Thames Talbot Land Trust
944 Western Counties Rd N6C 6A8 London, ON, Canada

"A scientific expedition high in the Bolivian Andes revealed 20 species new to science, including the "lilliputian frog" plus four rediscovered species including the "devil-eyed frog" previously thought to be extinct, Conservation International said."

"More than one million plant and animal species worldwide are facing extinction, according to a recent United Nations report. Now, a new UBC-led study suggests that Indigenous-managed lands may play a critical role in helping species survive. The researchers analyzed land and species data from Australia, Brazil and Canada three of the world’s biggest countries and found that the total numbers of birds, mammals, amphibians and reptiles were the highest on lands managed or co-managed by Indigenous communities."

There wasn't enough time to showcase all of our volunteer spotlights before GivingTuesday, so here's one more for you to enjoy for the holidays. Julia’s story begins like many environmentally minded people, in the trees. As a child, Julia would explore the forest floor then oversee the woods by climbing the trees. As Julia grew older, she never lost her passion for nature and the environment, but also developed interests in the community and political issues. Julia started wo...rking at TTLT in 2012 because protecting nature and natural spaces is critical work. Being involved with TTLT provided her the opportunity to be immersed in a network of environmentally conscious individuals with a lot of knowledge for nature. Julia described her experience as helping her to see the forest for the trees. To understand how our ecosystem works and how it is interconnected. Julia’s experiences also sparked her hobby of native plant gardening. Read the full blog post here:http://ow.ly/BFPE50CUHfb

"For some, the winter months are a time to retreat indoors and avoid the cold at all costs. Some animals do the same, as they hibernate where the frost can’t reach, like salamander or woodchucks. Other animals keep Ontario’s natural areas bustling with life as they’ve learned how to adapt and forage throughout the winter. Hiking during the winter is one of the only times of the year when we can interact with wildlife in a way that no other season can offer: through snow tracking."

"By four months of age the cognitive performance of ravens in experimental tasks testing their understanding of the physical world and how they interact with other ravens may be similar to those of adult great apes, according to a study published in Scientific Reports."

Plan on doing some online shopping this holiday? Consider using our personalized link (below) to support TTLT and shop at the same time. Thames Talbot Land Trust is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program and is eligible to earn 6-8% on all purchases. Simply click on the link and start shopping, or bookmark it in your web browser to save for later: http://ow.ly/BJt750CTVz5

"Gardening can help you achieve some of the other resolutions that are often at the top of resolution lists, such as slowing down, living a simpler life, and exercising. To help you get started, here are five goals to consider adding to your list of New Year’s resolutions."

Happy Holidays everyone! Thank you so much for all your generosity and support this year Our offices will be closed December 25th, 2020 and will reopen January 4th, 2021. See you in the new year!

Follow along with TTLT Acting Executive Director, Daria Koscinski, in OLTA's 3rd Climate Action Program video. #LandTrustHeros

'On a fall afternoon in Tommy Thompson Park on Toronto's waterfront, Moira Kaviziya says she felt a sense of "internal bliss" as she went bird watching along with a group of Black people and others of colour. "I do not know much about the birds but I do love the symbolism behind it. Birds represent freedom,"Kaviziya said. The group, led by Kazeem Kuteyi, is called Flock Together and it's an offshoot of an initiative based in London, England that aims to get Black, Indigenous and other people of colour (BIPOC) interested in bird watching and being out in nature.'

On Friday, Nov. 6th, the Jackman Humanities Institute Program for the Arts is hosting a free special event called "Heeding the Messenger: Songbirds and the Scale of Climate Change" in cooperation with the IHPST, Victoria University, and Cinema Studies Institute. There will be a series of talks on migratory birds, a screening of the documentary The Messenger, and a roundtable discussion with the scientists who were involved with the making of the film. For more information: ht...tp://ow.ly/wGWo50C9FtF To register for the event: http://ow.ly/mco450C9FtD

Help us bust the Buckthorn out of Meadowlily Nature Preserve! Buckthorn is a non-native invasive species that forms extensive thickets that out-competes native plants for resources and alters soil chemistry. You can tell when you're dealing with Buckthorn because it holds onto its glossy, dark green leaves well into November, longer than our native trees and shrubs. On November 7th, we will be pulling young seedlings by hand and larger seedlings with weed wrenches. Together, ...we can create space for native species to flourish! To RSVP or learn more, visit: https://www.thamestalbotlandtrust.ca/buckthornbust_meadowli Photos by Reuven Martin (via iNaturalist) https://inaturalist.ca/observations/13895583 https://inaturalist.ca/observations/25617324

Happy Halloween from the birds and birdandmoon.com!

The fruits of our labour () from last Saturday at Joany's Woods!

Bog Ghost aka Wetland Ecologist

"A compression test revealed the diabolical ironclad beetle can withstand a force of 39 thousand times its own body weight."

"Researchers have discovered a rare songbird that is male on one side of its body, and female on the other. It's being described as a "once in a lifetime" discovery."

Trent University undergraduate student, Victoria Reimer, is working on a project concerning snowshoe hares. The project will use iNaturalist data to investigate when snowshoe hares’ fur turns white in the fall and brown in the spring, and to determine the southern range limit for snowshoe hares in Ontario. If you would like to help out with this project by submitting your snowshoe hare photos, you can find the project by searching "Ontario Snowshoe Hares" on the mobile app or by following this link: https://www.inaturalist.org/projects/ontario-snowshoe-hares. If you have any questions about the project, you can visit the project website at https://reimervictoria.wixsite.com/snowshoehare

A good question shared by Echter's Nursery & Garden Center.

"Although the exact origins of the COVID-19 pandemic aren't clear, most researchers estimate the virus made the jump from bats to pangolins before infecting humans. Now, scientists worry the virus could make the jump from humans back into wild animal populations. If COVID-19 managed to infect and spread among wild animals, it could pose a threat to endangered species. As well, wild animal populations could serve as a reservoir for further virus evolution and a source of future human outbreaks."

Did you miss out on the Hawk Cliff Woods Migration Weekends presentations in September? Well not to worry, we've got you covered! Watch the whole series on our YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/playlist