Plenty Canada, a non-profit Indigenous-based charity in Lanark County are starting a World Wildlife Federation funded field project to study wild rice in the surrounding area. The organizers have heard there could be beds of wild rice in Clayton Lake and contacted MVFN asking for local information on these, or possible locations.
Spring paddle, Clayton Lake, 2015. photo Howard Robinson
If you are aware of any wild rice beds in any Lanark County lakes please get in touch with Shannon Farmer directly at or (705)740-5874.
Here’s a chance to get involved in citizen science while out on the water!
MVFN, in conjunction with the Mississippi Lakes Association, will once again conduct this year’s Canadian Lakes Loon Survey on Mississippi Lake, for Bird Studies Canada.
The task involves pairs of volunteers making one, two or three visits by boat to a section of Mississippi Lake, searching for loons and recording the findings.
The three visits are during the last week of June, July and August. You can volunteer for one, two or all three of the monthly visits. Each visit lasts up to two hours. Maps and forms will be provided.
A motor boat and driver will be made available for each team. Each team will coordinate, with the boat driver, the preferred day, time, and location of the launch.
You will need binoculars and sunscreen.
Orientation session: To prepare for the survey work, an orientation meeting will be held at the Mill of Kintail Gatehouse on Wednesday, May 16 at 1:30 PM. Please register with Cliff Bennett at or 613-798-6295 by May 15.
For further information please contact Cliff.
NOTE: to read about the results of the 2016 Mississippi Lake Loon Survey click this link
An orientation meeting was held at the MVCA Gatehouse in May, with 19 persons present.
Four teams of two, plus boat drivers, conducted surveys on four different sections of the lake, three times during the summer; end of June, end of July and end of August.
All sections of the lake recorded an average number of adults over the summer, but the maximum number of chicks counted was much lower than last year (17-9).
There were no chicks found in the Lower Lake.
Nine chicks in all were found in June; nine in July but only six were found surviving by the end of August (same as last year).
Birders and nature enthusiasts in Carleton Place and surrounding areas can join citizen scientists throughout the Americas and participate in the Audubon Society’s longest-running wintertime tradition, the Annual Audubon Christmas Bird Count (CBC). The Carleton Place CBC will be held this year on Wednesday, December 27th and it is sponsored by the Mississippi Valley Field Naturalists (MVFN; one of three sponsored by MVFN, including the Rideau Ferry Christmas Bird Count and the Lanark Highlands Christmas Bird Count) and coordinated in Canada by Bird Studies Canada. The count area is a 24 km circle centered on the bridge over the Mississippi River in Carleton Place, and includes Almonte, Appleton and Ashton.
Downy woodpecker. photo Susan Wilkes
Thousands of individuals participate in counts throughout the Americas and beyond between December 14, 2017 and January 5, 2018. “Each CBC volunteer observer is an important contributor, helping to shape the overall direction of bird conservation. Bird Studies Canada and its partner at the National Audubon Society in the United States rely on data from the CBC database to monitor bird populations. Last year, during the 2016 Carleton Place Christmas Bird Count over 60 volunteers spent the day observing birds resulting in the recording of over 6000 birds and 39 different species.
The CBC tradition began over a century ago when 27 conservationists in 25 localities, led by scientist and writer Frank Chapman, changed the course of ornithological history. On Christmas Day in 1900, the small group posed an alternative to the ‘side hunt,’ a Christmas day activity in which teams competed to see who could shoot the most birds and small mammals. Instead, Chapman proposed that they identify, count, and record all the birds they saw, founding what is now considered to be the world’s most significant citizen-based conservation effort. The first Audubon bird count in Carleton Place took place in 1944.
Volunteers are essential to the success of the CBC. You don’t need to be an expert but it helps to be familiar with local bird species. In any case, participants in the field counts will be placed in a team led by an experienced birder and everyone is welcome. You will need a pair of binoculars. As well residents with bird feeders within a count area can also help by listing all birds at your feeder or in your yard on the count day.
For more information or to register for the Carleton Place CBC on December 27th, please contact Iain Wilkes at 613-250-0722 or . If you are interested in helping out by counting birds at your feeder/yard, please register with Georgina Doe at 613- 257-2103. At the end of the Carleton Place count day, field participants return to the Board Room on the first floor of the Carleton Place Arena at 75 Neelin St. in Carleton Place (corner of Neelin St. and Begley St.), for the count-in as well as refreshments and snacks.
Barred and Great-horned Owls, Trumpeter Swans, Purple Finches and Pileated Woodpeckers are a few of the many colourful bird species which may be seen or heard, and counted, by keen observers during the Rideau Ferry Christmas Bird Count on Saturday, December 16, 2017!
The count area is a 24-km diameter circle, centered on Rideau Ferry, and includes Perth and Smiths Falls. The Rideau Ferry count is one of three local counts sponsored by MVFN (the other two MVFN-sponsored counts are centered around Carleton Placeand the Lanark Highlands). All are welcome to join in this count, which is one of many bird counts being held as part of the 118th Annual Audubon Christmas Bird Count (CBC). Started in 1900, the Christmas Bird Count is North America’s longest-running Citizen Science project. Counts happen in over 2000 localities throughout the Western Hemisphere.
Small teams of birders are assigned a specific area within the count circle area. New birders for the count, experienced birders, and enthusiastic beginners; all are welcome to join one of the count teams. You do not need to be an expert, but it helps to know the local birds. You will be placed on a team with experienced birders. Residents of the area who have bird feeders are encouraged to register for the feeder count by contacting the Count Coordinator Rosemary Anderson and sending in observations of December 16. Often feeders cannot be seen from the road and have large numbers of over-wintering birds present which need to be counted! Detailed instructions will be sent when you join the count.
Registration information: To register, or for more information, please contact Count Coordinator Rosemary Anderson at or 613-700-9233.
Information collected by citizen scientists on this count, along with the data from thousands of other CBCs in Canada, is submitted to Bird Studies Canada and used to track the health of wintering bird populations and contributes much needed information to various research and conservation efforts, including those monitoring the effects of climate change on bird populations.
Results from the day’s observations will be collected at the count-in/potluck supper in Perth, to which all field and feeder observers are cordially invited!
We look forward to seeing you on Saturday December 16, 2017!
