From the WAKEROBIN - Newsletter of the Muskoka Field Naturalists
June 5, 7:30 Meeting in Gravenhurst – Ontario’s Native Orchids presented by Al Sinclair Al has photographed most of the orchid species that grow in Ontario and all 38 species found in Muskoka. Many of them are very rare and hard to find and many rival the beauty of their exotic cousins in the tropics. Al will show us some of his photos of this highly evolved plant family and tell us where they grow, how he found them and reveal some of the unique ways that orchids trick insects into carrying pollen between plants.
June 14, Saturday – Canoe outing to Dalrymple Lake lead by Dr. Harry Hall. Meeting location and time not available for Wakerobin press time. Please call Linda for those details or ask for them at the MFN meeting. Must sign up in advance. Insufficient sign-up will result in trip cancellation. Marshy and granite island areas as well as the river leaving the lake offer a variety of exploration opportunities; however, nature dictates what you get to see so nothing is guaranteed! In June a large variety of migrating birds are still in the area and a large number of water birds….loons, herons, osprey, ducks, geese, swans, even eagles occasionally. Turtles are usual. There is an interesting variety of vegetation as well…grasses, sedges, wildflowers, etc. There could be some exploration opportunities on foot too!
June 20 – 22 Weekend Outing to North Bay hosted by the Nipissing Naturalists Club A weekend of activities has been arranged beginning with a Friday evening rendezvous with the American Woodcocks a short drive from the University and a talk about North Bay’s species at risk project. Saturday will be an all-day outing to Laurier Woods to identify birds and plants. A Sunday morning to mid-afternoon outing is also being arranged. Accommodation will be at Nipissing University residences in Chancellor House. Participants need to make their own reservations. Ask for the suites booked under Linda Boon’s name for Muskoka Field Naturalists. The cost is $35.50 per person, per night. The suites are designed for self-sufficient living and include 4 single bedrooms, 2 bathrooms, communal kitchen and lounge area. MFN will have a catered barbecue on Saturday evening at a cost of $l5/person. All other meals may be prepared in your suite. To reserve a room, call the University at 705-474-3450 ext. 4245. For further weekend details, call Linda at 687-9323 (w) or 645-9855. Confirm your participation by calling Linda or sign-up at the MFN meetings to confirm your participation.
July 3 Meeting and Picnic supper at Kerr Park at 6 p.m. Note the time! Bring a lawn chair! Hike up to the lagoons after supper and see what birds and wildlife are lingering in the ponds and bush.
July 5, Saturday - Butterfly Count - Meet at 9:30 a.m. at Ragged Rapids Hydro Parking Lot. Take Hwy 38 from Bala roughly 5 km to Ragged Rapids Rd. (make right turn), follow Ragged Rapids Rd. to the hydro parking lot keeping left all the way. Bring lunch. Spare nets will be available. After initial introduction and ID of butterflies, the group will split up for different routes, reconvening at Jaspen Park at 3:30 p.m. If it is raining heavily, or the wind is strong, postponement to Sunday is a distinct possibility. If in doubt, phone Al at 645-2848 or Ron at 684-9194. $4 donation is requested by the National Butterfly Association (NABA) to defray publication results. (Rain date Sunday, July 6th)
July 20, Sunday – Hike along with Bob Bowles at Swift Rapids – 9:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. approx. Meet at Orillia Square Mall at the food court at 9:00 a.m. Swift Rapids Road can be very bumpy and full of holes so we should car pool. We will follow the road up to Swift Rapids looking for species at risk along the way i.e. Spotted Turtle, threatened Stinkpots. Species of concern are Chimney Swifts, Common Nighthawks, Golden-winged Warblers, Least Bitterns, Eastern Massassauga Rattlesnakes, Blanding’s Turtles, Eastern Hognose Snakes, Eastern Ribbon Snakes, Five-lined Skinks, Milks Snakes, Northern Map Turtles, Branched Bartonia. Butternuts and Red-headed Woodpeckers are probably there as well. Must sign up in advance for the outing. Call Linda at 687-9323 (w) or 645-9855 (h) if you want to confirm the outing. Outing will be cancelled if there are insufficient sign-ups.
August 7 Meeting and Picnic Supper at 6 pm. Note the time! Kim Lambert & Nadya Tarasoff are welcoming us to their home on Menominee Lake. The address is 3550 Brunel Rd. Take Hwy 117 East to Baysville and turn north on Brunel. Watch for Kim and Nadya’s place 5 km north on the left. Plenty of parking down the driveway and at the turn-around near the Brunel end of the driveway. They will have the barbeque fired up to barbeque your own meal if you prefer. A walk on their bush trails after supper will be a delightful experience with Kim and Nadya’s involvement in the Stewardship program and protection of a variety of trees and shrubs on their property! Bring your lawn chair, bring your supper, bring your walking shoes and come earlier than 6:00 p.m. and have a swim!!
August 23, Saturday – Canoe Outing with adventurous Ray Laughlen from the Haliburton Field Naturalists. Trip along with Ray for an all-day outing in the Big Hawk Lake to Sherbourne Lake area to investigate some marshes and lakes less traveled. Meet at 9:30 at the Mill Pond Restaurant on Hwy 35 at Carnarvon. No portages planned……yet!!
September 4, 7:30 Meeting in Bracebridge — “Get Acquainted with your Snakes!” with Rob Willson. The Muskoka-Georgian Bay area is home to 11 species of snakes. Consequently, one is bound to run into one of them sooner or later! The talk will therefore be a brief introduction to the region’s snakes, followed by a behind-the-scenes exploration of some of the most interesting behaviours observed during Rob’s 9 years of radiotelemetry work with massasauga rattlesnakes, eastern foxsnakes and eastern hog-nosed snakes; and finally, conclude with a discussion of one of the primary conservation concerns for these animals in the region — roads!
October 2, 7:30 Meeting in Bracebridge – Mark Shorman from Midhurst MNR on “The Return of Piping Plovers”
November 6, 7:30 Meeting in Bracebridge – Celebrate Member’s Night with a presentation from Eleanor Wellman on the Common Tern.
December 4, 7:30 Meeting & Movie Night in Bracebridge
December 14, Sunday - Christmas Bird Count and Pot-Luck Supper at St. Joseph’s Roman Catholic Church in Bracebridge.
Program Committee Members:Lead: Linda Boon Bob Burton, Art Clarke, George Moroz, Dinny Nimmo, Sam Robinson, Al Sinclair & Tom Smith
Links updated November 2007