BLUE HERON WINTER 2025
The Winter 2025 issue of The Blue Heron can be reached by clicking on the following image.
MORE FIELD TRIPS CANCELLED
The following field trips have been cancelled.
Wed May 07 @ 6:30PM - 09:00PM THE GABLES (cancelled)
Wed May 14 @ 8:00AM - 05:00PM THE LANES OF LITTLE LAKE (cancelled)
WORLD MIGRATORY BIRD DAY 2025
Bird Friendly City Barrie, Nature Barrie, Nottawasaga Valley Conservation Authority and other community partners are organizing activities at the downtown Barrie Public Library. There will be a table display at the library May 7 - 10 and on May 10th, volunteers will be present at the display table with nature information. The theme is Shared Spaces, Creating Bird-Friendly Cities & Communities. See logo below. The information will focus on increasing awareness of the many threats that birds face especially during migration.
We also plan to spotlight Barrie's Official Bird - the belted kingfisher and its habitat along the shoreline of Kempenfelt Bay.
WHAT: World Migratory Bird Day (WMBD), the Theme, “Shared Spaces,” illustrates how the Belted Kingfisher, Barrie’s Official City Bird is well suited to Barrie’s shoreline habitat. It shares the busy waterfront.
This table will have displays illustrating how cities and communities can create safer environments for birds by connecting people to nature thus promoting stewardship. This will help ensure that habitats are protected.
WHEN: May 7, 8, 9 (Display Only)
WMBD May 10, 10 am - 1pm: Volunteers will be present at the Downtown Barrie Public Library (BPL) with a free family-friendly nature event including more information, activities and games.
WMBD May 10, 1pm - 2pm: Guided & independent nature walks from BPL to waterfront, (weather permitting) to view urban birds, chimney swift roosts and the belted kingfisher at the lakefront
WHERE:
1) Downtown Barrie Public Library, 60 Worsley St.
2) Nature Walk to Barrie’s waterfront. (Bring Binoculars if you have them).
https://naturecanada.ca/news/blog/create-safer-built-environments-for-birds-this-world-migratory-bird-day/
MEMBERSHIPS NOW PAYABLE BY e-TRANSFER
You can now use e-transer to pay your Nature Barre Membership fee.
if you would like to become a member of Nature Barrie or to renew an existing membership, please complete the fillable pdf and return by This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. .
Membership dues can be paid:by e-transfer, details here. , OR
by mailing a cheque to Nature Barrie, P.O. Box 1084, Barrie ON L4M 5E1, OR
by paying cash or cheque at the next monthly meeting.
Upcoming Meetings Fall 2025/WINTER 2026
Watch this space for announcements regarding teh upcoming meetings for next year
Northwest Barrie United Church, 464 Ferndale Drive North, Barrie and start at 7:30pm. Meetings are held in Westennial Hall at the back of the church. Park in the big lot off of Horsfield Drive
Remember to "LUG-A-MUG" for your beverages.
STARTING IN JANUARY 2025 WE WILL BE STARTING THE BUSINESS PORTION OF THE MEETINGS AT 7:00 PM WITH THE SPEAKER TO FOLLOW. DOORS WILL BE OPEN AT 6:45 PM.
Ontario's Third Breeding Bird Atlas
Calling all Simcoe County and area Birders!
Ontario’s third Breeding Bird Atlas is set to kick off in the spring of 2021, and we’re looking for birders to make this the most successful effort yet.
The atlas is a five year project intended to document the presence and distribution of all the birds that breed in the province, and to provide data on their relative abundance. Previous atlases were undertaken from 1981 to 85, and 2001 to 2005. Ontario is one of the first jurisdictions anywhere to begin its third atlas, providing valuable information on population and distribution trends over time.
Data is collected by citizen scientists (volunteers like you and me) in the field. The entire province is divided into 10km x 10km squares. The goal is to achieve a MINIMUM of 20 hours of birding effort in every square, recording the birds observed during the breeding season, and documenting evidence of breeding (nest-building, courtship display, feeding young, etc). In addition, volunteers are asked to complete 25 point counts where all the birds seen and heard at specified points in the square are recorded.
I’m the Regional Coordinator for the Simcoe County atlas region. To assure coverage, I am assigning a birder to each square in the region. This person will ensure that the minimum effort is met in that square. It doesn’t mean others can’t submit records for the square, and it doesn’t mean that the person assigned a square can’t do atlassing elsewhere. 20 hours spread over 5 years is not a huge effort. It could be completed with one visit every year, although the more time spent in the square the better. Personally I find it’s a great way to give you incentive to get out there, sharpen your birding skills, and discover lovely new birdy spots in your square.
Ideally I’d like the birders I recruit to “adopt” a square to be experienced. By that I mean be familiar with most of the birds likely to breed in the region, and be proficient with at least the more common bird songs likely to be encountered. If you are a more novice birder, or unsure of your skills, there will still be lots of opportunity to participate and to sharpen your skills.
More information including detailed protocols and data collection software is available at the atlas’ website at https://www.birdscanada.org/birdmon/onatlas/main.jsp
Most importantly, register at https://www.birdscanada.org/birdmon/onatlas/register.jsp
If you think this is for you, contact me at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. If you have a square you would particularly like to adopt or a general region of interest let me know; I will try to accommodate. Remember though, if your favourite birding spot is in a square assigned to someone else, you are still more than welcome to provide data. This really is a fun project for those of you who, like me, love to get out in nature and have an interest in birds. Good birding! Ian Cook
Lyme Disease in Ontario
Brochure author John Scott and his wife Catherine (Kit), have been researching Lyme and ticks since 1990. For more information on Lyme Disease in Ontario, click this link.
Bird Friendly Barrie
A link to the City of Barrie's Bird Friendly City web site
Barrie was certified as a Bird Friendly City on June 16, 2022. A Bird Friendly City is a community where key threats to birds are effectively mitigated, nature is restored so native bird populations can thrive, residents are actively engaged in admiring and monitoring local bird populations, and organizations are creating events to protect birds..
