Winter Ramble in Wolf Grove

PLEASE NOTE THE NEW DATE: Wednesday, March 7, 2018 (originally scheduled for Feb 21; postponed due to icy paths)

Our winter walk will be a slow-paced ramble, led by Ken Allison, through the typical forested Canadian Shield habitat of the Wolf Grove area near Almonte.

Ken is past president of both MVFN and the Ottawa Field-Naturalists’ Club. A graduate of University of Guelph with a B. Sc. in Wildlife Biology, Ken been interested in the natural world since as far back as he can remember. He is interested in almost everything, so as he likes to say, he is a lousy specialist. He has been a serious birder for over 50 years. In 2012, Ken and his wife built their dream home in the woods on the granite rock of Lanark County where they share their property with the local fauna and flora.

Description of the walk: The walk will be a slow-paced ramble through typical forested Canadian Shield habitat. There are forests, beaver ponds and bird feeders, so there is usually a good mix of birds. The focus will be on birds, but we will stop and enjoy any natural history object we come across. Children who can walk a couple of kilometres are welcome to participate. When we’re all cold enough, we can go back to the house for a hot drink. Feel free to bring a bag lunch if you’d like to eat while you warm up and watch the bird feeders.

Time: 9:00 AM to 12 noon

Location and directions: The walk will be at the Allison property at 561 Wolf Grove Road, about 2 km southwest of Almonte. This is on the south side of Wolf Grove Road, about a km beyond the intersection with Concession 8 (i.e. at Auld Kirk).

Difficulty: This outing should be quite easy for anyone without mobility issues. There are some hills, and in February the trails will be well-trodden snow.

Cost: no cost

Parking: There is parking near the house and a good spot to turn around.

Bring: Warm clothing (in layers), good snow boots, binoculars if you have them and a bag lunch if you choose.

Pre-Registration: This outing will be limited to 12 people. Pre-registration is required. To pre-register, or for more information, please contact Gretta Bradley at glbradley@icloud.com.  Gretta will email registrants in the case of inclement weather.