About 20 people arrived at the Hermitage, in Oro-Medonte for a winter outing. Some came early and left early, some came early and left late. Groups and couples skied, snowshoed or walked the trails, sometimes only part of the trail, sometimes all of the trail, and some did the trail twice. Some just sat…
Activities
WILDFLOWERS OF SIMCOE COUNTY FEBRUARY 5 ,2020
Dave Hawk chatted with some members of the audience On Wednesday February 5, Dave Hawke, author, writer, and Stewardship Program Manager, for the Couchiching Conservatory showed us beautiful photos of some of his favourite flora which are naturally occurring in Simcoe County, a county with very diverse habitats.For those who knew…
BATS MYSTERIOUS AND MISUNDERSTOOD January 8, 2020
Tanya Clark, Matt Thompson and Rob Laidlaw The Orillia Naturalists heard Rob Laidlaw make a pitch for the much- maligned bat. Rob is a veteran of animal advocacy worldwide, and author of several award- winning children’s books promoting animal advocacy (including “Bat Citizens – Defending the Ninjas of the Night”). He held the attention of…
Christmas Bird count, pot luck supper and tally, December 14, 2019
FAQ: How was the bird count? Answer: surprisingly good.The weather was challenging at times, among the worst since we started in 2005, but the participants reported that it was fun.There were 9 teams with a total of 39 people out in the field searching. We had 51 bird species and 3998 birds. Total birds were…
The Life and Times of the Common Loon November 6/19
Mark Peck, Manager of the Schad Gallery of Biodiversity at the Royal Ontario Museum, spoke to the Orillia Naturalists’ Club on November 6, at the Orillia Museum of Art and History. He started at the ROM in 1993, but has been active in many other projects, all connected to his passion for birds. His subject…
BEST PLACES TO BIRD IN ONTARIO with Mike Burrell October 2/19
The Orillia Naturalists’ Club was treated to a summary of a book co-authored by the presenter, Mike Burrell, at the recent Club monthly meeting. Mike hails from Waterloo, Ontario and has a very busy life in the birding community with such activities as being Zoologist for the Ontario Natural Heritage Center, co-ordinator for ebird in…
Sunday, September 29, 2019 COPELAND FOREST
It was a beautiful fall day when 6 of us walked about 4 km around a small loop in the Copeland Forest management area. This 4400 acre area is managed by the Ministry of Natural Resources and Forest and is a multi-use forest. We saw bike riders, horse riders, mushroom hunters and dog walkers. We…
Joint Meeting of the Huronia Clubs hosted by the Orillia Club
Tuesday, Sept. 10, 2019, the annual joint meeting of the Huronia Nature Clubs was held in St. James’ Anglican Church Auditorium, hosted this year by the Orillia Naturalists’ Club. We heard reports from the presidents of Nature Barrie, Midland, Carden, The Couchiching Conservancy and Orillia. All the Clubs are doing well, although there is continued…
Summer Monitoring walk of Carthew Bay property
Tall Thimbleweed July 24th, 2019 5 members of our club went on our summer monitoring walk of the Couchiching Conservancy Carthew Bay Property. It was a beautiful day and we saw a Scarlet Tanager pair, an Indigo Bunting and many wild flowers and fungi. Pictures taken by Allan Thompson
Orillia Naturalists’ Club visit the Bruce Peninsula
Ten members of the Club ventured to the Bruce to explore the region and meet with Arni and Dianne Stinnissen, two past members of the Club. “The Bruce Peninsula is the largest remaining intact natural habitat in southern Ontario with more than 19% of protected land and acts as an important flyway for migrating birds.…
Tuesday, May 28, 2019 8:00 p.m. Chimney Swift Night
Members of the Naturalists’ Club watching the circulating swifts, waiting for them to enter the chimney at the old Armouries. A small, but enthusiastic, group meet yearly to monitor the chimney swifts as they enter chimneys in the spring – to roost or maybe to mate or maybe to nest.On May 10, 2016 we watched…
Saturday, May 25, 2019 Cowan Trail Bird Outing.
Never trust the weather. With predictions of rain, thunder and lightning only a small enthusiastic group showed up. However, with a 7 am start, we were able to get 3 hours of great birding. Even before leaving the Cowan parking area, Ian Cook, our expert birder and leader, spotted a Golden-winged warbler high in a…