South Peel Naturalists' Club

08/25/2026

South Peel Naturalists' Club had an outing for the annual Shadfly(White Mayfly) emergence in Glen Williams, north of Georgetown. Some of us enjoyed a lovely dinner at the Copper Kettle and then ice cream at the Ice Cream Shack. We gathered on the bridge around 8pm and the mayflies were already starting to fly. Very soon, numbers hugely increased as they swarmed from the river to over the bridge....a snowstorm in August! You could feel them pelting your body and head cover was a good idea. I fished a few from under my shirt! It really is something to see! (Thank you to Donna Sheppard for this submission.)

08/23/2026

**Lights Out Alert: Bird Highway Returns This Weekend**

Here they come! While the fall bird migration peaks in our area during September, an early wave is likely Saturday night. The wind pattern is perfect for the birds, and they will likely take advantage and move across the entire Great Lakes region. More than 200 million birds are projected by the Birdcast model. It is possible that the bird surge will be much higher than that number. The reason why is because Birdcast uses data from the GFS computer model. That model shows a good wind flow for the birds, but the European computer model shows a great pattern for migratory birds. Either way, bird traffic should be high, but it has the potential to overperform. Saturday night is a good time to turn off those outdoor lights to help this early surge of birds navigate south.

08/20/2026

08/18/2026

Last night's walk at Rattray Marsh was a fun, all-ages event. We even had an energetic preschooler, who had to leave early to go to bed. Highlights were sightings of two deer and a Great Blue Heron, all of which stayed in place for lengthy periods so all could see. Photos of the beautiful sky and sliver moon as those of us left headed back in the twilight. Thanks to Reconnect Mississauga and The Reconnection Project for sharing the event and bringing more people out.

08/15/2026

🎉 You’re invited! Join us to celebrate the new Atwood-Gibson Bird Centre!

Come celebrate PIBO’s new home on Pelee Island and the incredible donors whose generosity made this project possible.

📅 September 12 at 12:00 p.m.
📍 1023 West Shore Rd., Pelee Island

Take a first look at the new Atwood-Gibson Bird Centre, learn more about the vision behind the project, and help us celebrate this exciting new chapter for the Pelee Island Bird Observatory.

Just one month away! We look forward to celebrating with you! 🐦

08/11/2026

MAYFLIES THIS THURSDAY! When temperatures, time and maybe even the moon are right, the Credit River comes alive with the dramatic life cycle of many, many thousands (or more) of mayflies. Like a reverse snowfall, these delicate, white 'fairies' rise from the river and pour across the bridge heading upstream. Easy walking on gravel & pavement in this small town criss-crossed by the Credit. Bring cameras for night filming. Meet on Thurs. Aug. 13 at 8:00 pm in Glen Williams on the bridge over the Credit River, between the 2 churches. Park in the back of St. Alban the Martyr Anglican Church, 537 Main St. (the north church). The Mayflies start to come out about 8:15pm but larger numbers appear after 8:30pm. Peak numbers around 9:00pm.

08/09/2026

DATE CHANGE - SWIFT WATCH MONDAY AUGUST 10TH MOVED TO TUESDAY AUGUST 11TH. Swifts feed on flying insects. Tiny insects do not want to be knocked out of the air by large raindrops and so remain under cover. Tuesday is only a 20% chance of rain, so we will meet Tuesday at 7:30 on the 3rd floor of the Oakville Trafalgar Community Centre parking garage for our annual August Swift Watch. Please park on the side opposite where we stand, so that we are not subjected to vehicle heat and fumes! For information and to register, visit https://southpeel.wordpress.com/activities/monday-evening-walks/

08/06/2026

SPNC is running a field trip to the Urquhart Butterfly Garden and Desjardins Canal in Dundas on Sunday, August 9. For details and to register, visit https://southpeel.wordpress.com/activities/field-trips/.

07/28/2026

HELP WANTED Thurs. July 30 at 10am to count chimney swifts around the old Oakville Trafalgar High School in central . Meet on the 3rd floor of the Oakville Trafalgar Community Centre parking garage (325 Reynolds St.). We will be counting for at least one hour. It might be useful to bring a towel or cushion to place on the wall for your elbows if looking through binoculars.

Good news! The Town of Oakville has voted to pursue "the preservation and adaptive reuse of the former OTHS, retaining a heritage designation". Nesting data is needed, though.