Nature Guelph

Please join us tomorrow evening at 7:30 pm for our monthly Wildflower Series presentation, delivered via Zoom. Everyone is welcome! Royal Botanical Gardens' Karin Davidson-Taylor will discuss how humans have impacted natural ecosystems, with a case study of Cootes Paradise Marsh. We'll locate the stressors on Cootes Paradise to discover how the interrelationships of the vegetation, water quality and wildlife have been affected. We'll also investigate what the Royal Botanical Gardens is doing to restore this wetland. Participation is limited to 100 participants, and pre-registration is required to receive an email containing instructions on how to join the Zoom event. Visit the event post for information on how to pre-register: https://www.facebook.com/events/676007809784935

Important announcement from GRCA: Grand River Parks, trails and conservation areas temporarily closed - November 15, 2020 All Grand River Parks, trails and conservation areas have been temporarily closed due to high winds and potential tree damage in these areas. These properties will remain closed until GRCA staff have had the opportunity to inspect them for downed trees and power lines. Please avoid these areas until further notice.

The City of Kitchener is hiring a full time, permanent, "Supervisor, Operations (Trees)". The position includes the following: develops and implements work programs and activities related to Kitchener’s urban forests; supervises, recruits, schedules, and trains staff; manages material, supply equipment, and financial resources; liaises with members of the public, outside agencies, and City staff. Applications must be received by November 11.

Focus on Nature's Simon Bell will be giving an online talk this Wednesday evening at 7pm via Zoon, and showing a few photos from his long career in photography. It's all part of the Focus on Nature Fest online celebration and fundraiser. To get the zoom link you'll need to register in advance through Eventbrite (see registration link in the attached post). And please also consider making a small donation to support the amazing work they are doing in the Guelph area to connect kids to nature through photography! The festival starts tomorrow with giveaways, a silent auction, a photo gallery, kids' activities and beautiful greeting cards for sale. More details can be found on the Focus on Nature Facebook page.

We have a #Halloween treat for you! Join wildlife biologists Cory Toth and Ryan Zimmerling as they demystify #bats on Exploring By The Seat Of Your Pants. Find ...out how these animals help agriculture and forestry. Learn how they evolved, where they live, what they eat and much more! Sign up here: http://ow.ly/KWss50C1ayq #LearnAtHome #ECCCFamily See more

It’s always exciting to see wildlife in its natural habitat, and it’s normal human behaviour to want to take a picture to commemorate the moment. But how do you know if you’re upsetting the natural habitat? How do you know if you’re disturbing the animal(s)? Nature Conservancy of Canada / Conservation de la nature Canada’s panel of professional photographers will share a few tips and tricks on taking that perfect photo, while respecting the nature around you. Register here: https://bit.ly/37wexhb

Eastern Red-backed Salamander (Plethodon cinereus) Photo by Denise Fell

What's Blooming in November? Share your sightings on the Nature Guelph Community Forum! Here’s a fun outing for you and your bubble! Nature Guelph's Wildflower Society invites everyone to "See what's Blooming in November". Visit your favourite natural areas or wildflower gardens in November and try to find a native plant that is still in bloom. Take a photo and post it on the Nature Guelph Community Forum, or send it to [email protected] Here are some native plants in bloom that we recently found in a wildflower garden on College Ave. near Gordon St. They are: Wild Blue Flax (Linum lewisii), Lakeside daisy (Tetraneuris herbacea), Blue stemmed Goldenrod (Solidago caesia), Zig Zag goldenrod (Solidago flexicaulis) and Stiff Goldenrod (Solidago rigida).

Looking to get outside for a fall hike this weekend? Wondering what Grand River Parks are open? You can visit Rockwood, Laurel Creek, Guelph Lake, Pinehurst Lake, Belwood Lake or Shade's Mills. (The other conservation areas closed on Oct. 15th.) https://qoo.ly/38tfh7

Your Friday Funny!

Attention birders and bird enthusiasts - online research study opportunity Researchers at the Rotman Research Institute at Baycrest in Toronto are looking for volunteers to help with an online study that examines how people organize and remember natural taxonomies. The current study is seeking participants from two groups: 1) Birders - intermediate/experienced, able to identify a range of birds found in Ontario (~25+ local species) 2) General Interest - anyone with nature-rel...ated interests but without particular bird ID experience (beyond common backyard birds). The study takes about 1 hr and can be completed online (laptop or desktop computer required) whenever is convenient. Participants will receive a $10 e-gift card. Eligibility: Ontario/Quebec residents ages 18-85 For questions or more information, contact study coordinator Kenny Trinh at [email protected] *Please feel free to pass along this information to others you think may be interested

Canadian Wildlife Federation and Hinterland Who's Who want to clear up some myths about bats and offer up some cool prizes from Wildlife Acoustics while doing it. Enter their Big Batty Halloween Contest IV: Clearing UP MYTH-STAKES About Bats! for a chance to win an Echo Meter Touch 2 bat detector! For more information and to enter go to http://cwf-fcf.org/en/explore/bats/bat-quiz-hww.html

Join Chris Earley, Arboretum Interpretive Biologist and author of five bird field guides, for a series of eight virtual noon-hour lectures on eight different bird groups. ID techniques, field marks, shapes, behaviour clues and more will all be covered. Each course will finish with a 10 15 minute discussion period so you can ask all your bird-related questions. You can sign up for individual courses for $8 (plus tax) each or take all eight at the discounted cost of $56 (plus... tax) that’s eight courses for the price of seven! Courses will be held on Fridays from noon to 1 p.m. from October 23 to December 11, 2020. Bird groups covered include: hawks, ducks, sparrows, sandpipers, gulls, spring warblers, fall warblers and spring migrants. For details or to sign up go to www.uoguelph.ca/arboretum and click on education and events then choose workshops.