The Young Macnamaras held their spring Amphibian Walk on a cool, Friday evening in April. Our adult friends from the Macnamara Field Naturalists’ Club were invited to join us, and a group of twenty participants were in attendance. Alicia started our evening by providing everyone with a field identification brochure, Continue reading →

On a beautiful Saturday afternoon in early March, the Young Macnamaras were led by the club’s youth programmer Alicia Salyi to a local farm for the largest YM outing ever. They were greeted by Macnamara Field Naturalists’ Club wildlife expert Fergus Nicoll, who had set up a bird-banding demonstration. Each Continue reading →

In early November as the sun was breaking through the clouds, the Young Macnamaras met at the Macnamara Trail kiosk in anticipation of what the morning would bring. Of the six warmly dressed participants, only one keen young naturalist was in attendance, with several would-be participants on the sick list. Fergus and Gordon, two club experts, were on hand to impart their impressive knowledge of plant and animal life on the trail, and Alicia provided the background on what really happens during the fall season.

Fall is a great time of year to discuss how nature prepares for winter, and our Young Macnamara already knew a lot about it. We discussed how all animals are looking for food and a safe shelter for the long winter months, and how some hibernate. We considered Eastern Chipmunks, American Toad and Green Frogs, as well as the Wood Frog which is able to go into a frozen state until spring. And we talked about migrating birds as well as the ones that stay in our area during winter.

“Bug me if you can,” it was called, the kind of kids’ activity in the newly created Young Macnamara group. On August 15 we set out on an insect investigation in local fields. Kids first learned about the parts of typical insects and what makes these tiny creatures important to Continue reading →