On Wednesday, March 6, the Orillia Naturalists’ Club held a Botany Quiz, a fun way to learn to identify the flowers that you see when you when you walk in the places you love. This has been a long winter – the snow arrived while the leaves were still falling, and has never left us.…
Activities
Snowshoe Outing to East Coulson Swamp Nature reserve Sat Feb 23/19
The snowshoe adventure at East Coulson Swamp was well attended by members of the Orillia Naturalists’ Club. The morning weather was perfect for our hike. The group seemed to be happy to be outside enjoying nature’s bounty once again. Denis and Carolyn Paccagnella and Heather Ewing were responsible for the group. We first went to…
Wednesday, February 6, 2019 ADVANCES IN DNA SEQUENCING: How we will assess WaterQuality in the future. Speaker: Dr Tom Edge, Adjunct Professor, Department of Biology, McMaster University
Chances are if you watch television or spend any time on social media you will have heard something about DNA testing. Many people are exploring their ancestry by using this technology. The Orillia Naturalists’ Club learned how advances in DNA sequencing expertise is currently used to explore and monitor microbial water quality. Dr.…
Parasitic Invertebrates of Local Parks, Wednesday Jan 2, 2019 by Phil Careless
On January 2nd the Orillia Naturalists were squirming in their seats as Phil Careless passed a preserved bedbug around and presented his talk on “Bizarre Interactions and Partnerships of Parasitic Invertebrates of Local Parks.” Phil describes himself as a “Mechanic of the Environment.” He is endlessly curious about nature and the more he learns the…
Christmas Bird Count Dec 15, 2018
This is the biggest Citizen Science project undertaken by many nature clubs. People drive around in cars, walk sometimes, check out feeders, ask friends to check out their feeders too, and eventually, after the potluck, at the evening Tally we come up with a list, which we submit to Bird Studies Canada.There are different challenges…
November 7/18: Dan Strickland, on the Topic: Our Amazing Canada Jays
Go jays go. That’s what the Orillia Naturalists’ Club was saying when they gathered on November 7th to hear Dan Strickland speak about the distinguished Canada Jay. Dan Stickland worked as the chief park naturalist of Algonquin Park from 1972 to 2000. He received his Bachelor of Science from University of Toronto then went on…
Hike at the Adams Nature Reserve October 13, 2018
Twenty-three Orilla Naturalists Club members and friends joined together on Saturday, October 13th at the Adams Nature Reserve on Cooper’s Falls Road near Washago to explore the property. Heather and Alec Adams offered two guided hikes – one fast-paced and one slower-paced. This 100+ acre property was purchased by the couple in 1973 and visited…
Butterflies fluttering across the country, with James Kamstra
What do ladies, admirals, skippers and hairstreaks all have in common? They are all butterflies of course! On October 3, 2018 the Orillia Naturalist Club had their first meeting of season. It was a full house for James Kamstra, the guest speaker. The title of his presentation was “Butterfly Wonder” and after listening to his…
Nonquon Lagoon trip on June 9th, 2018
Seven members of the Orillia Naturalists’ joined Geoff Carpenter on June 9th as we visited the Nonquon lagoons in Port Perry. These lagoons are no longer used for sewage, but are kept as a bird sanctuary. All of us had obtained their mandatory access permits before we headed out on our adventure. Geoff Carpenter…
Chimney Swift night June 5, 2018
Leanore Wiancko and Kay Price have faithfully monitored this chimney for a number of years, and every year some of us have joined them. On a very cold night, with occasional spattering of light rain, a group gathered to observe Chimney Swift activity at our usual site – the chimney at the Opera House. At…
Cowan Trail Birding Hike - May 26
The predicted rain held off for our hike at the Cowan Trail on Saturday which allowed us to enjoy the walk and the 35 bird species we saw and heard. The highlights included a pair of Black-billed cuckoos and an activity singing Brewsters Warbler. Thanks to Donald MacDonald for supplying these great pictures.
AN INTRODUCTION TO MOLECULAR PHYLOGENETICS PRESENTED BY Dr. Troy McMullin from the Canadian Museum of Nature in Ottawa
On Thursday May 10, 2018 at Grant’s Woods, Couchiching Conservancy’s meeting room, Division Rd, Severn Twp How are things related to each other? Most of us have come to think of DNA as the final answer, but Troy stressed that many DNA analyses are just one tool for classification and identification and should be added…