Halifax Field Naturalists

Ah, the challenges of visiting a floodplain! The weekend of walks on the St. Mary’s River on Sept. 29 & 30 was cancelled due to extremely high water levels flooding the area. We are tentatively rescheduling for the weekend of Oct. 13 &14, weather dependent. The water levels continue to be high, but could drop. We will make a determination next Wednesday, Oct. 10, as to whether the walks are going ahead, or are cancelled again, and all registered participants will be notified either way. If interested in participating, please register with Richard or Karen. Read more

Ian McLarenn’s Just released book makes interesting reading for nature folk. It’s not a guide, but focusses on “the finer details of occurrence and identification… readers can find answers to questions such as: Where does the bird normally occur? Is it common or rare, or becoming more, or less, common? Is it unusually late or early for the season? Available from from Gaspereau Press

Some spectacular polypore mushrooms have been spotted on or by old Halifax Oaks, as reported for Nature Notes yesterday evening. View Pics

On our Thursday evening meeting, Carl Duivenvoorden, Speaker-Writer-Green Consultant will talk about Greenland, a huge factor in climate change, and the potential impacts of climate change on Atlantic Canada. Also, he’ll present solutions – both large-scale and local – and discuss how everyone can make a difference through personal actions and advocacy. All welcome. Read more

The joint NSNT/HFN weekend on the floodplain of the St. Mary’s River scheduled for this weekend is cancelled because of heavy flooding caused by recent rain. We may try to reschedule.

Photos from the joint Nova Scotia Nature Trust/HFN field trip of August 18th, 2012, and the full species inventory for the Purcell’s Cove Conservation Lands (PCCL) are posted on this website. See PCCL Photos & PCCL Inventory. The PCCL is the only formally protected area in the “Purcell’s Backlands”.

Artist Deborah Wiles has created a series of 50 paintings featuring Nova Scotia’s wild flowers to raise funds for a modest International Artists’ Retreat that she is building at a rural Nova Scotia site. Read more

Beginning on the eastern shore of Williams Lake, we will traverse a variety of habitat types – Hurricane Juan recovery sites, ravines, wetlands, old forests, barrens, and a recent fire burn-over. On the way are a few splendid views over William’s Lake and the surrounding area. Read more

Exciting news this week – Peter Bigelow will be presenting the BMBC Park Conceptual Plan to the HRM Sustainability Committee on Thursday – 1-4, at former Dartmouth Chambers, 90 Alderney. This presentation is necessary to gain approvals and then to go before Council. To locate the Plan, go to: http://www.halifax.ca/boardscom/swrac/ESSC120906.html see 7.1.2. See also the 7.1.3 Urban Forest Master Plan on same agenda…it may be a long meeting. The public is encouraged to attend.

HFNers will especially appreciate Geoffrey Grantham’s en plein air paintings from the Purcell’s Cove Backlands. They are on show September 8th to 29th, 2012 at the Swoon gallery, with an opening reception on Saturday September 8th. Read more

Dr. Graham Daborn, Acadia Tidal Energy Institute, will review the prospects for, and the problems of, tidal power generation in the Bay of Fundy. 7:30 p.m. at the NSMNH (Our first meeting for the fall season.) Read more

Walk beginning at 1pm, start at the south-eastern corner of Williams Lake, go to Colpitt Lake; a variety of habitat types – Hurricane Juan recovery sites, ravines, wetlands, old forests, barrens, and a recent fire burn-over. read more