Double-crested cormorants

Posted September 23, 2014

We had a couple of double-crested cormorants drying their wings here at Laurel Creek yesterday. Double crested cormorant populations are rising quite quickly in Ontario. Their numbers in North America were decimated by hunting and the pesticide DDT. DDT was sprayed around a lot in the 1950’s and 1960’s, and the pesticide made its way […]

Monarchs Reign

Posted September 18, 2014

Last year, I think I saw two or three monarch butterflies the entire year. On Tuesday this week, with a grade seven class from Edna Staebler Public School, we counted 21 monarchs on a ten-minute walk to the stream. They were fluttering over the tops of a field of goldenrod, warming up in the sun. Hopefully […]

Honey, You’re Sweet

Posted September 5, 2014

The Laurel Creek Outdoor and Environmental Education Centre has four bee hives. Two hives survived last winter, and this spring we split the surviving hives in half to create two more hives. So now we have four again… This week we took the surplus honey off the hives. Each hive can produce up to 45 […]

The Lost World

Posted September 4, 2014

On Labour Day weekend, the family and I went to Kingston, and took the ferry over to Wolfe Island. We took a hike through the Sandy Bay Management Area, a natural area with a long beach. During the hike, we encountered some oversized flora. The first picture is an oak tree. The second picture is […]

First Day of Summer…

Posted June 24, 2014

Saturday, June 21, was the first day of summer for those of us in the northern hemisphere.  I spent the weekend on the Bruce Peninsula, poking around in the fields and along the shoreline for things of interest – I wasn’t disappointed.  One of the highlights was spotting a fisher sprinting across the road – […]

Wildflower First…

Posted June 1, 2014

I was pretty excited to see my first ever Calypso orchids on the Bruce Peninsula this weekend.  This is kind of a bucket list/holy grail species for a lot of naturalists – it is quite rare and grows in only a very few places on the Peninsula.  Most are on Flowerpot Island, but there are […]

Turkeys – They’re Wild!

Posted May 30, 2014

We had a wild turkey lying out in the grass at Laurel Creek this week. It seemed unhealthy… A bird rehablilitator told me that if I could catch it, she would monitor the bird’s health. “O.K.,” I said. So far so good… Almost got it! Still runs pretty good! Good luck out there Gobbly.

Baby snapper

Posted May 30, 2014

Had a baby snapping turtle at Laurel Creek this week.

When’s the last time you saw one of these?

Posted May 20, 2014

If you’re a Point Pelee birder, you cruise the Carolinian Forest or roam the Rideau Lakelands, you may have numerous sightings of the scarlet tanager to your credit.  That’s where the Atlas of the Breeding Birds of Ontario says you’re most likely to spot this black-winged, blood-red bird.  For many of us, though, this is […]

Horse Leech

Posted May 19, 2014

Drynan Lake, Horse Leech. This spring we have been using a variety of local ponds with our Grade 9 aquatic ecology unit (Pond Study), some surprising things have been found like this 7 inch (at rest) long Horse Leech. For those that know me, I am kinda obsessed with leeches. Here is another picture taken […]

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