The thirteenth GBBC begins Friday, February 12th and ends four days later on the following Monday. London always has a strong showing for submitting checklists. You can help by submitting, online, one checklist each day for your backyard and one for each location away from home that you go birdwatching for at least 15 minutes. Visit the Great Backyard Bird Count website for more information. Don't miss the bird photo contest!

If everyone submits just 10 checklists we might regain the "Checklist" honours for Canada.

Nature London
Happening Next

McIlwraith Field Naturalists of London

Nature London

and the London Public Library present

Nature in the City

A free six-part series of illustrated talks
on nature within the City of London

The City of London is ever so much more than its people. Complex communities of wild creatures and habitats are an integral part of the urban landscape. They and we are inextricably linked as neighbours. This series provides an opportunity to meet a sampling of our fellow residents. 

Jan. 19 – SOARING WITH RAPTORS	Jan. 26 – ON THE TRAIL OF WILD MAMMALS	Feb. 2 – MONARCH MIGRATION
Tuesdays, 7:30 – 8:30 pm January 19, 26, 2010 February 2, 9, 16, 23, 2010 Central Library 251 Dundas St - Wolf Performance Hall Families (with children 10 and up) are welcome! Free admission; 2 hours free validated parking in Citi Plaza during Library hours
Feb. 9 – WETLAND WILDFLOWERS	Feb. 16 – LONDON’S AMAZING TREE QUEST	Feb. 23 – “THE COVES” OF LONDON

Steve Bucciarelli	Tuesday, January 19, 7:30–8:30 pm. SOARING WITH RAPTORS: Masterful Fliers; Skilful Hunters Steve Bucciarelli Steve Bucciarelli of Predator Bird Services introduces local raptors and explains their importance in the food chain. Accompanied by a live bird, he will share his experiences using raptors to scare off nuisance species, including geese, pigeons, starlings and gulls.
Tuesday, January 26, 7:30–8:30 pm. ON THE TRAIL OF WILD MAMMALS: Tracks and Scats of Elusive Creatures Alistair MacKenzie Secretive and rarely glimpsed, many kinds of wild animals live within the city. In passing, they leave behind subtle clues of their presence. Alistair MacKenzie of Pinery Provincial Park teaches us how to read the telltale signs and discern the authors.		Eastern Cottontail Tracks
Monarchs Resting by Stan Caveney	Tuesday, February 2, 7:30–8:30 pm. MONARCH MIGRATION: Across a Continent on a Wing and a Prayer Jeremy McNeil Flashy in orange and black, Monarch butterflies turn heads. What truly captures the imagination, however, is their extraordinary annual journey from local roadsides and meadows to the remote highlands of Mexico. UWO biologist Jeremy McNeil traces their amazing life story.
Tuesday, February 9, 7:30–8:30 pm. WETLAND WILDFLOWERS: Ingeniously Adapted to Life with Wet Feet Jane Bowles Life in abundance thrives in watery places – marshes, swamps, ponds and more. Robust yet delicately beautiful, wetland wildflowers surmount challenging conditions, thanks to air bladders, floating leaves and other tricks. UWO botanist Jane Bowles reveals their strategies and their world.		White Water Lily
Trees along the Thames by Cathy Quinlan	Tuesday, February 16, 7:30–8:30 pm. LONDON’S AMAZING TREE QUEST: Our Forest, Your Trees Ivan Listar Boulevard, backyard and parkland trees team up to create London’s urban forest. In 2009 ReForest London organized a contest to discover the city’s most distinctive trees – from the spectacular to the spooky. The City in partnership with the Upper Thames River Conservation Authority and the United States Department of Agriculture also conducted a statistical analysis of our trees. Ivan Listar, London’s Urban Forester, presents the fascinating results of the Quest and interesting facts about our urban forest.
Tuesday, February 23, 7:30–8:30 pm. “THE COVES” OF LONDON: A Secluded Natural Gem Jaclyn Goodwillie The quiet oxbow ponds and wetlands of The Coves Environmentally Significant Area are remnants of an ancient meander of the Thames. Jaclyn Goodwillie, of Friends of the Coves Subwatershed, invites us inside for a peek into this oasis of wildlife in south London.		Great Egret and Black-crowned Night Heron by Gerard Pas

Guide to Natural Areas

The fourth edition of MFN’s Guide to the Natural Areas of London & Vicinity is on sale. Shirley Lorimer and the eight other members of her committee (along with several people contributing special knowledge) worked for more than a year on re-writing the third edition, published in 1999.

The guide is available from Novacks, Oxford Book Shop, Wild Birds Unlimited, and Featherfields; directly from the editor (e-mail slorimer@execulink.com); as well as at MFN meetings. The price is about $8 from stores and is at a special price of $5 when purchased from MFN at meetings. There is a $2.50 shipping and handling fee for mail orders.

Nature London

Nature London undertakes a variety of projects to promote environmental awareness, enhance habitat and protect natural areas.  The club owns an 11-hectare nature reserve near Delaware.  MFN members participate in the Christmas Bird Count, the annual Butterfly Count and other initiatives which encourage the study of local natural history.

Mailing Address:   Box 24008, London ON N6H 5C4

Email:                    info@mcilwraith.ca

London Nature Line:   519-457-4593

What does Nature London do?
2009/2010 activities include:

 1. General Meetings – 6 per year, in Sept., Oct., Jan., Feb., Mar., and Apr.; usually on 3rd Friday of the month.

 2. Field Trips – Numerous, especially in the spring and fall. Also, cooperative field trips with other field naturalist groups.

 3. Birding Wing – Monthly meetings, in Sept., Oct., Nov., Jan., Feb., and Mar., usually on 4th Friday. Butterflies and dragonflies may be featured occasionally.

 4. The Cardinal – Magazine with scientific and anecdotal articles of local interest, book reviews, program schedules, annual bird and butterfly counts, etc. Four issues per year.

 5. Nature Line – For bird and other nature sightings, and meeting information. Tel. 519-457-4593.

 6. Awards Banquet – Held in November. Recognizes individuals or groups for significant contributions to the club or the cause of conservation.

 7. Cedarcroft Nature Reserve – McIlwraith’s 11-ha property south of London. Open to members.

 8. Christmas Bird Count – Annual; part of continent-wide survey. Followed by potluck supper.

 9. Butterfly Count – In the Skunk’s Misery Forest area, usually on first Sunday in July. Followed by potluck supper.

10. Environmentally Significant Areas – The MFN participated in the recently completed Westminster Ponds/Pond Mills Master Plan and the Sifton Bog Master Plan.

11. Guide to Natural Areas of London and Vicinity – Lists areas open to the public. 4th edition published in 2007.

12. SwiftWatch – MFN members count Chimney Swifts entering London chimneys during summer breeding and fall roosting before migration.

13. “Nature in the City” – In cooperation with the London Public Library, the MFN sponsors a 6-talk series in January and February at the Central Library.

14. W.E. Saunders Library and W.E. Saunders Children’s Library – MFN contributes funds annually towards the purchase of books on natural history.

15. Donations – The MFN donates to various conservation projects (e.g., Thames Talbot Land Trust’s Joany’s Woods Campaign; Long Point Basin Land Trust’s Arthur Langford Nature Reserve Campaign; UTRCA’s Community Forestry Program).

16. London Advisory Committee for Heritage – A MFN member advocates for natural heritage on this committee.

17. Urban League – A MFN representative sits on the Board of this umbrella organization.

18. Middlesex County Woodlands Advisory Committee – A MFN representative sits on this committee.

19. Middlesex Stewardship Council – A MFN representative sits on this committee.

20. Ontario Nature – A MFN representative sits on the Carolinian West regional committee. The MFN is one of about 140 member organizations of this federation.

21. Nature Canada – The MFN is affiliated nationally with Nature Canada (Canadian Nature Federation).

22. Thames Talbot Land Trust – Founded in 2000 by members of the MFN, which has a representative on the Trust.

23. Environmental monitoring and advocacy – The MFN closely monitors any potential environmental impacts of development projects in the City of London, and advocates for preservation of Environmentally Significant Areas within the city. In 2007-2008, the MFN called for maximum protection for Komoka Prov. Park under the proposed new Management Plan, and submitted comments on the Plan to staff of the MNR – Ontario Parks.