Saturday 15 August 2020 (Rain date Sunday 16 August)
10:00 AM to 1:00 pm (approx. 3hrs)
Description: During this outing, we will be visiting three locations (Blakeney Rapids, Machardy Road and Robert Simpson Park). This will cover lake, river and swamp habitat where a variety of both common and hopefully some more rare species of dragonflies and damselflies will be seen. This is not an outing with rigorous hiking requirements, but I always recommend bringing water, wearing a hat, sunscreen, solid footwear, and long pants tucked into socks. Binoculars, a camera and a field guide are always a good idea if you have them.
Location: We will meet in Arnprior at Robert Simpson Park (45.444205, -76.351881) and continue to the other two locations from there. Please make sure your vehicle is well maintained and has sufficient fuel for the trip.
Leader: Owen Ridgen
Owen may be new to some of you but has done point counts for the club previously. Prior to the Covid shut down much of his time was spent on his studies at U of T where he is a 3rd year student. He has been a naturalist his entire life, inspired from an early age by his father and grandfather, David and Eric Ridgen (founding member). Following in their footsteps, he began with birds. According to his mother he knew the names of at least eight species of owl before his first birthday! As time has gone on, he has entered into other fields of study, including those of freshwater fishes and mussels, butterflies, moths, herps and of course dragonflies and damselflies. He has explored the Arnprior and Ottawa area for many years and has encountered a huge diversity of dragonflies and damselflies (odonata) there. He is very happy to share his knowledge on the subject with others, and hopefully learn just as much himself.
A note about Covid: Participant numbers will be restricted to those allowed by local Health bylaws so register early and only if you truly know you can come. You may register yourself and anyone in your own household only. Unfortunately, there can be no carpooling arrangements made by MFNC. Participation will be on a first come first registered basis and confirmation emails will be sent.
We will be maintaining physical distancing requirements during the outing. Please do not come if you are ill or have come in contact with someone who has tested positive for Covid 19. Notification of cancellation as soon as possible would be appreciated in case of a wait list.
Please register at events@mfnc.ca no later than Wednesday August 12th.
If you have any questions, please don’t hesitate to ask.