Halifax Field Naturalists

A ‘speed-dating style’ learning event at Dalhousie University (6100 University Ave) Why do parks matter to you? They matter to many people for many reasons and we have an exciting group of presenters lined up to tell you why parks are important to cities, the people who live in them, and the environment. Groups of participants will rotate between presentations with a station for refreshments included…. read more

The Maritime Butterfly Atlas had its last field season in 2015. Read their 2016 newsletter for the latest additions, an overview of the results of the whole project, and next steps. If you have additional records from the past that are supported by either a photograph or a specimen, those can still be submitted up to July 31, 2016. Going forward, observers are encouraged to continue submitting photographic records to eButterfly. View 2016 Maritimes Butterfly Atlas Newsletter.

In his spring report, Auditor General Michael Pickup says the Department of Natural Resources needs to make the 60
species at risk a bigger priority. It is often late in developing and updating plans to recover species. Monitoring of
species at risk also needs improvement to know whether progress has been made. The full report and related videos are available at www.oag-ns.ca.. See also EAC Comments.

Learning bird songs can be daunting but even experienced birders spend time each spring tuning their ears to the songs they already know. This workshop will jump start your audio-recall by teaching the basics of how to listen, how to recognize song types for common bird families, and how to start building a song repertoire for Nova Scotia. Most importantly, our focus will be on in-the-field learning and on having fun outside! Workshops will take place over the course of 3 days at the Harrison Lewis Coastal Discovery Centre. See BirdingByEar.
Several other workshops, e.g. June 24-26: The Woods Around Us with Jamie Simpson, Backyard Forestry, July 15-17: Plein air watercolour painting with Poppy Balser, September 9-11: Writing from nature (with Harry Thurston) will be of interest to HFN members and friends. See HLC workshops

Illustrated Presentation by Cole Grabinsky and Rachael Groat, Graduates, School of Planning, Dalhousie University.(Supervisor: John Zuck of Purcell’s Cove)
When: Thursday May 19th 7:30 PM
Where: Purcells Cove Social Club, 505 Purcells Cove Rd, Halifax.
Click on image for larger version

A CBC news item reports on studies by Bird Studies Canada monitoring the rate at which owners leash their dogs at provincial beaches, the focus of concern being piping plovers. “We’ve seen the highest levels of dogs being off leash at Conrad’s Beach in Halifax and Martinique, as well as Glace Bay beach.” Read CBC news item

Our HRM Alliance is hosting a session to help anyone give input on the Green Network Online Map at the Ecology Action Centre on Thursday May 5. They will also be offering pizza 🙂 4:30—7:00. (Drop in anytime at your convenience.) Ecology Action Centre, 2705 Fern Lane, Halifax

Based on her travels to Rapa Nui in 2015, in her photographic presentation HFN member Barbara O’Shea will discuss some of the mystery surrounding the island, along with a few current theories used to explain and understand the history of Rapa Nui and its moai. 7:30 p.m. at the NSMNH (All Welcome) Read more

From Our HRM Alliance:

The Green Network Maps are now available online. Please share with your networks and ask people to leave positive comments for the natural areas you care about that the maps have recognized as valuable.

It’s a big, interactive map so you will want to use a good internet connection. Here is the map: http://engage.o2design.com/halifax/engagemap2/
There are seven maps, but the most impressive is the Indispensable Patterns & Highest Ecological Values. With the right implementation, that would make an amazing greenbelt. Continue reading →