It’s a Trap!

Posted September 19, 2016

Today was day 1 of a citizen science project from the Biodiversity Institute of Ontario based at the University of Guelph.  The School Malaise Trap Program (SMTP) gives the opportunity for schools and nature centres to gather data on the arthropod diversity in their area.  Laurel Creek and Camp Heidelberg are also using Malaise Traps to […]

A Bird in the Pond is Worth Two in the Bush

Posted September 13, 2016

Fellow Outdooredguy, Nathan, came to the centre to pick something up today. A quick introduction to the property yielded a Double-Crested Cormorant in the pond!! Usually a bird of larger water bodies, it looked right at home. We could see it as it swam beneath the surface and even watched it catch and eat a […]

My First Day…

Posted September 6, 2016

Greetings to students and teachers! Today will be my first day as Outdoor Education Instructor at Blair OEE Centre.  I should first and foremost say a huge thanks to Peter Rasberry for his many years of leadership in the field of Outdoor Education.  Waterloo Region students have been privileged to connect with the natural world […]

My Last Day…

Posted August 31, 2016

What a difference a day makes.  Today I’m gainfully employed in a job in the field of Outdoor and Environmental Education that’s spanned 38 years.  Tomorrow I’ll wake up to a new routine of retired life.  This is a day that, even over the course of the summer holidays, has always been “somewhere down the […]

Winged Jewels

Posted August 29, 2016

The hummingbirds have brought us no end of enjoyment this summer as they visit our cottage feeder.  The buzz of their wings beating at 60-80 beats per second announcing their arrival, hovering with incredible agility,  constantly adjusting their position with precision as the feeder sways in the breeze, tongues darting into the feeder ports to lap […]

The Write Stuff

Posted June 22, 2016

Each year, the enrichment classes from A.R. Kaufman come to Laurel Creek for a unique outdoor ed. program. This year we did an international trading simulation in the morning, and wrote poetry in the afternoon. Some of the issues raised in the morning popped up in their thoughts later in the day. Here are some […]

Long exposure with Fireflies

Posted June 21, 2016

I went out the other night with the goal of trying to get some photos of firefly trails…  the moon was almost full and the fireflies were out in strong numbers.

New mammal species!

Posted June 17, 2016

While walking back from the pond with a class at the start of the week I noticed a patch of barked missing from a tree. I look further up in the tree and half of the bark was missing. Upon closer inspection I realized it was a Porcupine that had chewed the bark!  I always […]

Peter’s Retirement

Posted June 13, 2016

Peter Rasberry is retiring from the Waterloo Region District School Board after 34 years in outdoor education. There will be a celebratory drop-in at the Laurel Creek Nature Centre on Monday, June 20th. See details below… Some beneficiaries of Peter’s service over the years are unable to make the drop-in, and have sent their regrets.

Teeny tiny invertebrates from June 2

Posted June 7, 2016

Our pond study program turns up a variety of invertebrates.  One of the most mesmerizing is the phantom midge larvae or ‘glassworm’.  These larvae prey on mosquito larvae among other things.  Thank you phantom midges!  Can you see them in the video? [wpvideo DCH8U6Ns]     A birthday congratulations is due to one hundred some baby […]

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