Fall Tree Plantings 🍂 Join us for a weekday or weekend planting event in urban Hamilton! New and seasoned tree planters are welcome #volunteer. A limited number of gloves and shovels will be available to use, please bring your own if possible. Please RSVP to Jen at [email protected]

Are you ready for our fall plant sale on Oct 4? We are! ✨ Our amazing vendors - Bee Sweet Nature Co., In Our Nature, Prairie Song Nursery, and South Coast Gardens - will have LOTS of native plants available to purchase. Live music, cash café, educational booths, and presentation at 12:30 PM #HamOnt

Happy #NationalForestWeek! Hamilton's forests are home to over 70 tree species - which one is your favourite? Would you like to plant a tree? We have two planting events in October! Details will be posted later this week, or check out the events now on our website >> buff.ly/WLjehYZ

Our first Bird Study Group meeting of the season is live right now! www.youtube.com/live/qBYJnyr...

Happy Fall! 🍂 Fun fact: during late summer and fall Black-capped Chickadees grow their brains (specifically the hippocampus) to help them remember all their food caches for the winter! #birds

TOMORROW - Bird Study Group: Celebrating 50 Years of Hawk Cliff Raptor Banders 🦅 Join us to hear George Prieksaitis share a celebration of 50 years of fall raptor banding operations at Hawk Cliff, Ontario. 📅 Sept 22, 2025 | 7:30 - 9 PM 📍 170 Dundurn St S, #HamOnt 🔗 Livestream: buff.ly/libjr2i

A Spooky Fall Fungi Foray at Borer’s Falls 🍄 Join Blair Rose for a mushroom safari where we’ll explore the mysterious world of fall fungi. Bring your sense of adventure, a camera and sturdy shoes! 📅 Sat Oct 11, 2025 | 12 - 2 PM 📍 Meet in the Borer's Falls Dog Park parking lot (491 York Rd, Dundas)

The CWF Great Canadian #Bioblitz is a fun and easy way to connect with nature while taking inventory of Canada's wildlife species 🌿 Your goal? To record as many different species of flora, fauna, and funga you can find. Snap photos or record sounds and upload your observations to iNaturalist ⬇️

Thank you to Warren for leading yesterday's evening tour of Cartwright Nature Sanctuary, where participants learned about local wildlife and stewardship activities 🍁 #HamOnt

📣 Share your thoughts on Safari Road! Drop by today's open house at Valens Community Centre (6-8 PM) or visit engage.hamilton.ca/SafariRdEA to comment by Sept 30, 2025. HNC believes a permanent closure would protect wildlife, habitat and ecosystem while saving taxpayers $$$ on retrofits! #HamOnt

Our monthly meetings and #bird study group meetings are back for another season! #HamOnt Live right now, learn about Flower Flies with Alice Dabrowski 🌼 www.youtube.com/live/nwMblQ2...

TONIGHT - Monthly Meeting: Flower Flies Alice Dabrowski will give us a brief overview of flower fly ID, explain the importance of researching these insects and provide information on her current research. 📅 Sept 15, 2025 | 7:30 - 9:00 PM 📍 170 Dundurn St S #HamOnt 🔗 Livestream: buff.ly/libjr2i

It was a lovely evening for a stroll to see the fall wildflowers. Thank you to Nadia and Charlie for leading 20+ participants through Princess Point to explore the various #asters and #goldenrods 🌼

Upcoming Invasive Shrub Pulls 🍂 Join us for hands-on stewardship work at the nature sanctuaries this month. RSVP to [email protected] 📅 Sat Sept 13, 2025 | 10AM - 1PM 📍 Cartwright Nature Sanctuary #HamOnt 📅 Tues Sept 16, 2025 | 6 - 7:30 PM 📍 Sheelah Dunn Dooley Nature Sanctuary #BurlON

Thanks to the Birds Canada Community Grant, the Hamilton Naturalists’ Club recently installed two new Purple Martin nesting colony structures at Saltfleet and Fifty Point Conservation Areas. Learn more about the grant and apply today! Applications are open until Sep 29: tinyurl.com/mwbc2m37

Cartwright Nature Sanctuary Tour 🌿 Join Warren Beacham for a tour of this 46-acre parcel acquired as a joint agreement between HNC and Conservation Halton in 2004. 📅 Wed Sept 17, 2025 | 6:00 - 8:00 PM 📍 Meeting location >> buff.ly/xyu3HXP 🚗 Park along the edge of the road, avoiding the grass

Thank you to Blair for leading a group of 45(!) participants on an introductory #mycology walk in the Dundas Valley Conservation Area this past Saturday. Attendees learned about #fungi identification, morphology, and ecological functions 🍄

Bird Study Group: Celebrating 50 Years of Hawk Cliff Raptor Banders 🦅 Join us to hear George Prieksaitis share a celebration of 50 years of continuous fall raptor banding operations at Hawk Cliff, Ontario. 📅 Sept 22, 2025 | 7:30 - 9 PM 📍 170 Dundurn St S, #HamOnt 🔗 Livestream: buff.ly/libjr2i

A recent study shows that people are able to perceive biodiversity through sights & sounds, and those perceptions correlate with the actual biodiversity of a natural place. The study adds to a growing body of research on biodiversity perception & its connections to human mental health & well-being.

Less than a month until our native plant sale! ✨ Buy native plants, learn about local environmental organizations, enjoy live music with a cash café, and a presentation by Sean James at 12:30 PM. Don't miss it!

Biodiversity is essential to a resilient environment and human health #NationalWildlifeDay We rely on the ecosystem services nature provides - like flood mitigation, clean air/water, and pollination. By protecting and restoring natural spaces we work to preserve biodiversity for future generations.

Plant Walk - Asters & Goldenrods Join Nadia Cavallin & Charlie Briggs for a visit to RBG's Princess Point through a diverse collection of native asters and goldenrods. Trails are relatively flat with no steep hills. 📅 Wed Sept 10, 2025 | 5:30 - 7 PM 📍 335 Longwood Rd N, Hamilton

What's happening in September? 🌾 ▪️ Sept 6: Fall Mushroom Walk ▪️ Sept 9, 13 and 16: Invasive Shrub Pulls ▪️ Sept 10: Asters & Goldenrods Walk ▪️ Sept 15: Monthly Meeting ▪️ Sept 17: Cartwright Nature Sanctuary Tour ▪️ Sept 22: Bird Study Group ▪️ Sept 27: Nature at McMaster Community Bioblitz

Monthly Meeting: Flower Flies Alice Dabrowski (she/her) will give us a brief overview of flower fly ID, explain the importance of researching these insects and provide information on her current research. 📅 Sept 15, 2025 | 7:30 - 9:00 PM 📍 170 Dundurn St S #HamOnt 🔗 Livestream: buff.ly/libjr2i

Fall migration is underway! Most migratory #bird species fly at night to avoid predators, taking advantage of the calm, cool air and using the stars and moon to navigate. BirdCast (birdcast.info) uses radar-based measurements to monitor nocturnal bird migration - go birding after a busy night!

Thank you to Glenn for leading yesterday's walk to visit the Barn Swallow nesting structure at Johnson Tew Park #HamOnt and sharing the journey from idea to construction. In the inaugural year, five chicks successfully fledged!

Echoing @pothen.bsky.social: taking the 60 hectares out of the Provincial Parks Act means that ecological priorities will no longer trump any other. Wasaga needs to remain in provincial public ownership. 🔗: www.thestar.com/real-estate/...

Decorations & trinkets don’t belong on nature trails. This trend goes against the 7 Leave No Trace principles: ✅ plan & prepare ✅ travel/camp on durable surfaces ✅ dispose of waste ✅ leave what you find ✅ minimize fire impacts ✅ respect wildlife ✅ be considerate 🔗 www.yahoo.com/news/article...

Fall Invasive Shrub Pulls 🍂 Join us for hands-on stewardship work at the nature sanctuaries #HamOnt #BurlON, with a focus on invasive plant removal (hand-pulling, weed wrenches, girdling). All equipment is provided but feel free to bring your own gloves. RSVP to Jen at [email protected]

HNC joined Hamilton Conservation Authority and Nature at McMaster at our Pine Hills Nature Sanctuary this week to continue ongoing aquatic restoration work. Together the team conducted fish surveys and installed Christmas trees along an eroding section of the waterway. Fantastic work everyone! 🐟

Exploring Fall Mushrooms in the Dundas Valley 🍄 Join Blair Rose for a beginner-friendly, introductory fungi walk. 📅 Sat Sept 6, 2025 | 12 - 2 PM 📍 Dundas Valley Conservation Area - meet at the pavilion (buff.ly/yvHkHcU) 🚗 Paid parking ($11.50) or HCA Membership Pass

Goodbye to our summer intern Nick! 👋 He did a great job maintaining our pollinators gardens and nature sanctuaries - managing invasive species, planting trees, and assisting with monitoring surveys. Thank you to the Canada Summer Jobs program for funding a portion of this position.

The HNC is hiring a Project Lead - Urban Forest Stewardship (52 weeks: October 6, 2025 - October 2026). Applications are due 11:59 PM September 5, 2025. Learn more: buff.ly/7xfgRrF #GreenJobs

Barn Swallow Structure Visit at Johnson Tew Park 🐣 Join Glenn Meldrum for a visit on level walking paths to the completed structure and see firsthand the project's successful inaugural year. Meet between the parking lot and playground. 📅 Wed August 27, 2025 | 6 - 7:30 PM 📍 71 Tews Lane, Dundas

City Council has approved a recommendation to update Hamilton’s community-wide Climate Action Strategy to speed up efforts to reduce carbon emissions and better protect the community from extreme weather. Release >> www.hamilton.ca/city-council... #HamOnt

Save the date for our native plant sale this fall! ✨ ✅ Native plants, educational booths, informative presentation 📅 Saturday October 4, 2025 | 10:00 AM - 2:00 PM 📍 First Unitarian Church of Hamilton (170 Dundurn St S, #HamOnt) 🤝 In partnership with the church's Climate Action Team

"What is a more beautiful way to form a national identity than around nature? Than around the ecosystem you live in and how to live a good life on that land?" - Andrés Jiménez Monge on @sierraclubcanada.bsky.social The Environment in Canada podcast. 🎧: www.sierraclub.ca/bill-5-dereg... #onpoli

Check out Halton Region Master Gardeners upcoming Garden Journeys Open Days! See and learn about native plants, pollinator gardens, and managing rainwater over two free weekends of this self-led garden crawl >> buff.ly/CazUEl5 📅 August 8-10 & August 15-17, 2025 📍 Hamilton, ON

What's happening in August? 🌻 ▪️ Aug 6: Urban Pollinator Garden Clean-Up ▪️ Weekly Tuesday AM Work Party at Sheelah Dunn Dooley Nature Sanctuary ▪️ Weekly Thursday AM Work Party at Captain Cornelius Park

This is your reminder that “Every square inch of planet Earth has ecological significance.” From balconies to backyards, everyone has a role in conservation. 📖 Read the Last Word in ON Nature: catalog.ontarionature.org/summer-2025/...

We're postponing this event due to the heat. New date is Wednesday August 6!

Ready, set, snap! Are you ready for the Big Backyard BioBlitz? From July 28 - August 4, 2025 you can participate by explore the natural world in a fun way with family and friends while helping scientists and conservation professionals. Learn more >> buff.ly/aqv7meo

Mark your calendar for the International Monarch #MonitoringBlitz! 🦋 From July 25 to August 3, 2025 you can snap pictures of milkweed plants and monarch butterflies in any life stage - egg, caterpillar, chrysalis or adult - and upload your observations to iNaturalist.

Join us for an evening weeding session at the Pipeline Trail pollinator garden. Gloves and some tools will be available, please bring your own if possible. 📅 Tuesday July 29, 2025 | 6:00 - 8:00 PM 📍 Pipeline Trail (35 Pipeline Trail, Hamilton) ✉️ RSVP to Jen at [email protected]

Thank you to everyone who joined us for last week's tree walk with Jeff and Charlie 🌳

It's #WorldSnakeDay 🐍 Snakes are an integral part of the environment, helping to control rodent and prey animal populations while feeding other animals themselves and acting as a biodiversity indicator. The four Dekay's brownsnakes pictured hunt for snails, slugs and earthworms.

Happy World Snake Day! Watch Teagan and Ethan carry out Ontario Nature’s Long-Term Monitoring Protol with snakes. Snake Week is about education and advocacy – not making everyone love snakes, but recognizing their right to exist. Read more about snakes and stewardship here: shorturl.at/zKkfa

The Summer 2025 issue of the Wood Duck is now available online for members >> buff.ly/XhoKvc9

Come volunteer with us Tuesday and Thursday mornings throughout the summer! We'll be focused on remove invasive shrubs like Common Buckthorn, with occasional other tasks. No experience is needed, we'll provide the gloves and equipment #HamOnt #BurlON RSVP to Jen at [email protected]

As part of Hamilton's Biodiversity Action Plan, the City is reviewing and updating the Yard Maintenance By-Law to better support naturalized areas on private property, such as pollinator gardens, native plantings, and rewilded spaces. Share your thoughts by July 11, 2025 >> buff.ly/1mvEt4C