Spring Arrivals, Upcoming Nature Talks & More from Owen Sound Field Naturalists
From spring bird sightings to upcoming talks, conservation events, and Volunteer Week, here’s what’s happening in Grey-Bruce’s nature community.
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Now that spring is finally here, I was especially delighted recently to go for a pleasant run and hear the beautiful warbling song of several Eastern Meadowlarks. But I am still waiting to see them, as they were all hidden in the fog that day.
There are many nature-themed events and talks being offered in the coming weeks. Grey Roots Spring Lectures will feature Allen Smutylo at 1 p.m. on Wednesday, April 8, with his new book Gold of Another Kind – The Lost Legacy of Georgian Bay. Details are here.
Popular presenter Beth Gilhespy offers Geology of the Owen Sound Area in 5 Hikes on April 21 at 6 p.m. at the Owen Sound and North Grey Union Public Library. You need to register in advance here.
Marker Tree Dedication at Harrison Park
The City of Owen Sound and the Saugeen Ojibway Nation Environment Office (SON EO) invite the public to attend a Marker Tree Dedication Ceremony recognizing this culturally significant tree located beside the river in the Harrison Park campground.
The event will take place at 11 a.m. on Wednesday, April 22, which is also recognized as Earth Day, and will begin with an Indigenous ceremonial fire, followed by drumming from members of the M’Wikwedong Indigenous Friendship Centre.
The program will also include greetings from dignitaries, a teaching from Lenore Keeshig of Neyaashiinigmiing, and the unveiling of an interpretive plaque at the site.
Bruce Birding Club Spring Outing
The Bruce Birding Club had a strong turnout of birders and birds on April 1. James Turland reports: Fred and Marilyn scouted the route the day before in mild, foggy conditions, but we woke to below-zero temperatures on hike day. Oh well—we are a hardy bunch.
We visited some favourite spots in search of migrating waterfowl and early arrivals. One particular Pied-billed Grebe gave us great views, paddling alongside Ring-necked Ducks at Browns Pond. At Baie du Dor, strong winds limited our ability to thoroughly check the gulls. On the way home along Bruce Road 20, there were great views of Tundra Swans.
To see Marilyn’s trip report, showing more details on where birds were seen, click here.
Invasive Species Forum Coming to Tobermory
Sources of Knowledge is pleased to announce its upcoming annual forum, taking place May 1–3, 2026, at the Parks Canada Visitor Centre in Tobermory. This year’s theme, Invasive Species, focuses on one of the most significant threats facing Canada’s native plants and wildlife.
The forum will open with a keynote presentation by Nick Mandrak, Professor of Biological Sciences at the University of Toronto and a resident of Grand Bend. To learn more, please visit their website.
Keefer Falls Tree Planting Event
Something special is taking root at one of the Escarpment Biosphere Conservancy’s Living Landscapes 2026 initiatives.
On Mother’s Day weekend, May 10, participants will gather at Keefer Falls to celebrate a landscape that has captured the hearts of many. The property was owned for many years by Jim and Fran McArthur, and more recently by Lee McArthur and family. Flowing water, fresh spring air, and young trees planted with care will mark the occasion, honouring the people and places that nurture us.
This gathering marks an important step in efforts to secure and protect this remarkable property.
Learn more, then click here to register.
Volunteer Week Highlights Decades of Conservation Work
April 19–26 is Volunteer Week, and I have learned that volunteers at Ontario Nature — Lynn Miller, M.K. Malik, Ted Higginbotham, Ron Corkum, Mao Shiba, and Jesica Sobers — collaborated with Ontario Nature’s editor John Hassell and communications technician Noah Cole to source, scan, and format more than 360 back issues of Ontario Nature’s periodicals, with content spanning from the present day back to 1932.
It was quite a discovery for me to learn that newsletters of the Federation of Ontario Naturalists (F.O.N., now Ontario Nature) have also been digitized and are available for viewing. It was a treat to see newsletters from the early 1950s with the distinctive artwork of Thoreau MacDonald on the title page.
To close this edition, a poem by 11-year-old Keith Conover, a member of the Toronto Junior Field-Naturalists Club, from October 1950:
“Conservation”
We need our forests for water and wood
For rayon and syrup and other things good.
We need our grassland so we can keep
Good soil and cattle and flocks of sheep.
We need our swamps for they are able
To keep wildlife and a high water table.
So you can help by planting trees
And leaving swamps like little seas.
And wildlife should be able to thrive
Cause they’re worth more when they’re alive.
Thank you to sponsors of The Owen Sound Current Writers’ Fund, who make these community contributions possible. Contributions from the community do not necessarily reflect the opinions or beliefs of The Owen Sound Current and its editor or publisher.
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