzer Prize winning author of The Sixth Extinction,…
The Nature Book of the Month for May is The Entangled Life - How Fungi Make our worlds, change our minds, and shape our Future by Merlin Sheldrake
Sue Deadman recommends this book. She is one of Orillia Naturalists’ Club’s best all round Naturalist, and recently became interested in fungi, as well. Here is her review. ENTANGLED LIFE – How fungi make our worlds, change our minds and shape our futuresBy Merlin Sheldrake Merlin Sheldrake is a biologist with a PhD in tropical…
The Nature book of the Month for April is Braiding Sweetgrass: Indigenous Wisdom and Knowledge by Robin Wall Kimmerer
Kyra Howes of the Nottawasaga Conservation Authority and a long time friend of the ONC and the Couchiching Conservancy sends us this report; Braiding Sweetgrass is very aptly named since this book interweaves stories of Indigenous culture, science and botany, and personal stories. The author, Robin Wall Kimmerer, is an excellent storyteller and each of…
Piping Plovers Presentation
Thank you to Andrea Gress from Birds Canada for the very interesting and entertaining presentation on Piping Plovers. You had us laughing while also learning about this species and the challenges they face.
March 3 Zoom -WILD PIG PILOT PROJECT WITH SPEAKER ERICA NEWMAN
Wild Pig Pilot Project & Research UpdateWhat is a wild pig, and are they really in Ontario? Erica will give a brief background on wild pigs in North America, and outline research findings from the ministry’s recent work with this invasive species. She’ll discuss why wild pigs are such a challenge for wildlife managers and…
THE MARCH NATURE BOOK OF THE MONTH IS NATURES BEST HOPE BY DOUGLAS THALLAMY
Sharon Hancock, a long time member of the Orillia Naturalists’ Club, noted for her dinners, and for her gardening , both at home and at the Hermitage, (a property near her home), has recommended this book to us. Worried about the planet? Change can start in your own back yard according to Douglas W. Tallamy.…
THE FEBRUARY NATURE BOOK OF THE MONTH IS SPILLOVER, ANIMAL INFECTIONS AND THE NEXT HUMAN PANDEMIC, BY DAVID QUAMMEN
He has been called “our best science writer”, which is probably true. Reviewed by Nancy Ironside.This may be the toughest, the most unpleasant and the most significant book I have ever read – all 710 pages of it.It is primarily about viruses that have an animal reservoir – zoonotic viruses. Veterinary science and human medicine…
Trivia Night
Thanks everyone for taking part in Trivia Night! About 40 people took part, and answered ID questions on plants, amphibians, reptiles, mammals and birds. There were even bonus marks for scientific names. A big thank you to Toby Rowland for putting the trivia together and sharing his great photos and videos! There was…