FIELD NATURALISTS' CLUB

SEl'TEMBER MEETING Tuesday, September 6, 1977 at 8:15 p. m. 252 Bloor St. West (between Bedford and St. George) Topic: TORONTO BIRD COLONIES Speaker: Peter Fetterolf Peter Fetterolf is a doctoral student in the Zoology Department of the University of Toronto and is presently working with the Canadian Wildlife Service doing research on the Ring-billed Gulls of Muggs Island in the Toronto harbour. He will bring us an illustrated talk on the behaviour and ecology of these bi:rds as well as a view of the terns and gulls nesting on the Eastern Headland (the Ieslie Street Spit). OCTOBER MEETING - Monday October J, 1977 at 8:15 p.m. Speaker: Malcolm Kirk Topic: The Preservation of Natural Areas in Ontario NOVEMBER MEETING - Monday, November 7, 1977 at 8:15 p.m. Speaker: Dr. Bruce Falls DECEMBER MEETING - Monday, December 5, 1977 at 8:15 p.m. Speaker: Paul Catling JANUARY MEETING - Monday, January 2, 1978 at 8~15 p.m. Speakers: Don Mcclement and Dave Taylor FEBRUARY MEETING - Monday, February 6, 19'78 at 8:15 p.m. Speaker: Bruce Littlejohn MARCH MEETING - Monday, March 6, 1978 at 8115 p.m. Speaker: Dr. George Benjamin APRIL MEETING - Monday, April J, 1978 at 8:15 p.m. Speaker: Dr. George Peck MAY MEETING - Monday, May 1, 1978 at 8~15 p.m. Speaker: Ron Thorpe Program Committee Chairman: ~s. Norah Stuart (485-.5824)

PLEASE NOTE: Club fees are due September 1, 1977 (unless you have paid since March 1, 1977). Remember, possession of an up-to-date membership ca:rd is necessary for visiting the Toronto Isla.nd Wildlife Sanctuary and Amos Pond. Single: $7.00 Family (adults): $10.00 Full-time student (16 or over): $2.00 Corresponding (those living more than JO mi. from the Royal Ont. Museum): $J.OO Senior Citizens (65 .or over); single: $4.oo family: $6.oo corresponding: $2.00 2

Hain or Shine! Visitors welcome! OUTINGS Saturday TORONTO ISLAND - Birds Sept. J Leaders: Peter Wukasch, Dave Simpson 9:00 a.m. Meet at the Island Ferry Terminal at the foot of Bay Street to take the first available ferry. Bring your membership card and a lunch to carry. Saturday LAMBTON WOODS - Botany Sept. 10 Leader: Emily Hamilton 10:00 a.m. Meet in the parking lot of James Gardens. (Royal York Bus from subway to 100.enbridge Drive and walk east o.4 mile.) Lunch optional. Sunday - Birds and Botany Sept. 11 Leaders: Peter Fetterolf, Pat Temple 12:15 p.m. Meet at gate entrance across from garden plots, at south end of Leslie Street. (Queen streetcar to Leslie Street and south) Bring good footwear and lunch to carry. Saturday EASTERN IAKESHORE - Birds Sept. 17 Leader: Clive Goodwin 9:00 a.m. Meet at the Pickering GO station. (GO train leaves Union Station at 8:13 a.m.) From Toronto drive east on Hwy 4-01 to Exit 64, then go south on Liverpool Road, turn left immediately on Base line (Bayly), then left again into GO parking lot. Wear rubber boots and bring lunch. Sunday TAYLOR CREEK - Nature walk Sept. 18 Leaders: Helen Juhola, Linda Ga.rdini 2:00 p.m. Meet at the comer of Woodbine and O'Connor. Take Woodbine or Coxwell bus north from the Bloor subway. Parking available at corner. Saturday JIM BAILLIE NATURE RESERVE - Picnic Sept. 24 Bus Schedule: Please note one passenger ,pick-up at 9:JO on the north 9:JO a.m. east corner of Yonge and York Mills. Reserve your place on the bus by phoning Mrs. Pat Jones at 535-9623 after 6:JO p.m. Sept. 14-18. Confirm by sending payment ($5.00 payable to Toronto Field Natur:alists' Picnic Trip) to 92 Morningside Ave., Toronto M6s 1c9. Cheques must be received by aept. 21. Drivers: From the centre o:f the town of Uxbridge, drive north on Durham Region Road #1 through Leaskdale (7 miles), then a further 2.5 miles to dirt road on the right. Drive 0.5 miles to parking on south side ,of road. Waterproof footwear would be practical. Sunday LAKE ONTARIO - Birds Oct. 2 Boat Trip 8:J() a.m. See other page for further details. Saturday - Bi:t-ds October 8 Leader: George Fairfield 9:00 a.m. Meet at the Island Ferry Terminal at the foot of Bay Street to take the first available ferry. Bring your membership card and a lunch. Sunday - Mushrooms Oct. 9 Leader: Professor John Morgan-Jones 10:00 a.m. Meet at the Nature Trail just east of Glendenan (north end of 1ark at Bloor Street) . Morning only. Outings Chairman: Herb Elliott (763-4869) J

TORONTO FIELD NATURALISTS' CLUB BOAT OUTING aboard the Cayuga. II, a very capable vessel currently sailing out of Toronto booked for this special outing Date: Sunday, October 2, 1977 Time: Boarding time: 8:30 a.m. Leaves dock sharp at 9:00 a.m. Arrives ba.ck in Toronto not later than 4:00 p.m. Leaders: Red Mason and Jerry White Destination: We will leave from the foot of York Street (Queen's Quay behind the R.C.Y.C. building) and sail out into Lake Ontario. The exact route will be determined on the day of the outing depending on weather conditions.

Purpose: This offshore cruise should be a marvellous opportunity to see migrating birds such as ja.egers, pha.la.ropes, gulls, ducks, cormorants, etc.

Parking: available at pay parking lot across the street from the dock Public Tmnspora.tion to site: Bay Street bus to foot o:f Bay Street and walk west one block What to bring: Dress warmly and bring a lunch, binoculars, cameras, and your favourite bi.l:d book. (A snack bax is provided on the boat.)

Please note: We hope to accommodate 180 people on the boat. So ••• get your reservations in .now: Don •t delay - d.o it today! Make your cheque out to Toronto Field Natuzalists• Club Boat Outing Cost: $10,00 per person

Tickets: Your ticket(s) will be distributed to you at the dock area check-in on the morning of the outing prior to boarding the boat. If further in:forma.tion is required, please contact Bruce or Jerry White at 741-2363 IT IS NECESSARY THAT ALL RESERVATIONS BE IN HAND BY SEPTEMBER 23, 1977.

THE OUTING GOE:> RAIN OR SHINE (NO REFUNDS).

I• t t ••••••I• • t t t t et• I t ■ t ta a t ff f • f It t t t ft. t t t t t t •• t. t ff t t ft t t t t ff t t t ff ft t t t t t tat t t I I I I I I It at t t e I et. t I • Please reserve __ number of :places on the :Boat Outing for October 2, 1977 EncJ.osed is a cheque for $ to cover the above cost. Make the cheque out to Toronto Field Naturalists• Club Boat Outing a.nd mail with this application fonn to: Mr, G. White 8 Monterrey Drive Rexdale, Ont. M9V 1S8 Name ------Address ------______Telephone------4

FOR YOUR EDUCATION Bird Study I This basic course provides an introduction to bird-watching and to the stuiy - of birds in general. It is designed for the absolute beginner and for the person who has been interested for several years and is now seeking more knowledge about the world of birds. Stressed throughout the course will be the various aspects of identification skills. (For those repeating the course, all quiz material will be newl) The atmosphere is informal and varied with a number of workshops in which everybody gets involved rather than listening to lectures. When: on Wednesdays, from September 28, 1977 (7:30 to 10:00 p.m.) plus two field trips on weekends Where: at Sheridan College/Oakville Campus Fee: $35 less $3 for paid-up members of the Toronto Field Natw:alists• Club Instructor: Miss Rosemary Gaymer For further information: please contact Community Services Division, t> Sheridan College, 14)01'1:afalga.r Road, oa.kville, Ont. L6H 211 or call: Qakville (845-9430); Clarkson (823-9730); or Burlington (632-7081) Edible and Poisonous Mushrooms This course deals with the identification of mushrooms but also includes general aspects. Bryological and Lichen Flora of Ontario This course treats very briefly the commoner mosses, liverworts and lichens. The emphasis is on identification with some reference to ecological and environmental considerations. When: ''Mushrooms" will be given Sept. 20 to Dec. 6 and includes 2 field trips "Lichens" will be given Jan. 17 to Feb. 14 Where: at -the University of Toronto Instructor: John C. Krug For further information, contact The School of Continuing Studies, [> University of Toronto, 158 St. George Street, Toronto or call 978-2400 Birding Lake Ontaio Shoreline Join Gus Yaki and see the autumn migration of up to 100 sr,ecies of birds along the I.Ake Ontario shoreline. Daily fee {Sept. 14, 15) including transport $12.0~ For further informtion, contact Ontario Nature Tours, 6320 Montrose Road, t> Niagara. Falls, Ont. L2H 116 or telephone 416-356-1089. 5

SOMETHING FOR EVERYONE On display at the Canadiana Gallery, 14 Queen's Park Crescent West, until September 18 are watercolours and drawings by •two gentlewomen of Upper Canada•: Anne Langton (18o4-1893), a painter of miniatures and landscapes, and Agnes Moodie Fitzgibbon (1864-1910), wild flower artist and ni.e ce of Catherine Parr Trail. Mrs. Fitzgibbon illustrated her aunt's book on Canadian Wild flowers :from flowers she found growing in the Humber Valley near Dundas Street.

September 9-11, 1977 the Zoological Society of Montreal is planning a whale watching weekend (two days for $145.00). For further information, contact George E. Midgley, projects chairman, Zoological Society of Montreal, Mezza.nine Floor, 2055 Peel St., Montreal HJA 1V4 or phone him at 514-845-8317.

As pa.rt of its 50th anniversary, the federation is preparing a history of the organization. Past members, clubs, and groups are asked to send information on the organization or on conservation in Ontario to The Ontario Federation of Anglers and Hunters, PO Box 1269, Campbellfo:rd, Ont. KOL lLO. Bob James of Scarborough has been appointed to the Information and Education Committee of the Metro litan Toronto and Re ion Conservati n At He may be contacted at work 284-3193 or at home (284-6409. On May Jl, 1977 an amendment to the Official Plan of North York deleted all reference to the connection of Lawrence Avenue from a point west of Leslie Street to Bayview Avenue. The TFNC along with others have been objecting to the proposal to extend I.awrence Avenue West across the West Don Valley at Bayview Avenue since 1973. The next step will be to have the extension deleted from Metroplan. A ravine survey of the area is under way. The Spadina subway is now located underneath the floor of the Cedarvale Ravine (near Bathurst and St. Clair). During the summer of 1977 trees and shrubs were planted and a pa.th created on the floor of the ravine as part of the 'l'TC's plan to restore the area to its natural state. We will be watching with interest. The Grand River Conservation Authority has purchased the 116-acre site of the Kortright Waterfowl Park as pa.rt of a proposed greenbelt along the valley of the Speed River and Hanlon Creek. The $)20,000 received will be used by the previous owners, the Ontario Waterfowl Research Foundation, to fund research and conservation projects. The Conservation Authority will not be funding the operation of the waterfowl park. In the Jim Baillie Memorial Bird Count (Baillie Birdathon) on May 7, 1977, more tha.n 1,400 sponsors contributed to the success of the Bird.athon organized by the Long Point Bird Observatory. Fred Bodsworth, Chairman of the J&mes L. Bail lie Memorial Fund, reported 112 species on the Long Point Count and with pledges of more than $28 per species raised $J,180. J.E. "Red" Ma.son, representing the Toronto Field Naturalists' Club, listed 125 species and had $2,J26 in pledges. Altogether 195 species of birds were observed and $14,000 was raised in pledges. Two caterpillars were crawling across the grass when a butterfly flew over them. They looked up. One nudged the other and said: "You couldn't get me up in one of those things for a million dollars." 6

Identification of ~atened species and development of recovery management ~lans are priority concerns of both the Ministry of Natural Resources a."ld FON. Status information on doubJ.e-crested cormorc:mts, red-shouldered hawks, spotted turtles, and the black :r:at snake is sorely missing. By providing field records from previous years, you can be of great assistance to these species. In order to ensure that complete data are obtained, a reporting format has been developed. Coi)ies of this format can be obtained from the FON, 1262 Don Mills Rd., Don Mills, Ont. MJB 2W8

The TFNC has completed a ravine study (180 species of plants, 45 species of birds) and filed objections to the redevelopment of a beautifully forested ravine area in East York - Taylor creek/Woodbine Bridge Ravines. We objected to redevelopment because the area is what in "Toronto the Green" is referred to as a hazard area; that is, it is considered unsafe for development (a home on a similar site in the same valley collapsed into the valley in 1966 and killed the owner); a sensitive area (the forest, the springs, and ponds - rare features in an urban area -- would be destroyed by redevelopment; and a remnant area (the forest of 11)0 year old oak trees which could easily last another 500 years) is one of the last surviving remnants of a habitat that was once common in the area. As well, the Ministry of the Environment, the Ministry of Natural Resources, MTRCA, the Planning Commissioner of East York, and the Planning Commissioner for Metro Toronto objected for various environmental reasons. An East York housing study completed last summer said that no more development was needed at this time, and Metro Toronto is conducting a Valley land study to find ways of preserving ravines and valleys throughout Metro Toronto. About JOO East York residents objected either on their own or in a petition signed and circulated by our F,ast York club members. Despite all this and although Metro council was :recently given the power from the Ministry of Housing to consider •the conservation of natural resources and flood control, and the suitability of the land for the purposes for which it is to be sul::rlivided~ Council voted to approve the redevelopment scheme. However, as a result of action by the TFNC Metro Council is referring the matter to the Ontario M.unicipal Board for final consideration.

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Material for the TFNC Newsletter should be submitted to the editor by the first day of the month, and articles should be no longe~ than 1500 words. r> Helen Juhola, 51 Alexander st. Apt. 112, Toronto M4-Y lBJ (924-5806)