Wild Ontario

Now that the Olympics are over and Newton the Eastern Screech-Owl has passed on the olympic torch, we're looking back at some of our favourite moments! Did you catch these amazing athletic achievements this year at the games?

Artemis, the American Kestrel, channeled her inner Stephen Nedoroscik, and put on a stunning pommel horse routine.

Freyja, the Red-tailed Hawk, unfortunately had a low scoring dive making the biggest splash ever seen at an olympic event.

Mowat, the Barred Owl, just missing podium despite his technically difficult performance on the balance beam.

And of course Raiju, the American Kestrel, almost setting a new olympic record with her speedy 1m sprint!

📷: Aisha Shaikh, Ava Chau, Annika Wilcox, Abby Irwin

This Thursday we'll be headed up to Bruce County Public Library for 2 presentations! Come learn all about Ontario's amazing raptors at the Tobermory Branch at 11am and the Port Elgin Branch at 3pm. See you there!

Calling all Port Elgin and Tobermory Families, Wild Ontario’s Bird Show is coming on Thursday, August 15. Registration is required for this event so don’t miss out!

Hey Guelphites! We'll be at The Wooly's this Saturday from 2-3:30pm for their Kids Patio Party!

Come on out to meet some of our bird ambassadors and get excited about Ontario's amazing raptors with us. We can't wait, see you there!

Last week we had an awesome time hanging out with folks from the University of Guelph Child Care and Learning Centre's Outdoor Learning Program!

We all had a blast being Grimsby's number one fans and appreciating the importance of Turkey Vultures in our ecosystems!

As scavengers, vultures are nature's clean up crew. They use their excellent sense of smell to locate dead animals for a deliciously dirty feast. Their bald heads help keep them relatively clean though, as they stick their entire faces inside the carcasses to rip every last bit of meat off the bones.

As messy as it sounds, this dirty job is essential! Turkey Vultures have extremely strong stomach acids to digest pathogens in dead animals that would otherwise contaminate our environment and potentially be of harm to us.

So next time you see these majestic creatures soaring above you, give them a wave and say a bit thank you!

We had an awesome weekend visiting 3 conservation areas and getting excited about birds with a whole bunch of people!

A big thank you to Wildwood Conservation Area, Pittock Conservation Area - UTRCA, and Fanshawe Conservation Area for having us. And thank you to everyone who came out to see us, we hope you had fun, enjoyed meeting our avian ambassadors, and learned a lot!

Upper Thames River Conservation Authority University of Guelph - Experiential Learning University of Guelph College of Biological Science

UPCOMING PROGRAMS!

Summer is here and we hope everyone is enjoying some time out in nature! We also hope to see you at one of these upcoming events:

- JULY 16: Wellington County Library, Aboyne (11am) and Clifford Branch (2pm)
- JULY 19: Wellington County Library, Harriston Branch (10:30am)
- JULY 19: Festival Friday at Storybook Gardens (6:30pm, 7:30pm)
- JULY 20: Wildwood Conservation Area (10am), Pittock Conservation Area - UTRCA (1pm), Fanshawe Conservation Area (4pm)
- JULY 31: Bruce County Museum (11am), Macgregor Provincial Park (1:30pm), Bruce County Public Library Kincardine Branch (4pm)
- AUG 1: Kitchener Public Library (2pm)
- AUG 3: Algonquin Provincial Park (12pm)

Come on out to meet some of our feathered coworkers and learn all about Ontario's amazing raptors. See you all bird nerds soon!

Upper Thames River Conservation Authority The Friends of MacGregor Point Park University of Guelph - Experiential Learning University of Guelph College of Biological Science

Looking ahead to plan your summer weekends? Join us Aug 10th at The Wooly Pub- Guelph's Meeting Place for their Kids Patio Party!

We'll be there from 2-3:30pm with some of our bird ambassadors. Come by, say hi, and learn a bit about Ontario's amazing raptors!

Meet you at The Wooly's!

☀️🦝KIDS PATIO PARTY🦝☀️

Enjoy some fun in the sun Saturday, August 10th from 1-4pm where we celebrate the kids! Dont worry, there's beer and fun in it for you too!!

🥰We will be raising money for .ca🥰

A fun afternoon filled with 👇

💿DJ Chill Haze
✨️Glitter tattoos with and pals
🦉Birds of Prey with from 2-3:30pm
🌭 Yummy grub
🧡And so many fun activities!!

🖍 always coming through with our amazing posters!!

Anyone else wake up feeling a bit strange this Monday morning?

Maybe like their bodies just don't feel right? The birds too!

They all woke up looking a little bit funny... funnier than they normally do. But maybe they're all really smart now that their brains are 10 times larger!

Whatever weird thing is going on in the Wild Ontario universe, we hope you enjoy some big headed goofiness to start your week! We think they look better this way anyway.

📷: Sophia Golarz, Abigail Luke, Annika Wilcox, Arayelle Young, Luca Villeneff

It's moulting season and Einstein is having a hard time believing this tiny feather belongs to her. It's so small and she’s such a big owl!

All our birds are currently in the process of growing in a fresh set of feathers. Throughout the year, their feathers gradually get worn out, weakened, or even damaged. So in order to stay in prime flying condition, these feathers are replaced once a year with new strong ones.

As they moult, it's amazing to see the many types of feathers that all have a different function. These feathers range in size, shape, and structure.

From small downy ones that help keep a bird warm, to large flight feathers for creating lift, to medium contour feathers that help form a bird's shape and make them streamlined. And everything in between!

It’s okay Einstein, you’re still big and powerful in our eyes even if you have small fluffy feathers!

🦅🥚 Last year, Mr. Indiana Jones surprised our team by laying an egg!

When Indy arrived back in 2008, we assumed he was a male based on his smaller size and weight. In the raptor world, the females are generally larger than the males, with a bit of overlap in the middle.

Last spring, she proved us all wrong by laying an egg just in time for Mother’s Day. This year, she’s a little late to the party and probably won’t lay.

But, she is still hard at work making a beautiful (and totally functional) nest for potential mates.. any takers??

📷: Rubina Karimkhani, Katherine Norman

Check out our latest volunteer spotlight which is all about Aleks! We asked him a few questions about his time volunteering with us. Read what he had to say here: wildontario.ca/volunteer/spotlight

University of Guelph University of Guelph - Experiential Learning University of Guelph College of Biological Science

We had a great time hanging out with folks at Waterloo Heights Seniors Apartments yesterday! Thanks for having us and getting excited about the birds!!

This Saturday we're headed up to Bruce County Public Library, Walkerton Branch, for their Summer Reading Club kick-off party!

We'll be there from 10am-12pm with some of our feathered ambassadors! Come learn about the amazing raptors that call Ontario home and meet some of our program stars! See you there!

Everyone's favourite summer party is back! Mark your calendars because the Summer Reading Club Kick-Off is happening Saturday, June 15, 10am – 3pm at the Walkerton Branch. What to expect? A
SUD-rific Foam Party, Jedi lessons with a Star Warrior from Inspiring Imaginations, and a Wild Ontario Birds of Prey show and exhibit. Visit interactive booths with the Nuclear Innovation Institute, Bruce County Museum & Cultural Centre, Blue Water Astronomical Society, NPX and more. You can also enjoy Story Times with local authors Linda Yolanda Kloosterhof and Rebecca Reich. This party will be astronomical!

Our spring season has been full of teaching and sharing our love of birds with many folks across Ontario! We went to 7 nature and birding festivals, spoke to 23 classes from kindergartens to grade 8s, and travelled over 2200 kilometres.

Some highlights include:
- Grimsby attending her first big program and inspiring many new vulture lovers
- our most recent addition to the bird team, Cheyenne, being an absolute program superstar
- our newest volunteers growing and learning to be amazing environmental educators
- and during program break times, getting to have a bit of fun, like bird banding!

Thanks to everyone who had us out at their events or schools! Thanks to everyone who attended our programs and nerded out about birds with us! And thanks to our team of volunteers for all their hard work and dedication!

University of Guelph University of Guelph College of Biological Science University of Guelph - Experiential Learning University of Guelph Alumni U of G Student Experience

This past month, our feathered (and non-feathered) team members have been hard at work doing a ton of education programs across Ontario!

Our birds have met thousands of bird nerds at bird migration festivals and inspired hundreds of future bird nerds while visiting many school groups.

On their off days, the birds have been enjoying some lovely walks around The Arboretum, University of Guelph admiring all the spring blooms! They definitely deserve some rest and relaxation (and if it was up to them, all the mouse treats in the entire world)!

📷: Madi MacDonald, Michelle Beltran

We had an amazing time at Point Pelee National Park this past long weekend!

The park reached capacity both Saturday and Sunday, and thousands of people got to meet some of our educational ambassadors at the visitor centre. We had such a great time chatting with folks and getting excited about the raptors that we get to share our province with!

An extra special thanks to the staff at Point Pelee for being so helpful and for setting us up in an oTENTik this past weekend. You all are the best!

We'll be back at the park Aug 31-Sept 2, see you all there!

University of Guelph Alumni Friends of Point Pelee University of Guelph Parks Canada University of Guelph - Experiential Learning University of Guelph College of Biological Science U of G Student Experience

We're looking forward to wrapping up the last weekend of Festival of Birds at Point Pelee National Park!

We'll be there Saturday-Monday, from 11am-4pm each day. Come on out to meet some of our bird ambassadors, and learn about the amazing raptors that call Ontario home! See you there!

Birds of prey are important parts of our ecosystem – Join Wild Ontario all long weekend-long from 11am-4pm at the Visitor Centre tent and learn more about these amazing creatures.
View the full festival schedule: https://www.festivalofbirds.ca/schedule-of-events/

Einstein is here to wish a Happy Mother's Day to all those who are celebrating today! We hope you get a chance to go outside and enjoy this beautiful weather we're having! ☀️🌷

🎉 It's an exciting day for us at WO as we are ready to announce the newest member of our education team! This is Cheyenne, a 12 year old Peregrine Falcon!

Cheyenne has a very different story than the rest of her feathered teammates at Wild Ontario. She was bred in captivity and worked as an educational ambassador at another facility. The time came to find Cheyenne a new home, and her previous team entrusted us to continue her time as an educational animal and a representative of her amazing species.

Cheyenne has already adjusted to her new home and her training is coming along quickly. We're sure she'll be travelling with us across Ontario in no time, teaching people about the speedy abilities of Peregrine Falcons and sharing their amazing conservation success story!

For more info about Cheyenne, you can visit: wildontario.ca/birds/cheyenne

University of Guelph University of Guelph Alumni University of Guelph College of Biological Science

We're excited to be back at Ruthven Park National Historic Site's For The Birds Festival! We'll be doing presentations at 10am and 2pm. See you there!

For more info: https://www.ruthvenpark.ca/upcoming-events-programs/for-the-birds-festival

FOR THE BIRDS FESTIVAL
Saturday, May 11th 2024
9am - 3pm
$20 per car
Calling all bird enthusiasts! You wont want to miss the excitement at this year’s For the Birds Festival! Join us for an unforgettable day of birdwatching, banding and more!
Raptor Shows with
Rooftop Birdwatching from the historic mansion *SOLD OUT
Special Presentations featuring Bob Bell “Out of the Lyme Light and Into the Sunlight”, Michael Berry “Ecological Stewardship of Ruthven Park”, Charlie-Bee Honey “Beekeeping with Charlie-Bee Honey”
Food available on site by
Kids Activities
Vendors
Bird Banding Demonstrations
Birdwatching Hikes
Hummingbird Banding Station
EVENT SCHEDULE AVAILABLE ONLINE
Visit www.ruthvenpark.ca

📸 by

Guelph Bird Day is THIS Saturday from 9am-1pm. See you all there!

For more info: https://birdsafeguelph.ca/birdday/

UPCOMING PROGRAMS!

Spring is in the air and so are migratory birds! Celebrate spring migration with us at these following events:

- MAY 11 (9am-1pm): Guelph Bird Day at The Arboretum, University of Guelph
- MAY 11 (10am&2pm): For the Birds Festival at Ruthven Park National Historic Site
- MAY 18-20 (11am-4pm): Festival of Birds at Point Pelee National Park
- MAY 25 (10am-2pm): Toronto Bird Celebration at Colonel Sam Smith Park

Come on out to meet some of our feathered coworkers and learn all about Ontario's amazing raptors. See you all bird nerds soon!

Bird Safe Guelph Friends of Point Pelee Birds Canada Toronto and Region Conservation Authority

We just got back from another fantastic trip pitching in and having fun at the Algonquin Wildlife Research Station!

A huge thank you to Kevin, Drayke, Farqd, Amanda, and the whole team for hosting us, and for allowing us to continue our tradition of immersing ourselves in the beauty of Algonquin while contributing to the great work they do at the station.

And of course, an enormous thank you to the wonderful WO volunteers (and guests) who joined us up north to volunteer even more of their time!!

This annual trip has become a highlight of the year in the life of WO. Some of the faces may change year after year, but the WO/WRS magic certainly never does!

University of Guelph University of Guelph - Experiential Learning University of Guelph College of Biological Science University of Guelph Alumni

Freyja the Red-Tailed Hawk is having a great time meeting folks at Downsview Park’s Earth Day event!

We’ll be here until 4pm today, rain or shine! Come on out to meet some of our bird ambassadors and learn all about Ontario’s amazing raptors!

🦅🌎 Happy Earth Day everyone!

We hope you get the chance to go outside today, feel the sunshine and breeze on your feathers, and appreciate the beauty of the planet that we get to call home, just like Quito the Broad-winged Hawk.

For us bird-lovers, Earth Day is a magical time of year, as it falls right within the migration of Broad-winged Hawks from their wintering grounds down South to their summer digs in the boreal forest. These birds travel in huge flocks, sometimes reaching tens of thousands in number!

Keep your eyes to the skies today and you might just catch one of these incredible flocks of hawks! We feel so lucky to live on this beautiful planet alongside such wonderful wildlife, and we hope you do too!

📷: Teagan Genoe

UPCOMING PROGRAMS:

Join us in celebrating Earth Day next weekend at these following events:

SATURDAY April 27 (10am-2pm): Guelph Tree Planting at the Hanlon Creek Forest (https://tinyurl.com/5n7yrwew)

SUNDAY April 28th (11am-4pm): Earth Day at Downsview Park (https://tinyurl.com/2h9xszcd)

Come on out to meet our bird ambassadors, learn about Ontario's amazing raptors, and celebrate this awesome planet we get to live on! See you all there!

Rotary Club of Guelph Trees for Guelph

It's National Volunteer Week and we're celebrating our more than amazing team of student volunteers!

Each and every one of them plays an important role in Wild Ontario. Volunteers do daily training sessions with our birds to make sure they are the most comfortable and happiest when they travel to education programs. Volunteers also participate in these education programs spreading their love for birds and wildlife to thousands of people across Ontario.

Thanks to our wonderful team, our birds live a healthy and happy life, and inspire nature lovers everywhere we go! We couldn’t do it without you!!

University of Guelph University of Guelph - Experiential Learning

Happy exam season University of Guelph students!

During these times, it is extra important to be taking care of yourselves. So here are some of our birds' favourite self-care tips!

1. Atwood says to go on a walk, rain or shine, just get outside for some fresh air.
2. Quito loves to have a snack, ideally 24/7 snacking for her.
3. Freyja is an expert at taking a break, shaking it all out, and having some silly goofy times.
4. Grimsby likes to have a lie down, preferably in duck position.
5. And finally Newton's favourite: just stare off into space for a little bit. Take your mind off of exams and all the stress, and maybe just everything as a whole.

Good luck on exams, everyone!

📷: Teagan Genoe, Madi MacDonald, Aisha Shaikh, Annika Wilcox

University of Guelph College of Biological Science University of Guelph - Experiential Learning University of Guelph Alumni

Mark your calendars!

We're excited to be back at Downsview Park for their Earth Day Event on April 28th. See you all there!

🦅 Join us at Downsview Park for a special live birds of prey display by Wild Ontario from the University of Guelph. Fly by their booth and get up close with nature's majestic predators! More details here: https://bit.ly/40MfXNx


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🦅 Rejoignez-nous au Parc Downsview pour une démonstration spéciale d’oiseaux de proie par Wild Ontario de l’University of Guelph. Venez faire un tour au kiosque pour voir de près ces prédateurs majestueux! Détails : https://bit.ly/3nR1Ckr