President’s MessagePlease join us for our general meeting on October 10th which will include a presentation by Chuck Zietsma on Western Fossil Collecting and his Geology trip. Our two outings in September were very well attended. Thank you for your participation.
Sandhill Crane Tour – Twenty-six people joined us for the Sandhill Crane tour to Massey. We saw a number of sandhill cranes, including their young. Erwin Meisner joined us and showed us some of the nearby sights including Cutler and Moose Lakes. Some of the birds seen included an immature Red Crossbill, Eastern Meadowlark, American Pippit, Northern Harrier. We also stopped at a Mennonite farm for some delicious fresh produce. Thunder Mountain – Members of the Coureurs de Bois Outdoors Club and the Massey Nature Club joined us for our trip to Thunder Mountain. Because of the wet, slippery conditions most members went to the first level only and we had an opportunity to explore the pathways before returning to the base camp where Native Elder Leona Jacobs led a sharing circle and pipe ceremony. Afterwards half the group went on to Puddingstone Falls for a hike along the river.
Upcoming Outings
Saturday, October 14th, Hike Beaver Mountain
Thursday, October 26th, Fall Migrants Along the North Shore
Thursday , November 9th, Circle Horne Lake
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Saturday, November 18th, Chutes Provincial Park Hike Leader: Hans Kamps. Leaving Brunswick Walk parking lot at 9 a.m. for Massey. At the park we will hike along the river, past the rapids to the twin bridges trail. Arriving back in Elliot Lake around 4 p.m.
Thursday, October 19th, Fall Flowers, Plants, Seeds and Stems:
Monday, October 16th, Geology Field Trip
Sherriff Creek Sanctuary Speaks...In fact, more than 80% of the world’s Common Loons, Gavia Immer, aka the Great Northern Diver, nest in Canada. With feet very far back on their body, they are awkward on the ground but amazing divers and swimmers. Penokeans enjoyed watching the male diving for food while the female stayed with their chicks. Primarily fish eaters, loons catch and eat their prey underwater, able to go as deep as 80 metres. Loons make their nest on or near the water for safety, and my loon tenants constructed theirs in the usual way, using sticks, grasses and reeds to create a mound in which only two eggs are laid a day apart, each the size of 1˝ tennis balls! By late June, Penokeans were very excited to see 2 fuzzy chicks, often riding for warmth and protection on their parents’ backs, although they can swim and make short-distance dives from the age of two days. With a potential life-span of 30 years, apart from animal nest predators, most threats to loons are human in origin and include shoreline development, wash from power boats, dogs running around nest sites, acid rain resulting in loss of their acquatic food chain, and pollution which causes poisoning from a build-up of toxins in their bodies. The ingestion of lead sinkers is an all-too-frequent cause of mortality. And, I regret to say, right here another serious threat to this family arose with the Rio Algom plan to set traps for beavers. You can imagine how concerned my PHFN friends were! They advocated strongly for their safety. Loons, which are Ontario’s official bird, are protected in Canada from indescriminate destruction under the Migratory Birds Convention Act, enforced in Ontario by the RCMP, MNR and CWS. Penokeans felt relieved when it was agreed to delay the beaver trapping. Ultimately one of the chicks disappeared, and the loon family remained within my Sanctuary area for a short while longer before moving to Horne Lake. I can only assume fishing was better and diving possibilities greater. It is from there that they are migrating to their winter home along the Atlantic coast. True Sanctuary for all within my borders is possible with knowledge and concern, and if these loons, members of a species which has been around for 50 million years, return next spring, I will do my utmost to provide it.
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