The GBBC happens this month!

The annual GBBC begins Friday, February 17th and ends four days later on the following Monday, February 20th. London always has a strong showing for supporting citizen science and the Forest City's birds by submitting checklists. You can help by counting birds and then submitting, online, one checklist each day for your backyard and one for each location away from home that you go birding for at least 15 minutes. Download the new GBBC Instructions PDF at left or visit the Great Backyard Bird Count website for more information. Don't miss the bird photo contest!

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

Whether plant, animal or human, all London residents depend on interactions among climate, soils, landforms and waterways. Within this supporting network, change is ongoing, and complex relationships are constantly being fine-tuned. This series of talks invites you to meet a sampling of the inhabitants and processes that help shape our local ecosystems. 

Jan. 17 – The Wily Coyote – Ben Hindmarsh	Jan. 24 – Landscaping with Native Plants – Ben Porchuk	Jan. 31 – Effects of Climate Change – Hugh Henry
Tuesdays, 7:30 – 8:30 pm January 17, 24, 31, 2012 February 7, 14, 21, 2012 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. Co-sponsored by the London Public Library.
Feb. 7 – A River Runs through It – Patrick Donnelly	Feb. 14 – Endearing Chickadees – David Sherry	Feb. 21 – Kains Woods – Winifred Wake

Eastern Coyote	Tuesday, January 17, 7:30–8:30 pm. THE WILY COYOTE: Is There One in Your Neighbourhood? Ben Hindmarsh Increasingly, Londoners are spotting coyotes well within municipal boundaries. Ben Hindmarsh of the Ministry of Natural Resources explains how urban coyotes make a living and provides tips on how to reduce conflicts with these resourceful city dwellers.
Tuesday, January 24, 7:30–8:30 pm. LANDSCAPING WITH NATIVE PLANTS: How to Make the Switch Ben Porchuk Adapted to local conditions, native plants are the basis of healthy ecosystems. Ben Porchuk of Landscape Native creates vibrant mini-meadows of native plants in urban settings. Learn to combine landscape design and ecological principles through native plantings.		Native Border Garden
Urban Snow Hedge by Sylvia Casbourn	Tuesday, January 31, 7:30–8:30 pm. EFFECTS OF CLIMATE CHANGE: What It Means for Local Ecosystems Hugh Henry Climate, soil processes and plant health are intimately linked. Warming conditions over winter can alter snow cover and soil frost. Hugh Henry of the UWO Biology Department examines how soils, plants and animals are affected by these changes. Discover how your back forty might respond to climate change.
Tuesday, February 7, 7:30–8:30 pm. A RIVER RUNS THROUGH IT: The Thames River in London Patrick Donnelly London is a river city. Its very existence is defined by the tributaries and branches of the Thames that converge and flow through it. Patrick Donnelly, the City’s watershed specialist, presents the Thames and the many interconnections its waters have with our lives.		The Thames at Springbank by Jim Bristow
Chickadee by Cathy Quinlan	Tuesday, February 14, 7:30–8:30 pm. ENDEARING CHICKADEES: Sociable, Adaptable and Successful David Sherry Everyone loves chickadees – cheery visitors to winter bird feeders. But just how do they make a living in the wild? Expect a few surprises as David Sherry of the UWO Psychology Department reveals how chickadees find, store and retrieve food.
Tuesday, February 21, 7:30–8:30 pm. KAINS WOODS ENVIRONMENTALLY SIGNIFICANT AREA: Forested Terraces Sculpted by Glacial Rivers Winifred Wake Bordering the Thames River in Byron, Kains Woods ESA possesses remarkable diversity. High bluffs, soaring eagles, steep ravines, hemlock groves, industrious beavers and ancient river terraces are but a sampling. Nature London’s Winifred Wake introduces this natural jewel.		Kains Woods along the Thames by Cathy Quinlan

Help Preserve
London's
Natural Areas

Donate a Plank!

The Rotary Club of London West and Nature London are again working in partnership with the Upper Thames River Conservation Authority (UTRCA) and the City of London to help protect London's natural areas. Donors will be given the opportunity to have planks engraved with their chosen names for installation by the UTRCA in one or more of London's Environmentally Significant Areas (ESAs) in the spring of 2013.

Download, print the Plank Donation Form to support London's ESAs!

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?
2011/2012 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 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 – Nature London’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 – Nature London 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. “Nature in the City” – In cooperation with the London Public Library, Nature London sponsors a 6-talk series in January and February at the Central Library.

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

14. Donations – Nature London 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).

15. London Advisory Committee for Heritage – A Nature London member advocates for natural heritage on this committee.

16. Urban League – A Nature London representative sits on the Board of this umbrella organization.

17. Middlesex County Woodlands Advisory Committee – A Nature London representative sits on this committee.

18. Middlesex Stewardship Council – A Nature London representative sits on this committee.

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

20. Nature Canada – Nature London is affiliated nationally with Nature Canada (Canadian Nature Federation).

21. Thames Talbot Land Trust – Founded in 2000 by members of Nature London, which has a representative on the Trust.

22. Environmental monitoring and advocacy – Nature London 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, Nature London 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.