Essex County Nature

Bush Park Tree Planting
2017-10-14 09:00 - 12:00 (America/Detroit)
Celebrating Canada’s 150th Anniversary and the City of Windsor’s 125th Anniversary. The planting site is Bush Park in East Windsor. Bush Park is located adjacent to Forest Glade Public School on Esplanade Drive. Follow the link to see a map of the area: https://goo.gl/maps/YLhUadvkfsR2 Volunteers will meet in Bush Park on Esplanade Drive in the Forest Glade community. From Tecumseh Road East, drive travel south on Forest Glade Drive; turn right/ west onto Esplanade Drive and travel west until you see Forest Glade School.

TD Tree Days in Windsor
2017-10-22 09:00 - 12:00
Come out and help reforest a part of the Little River watershed! This event will take place
Sunday October 22 2017 between 9am and 12pm at the green space near Florence and
Wyandotte Street in east Windsor. Snacks and refreshments are available for volunteers
and students can earn community service hours. Boots and long pants recommended.
REGISTRATION IS REQUIRED due to limited spots:
https://www.tdtreedays.com/en-ca/events/753

Our 33rd Annual Dinner
2017-11-04
Location: Fogolar Furlan Club – 1800 N. Service Rd., Windsor
Date: Saturday, November 4, 2017
Time: Doors 5:30PM & Dinner 7:00PM
Tickets: $40 – Must purchase by October 25.

BUY YOUR TICKETS: www.essexcountynature.com/tickets

GUEST SPEAKER

JODY ALLAIR
Southern Ontario’s Forest Birds at Risk
Like canaries in a coal mine, our at risk forest birds have important information to convey. Find out exactly who these remarkable birds are, what threats they face, and what we might do to help.
Jody Allair is an avid birder and naturalist who enjoys sharing his enthusiasm for the natural world. Jody has been birding and banding since his teens, when he began volunteering at Long Point Bird Observatory (LPBO). He has worked at the LPBO, the Royal Tyrrell Museum of Palaeontology and has held bird watching courses and field trips. He has been a Biologist and Science Educator for Bird Studies Canada (BSC) since 2006. Jody conducts various educational activities in addition to his research and fieldwork. He has been seen on TV teaching Rick Mercer how to band Saw-whet Owls. He leads birding trips with Eagle-Eye Tours to Alberta, Mexico, and New Zealand.

Essex County Nature Meeting
2017-12-13 19:30 - 21:30
Members Meeting
Come and share photos and stories related to your nature experiences and sightings. This
is a relaxed evening of club member participation and pre-holiday mirth. Please join us
for some light refreshments and social time. *If you would like to share photos, please
bring them on a USB drive

Essex County Nature Meeting
2018-01-10 19:30 - 21:30 | Ojibway Nature Centre
How Much Habitat is Enough?
Dan Lebedyk is Essex Region Conservation’s Biologist and will be speaking on ERCA’s efforts in identifying a
natural heritage system for the Essex region. His presentation will explain the application of “How Much
Habitat is Enough” guidelines to the local landscapes while making connections to the Biodiversity
Conservation Strategy (BSC) and the Essex Region Natural Heritage System Strategy (ERNHSS).
Held at 7:30pm at the Ojibway Nature Centre.

Essex County Nature Meeting
2018-02-14 19:30 - 21:00
Gina Pannunzio, the Partnerships and Outreach Coordinator with Essex Region Conservation will share information on the coastal wetland habitat restoration project taking place in Leamington in partnership with Caldwell First Nation. Formerly an abandoned marina in Sturgeon Creek, the area will be restored to provide terrestrial and coastal wetland habitat. The Sturgeon Creek Wetland project helps to improve water quality and provide much needed wetland habitat as part of the Lake Erie watershed.

Essex County Nature Meeting
2018-03-14 19:30 - 21:30
Annual General Meeting

Elections, a review of the previous year’s budget and minutes, with a fun quiz throughout. Held at 7:30pm at the Ojibway Nature Centre.

Ojibway Nature Centre Spring Birding Trips
2018-03-17 08:30 - 13:00
Ojibway Nature Centre Spring Birding Trips (Fee Program) –
Meet at the Tip parking lot, Point Pelee at 8:30 am

Essex County Nature Meeting
2018-04-11 19:30 - 21:30
Breaking Birding Boundaries: My 2017 Ontario Big Year – Point Pelee area birder and
naturalist Jeremy Bensette had a very successful Big Year in 2017, travelling to the far
reaches of his home province of Ontario in pursuit of every bird species he could possibly
cross paths with. This presentation touches on many of the highlights, lowlights, statistics,
results, and antics of his Big Year. Join Jeremy at 7:30 pm at the Ojibway Nature Centre for
a summary of his year-long competitive and very social birding journey that turned out to
be so much more rewarding than he expected!

Ojibway Nature Centre Spring Birding Trips
2018-04-14 08:30 - 13:00, 2018-04-28 08:30 - 13:00
Ojibway Nature Centre Spring Birding Trips (Fee Program) –
Meet at the Visitor Centre, Point Pelee at 8:30 am

Reptile & Amphibian Survey, Tree Identification, Birding, and Nature Appreciation Walk
2018-04-15 14:00 - 16:00
Meet at Dave Kraus’ property at 1515 Mersea Road 7, Leamington. Lots of parking on the
grass laneway before the barn. Walk will be lead by Steve Marks and Dave Kraus and will
start at 2 pm.

Spring Bird Walk at Holiday Beach
2018-04-21 09:00 - 11:00
Join members of the Holiday Beach Migration Observatory (HBMO) at Holiday Beach for a
spring birding walk to explore the Big Creek Important Bird Area followed by a
presentation on attracting hummingbirds, pot-luck lunch and HBMO spring meeting. Meet
at the Holiday Beach hawk tower at 9:00 am.

Dark Sky Event
2018-04-21 19:00 - 23:30
The Royal Astronomical Society of Canada (RASC) sponsors Dark Sky Nights at Point Pelee
six times per year. Upcoming program nights include April 21 in association with Pelee’s
“What’s Croaking” program at 7:00 pm in the Visitor Centre followed by star gazing with the
RASC in the VC parking lot. Visit Pelee’s web page for future dates and more info.

Earth Day Bake Sale
2018-04-22 10:00 - 15:00
10 am-3 pm at Malden Park – see article in March 2018 Egret newsletter for additional details.

Pelee’s Festival of Birds
2018-05-01 - 2018-05-21
Celebrate spring migration at Point Pelee National Park. Daily birding hikes, Lunch and
Learn sessions, Birder Breakfast and Lunch and so much more. Visit www.festivalofbirds.ca
for more details.

24th Annual ECFNC Pelee Island Trip
2018-05-05 - 2018-05-06
Register early with Dave Kraus as it often sells out fast! See article in the March 2018 Egret newsletter for additional details.

Ojibway Nature Centre Spring Birding Trips
2018-05-05 08:30 - 13:00
Ojibway Nature Centre Spring Birding Trips (Fee Program) –
Meet at the Rondeau Provincial Park Visitor Centre at 8:30 am

Essex County Nature Meeting
2018-05-09 19:30 - 21:30
7:30 pm at the Ojibway Nature Centre. All are welcome. Details to come.

Ojibway Nature Centre Spring Birding Trips
2018-05-16 08:00 - 17:00, 2018-05-23 08:00 - 13:00
Ojibway Nature Centre Spring Birding Trips (Fee Program) –
Meet at the Visitor Centre, Point Pelee at 8:00 am

Sturgeon Creek Restoration Community Event
2018-05-26 - 2018-05-27
Save the date – The community-planting event will take place on either Saturday May 26
2018 or Sunday May 27 2018 (TBD). The following weekend (June 2 and 3 2018) are also
marked for rain dates. See www.essexcountynature.com/events for updates.

Point Pelee Parks’ Day BioBlitz
2018-07-21 - 2018-07-22
In celebration of Point Pelee’s 100 years of conservation and even more years of ecological
study and monitoring, you are invited to join our first all park, all species BioBlitz. Over a
24-hour period, the park’s resources conservation staff will be joined by national experts
and local naturalists to conduct an all search for all different kinds of species in the park.
Join experts for talks and hikes on different groups of species found in the park or
volunteer your time and assist with the count. Contact the park for more information or to
register: pelee.info@pc.gc.ca or 519-322-2365.

Essex County Nature Meeting
2018-09-12 19:30 - 21:30 | Ojibway Nature Centre, 5200 Matchette Rd, Windsor, ON, Canada
Join the Essex County Field Naturalists’ Club in welcoming Bob Pettit from Holiday Beach Migration Observatory with a talk about hawk migration and identification.

Essex County Nature Meeting
2018-10-10 19:30 - 21:30 | Ojibway Nature Centre
Join us to welcome former ECFNC president Phil Roberts who will discuss Bald Eagles and what efforts are being undertaken to protect their population across Windsor/Essex. We’ll be at the Ojibway Nature Centre in Windsor, starting at 7:30pm.

Hike at the Essex Sewage Lagoons/Greenway Trail
2018-10-13 09:00 - 23:30 | Essex Sewage Lagoons/Trail, 3980 N Malden Rd, Essex, Ontario, Canada
Join Essex County Field Naturalists’ Club member Kory Renaud on the Greenway trail at the Essex Sewage Lagoons at the corner of North Malden and Highway 3. The Greenway trail extension provides an excellent vantage point to see waterfowl and shorebirds that are refuelling in the lagoons before their long flights south. The hike will continue down the trail to the wooded areas to see what other fall wildlife can be found. Meet in the parking lot on North Malden Road at 9am (3980 N Malden Rd).

Essex County Field Naturalists’ Club 34th Annual Dinner
2018-11-03 17:00 - 23:00
Our speaker is Tom Hince. His topic is “POINT PELEE: The Park that Birds Built”. Please join us for this talk on the history of Point Pelee. Tom is a great speaker and always has great pictures to go along with his tallk. We will have our silent auction, door prizes, a share the wealth draw, and a cash bar. Tickets are $40.00 each if prepaid, and $45.00 if preordered and paid for at the door. If not preordered, $45.00 at the door, only if there is space. Tickets can also be purchased for a period of time through our website: essexcountynature.com/tickets. Join us for this great evening!

Tree Planting and Care Workshop
2019-01-29 18:30 - 20:00
Tuesday January 29 2019, Committee Room C, Essex Civic Centre, 360 Fairview Avenue west, Essex, ON, 6:30pm to 8pm.
This exciting and dynamic workshop hosted by the Essex Region Conservation Authority will discuss ways in which you can get involved in the reforestation of Essex County. Learn about the environmental benefits of tree planting, grants and financial assistance to landowners for planting trees, the different tree planting techniques and the ways to care for your future forests and special shade trees. Click here to register.

World Wetlands Day
2019-02-02
It’s World Wetlands Day! Since European settlement, 97% of Windsor-Essex county’s wetlands have disappeared. Wetlands improve water quality, provide fish and wildlife habitat, reduce impacts of erosion on shorelines, provide cultural and spiritual significance, help to mitigate climate change, offer recreation and tourism opportunities and so much more! In Ontario, wetlands provide habitat for at least 47 plant and animal species that are identified as “at risk.”
Wetlands are the kidneys of the planet and deserve our protection! What can you do to protect wetlands?

Keep learning about them by visiting them and grow your appreciation.
Participate in community restoration projects.
Consider adopting a wetland each spring to monitor frogs and aquatic birds.
Attend public presentations by environmental groups who advocate for their protection.
Teach the young ones about the importance of wetlands.
Don’t litter, or put nasty stuff down the toilet.
Keep storm sewers clean from litter.
Report illegal dumping.
Don’t wash your car near a storm sewer.

New Member Orientation Meeting
2019-02-05 18:30 - 21:00 | Ojibway Nature Centre
Come and join other new members of our club as we explore the inner workings of our club. The meeting will be hosted by the Membership Committee and will cover the club’s activities, structure, history, and volunteer opportunities. This is a chance to ask questions and provide suggestions for the future. Please RSVP by Jan 31 to carlmaiolani@cogeco.ca or by calling Carl Maiolani at 519-972-1399. Light refreshments will be served.
All members are welcome and encouraged to attend.
