The Ingersoll District Nature Club enjoyed an informative afternoon at the Festive Social on November 25^th.

Winnie Wake from Nature London provided an overview of the plight of chimney swifts in our area, citing food shortage, habitat loss and climate change as impacting the endangered status of these mysterious little birds.  Amazing aerial acrobats, chimney swifts have adapted over time from living in hollow trees to building chimneys.  Listen for their distinctive sound at dusk in late spring, early summer during mating season in downtown Ingersoll.  Following Winnie, Debbie Lefebvre, Swift Care Ontario, provided engaging stories about her rehabilitation efforts with injured chimney swifts.  Thanks are also extended to Hannah Bosma and Taylor Brackenbury, students from Aylmer High School’s Environmental Program who attended Ontario Nature’s 2018 Fall Youth Summit.  They regaled attendees with stories of the fun they had while learning more about the environment, and opportunities for advocacy.  Hannah and Taylor were sponsored by IDNC.

Activities for 2019 will follow before the end of the year.  Be sure to visit our website for updates.

The Lawson Nature Reserve was recently featured on Ontario Southwest’s website:

Whether you choose from 9 trails in our eastern area or 10 trails in our western area, we’ve got routes to suit hikers and nature walkers of all skill levels from little feet to seasoned trekkers. Find fresh air fun, spectacular fall colours, stunning sunsets, fascinating wildlife and more in Ontario’s southwest this fall.

HIKE ONTARIO’S SOUTHWEST

[W] Oct  6 – Fungus Walk / 1:30 p.m. Meet at Lawson Reserve (Date change)

Naturalist and fungi expert Inga Hinnerichsen will lead the tour and identify the various fungus at the Lawson Nature Reserve.   Fungi are different from animals and plants.  A fungus breaks down dead organic matter around it, and uses it as food. For the longest time they were considered plants, but in the late 1960’s they were classified as their own Kingdom. It is estimated that there are over a million species of fungi worldwide. Come see what the Lawson Nature Reserve has to offer in this fascinating world.

Contact:  Peter  519-425-0429

Seven IDNC members made their way to Rondeau for Migratory Bird Day on May 12^th .  Despite torrential rains, the group persevered and recorded 30 different species of birds, listed here.  One of the highlights was discovering a bay-breasted warbler, feasting on the ground with a juicy find – see warbler photos, credited to club member Bill Grant.

• Baltimore Oriole (male & female)
• Bay-breasted Warbler
• Bluejay
• Brown-headed Cowbird
• Cardinal
• Catbird
• Chestnut-sided Warbler
• Common Yellow Throated Warbler (male & female)
• Downy Woodpecker
• Goldfinch
• Grackle
• Grosbeak (male & female)
• Heron (Blue)
• Heron (Gray)
• Hummingbird
• Magnolia Warbler
• Mourning Dove
• Red Bellied Woodpecker
• Redstart
• Red-winged Blackbird
• Robin
• Sparrow (Chipping)
• Sparrow (House)
• Sparrow (White Crowned)
• Sparrow (White-throated)
• Thrush (Gray)
• Thrush (Swainson)
• Thrush (Wood)
• Towhee
• Turkey Vulture
• White-eyed Vireo
• Wild Turkey
• Yellow Warbler

Members of the club were treated to a wide variety of bird sightings at the Lawson Nature Reserve on Saturday, May 19^th.  The Reserve is a vibrant transition ground for migratory warblers during the month of May, as well as home to a number of local bird species.  Despite the brief downpour, members saw and counted 38 different species within a 4 hour window.  Thanks are extended to our key birders for leading this bird count and helping to identify the following birds:

• American Redstart (3)
• Baltimore oriole (5 male / 5 female)
• Black and white warbler (1)
• Blue jay (3)
• Canada geese (5)
• Canada warbler (1)  [Status:  Threatened]
• Cardinal (4 male / 4 female)
• Chickadee (15)
• Chipping sparrow (4)
• Common yellow throat (1)
• Cowbird (2)
• Crow (5)
• Downie woodpecker (5)
• European Starling (5)
• Gold finch (8)
• Grackle (3)
• Great blue heron (1)
• Great Crested flycatcher (1)
• Gray Catbird (3)
• Magnolia warbler (4)
• Mallard (male and female)
• Nashville warbler (1 male and female)
• Peewee (1)
• Red-bellied woodpecker (5)
• Red-breasted nuthatch (1)
• Red-eyed vireo (6)
• Red-winged blackbird (6)
• Robin (3)
• Rose-breasted grosbeak (7 male / 4 female)
• Scarlet tanager (1)
• Tennessee warbler (8)
• Tree swallow (1)
• Turkey vulture (3)
• White-breasted nuthatch (3)
• Wild turkey (1)
• Wood duck (1)
• Wren (3)
• Yellow rump warbler (1)

Please note: The enclosed photos were taken at Rondeau Park on May 12 but do represent some of the bird species seen at the Lawson Nature

Give your friends and neighbours butterflies. Imagine your yard or balcony garden in full bloom, alive with fluttering butterflies and buzzing bumblebees…

Now make that vision a reality. Buy wildflower seeds that support pollinators!

Buy wildflower seeds

This year the David Suzuki Foundation has the following seed packet options:

• Five- or ten-packs of beautiful flowers suitable for Eastern Canada.
• Five- or ten-packs of bee-friendly beauties for Western Canada.
• A three-pack of easy-to-grow wildflowers for almost any yard or garden.

Proceeds from seeds you buy will support the Butterflyway Project. You’ll power volunteer Butterfly Rangers creating pollinator pathways in Markham, Montreal, North Vancouver, Richmond, Toronto and Victoria.

Thanks for helping protect pollinators.

P.S. Seed sale continues while supplies last. Get yours before they’re gone!

Learn more about the David Suzuki Foundation here.