September is one of the most exciting months in the birding world. In the northern hemisphere, bird populations are at their highest after the breeding season and most migratory species are on the move, so you never know what you are going to find on any given day. I had great luck.
285 and Counting!
On Monday, June 9, I woke up at 3:45 A.M., fifteen minutes before my alarm, had breakfast, and set off from our home in Stratford for a day of fieldwork as part of the Elgin Natural Heritage Inventory. Each of the properties I would visit had been volunteered for survey by landowners keen to expand their knowledge of the flora and fauna with which they share their lands. On this gorgeous early summer day I would have the privilege to explore places I would normally never get a chance to visit and, best of all, to meet some great people whose enthusiasm, love and care for the lands of Elgin County is second to none.
In Search of Exemplary Specimens of At Risk Trees in Southern Ontario's Oak Ridges Moraine – A Major Research Paper from Derek May of York University. Prior to settlement by Europeans, southern Ontario was blanketed by dense mixed deciduous forests that had been shaping, and were being shaped by, the landscape for over 10,000 years. Today, over 95% of these once expansive forests have been cleared for agriculture and other forms of development. This extensive clearance and land use alteration has imperiled the continued existence of many of southern Ontario's native tree species. Compounding this predicament has been a long history of over-harvesting the fittest trees in the forest, as well as the more recent introduction and spread of invasive species.
Calling All Adventurers, Gardeners and Nature Lovers
Go Wild – Grow Wild 2015, A regional Outdoor Expo with a conservation twist!
A sure sign of spring is here with announcement of the first annual Go Wild – Grow Wild! Join us April 18th, 10am – 6pm at the Agriplex Arena, Western Fair District in London, Ontario.