On Saturday, April 21, a lively group of adults joined their enthusiastic kids/grandkids for an evening adventure on Linda Sewell's beautiful property.  We arrived at 8pm (a real treat for some of the little ones who are often in bed by then!) and made our way to a nearby field just before the sun set.  Jeff Skevington led us on a birding walk and we were lucky to hear American Woodcock and 4 species of owl. The Young Macs got to try their Barred Owl calls and some were not bad at all!

Once the darkness settled in we went back to the ponds where Angela Skevington organized the Young Macs in a very fun search of the ponds where they collected specimens and put them, temporarily, into pans so that everyone had a good look and learned how to identify each species.  Many Eastern Newts were found along with numerous insects, such as water boatmen, predacious diving beetles and a water scorpion.  Drawing the greatest attention though was a diving water bug, best known to the kids as the "toe-biter". Interestingly for this time of year, we did not see or hear a frog.  They are very late this year.

Many thanks to Angela, Jeff and Linda for a memorable evening.

It’s amphibian time of year! A chorus of frogs has erupted in the woods and wetlands. The Young Macs were delighted to have Matt Ellerbeck, from Save the Salamanders to talk about how to help our amphibian friends. It was a beautiful spring day but nice and cool in the barn, the preferred salamander conditions. The kids were delighted to get to see various species including those that might be hiding in their own backyards. This was followed by the Frog and Salamander walk the next day as part of the regular Macnamara outings. 

Written by Telsing Andrews

We had a great time in our old fashioned sugar bush. We discussed the importance of temperatures oscillating below zero Celsius at night and above during the day so that there is alternating between sucking up water from the ground during the night and pushing out sap during the day. It was too cold for any sap flow on our walk that day. For more on this process and how Carbon dioxide is involved, see this article on sapflow.

We looked at how we tap about 3 feet up on the sunny side of the larger trees, ideally under a large limb. And we talked about the 40:1 ratio of sap to syrup. Then we watched the evaporator at work boiling and concentrating the sugars from the sap collected during the week.

Several degrees below zero, but sunny, some of the items on our winter scavenger hunt were hiding so we didn’t see any geese or ravens but we did find winter damage, moss, ferns, metamorphic rock, beech trees, evidence of squirrels, and woodpecker holes. After visiting a very old maple, entirely hollow up the main trunk and covered in moss, we headed back to sample some maple syrup: the first boil of 2016 and the last of 2015. It was a close contest but I think first boil of 2016 won by a few votes.

Written by Telsing Andrews.

Lots of Young Macs and their parents turned out for another beautiful walk though very different weather than last time as winter’s chill was in the air. There was even a sprinkling of snow. We started off discussing the dynamics of flight including looking at the shape of the wing and feathers using a model and an actual chicken wing. The fun with feathers did not stop there as we tested their insulating quality by sticking our hand in a container full of down. Fun but a little messy! We also discussed why birds migrate before heading out to see some water birds on the shore of Fitzroy Provincial Park.

There was a flock of Canadian geese, and a few red heads too! A big Osprey nest, with its Corvid look out, also drew everyone’s attention. The kids jumped from rock to rock, traced the goose footsteps, talked about the changing colour of autumn leaves and tried their hand at binoculars. Afterwards we all retired to Karen Krueger’s house for some hot chocolate and cookies.

A special thanks to all the Mac mentors that brought their equipment and expertise and to our host!

Written by Telsing Andrews. Photos by Karen Krueger and Betty Michalowski.

Written by Telsing Andrews.

We had a wonderful if muggy morning on September 5, 2015, exploring seed distribution on the Macnamara Trail.

After discussing the importance of seed movement, we caught some burdock, enchanter’s nightshade and beggar’s ticks on pieces of felt, tossed around some maple samaras, and exploded jewelweed pods – abundant at the trailhead. As we walked along, the hard fruit of basswood fluttered down. We stepped on buckthorn fruit and were tempted by flowering raspberry. Across the first boardwalk, we encountered cattails starting to fluff and fly away in the wind.

Steve Duffield showed us various trees along the trail including balsam fir, black cherry and yellow birch.

As the trail headed upland, we encountered the most magnificent fungal flush. We weren’t the only ones there to appreciate the sights. A group of myco-enthusiasts were also there taking a survey. There were plenty of large mushroom specimens including various Lactarius including L. indigo, some Amanita such as fly agaric and Russula.

At the bird feeders, we stopped to do a little drawing and to open some red oak acorns on a hunt for acorn weevil larva. Then it was off to the boardwalk lookout. There were plenty of toads, chipmunks and a garter snakes sighted too. More animal signs included piles of pine cone scales, snapped branches off oak trees, a gnawed bone and bark with pileated woodpecker holes and the daintier orderly ones from a sapsucker. The sounds of chickadees accompanied us back.

Despite the heat, it was a wonderful outing and I’d like to especially thank the Young-at-heart Macs who brought their knowledge and enthusiasm

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Ontario Nature is holding its fifth annual youth summit to bring young leaders across the province together for a weekend of building friendships, learning and outdoor activities.

Click here to register online or here to register offline. Registration will close on Monday, September 8 or when the event reaches its capacity. Refunds will not be issued for cancellations after September 8.

When: September 19-21, 2014
Where: YMCA Geneva Park on Lake Couchiching, Orillia
Wanted: 100 young people in grades 9-12 from across Ontario

Highlights

• Compelling, interactive workshops and activities on topics including everyday green living, endangered species, community event planning, local food and much more
• A keynote presentation by a high-profile environmentalist
• A wonderful venue to explore on Lake Couchiching, complete with hiking trails, canoeing and campfires
• Meeting diverse young leaders with similar interests from across Ontario

Interested in more details? Click here for answers to some Frequently Asked Questions.

We started out on the cold, windy Stonecrest Road, Near MacLaren Side Road, where the Spring Peepers and Wood frogs were in full song. I heard one or two Chorus Frogs when I first arrived, but none during the event. Thanks to Jeff and Angela, we also did a quick pond study with a host of Caddis fly larvae, mosquito larvae, Amphipods and some water boatmen beetles, among others. Due to wind and cold, few birds were seen and heard(a few ducks). Of great interest to Jeff and I was the unusual appearance of 9 Rusty Blackbirds in a pine tree at the corner. They stayed there for most of the time we were present. This was reported to Ebird, making our field trip a significant birding event as well!

As darkness fell and coldness amplified, we convoyed to Mrs. Duffields, and marched into the ponds at the forest edge. Steve gave short review of maple syrup production before we moved onto the pond, where a kidlet captured a spotted salamander before the whole group made it down to the pond.  Kids were having a ball, and yet being respectful to the animals, as we found more and more. Jeff was able to net a blue-spotted salamander and a newt, to show everyone and round out the evening. We even captured a Hellagrammite (Dobson Fly larva) which impressed several of the younger crowd.  Spring Peepers and Wood Frogs abounded, and we were able to net several for quick view.

Thanks again to Steve and Mrs Duffield for being such welcoming hosts.  There were a few wet feet, nothing serious. All the kids, young and old, were very excited, asked a lot of questions and were very much happy with the event which closed down at about 9:30 PM.

On Saturday, January 5th, the YMs spent the morning identifying birds on the Macnamara Trail in Arnprior.  The very first bird we saw was the local and ever charismatic Black-Capped Chickadee.  Walking along the trail, we decided to head directly to the bird feeders to see what we could see, and return at a slower pace.  At the feeders, we were happy to see a small variety of birds waiting for us.  Several Chickadees, White-Breasted Nuthatch, and a Downy Woodpecker were enjoying the feeders and generally not deterred by our presence.  We were able to get very close looks at these individuals, and count the numbers in the area.  Once we had finished our counting, we returned to the front of the trail, after Alicia gave us some interpretive lessons on what we saw.  There were many woodpecker holes, and we discussed the differences in size, especially for the Pileated Woodpecker!  

Our next stop was to Alicia's house to see her backyard feeders, and enjoy some hot chocolate and cookies.  Special thanks to Monique for supplying the goodies! The otherwise active feeders were a little sleepy this morning, but we did see a large number of Common Redpolls.  Everyone had a good time warming up inside, and having good conversation before we all had to go back to school after the winter holidays!  After everyone left, Alicia reported that a Cooper's Hawk came to the feeders and scared all the birds away!  The total species count for this outing was 20.  Thanks to everyone who came along!

On 01 September 2012, a lovely sunny day brought Francine, Gregory, Maureen, Jasper, Mark, Robert, Rowan, Elliott, and Suzanne along with our leaders, Art and Alicia, out on a Butterfly Bonanza for the Young Macnamaras.   

Alicia had a sample of a Monarch butterfly where we saw its front and back sides.  She asked if it was a male or female specimen.  If it has a dark dot/"eyes" on its wing, it is a male.  She also showed fantastic pictures of the different stages that it takes to turn into a Monarch Butterfly from egg to pupae to chrysalis to beautiful flying creature.  We learned that the Monarch Butterflies migrate to Mexico and we saw a picture showing what looks like leaves in a forest but they are all migrating Monarch butterflies.  Pretty impressive! 

Did you know that some butterflies only live in the forest?  Well it's true! 

Gregory was our insect-catcher-extraordinare catching whatever flew by his keen eyes and net.  He was a joy to watch.  The other kids enjoyed the catch and came to see whatever was being shown.  The kids also learned how to be damselflies by putting their arms (wings) back and together.     

Jasper found a wing of a locust which was probably eaten by a flycatcher, blue jay or dragonfly.  

At one point, Art made us all stop for a minute and listen to the sounds of nature.   It was hard.  We heard lots of birds and quite possibly the seed pods breaking in the plants that surrounded us.  Pretty cool! 

Here are some things that we saw on our outing: 

Butterflies

Monarch

Monarch Caterpillars on Milkweed

Painted Lady

Common Cabbage White (Black dot on wing top)

Clouded Sulphur (Female)

Common Ringlet Butterfly (A black spot means it is a Ringlet.  Skippers do not have spots under their wings.)

Eastern Tailed Blue (Has an orange dot on its back wing.)

Dragonflies:  Did you know that the back part of a dragonfly tail determines its species and the stigmata are the dots that you see on dragonfly wings?

Black Meadowhawk (Female and Male)

Common Green Darner (Wow!  It's the biggest dragonfly in Canada and an awfully pretty dragonfly species.

Lance-Tipped Darner – as large as the Green Darner, and a lot harder to find, and even harder to catch. Gregory did a fine job catching this large dragonfly (photo)

White-faced Meadowhawk

More Insects

Wood Moth spp.

Milkweed Tussock Moth Caterpillars (Alicia's favourite caterpillar because they are cute and fuzzy.  They are orange, black with white tufts.)

Damselfly 

Birds

Hairy Woodpecker (Female) 

Botany

Milkweed (The kids enjoyed breaking the milkweed pods up and spreading its seeds.)

Wild Mint (Little Purple Flower)

Chickory

Golden Rod spp

Queen Anne's Lace (Going to Seed)

Wild Parsnip - Black Swallowtail Butterflies or Caterpillars feed on these poisonous plants.

Butter and Eggs Toadflax (Look like small yellow dragonsnap flowers)

Winterberry - Tall bush with lots of red berries

Oregano

Jewel Weed or Touch Me Not (Orange flower in marsh area.  When touched, the seed pods explode.  The kids really enjoyed exploding the seed pods.)

Bullrushes (These are not Cat-tails!)

Swamp Milkweed

Yellow Loosestrife (Native) 

Marsh St. Johnswort- only flowers in the evening.

More Critters and Sightings

Gartersnake

Red Squirrel feeding in the marsh

Deer prints in the marsh area

Painted Turtle (Art explained that the Marsh Highlands also has the endangered Blandings Turtle.) 

All in all, it was a marvellous day filled with lots of wonder and excitement which radiated off the kids.  I always enjoy the Young Macnamara field trips because the information shared is easier for me to retain because it's brought down a notch...if you know what I mean.   

A hearty thank you to both Alicia and Art for leading the Butterfly Bonanza expedition.  

Suzanne Monnon

On a cold, Friday evening in late March, the Young Macs ventured outside in search of amphibians.

Due to the rather interesting weather we had experienced in March, we decided to go ahead and have an earlier Amphibian Walk than normal.  We did find a Blue-Spotted Salamander egg mass and some really neat insects.

The week before had large numbers of Chorus frogs and Spring Peepers calling, so we hoped a similar show would be there to greet us.  Unfortunately, the cold weather kept our frog friends quiet, and we continued on to our second location in search of “sallys”.  After a little searching, we were able to see a few Spotted Salamanders with their bright yellow spots, as well as a couple Blue-Spotted Salamanders, whose spots look brighter when a flashlight is shone upon them.  A small group was also able to see an Eastern Newt later on in the evening.

This outing was very exciting, not only for the “sallys” we found, but because it had a large number of new Young Macs joining us!  We always welcome newcomers to our outings, and we hope you enjoyed the experience you had.  We were also excited to see a number of adults from the Club join us in this experience.

With varying reports that indicated we might have ended up in a deluge of rain, I trusted the farmer’s gut and we decided that taking a risk on going ahead with the outing was a good plan.  And it most certainly was.  Alberto, Joanna and the sunshine welcomed 18 club members for a beautiful if somewhat steamy evening at the farm in Packenham.  The level of enthusiasm for this tour was definitely evident by both the number of interested participants and that most of them arrived even before me.  It was further evidenced by the peppering of questions to Alberto and Joanna and the continued conversation to the end and beyond the end of the formal outing.

Alberto began the tour in the building where he washes his produce and spins it dry in an old washing machine.  He was packaging up lettuces for upcoming orders when we arrived and was happy to show us his process.  Later on, he let us in on some of his time and effort saving technology (a must if you want to make a living at this).  His seed planting guide and paper pot planter were both ingenious.

Alberto’s vision of regenerative agriculture is shaping up very nicely after three years on the farm and will be a work in progress for many years to come.  The farm is “no till” where he uses only mushroom compost, Alfalfa meal and seaweed to enhance the quality of his sandy soil.  Without soil disturbance, the weeds are less likely to grow.  Additionally, the plants themselves, rather than depleting the soil, actually add nutrients.  He also uses Buckwheat as a cover crop and rotates his beds to help minimize disease and maintain the health of his soil.   After seeing year over year improvement in his soil (he says that the organic matter has doubled since he started), he is anxious to test it again this Fall to measure the enrichment from this year’s activity.   Companion planting, successive sowings, appropriate plant variety choices and use of greenhouses to extend the season play a role in keeping this active little farm productive.

Between his garden rows which are irrigated with drip lines drawing on well water, Alberto has put a layer of wood chips.  This makes it both a comfortable walking path and as the chips break down, further adds to the organic matter.  As they break down, more is added which keeps the weeds down.  It seems that about the only thing he does not allow to grow is grass; White and Yellow Clover are allowed to grow provided they are in the right place. Additionally, he keeps hedgerows with many different plants between his rows of crops to encourage the pollinators and provide a place for toads and other wee critters to stay shaded.  The farm is as much about the flora as the fauna.  Alberto says that gray tree frogs are especially partial to his spinach, but that he does not mind sharing.  The Bergamot that is growing will attract the hummingbirds in another few weeks and should brew him up a lovely pot of tea to go with Joanna’s garden-full of luscious strawberries which were a real sweet treat.

There is still some old hayfield on the property which will be cut in August after the Bobolinks are done with it.  The tall greenery provides quite a contrast from the barren farm field from which it was severed.  Experiments with cereal crops are currently underway to determine whether this is a practical and productive endeavour.  The hens do a marvelous job of clearing the ground and with the pen being moved every 5 to 6 weeks, Alberto should have an area cleared out in no time. Fruiting nut tree crops will also be incorporated into the existing stand of forest in the future.

A few highlights, other than the marvellously well thought out and operated farm, were the many nesting birds (House Wren, Tree Swallow, Eastern Bluebirds).  And with only 13% of pre-settlement wetland remaining in the area, the pond dug on the low spot of the property has provided tadpoles of many different species of frogs a lovely habitat to call home.  Once the vegetation grows in to about 50% of the pond, it is expected that the water will stay clean.

What a marvellous and educational visit we had.  Thank you Alberto and Joanna.  Your dedication was inspiring, and it made many of us wish we were much younger.  We look forward to future club visits to see how this wonderful project progresses.

Thank you to all wonderful the participants for attending and adding such value to the outing through your questions and sharing of tidbits of your own experience and information.  Thank you to those who shared their thoughts and photos of the outing to add to the content of this blog.

Please enjoy the pictures.

Respectfully,

Janet McCullough

Field Trip Coordinator, MFNC

After a one-week delay waiting for our Canadian Winter to cooperate, ten participants had a sometimes blustery but not overly cold outing with Karen Krueger through some of the park.  We lost a group of three early on as they wisely managed their own endurance level.  I did not think I would make it far either but managed in the end by going at an easier pace and taking the option of the alternate paths that Karen pointed out. I will re-evaluate the level of difficulty on this one for next year (which Karen has kindly agreed to lead again in 2023).

Most participants were on snowshoes, while others managed well without.  We were led along a route that Karen uses to refill bird feeders that her neighbour has installed in the park.  Most of the trail had already been opened by others the previous day after the latest snowfall.  A few largely respectful snowmobilers passed us on the wider trail. On the smaller trails through the woods, we were well sheltered and were able to enjoy the birds that came to the feeders.  We had a discussion of a pattern for bird feeder made from a recycled Folger’s coffee can.  While the coffee apparently is not very good, the can makes an excellent feeder and Karen Bonnell would be happy to take donations of the can to craft them.

I did almost have to report to the Board of Directors the loss of two members, but our intrepid fellow hikers who decided to take the long way back, rejoined the group at the bridge much to the relief of the wife of one of them.  (At least I think she was happy and that the discussion about collecting insurance was a joke 😉.)  There were no otters, or their air holes seen from the bridge where we waited.  I remembered seeing them there many years ago while on an outing here with a longer-standing club member.  Maybe we’ll see them next time.

A big thank you to Erik Pohanka for keeping the eBird list for us.  He reports that we had 8 species of birds:  Pileated Woodpecker, Blue Jay, American Crow, Black-capped Chickadee, White-breasted Nuthatch, European Starling, Common Redpoll (which was a surprise to Karen in that location) and American Goldfinch.  You will find Erik’s photos of some of these birds along with towering Eastern White Pines, fruit of the Staghorn Sumac, frozen waterfalls on the Terraces Trail, a view of the Carp River from the bridge and a sweet-looking American Red Squirrel along with other photos at the end of this blog.

A big Thank You again to Karen Krueger, all the wonderful participants and Karen’s dog Max who was not on the outing but afterwards paid Erik a visit in the parking lot where they became fast friends. The park was lovely and an outing there at another time of the year might well be in order.

Respectfully,

Janet McCullough

Field Trip Coordinator, MFNC

Participants had a lovely day for a winter car birding outing with Michael.  It was an excellent familiarization tour of the local hotspots in the Arnprior area and I hope that participants were able to revisit those areas to assist with the Packenham-Arnprior bird count on Boxing Day.

Other than the quick side of the road stops, we made a total of four more official stops and spotted a total of twenty-eight species of birds.  There were seven species of waterfowl including all three species of Mergansers (Common, Hooded and Red-breasted).  The female Hooded Merganser was an unexpected find and Michael believed it had an issue with its wing that prevented it from leaving the area.  The water where she was located was still open and she was actively feeding.

We saw corvids (American Crow, Common Raven and Blue Jay) and saw or heard woodpeckers (Pileated, Hairy, Downy and I will include White-breasted Nuthatch here).  Many of the expected winter birds (Dark-eyed Juncos, American Tree Sparrows, 600 Snow Buntings and even a Horned Lark amongst one of the Bunting flocks) were seen as well as many other birds commonly seen throughout the year (Northern Cardinal, Black –capped Chickadees, American Goldfinch etc.)

We did not see the Peregrine Falcon which has been roosting on the Catholic church in town and only two raptor species (Red-tailed Hawk and Bald Eagle) were spotted on the remainder of the route.

The Belted Kingfisher and the Common Goldeneye were particularly fun to watch from the Arnprior boat launch.

We hope everyone enjoyed the outing and benefitted from Michael’s depth of knowledge of the birds and the areas around Arnprior which they frequent.

The eBird lists for the outing can be found at:

eBird Checklist - 9 Dec 2021 - Arnprior, Ontario, CA (45.403, -76.317) - 17 species

eBird Checklist - 9 Dec 2021 - Arnprior--Robert Simpson Park - 5 species

eBird Checklist - 9 Dec 2021 - Arnprior Boat Ramp - 11 species

eBird Checklist - 9 Dec 2021 - 249 Baskin Drive East, Arnprior, Ontario, CA (45.413, -76.354) - 6 species

eBird Checklist - 9 Dec 2021 - 22 Baskin Drive East, Arnprior, Ontario, CA (45.424, -76.368) - 3 species

If participants have photos to add to the eBird list, please send me you eBird name or email account that is attached to your eBird account and I will add you to the eBird list.

A big Thank You to Michael and all the participants.

My apologies for the delay in submitting the blog.

Respectfully,

Janet McCullough

Field Trip Coordinator, MFNC

While it was a chilly day with a few surprise snow squalls (one of which filled a participant’s binoculars), Janet Mason, a former board member of Macnamara Field Naturalists’ Club and Chair of the Friends of the Carp River Inc. challenged participants with many questions about our knowledge of the Carp River watershed.  She kept us moving at a brisk pace between stops where some of us (well, me anyway) displayed our complete ignorance of the waterway which lies entirely within the boundaries of the City of Ottawa right near our own neighbourhood.

We learned that the river begins at the Old Quarry Trail in Kanata and ends 42 kilometers later at the Ottawa River at Fitzroy. The area was dredged in the early 1900’s to create a 200-year flood plain.   Restoration has been undertaken along 2 of the 4 kilometers area (from HWY 417 to Richardson Side Road) to increase the water storage capacity while ensuring the same amount of water leaves the watershed as before.  The differences in the several ponds along the stretch hiked was highlighted and we now know not to look for turtles in the stormwater pond.

Janet discussed the shoreline management practices and arrangements made with local developers.  Sixteen hectares (5%) of the watershed were allowed for development and despite some poor choices in plant selection by those developers, this restoration is an excellent example of how natural areas can co-exist in commercial/suburban settings, providing habitat, recreation, and ecosystem services for adjacent and downstream communities.

We saw thirteen species of birds of some 150 which have been eBirded throughout all four seasons.  The deciduous and evergreen trees (many of which were planted by local Girl Guides years ago) were noted along with the great variety of Ottawa’s 13 species of Willow plant, many grasses and wildflowers which grow along the way.

Plans for a smart phone ecotracker App and a Living Classroom project are in the works by the Mississippi Regional Conservation Authority.   So, stay tuned for those.  Friends of the Carp River currently have six projects on the go along the watershed and we were encouraged to enter all observations to the iNaturalist App.

For more information about the Carp River Conservation Area, please see:  https://friendsofthecarpriver.com/?page_id=1464.

The eBird list for the outing can be found at:

eBird Checklist - 2 Nov 2021 - Kanata--Carp River Watershed Reclamation Area - 12 species (+1 other taxa)

Thank you to Janet Mason and all the wonderful the participants.

My apologies for the delay in submitting the blog.

Respectfully,

Janet McCullough

Field Trip Coordinator, MFNC

Photos below courtesy of: Julian Romeski, Arlene Harrold, Linda Murphy and me.

    ,                     

Once again, you are invited to showcase a prized nature or natural history possession or experience.

You don’t need to have nature photos to share. You might prefer to read a poem you’ve written or talk about a new trail you’ve explored or an interesting nature book you’ve read the past year.

Please email any visuals (photo or PPT) of the item or topic you wish to showcase to John Lawrence at johndrlawrence8@gmail.com by Monday, January 3.

Try to package your “show and tell” into five minutes and keep your photos to less than five. Please identify the email as Show and Tell.

We’re also repeating an option we introduced for our 2021 Member’s Night, challenging members to submit a single photo reflecting some aspect of nature taken this year "at home," (within your yard/property). Include when it was taken (i.e. any date in 2021) and a sentence or two or three about your subject.  

Email your content to John by January 3, 2022. Please identify the email as Nature at Home.

We’ll still be recording your special sightings as well so send the details in advance to John Lawrence at as well as any questions you may have. Please identify the email as Sightings. Photos aren’t required but are helpful if you have one. As in our regular meetings, Michael will offer his comments.

Members’ Outing – Mosses on the Macnamara Nature Trail with Jennifer Doubt 23 October 2021

We had perfect weather for nine club members on the Macnamara Nature Trail to look for and learn about mosses and liverworts with Jennifer Doubt and Grad student, Cassandra Robillard.  Their interest in and knowledge of their subject was more than evident in the genuine enthusiasm with which they presented information about the findings along the trail.  It was a lovely relaxed but extremely informative format which made for an enjoyable outing.  All that “green stuff” was differentiated into seemingly endless variation.  The hand lenses Jennifer loaned to participants were really appreciated by those not already owning either them or a macro lens for their cell phones.  Microscopes might also now be on some peoples’ Christmas wish list as some mosses can only be identified to species level with one.

Posting to iNaturalist was encouraged and Cassandra did some follow-up after the outing to identify some of the photos entered by outing participants.  New species for the area were found and our outing contributed to citizen science through the identification of some locally rare species.  As there are many aspects of mosses which are not well studied, posting moss findings to iNaturalist for future researches to draw upon is very important.

As with fungi, some of the common English names of the mosses were most humorous (Tortured Tortella Moss, Poodle Moss, Pocket Moss and this was the best – Electrified Cat’s Tail Moss).  Other mosses and Liverworts had English names which fit their look (Woodsy Thyme Moss, Flat-leaved Scalewort, Red-stemmed Feather Moss, Tree Moss and Ontario Rose Moss).  The latter can be found on the Nopiming Trail near the memorial bench.

While the information was overwhelming, even a newbie to mosses like me found some information salient enough that I will remember (Many mosses are one cell thick, non-vascular and therefore absorb nutrients directly through their cell structure; There is more than one species of Peat Moss; Some species require dampness for the male sperm to swim to the ova for reproduction; Rhizoids anchor mosses in place to rocks, trees, or materials.)  The true moss people (sorry, no strange aliens but rather members who really love mosses) were just in their glory with all the findings on the trail.

Please enjoy the pictures and list of mosses and liverworts attached to the blog,

Thank you to all wonderful the participants.

Respectfully,

Janet McCullough

Field Trip Coordinator, MFNC

Members’ Outing – Geological Processes with Jean Dougherty 22 October 2021

Well, after a cancellation for rain, the day before, (again, my weather magic is really gone), eleven club members had a wonderful, albeit a little chilly, outing at very scenic Pinhey’s Point to hear about and see the effects of geological processes in our area and beyond.

Jean, a retired geologist who spent her career with the Geological Survey of Canada and current the chair of the Canadian Association for the Club of Rome, began with an overview of the major geological time periods and an explanation of the geological processes which have shaped the Ottawa Valley and beyond.  Her wonderful maps are unfortunately no longer available thanks to a previous government’s lack of understanding of the importance of science education.  This fact provided an opportunity to discuss the importance of government policy on education in geology.

Some participants were well versed in the subject of Geology.  Others, not so much.  So, Jean answered questions which ranged from the well informed to the totally self-serving (Where are we most earthquake proof in Ottawa?) and had some interesting and funny experiences to share.  She also connected with a few people with whom she had professional acquaintances in common.

Some of us learned what was meant by a “type collection” (THE one representative example of the invertebrate or plant etc. to which other examples are compared), what causes earthquakes in Ottawa (they are due to ground rebounding from the weight of the ice sheets after they receded not tectonic plate movement like the San Andreas Fault), the importance of Lida clay and the consequences of ignoring the geology upon which we build structures.  Now I know why my daughter’s job of measuring the water flow in these areas is so important.

While walking the grounds, we examined the rocks and tried to determine which ones were Erratics versus decorative additions by the landscape planners.  We saw fossils and both saw the landscape of the Gatineau hills and imagined what it had been millions of years in the past.  Jean explained participants’ findings from the area and some that had been brought from their own properties.

All in all, while chilly, it was a very informative outing in a lovely location.

Thank you to all wonderful the participants.

Please enjoy the pictures attached to the blog.

Respectfully,

Janet McCullough

Field Trip Coordinator, MFNC

Well, after a cancellation for rain, the week prior, (guess my weather magic is gone), nine club members had a wonderful outing looking for and learning about fungi with Jonathan.  We are very lucky to have Jonathan as a club member.  He was described as a knowledgeable mycologist and “High end”.

The outing started with a bit of very interesting and much appreciated information about the High Lonesome Nature Reserve from Art Goldsmith (also lucky to have him as a club member – albeit his humour sometimes got the best of us).   Art pointed us in the right direction (along the Pond Trail) and right at the turn, the group got “stuck” in a small patch of woods that was overflowing with a huge variety of very interesting fungi.  Jonathan could hardly keep up with the shouts of “Oh, look at this one!”   Participant Renee was particularly good at finding interesting specimens.  With Jonathan’s list, Art has been able to add a half dozen rare or uncommon species to the High Lonesome Nature Reserve lists.  This was very important for the Reserve and I am sure he would encourage anyone hiking there to post their observations to iNaturalist to help with the documentation of species.  Art has contributed photos of shelf fungus (polypore), Parrot Mushroom (so called due to its green colour), Gilophorus psittacinus which is uncommon and Gymnopilus voitkii which is rare.  In fact, there were at least 3 uncommon species and 3 rarities found.  I particularly enjoyed the Lactarius Indigo (Indigo Milk Cap - So blue! And rare!)

The Lobster mushroom was a very interesting fungi as it is parasitic.  Bacteria is what colours the host mushroom red.  The normally gorgeous Chicken of the Woods was found destroyed (by a greedy and careless forager).  Please note, foraging is not allowed in a nature preserve except by the wildlife themselves (as was evidenced by the Beaver chomped trees).  We encountered a number of other special plants such as leather wood and Indian Grass, and other critters such as the Eastern Newt and Winter Firefly.  There were still a few summer birds moving through but the migrating sparrows seemed most abundant.

Participants found the mix of people and forest observations both very interesting and with the perfect weather, we had a hugely successful outing.  A number of people were interested in the camera Jonathan was using to get his photos.  It is an Olympus TG Tough 5.  High Lonesome Nature Reserve is a joy in all seasons and I have never been disappointed with my visits.  I would encourage you to go see for yourselves and please remember that the Mississippi Madawaska Land Trust counts on donations to preserve this and its other properties for the benefit of nature and for us to observe.

Please enjoy the pictures attached to the blog,

Jonathan’s links to his iNaturalist entries:

Observations · iNaturalist

links to photos from Art Goldsmith:

https://1drv.ms/u/s!AmEWA3iLwpF3iZsq6JBfdkNnB6l8Ag?e=HSihIT

links to photos from Mark Guzewski:

https://markguzewski.smugmug.com/Around-Ottawa/High-Lonesome-Mushrooms/

Thank you to all wonderful the participants.  And special thanks to Jonathan and Art.

Dan Strickland is recognized as the leading authority on Canada Jays and, indeed, in 2018, was the person most responsible for persuading the American Ornithological Society to formally restore “Canada Jay” as the bird’s official name. Canada still doesn’t have a “national bird” but many birders, including club president Michael Runtz, would give top marks to this hardy, amicable bird epitomizing the Canadian identity.

Michael, too, has high praise for Strickland, our October guest speaker, as a “friend, mentor and boss,” rooted in Algonquin Park.

Making full use of any spare time in his Algonquin years, Strickland studied the Canada Jay, contributing to a research program now over 50 years old and one of the longest running ecological investigations of its type in the entire world.

Canada Jay numbers were declining by 50 per cent three years ago, when bird researcher Alex Sutton spoke to our club on the study. But at the time, Sutton also had some good news about a bird whose numbers had been slowly sinking.

Has the outlook changed?

Be sure to join us at 7 p.m. on October 6 for Dan Strickland’s much anticipated update.

Last Saturday, MFNC members, old and new, joined Gillian Mastromatteo for a walk around Morris Island (predominantly on the railway trail) to view Odonata (Dragonflies and Damselflies).  We had perfect weather for our first 2021 post lockdown outing. Perfect for us (temperature and very few mosquitoes) but a bit less so for the Odonata (a bit overcast and just past peak emergence).  While it at first seemed less than hopeful, we did get to see 20 species of Odonata including lots of Dragonflies (Skimmers, Baskettails, Clubtails, Pondhawks and a couple of amorous Halloween Pennants).  The Damselflies included some with fun names such names as Dasher, Dancer, Damsel, Bluet, Forktail and Sprite.  It almost sounded like Santa’s reindeers’ names.   Gillian’s full list can be found at https://www.odonatacentral.org/app/#/view/1666000 .  Some selected photos of the trip are also found at the end of this blog.

We also saw about 13 Brown Water snakes sunning themselves on rocks, in trees and on the pathway.  They had been sleeping out of sight and were not seen in an early morning pre-outing walk.  Several different spiders including a large dock spider with nest of babies attracted many of us to have a close look and get some photos.  A couple of monarch butterflies and their caterpillars were seen – only one of the cats was a good size but we are hopeful with the amount of Milkweed that those adults will be laying lots of eggs.  We heard a good number of birds and Gillian’s mentor, Christina Lewis who came along to help out identified many of them for the group.  MFNC members all pitched in with their knowledge to make it a superb all-round nature outing to a location which is apparently equally interesting in any season.   I hope you will take an opportunity to get out for a visit to Morris Island Conservation Area.  Please note that there is limited paid parking available ($6.00 for 4 hours).  Arriving early in the day is recommended.

Thank you once again Gillian and Chris as well.  And thank you Participants.  What a wonderful group of regular and new faces.

Respectfully submitted,

Janet McCullough, MFNC Field Trip Coordinator