Can you hear what I hear?

This presentation by Toby Thorne of the Toronto Zoo will contain a synopsis of the Zoo’s bat research in the Rouge Valley Urban National Park. Following a quick recap on bats in Ontario and the threats they face, he will delve into bat acoustics and how to collect and interpret the data. His presentation will also summarize species occurrence, spatial activity patterns, temporal activity patterns and behaviour gleaned from this research.

Toby has worked on the Native Bat Conservation Program at the Toronto Zoo since 2016. He caught his first bat at the age of eleven, and hasn’t looked back. He spent his teenage years hanging around the woodlands and churchyards of southern England learning about bat biology and how to study them. He studied biological sciences at the University of Oxford, including an honours project examining social relationships among bats in a long-term banding study. He moved to Canada in 2013 to undertake a research master’s investigating bat migration around the Great Lakes, supervised by Dr. Brock Fenton. Since completing his master’s he has remained in Ontario, working on a variety of bat conservation programs, and authoring a field guide to the bats of the province.

This presentation will be on Zoom. To participate all you need to do is to register by filling in this form. A link for the meeting will be sent to you the day before the presentation.

Date: Thursday, April 15, 2021
Time: :6:45 p.m. for socializing & familiarization with Zoom

We are pleased to announce our upcoming presentation of MVFN Nature Talks. On Thursday, March 18, 2021 we will continue with our theme of “Eye Wonder: The Magic and Mystery of Our Natural World”. The next speaker in our series is Dr. Paul Keddy.  He will present, via Zoom, “A Spring Excursion into the Wetlands of the Mississippi River Watershed in Ontario”.

Dr. Paul Keddy grew up on Glen Isle in the Mississippi River and went on to become an international expert on wetlands.  Over his career, Paul has not only taught university classes the principles of ecology, but has also canoed wild rivers to search for rare plants, and studied alligator ecology in Louisiana.

Note: Due to the increasing popularity of our Nature Talks on Zoom, you must pre-register for this event and be a MVFN member in good standing. If you’re sure that you’ve renewed your membership for the 2020 year, or if you have your MVFN membership card handy and it says 2020, simply complete this form to register.

If you need to renew your membership, please go to our website in the JOIN US section and complete your renewal before February 13. Then register for the ZOOM presentation.

Date: Thursday, March 18, 2021
Time: :6:45 p.m. for socializing & familiarization with Zoom,

Nature Sightings: 6:50 p.m. Ken Allison will discuss any sightings sent to him before noon on the 17th or you could add them to our iNaturalist project.  Please add “MVFN Nature Talk Sighting” in the Notes section of the observation posting.

Place: A computer, tablet or phone near you

We look forward to seeing you online!