Our Mission

Foster awareness, appreciation, and protection of nature in North Durham: Townships of Brock, Scugog, and Uxbridge.

What We Do

We provide educational opportunities and foster awareness of nature, particularly the flora and fauna, as well as earth sciences and astronomy.

We lead and facilitate field trips to learn and experience nature. We promote the protection of nature, biological diversity and sustainability within North Durham.

We carry out projects in co-operation with other community groups, to conserve and protect the environment within North Durham.

Next Meeting

March 26, 2024 – A Field Guide to Trees of Ontario with Deborah Metsger
7:00pm at Scugog Memorial Library, Port Perry

Field Guide To Trees of Ontario, published in April 2023 is the latest book in the Royal Ontario Museum’s popular field guide series.  Deborah Metsger, ROM's  Assistant Curator of Plants, and coauthor of this publication will provide a guided tour through its 508 pages. She will provide insights into the process of building a field guide, and share some of the features, anecdotes and spectacular pictures of the naturally occurring and cultivated species that comprise Ontario's diverse tree flora.

Deborah (Deb) Metsger has been Assistant Curator of Botany in ROM’s Department of Natural History since 1982. She is acting Curator of the Green Plant Herbarium, and communicates all things botanical in ROM galleries, exhibitions, public programs, and popular publications. She is also Curator for ROM’s native plant gardens and Trees for Toronto, and was co-taxon coordinator for the Ontario BioBlitz Program from 2012-2017.

 Her publications include Managing the Modern Herbarium (co-editor, 1999), The ROM Field Guide to Wildflowers of Ontario (co-author, 2004), Trees, Shrubs and Vines of Toronto (coordinating author, 2016), part of the City of Toronto Biodiversity Series, and Field Guide to Trees of Ontario (co-author, 2023).

Next Outing

Saturday March 23, 2024 - Earth Hour Full Moon Hike

Tired of reading a book or playing board games by candlelight for Earth Hour?  This year, join Derek Connelly and Lynda Kamstra to experience the serenity of night time with a full moon setting, constellations, and the sounds of nature!

If cloud and wind conditions are in our favour, we will activate your night time senses through simple sensory activities, call and listen for owls, coyotes and other nocturnal life, and point out typical star patterns and planets observable in March.  Cross your fingers for the Aurora Borealis which is expected to be more visible in southern latitudes this year!

Pre-Registration Required:  Please click here to register for this hike, and check out our Walks Page for info on more upcoming walks.
 

Announcements and News

Youth Nature Programs Funding 2024

Are you a youth 13 to 20 interested in birding, nature, or the environment and would like to meet peers with the same passion? Or know somebody who is? NDN has funds available to sponsor youth in North Durham (Brock, Scugog, or Uxbridge Township) to support participation in one of three nature-basedprograms:

Ontario Field Ornithologists: Alan Wormington Memorial Camp for Young Birders and Naturalists     Deadline March 5, 2024
Birds Canada: Young Ornithologist Workshop                                                                                                 Deadline April 30, 2024
Ontario Nature: Youth Summit                                                                                                                            Deadline August 20, 2024 (or until capacity reached)

How to Apply

1) Apply directly to program of interest (see links above for instructions and information on each event)
2) Afterwards, please contact North Durham Nature immediately to apply for funding
     email: northdurhamnature2@gmail.com     Re: Youth Nature Program Funding
3. North Durham Nature will then contact you directly to discuss the funding process.

Best of luck on your applications! All are excellent opportunities to learn from experts in the field and connect with other like-minded naturalist teens.

Volunteer Opportunities

Need a ride to in-person NDN meetings? Can you be a volunteer driver to help others get to in-person meetings?

In order to make our club more accessible for those that don't or no longer drive, we would like to invite people to contact us to sign up--EITHER as a volunteer driver or to inquire about getting a lift.  To make the system flexible and accommodate everyone's busy and unpredictable schedules (and weather conditions!), we would not expect a regular commitment but are willing to organize such arrangements on a month-by-month basis.  Contacting us well in advance of the meeting date will ensure a greater chance of facilitation, and we will do our best to match riders and drivers.

Our club services the Townships of Brock, Scugog, and Uxbridge so if you live in these regions and are interested, please email the NDN admin team at northdurhamnature2@gmail.com.

Please be a Nature Walk volunteer!

Are you interested in helping out with one of our Walks in Nature, either by leading or assisting with a walk on a topic you are comfortable with?  We would love to have you!  In addition, we are always looking for new locations and/or nature topics to explore in North Durham so if you have experience or ideas to share, please contact Derek:  ndnature7@gmail.com.  Thanks!

Bird Friendly City Team

A "Bird Friendly City" team for Uxbridge has been formed and will be led by Carly Davenport!  We are now gathering information to apply to council for their support.

Here's where you can help--let us know if you :

1) If you have made significant alterations to your windows to reduce bird strikes (e.g., Screens on the outside, dots 2 inches apart on the window, patterned or etched  windows).  If unsure, check this website to find out about how to make a bird safe window:  https://flap.org/stop-birds-from-hitting-windows/

2) If you have put in a written complaint to Animal Control against a neighbour's cat trespassing on your property.

3) If you have picked up and taken a lost cat- at-large to the Animal Shelter.

4) If you have planted a native wildflower/shrub garden to attract birds

These are just a few of the steps we can take to make your home bird friendly.  By adding your name to our list, we get closer to being a Bird Friendly town!

Canadian Wildlife Health Cooperative

Online Reporting Tool

You are encouraged to learn about reporting sick or dead birds using the following link:  https://www.cwhc-rcsf.ca/report_and_submit.php.

Alternatively, you may inquire by email:  on-nu@cwhc-rcsf.ca or by phone:  866-673-4781.

2023 Uxbridge Christmas Bird Count Results

Total Species: 46 (average 48)
Total Individuals: 7218 (average 7412)
Field Observers: 41
Feeder Watchers: 31

One of our wettest years, rained most of the day. Open water and no snow on ground dispersed birds. Individual counts of most species was lower than last year, waterbirds dominated by Canada Geese and Mallards raised numbers however not enough to meet our average (7412) over the last nineteen years. Two new species were recorded : Cackling Goose and Yellow- rumped warbler plus three unusual species: Common Merganser, Common Goldeneye and Swamp Sparrow raised the species count to 46 just under our average (48) but well below last year's 55 species. Participation was up slightly this year but the poor weather reduced time outside and feeder watching. National News CBC Toronto filmed two of our field observers in action a first for our count.

Official 2023 Count Report

Historical Results

North Durham Nature and Green Durham Association meet with Lafarge Spring 2023 


This summer marks the tenth year NDN and GDA have been monitoring bird house's in the Lafarge Uxbridge Gravel pit. Over 1300 young birds have fledged over the ten years from this project. The project is one of Lafarge's bodiversity projects being showcased in a global video on their successes. NDN vice president Derek Connelly and Lafarge's Senior Land Manager Chris Galway were both interviewed and filmed and shared their support for the project. Green Durham Association president Liz Calvin, David Taylor and Derek Connelly also met with Tom Baumgarten, Lafarge's Senior Environmental Engineer and passed on ideas for future involvement in restoration of the gravel pit with a grassland/meadow component and discussed the opportunity for Lafarge to be a part of the Uxbridge Urban Provincial Park Corridor Initiative.

See Lafarge's Biodiversity video here. The NDN box project runs from around 47s to 2min30s.
https://www.lafarge.ca/en/measuring-nature-positive-impact-birs-training-ontario

Canadian Bat Box Project

Birds aren't the only thing that live on boxes! Karen Vanderwolf is leading a 3-year monitoring program in cooperation with Canadian Wildlife Federation and the Wildlife Conservation to monitor bat box usage across the country. To learn more or find out how to participate or see the latest newsletter, check out the links below.

Program Overview
Building or Buying, and Installing a Bat Box
Project Newsletter Fall 2022

Native Planting at the Uxbridge Countryside Preserve

North Durham Nature members Derek Connelly James Kamstra, Mark Humphrey and trail volunteer Norine Blyth planted 70 native grasses and 25 wildflowers in the Uxbridge Countryside Preserve Sunday morning. This restoration will help compete with the invading exotics. Autumn olive shrubs from China were found growing in one planting area. Anyone interested in helping maintain these natural areas can contact Derek Connelly at ndnature7@gmail.com

North Durham Nature Newsletter is now Online!

Looking for some interesting, local nature content, but you've already finished January's installment of NDN's Newsletter? Well you're in luck! Old copies of our newsletter are now downloadable from our website for your reading pleasure.

Click here to check out seven years of content starting with our very first newsletter back in January 2014, or find the link under the "Friends and Links" tab up in the navigation bar.

Not a club member yet, but like what you see? Become a member to receive our most recent newsletters straight to your email.

© Copyright North Durham Nature