Ontario Nature Annual Gathering in
Sudbury ON
June 9-11, 2023
We arrived in good time at Collège Boréal in
Sudbury for the conference despite the heavy traffic in town.
Thank goodness for Google Maps!
We registered and found our rooms in the residence. Soon it was
time to get on a bus for our Friday evening dinner, presentation
and simulated mine tour at Dynamic Earth. The tour was quite
realistic and enjoyed by all.
Back on top, they served pizza, but only Jane had
the stomach for it at that late hour. After a couple of selfies
by the Big Nickel, it was back on the bus for our return to
Collège Boréal and a good night’s sleep to prepare for the
adventures ahead of us.
Up early again on Saturday, we went for a morning
bird walk with James Kamstra at 6:00 am. Most birds were heard
only, but Jane spotted the highlight, an Indigo Bunting.
Early Morning Bird Walk at the
Conference by Jane Burgess
Then it was back to the cafeteria for breakfast and off to our
morning and afternoon sessions.
Barb C and Jane attended these sesions:
Sudbury's Lowbush Blueberries presented
by Dr. Joseph Shorthouse.
This was an awesome and fascinating exploration of Dr.
Shorthouse's decades-long scientific study of the low bush
blueberry. The take-home advice is that the endemic low bush
blueberry has many health benefits, so eat as many as you can.
Dr. Shorthouse's detailed study showed that while there may be
trace pollutants in the low bush blueberry plant's leaves, stems
and rhizome roots, the actual blueberry itself is free of any
trace pollutants. One of nature's miracles.
Creating hope through Environmental Restoration: The revival
of Greater Sudbury's Urban Waterway presented by the Junction
Creek Stewardship Committee
This is the success story of positive change by environmental
scientists, community groups, and owners all with the same goal:
the restoration of Junction Creek. This revival changed a creek
polluted by lumber and mining practices over many decades into
today's diverse stream and Provincially Significant Wetland.
Meanwhile, Barbara and Bill attended these:
We decided to skip the AGM and drive 30 minutes to scenic High
Falls on the Onaping River. It was a worthwhile alternative.
Onaping Falls Bird List
We returned to the conference in time for the
Wine and Cheese and silent auction results. Jane did put in a bid
on a painting, but was not really disappointed when someone else
outbid her. Following this, we had the banquet in the cafeteria.
Another Ottawa participant, Pam Cathrae, showed us on Google Maps
how to drive to the bird hike on Sunday. We decided to do this
instead of taking the bus, since it was on the way home and would
save us an hour.
After the banquet, we all attended the keynote presentation by
Dr. Peter Beckett.
We got to sleep in a little bit, but soon we were
having breakfast and picking up our box lunches for the bird
hike. As mentioned, we checked out and drove ourselves to
Fielding Park to save us an hour on the way home. Pam could not
remember our names, but she was able to tell the bus organizer
that four from Ottawa would not be taking the bus.
When we arrived at Fielding Memorial Park, we saw a cheerful
handicapped woman getting into her car. We were able to assist
her with her scooter which fits on a ramp designed and built by
her husbad. She invited Barbara to power the scooter up the ramp.
She introduced herself - a local resident phenom by the name of
Maralea Mushumanski, who comes to see her birds every day. She
has written six books about birds in the park.
https://www.sudbury.com/lifestyle/the-swans-of-fielding-park-documented-in-new-book-258753
The bus would not be coming for a while, so we decided to start
birding.
Bill had to return to the car for his binoculars, so arrived in
time to see the bus arriving with the other participants. We
decided to keep going on our own, and after a quiet bit, got into
some good birds. We started back, and did join the group briefly.
However, we decided that we should hit the road.
Birds on Sunday's Walk at Fielding Park by Jane Burgess
We stopped for a picnic lunch overlooking Lake Nipissing, then
drove to Sturgeon Falls for gas and coffee.
Just south of North Bay, we stopped at La Vase Portages
conservation area and went for a hike. The birding was quite
good. We met a couple at the parking lot who were quite
interesting.
We made one more coffee stop in Mattawa to keep our driver alert,
then a washroom break where we got our last bird, a Chipping
Sparrow. We arrived home earlier than expected, but quite tired.
Birds On the Way Home by Jane Burgess
We all felt that our trip was a great success, and that we had
learned a lot of new things.