Spring is a time of renewal – and a powerful reminder that nature needs us, too. As forests green up, birds return, and trails come alive again, there are so many ways to reconnect with the land and make a real difference right here in our region. At The Couchiching …
The Couchiching Conservancy furthers land protection efforts near Hillsdale thanks to donors
The Couchiching Conservancy has increased land protection thanks to two donors, Sandy Agnew and Lynne Melnyk. The 39.5-acre property, 9km north of Hillsdale, was originally protected under an easement agreement in 2004 and has now been donated outright to the Conservancy. An easement is a legal entity that allows land …
Rare 400-acre opportunity + a rare sighting
It was June 5, 2022 and I was testing my car along Alvar Road, listening for birds that I could add to my square for the Breeding Bird Atlas project. A distance along the road, I heard a Hermit Thrush singing very near the road. The Hermit Thrush song may …
Notes From the Field – Summer 2019
During a recent Salamander Monitoring visit to Church Woods with Kim Trudeau & family, they encountered two Eastern Red-backed Salamanders. This terrestrial species of salamander can live for up to 25 years and requires a damp environment to survive. This is because they need to breathe through their skin as they …
Notes from the Field – Summer 2019
Photo: Kim Trudeau
Bird lessons- are we taking note?
The Orioles have long left, and we haven’t see a Hummingbird for well over a week. Obviously they have all left for good reason.
Birds in Hurricanes – Effects come close to home
Let’s hope hurricane season is behind us for this year. It has been an appalling one for millions of people living in Florida, the Caribbean and U.S. along the Gulf of Mexico.
How birds keep cool in summer heat
During one of the very few really hot days we had this summer, a lady asked me how birds keep cool during those conditions.
They have a number of methods of beating the heat.
Featured Bird: Cuckoos (Not Just on Clocks!)
I also was delighted by the farm houses, because in those days, most had a cuckoo clock.? I was also thrilled, with a little help, to pull the long chains which wound up the clock mechanisms. Little did I know that there was a real bird called a Cuckoo!
Something to chirp about on Parliament Hill
Of all the bird species in North America, sixteen species have American in their name. There are only two species with Canada in their name.