chart

As Covid-19 continued to alter our summer plans, one thing remained constant, and that was our love for nature. Especially the incredible creatures found right here in Essex County. There is no better form of ‘social distancing’ than the great outdoors. Whether it was in a National Park, a local conservation area, or simply stepping out your backdoor, here are some wildlife photos from club members.

A Bald eagle (Haliaeetus leucocephalus) perches in a tree along Deer Run Road (Photo by Cathy Lapain)

A female ruby-throated hummingbird (Archilochus colubris) floating in Cathy Lapain’s backyard

An Eastern foxsnake (Pantherophis gloydi)  cruising along a path at Holiday Beach (Photo by Gina Pannunzio)

It’s pollen time for this eastern carpenter bee (Xylocopa virginica) (Photo by Chris Hart)

An American toad (Anaxyrus americanus) keeps an eye on things at Holiday Beach (Photo by Gina Pannunzio)

A rare Swallow-tailed Kite (Elanoides forficatus) made an appearance in the Pelee area this weekend (Photo by Kory Renaud)

Gina Pannunzio managed to spot a Lake Erie Watersnake (Nerodia sipedon insularum) basking on the trail at Holiday Beach

A Scarlet Tanager (Piranga olivacea) shows off his pretty colours at Sadler’s Pond (Photo by Cathy Lapain)

Snack time for this Yellow-throated warbler (Setophaga dominica) in the Gesto area (Photo by Cathy Lapain)

A Pondhawk dragonfly (Erythemis simplicicollis) takes a rest (Photo by Gina Pannunzio)

A Whimbrel (Numenius hudsonicus) wades into the water at Wheatley Harbour (Photo by Cathy Lapain)

These Green frogs (Lithobates clamitans) must be part of each others’ social bubble (Photo by Gina Pannunzio)

A monarch butterfly (Danaus plexippus) enjoying a butterfly bush in Chris Hart’s backyard

It’s good to be king. Club president Paul Pratt gives a wave from atop the new tower at Point Pelee

Paul Pratt gets a new perspective on the point.

If you have a photo that you would like to submit, please send it to with your name and the who/what/where info for the photo. Also, consider submitting your best photos to our new photo contest! See the event section for more info on that.

When the Windsor-Detroit area underwent rapid industrialization at the turn of the 20th century, the Detroit River became notoriously polluted. These environmental issues have been identified as being related to, or the cause of, the impairment of several beneficial uses. The 1970s and 1980s saw the development of a massive conservation effort aimed at cleaning up the Detroit River.

The Great Lakes Water Quality Agreement (GLWQA) between Canada and the United States, first signed in 1972, commits both countries to protect and restore the Great Lakes Ecosystem. The Detroit River Canadian Cleanup implements the Remedial Action Plan on behalf of a community-based partnership between the government (federal, provincial, municipal), local industries, researchers, environmental organizations, and citizens working together to protect, restore, and enhance the Detroit River ecosystem.

To learn more about the many projects that took place over the last year, download the DRCC annual report here .

The Pathway to Delisting has also been updated. This living work plan documents the remaining actions necessary to delist the Canadian side of the Detroit River as an Area of Concern. Download your copy here!   

By Chris Hart

The past few months have had quite the impact on the ecology of the common human (Homo sapiens). Closures to local businesses and establishments have created a sense of habitat fragmentation that this species is not used to. Areas of preferred use and high traffic have been minimized and/or removed, and as such, individual home ranges have contracted and seen drastic shifts. This has resulted in reduced connectivity among neighbouring units (including those with familial ties), and therefore lowered the potential for interaction with members of the same species (i.e. other humans). What has also happened, however, is that these shifts in habitat use have lead to an increase in chance interaction with members of other species (i.e. those with fur, feathers or scales). Below are a few photos of some local flora and fauna taken by a couple of club members.

Let us know if you have any neat natures photos that you would like to share!