Upcoming Meetings

We meet on the first Tuesday of every month except July and August at 7:30 p.m. at the Arnprior Curling Club, 15 Galvin St., Arnprior (by the Fairgrounds).

June 5: (Last meeting before summer hiatus!) Professor Tom Sherratt, from Carleton University, will tell us all about Mimicry. 

Mimicry has evolved on multiple occasions in the natural world. Sometimes the mimicry is honest in that it serves to inform predators, and sometimes it is dishonest in that it dupes them.  In some mimetic species both sexes engage in mimicry, in other species its only one sex.  In some cases the mimic has evolved to be a near-perfect replica of its model, on other occasions the resemblence is crude at best.  In this presentation we will be considering how and why mimicry has evolved in the natural world, and attempt to make sense of the bewildering diversity of mimetic solutions.

Upcoming Field Trips

Please register beforehand via email at  This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.  so you can be informed of last-minute changes in our plans. 

Saturday, May 26: Renfrew County Natural History Day, Eganville Community Arena. Pre-registration starts May 1, at 613-732-5511

This event features multiple speakers and a field trip to the Shaw Woods. A Youth Program is also being planned for the children. Light refreshments and snacks will be provided. For more details, click here.

Saturday, June 9, 10a.m. Butterfly Trip  Join our hostess Liza Badham and Trip Leader Rick Cavasin at 5689 Ferry Rd., Fitzroy Harbour, on Sat. June 9, to observe butterflies in diverse habitats on Liza's property in Fitzroy Harbour.  Ample parking is available; drive up to the house.  Bring your binoculars and wear sturdy footwear.  Register at  This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

New members and guests are welcome both to our meetings and field trips.  Carpooling is encouraged.

For more information on our field trips or to register please contact our field trip coordinator by clicking This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. .

NOTE: If you join a field trip, be aware that other participants may take your picture, accidently or intentionally. So the photo may end up on the mfnc.ca or other websites. It'’s a normal part of sharing field trip fun and information. If you don'’t want your photo used this way, tell the trip leader or the field trips coordinator at the address above.

Past Field Trips and Meetings (2012)

May 1:  Dr. Paul Keddy, an internationally recognized ecologist, spoke about some of the “wilder” features of our area that make it a unique and special place to live. Wild places are not only necessary for wild species, but they are an important part of human culture.  We have a deep need for wildness, even if we sometimes have difficulty explaining why. Canoe trips, wilderness hikes, hunting camps, and even summer cottages all give us some experience of wildness.  But often we take our own landscape for granted, thinking we have to travel to Costa Rica or Africa to see wildness. Yet we have Algonquin Park just to the north, and the Adirondacks just to the south; Refrew and Lanark are an important natural corridor that links them.  And did you know, that the Great Lakes used to drain down the Ottawa River valley, and that the old shoreline of an ocean, the Champlain Sea, can still be seen while you drive along our highways?  Or, that the rocky areas of Lanark County have extensive areas of forests underlain by marble, with rare ferns dependent on the calcareous soil? Or that southern turtles, include the soft-shelled turtle and the map turtle, still nest along the sandy shores of the Ottawa River? It is easy to forget that a forest or wetland or lake just over the next hill may have wild species that are rare elsewhere. The talk will focus on some of the wilder parts of Lanark and Refrew Counties, based upon Dr. Keddy’s familiar guide to the natural areas of Lanark County, Earth, Water, Fire.  Take a tour of some of these wild places, and meet a few of the special species that live there. 

April 3: Mark Conboy spoke about Cerulean Warblers.

March 25th, Sunday: Michael Runtz led us around the Arnprior area to look and listen for owls. It was a fantastic event and wonderful that so many (46) club members and friends came out on that perfect starry night.  Mike's  ability to motivate and involve everybody in hearing and sighting the owls was truly amazing.  Several participants said they were really moved by the experience.

March 6: Ken Storey of Carleton University let us know the cold realities of Overwintering Insects, Frogs and Other Animals.

February 17: Thirteen Macnamarans ventured out to Oxford Mills to join Fred Schueler and Aleta Karstad for the Friday evening mudpuppy count, which occurs weekly over the winter.  Also with us was a couple who had driven all the way from NY state to participate. The night was unusually mild and calm and the mudpuppies did not disappoint us.  Fifty were counted and everyone saw many of them as they made their way upstream to feed in the shallow water.  There were a few wet feet among us as we shuffled over the rocks.  When the counting was done we had the chance to warm up and dry out at the lovely Brigadoon restaurant where we enjoyed the food and drink. There we had the opportunity to continue our discussion of mudpuppies and this special project.  For more information see pinicola.ca/mudpup1.

February 7: Members came out to test their wits against the riddles and poems of Mike Runtz. This was a fun event full of laughs and groans...and some learning too!

January 21 Ski/Snowshoe Outing: David Spence led us through the extensive trails on his property, to look for signs of animal activity and to enjoy the beautiful scenery along the Carp Ridge.  The trails were suitable for skiers/snowshoers of all ability levels and, since the trails are generally machine groomed, they were comfortably walked in appropriate footwear. For pics and report, check the Events Blog.

January 3: Members brought their samples, specimens, and stories to Members' Night. Like last year’s event, the night was fantastic and it was amazing what our club members have gathered in knowledge and curiosities!

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Past Field Trips and Meetings (2011)

Devember 26:  was our annual Christmas Bird Count organized by Club President, Mike Runtz.  For info, contact Michael directly at  This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.  .

December 6: Mike Runtz regaled us with plant reproduction stories about Sexual Stigmas and Surrogate Lovers. It was also our Annual General Meeting.

November 19 was our Annual Banquet. Guest Speaker Marty Obbard of the MNR educated us on a Black and White Affair: The State of our Bears.

November 1: Species at Risk, with Lauren Kruschenske, featuring the Eastern Cougar.

Friday, October 30: Macnamara Trail Maintenance Ten stalwart members met at the Macnamara Trail at 9:30 a.m. to help with clearing and maintaining the trail, and spreading wood chips. The weather was brilliant and a lot was achieved.

Sunday, Oct. 16, 2:00 p.m.: Nature Walk on the Macnamara Trail with Mike Runtz. Along this interpretive trail and boardwalk we saw resident and fall migrant birds along with many unusual plants in high-quality forest and wetland habitat. This trip was "kid friendly" and was a joint event with the Ottawa Field Naturalists' Club.

October 4: Mudpuppies talk, with Fred Schueler. For some background on these ancient creatures (the salamanders, not Fred!) check out the events blogs on Mudpuppy Night.

Saturday, Oct 1: Slime Moulds, Puffballs and Cup Fungi. George White led us on a fall hike on the Spicer property to hunt out and observe these smaller fungi. Check out Suzanne Monnon's trip report on the Events Blog.

Tuesday, Sept 6: The Art of Bird Banding. Lesley Howes, an accomplished biologist with the Canadian Bird Banding Office, educated us on the bird banding program and gave us tips on how to age and sex birds once they are in the hand. A collection of skins was available as a teaching tool.

Saturday, August 13: Maureen did an awesome job organizing the canoe trip to Morris Island.  We had 19 people and lots of canoes and boats.  It was a huge success.  Steve Duffield lead the water tour, Dave Forsyth did a talk about the geology of the area prior to us going out on the water so that we looked for the things that he told us about and Mary Marsh was identifying things of botany nature.  A fab day! -Suzanne Monnon

Saturday, July 9: Mike Runtz took us deep into to the White Lake fen and the Stewartville Swamp where encountered at least 12 species of orchids. We brought footwear for very wet conditions (old runners, rubber boots, and a change of socks and pants), insect repellant hat, and lunch, and there was some difficult walking in the fen, but we saw a lot of neat stuff.

Tuesday, June 7: Amy Cameron, a Planning Ecologist with the Ministry of Natural Resources told us why White Nose Syndrome in Bats is considered the worst wildlife health crisis in recent times. From Oklahoma to Ontario millions of hibernating bats have died as a result of the disease. We learned about the impacts that it will have on our local Bat populations.

If you would like to contact Amy about bats, she can be reached at 613-622-7550.

Sunday, June 5: Botany Hike to Eagle's Nest Lis Allison guided us through botanical splendours up to a magnificent view from Calabogie. Lots of Polygalas and some Pink Lady's-slippers, and a ton of other plants. We'll be back.

Tuesday, May 3: Sean Landsman, a Master’s student at Carleton University gave us a glimpse into the life of one of our top local predators—the Muskellunge. Its niche as apex predator makes it extremely important for our local aquatic systems. We learned about its biology, ecology, distribution and preferred habitats. For the anglers out there we explored proper handling procedures and methods that can be used to help conserve this species.

Sunday, April 17: Rideau Canal Fish Watching The Ottawa Field Naturalists Club invited MFNC members to tag along on their fish watching trip on the Rideau Canal. The event starred Hume Douglas and Dr. Steven Cooke or others from Carleton University's Fish Ecology and Conservation Physiology Lab. More information about Dr. Cooke's research can be found at www.carleton.ca/fecpl/.

Five attendees from the MFNC found the weather that day to be too cold and windy for the fish to be active and visible, so we'll have to wait until the next such event to win our fish-watchers' badges.

Tuesday, April 5: Peter Hall, founder of the Fletcher Wildlife Garden in Ottawa, educated us on one of the jewels of the insect world – Butterflies!

Sunday, March 20:  Owl Prowl with Mike Runtz Nearly 50 people met at the Arnprior Canadian Tire parking lot at 7 p.m. in the evening to carpool to a favourable site to hear the sounds of love (Owl love, that is) echoing through the night woods. They were rewarded with calls and views of Owls close-up.  

Tuesday, March 1:  Dr. Paul Smith, a researcher at Environment Canada’s National Wildlife Research Centre, discussed with us how climate related change is affecting Arctic habitats and in turn their inhabitants, particularly shorebirds...both for the positive and the negative.

Saturday, February 19: This full-day outing was to one of the most spectacular winter wonderlands in southern Ontario. The Barron Canyon is amazing to see in the summer but in the winter it is an unparalleled experience. The day was cool and windy, but about five MFNCers joined the Ottawa Field Naturalists for the trip into Algonquin. As well as the splendour of the Canyon, they saw a Gray Jay, a Pine Grosbeak, a Bald Eagle and lots of fresh mammal tracks, including Moose and Wolf.

Tuesday, February 1: An enjoyable evening of riddles and nature stumpers with the Nature Riddler himself--Mike Runtz. Check the Events Blog for pics.

Friday, January 21: After a delicious meal at the Brigadoon Restaurant, Club members moseyed over to the Kemptville Creek Dam in Oxford Mills to watch the Mudpuppies "singin' and dancin' and settin' on chairs," as herpetologist Fred Schueler put it. They were indeed very active.

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Past Field Trips and Meetings (2010)

Sunday, December 26: Hope you didn't miss the Annual Pakenham-Arnprior Christmas Bird Count. For more info, go to http://www.mfnc.ca/cbc.html

Tuesday, December 7: Jan Aylsworth, an Earth scientist from Natural Resources Canada, introduced us to Leda Clay landslides, like the one which forced the permanent evacuation of the town of Lemieux, Ont. about 20 years ago.

Saturday, November 13: It was time for The Young Macnamara Scavenger Hunt, so YoungMacs geared up for a crisp fall outing to flex their outdoor knowledge and hone their naturalist's skills.

Tuesday, November 2: Emily Conger spoke to us about the conservation connection between Algonquin Park and the Adirondacks to the south. Nature is notoriously unconscious about political boundaries, and these two areas have much in common.

Saturday, October 9: Eleven of us enjoyed a trek via Quyon up the Gatineau for mushrooms with Gord Vogg. We went up an old fire road to lakes Curley and la Pêche through hemlocks and hardwoods and found fungi galore.

Tuesday, October 5:  It was turtles front and centre with speaker David Seburn, who showed us all we needed to know about these splendid remnants of the Jurassic.

Tuesday, September 7: After a summer of nature close at hand and field trips, we turned our attention to the skies and learned about astronomy from expert Brian McCullough.

Saturday, August 14: The Young Macs headed out for a Dragonfly Day at the Morris Island Conservation Area up the Ottawa River.

Saturday, July 10: The Club hosted a hike and interpretive tour through the northern reaches of the March Highlands and we invited members of the Ottawa Field Naturalists to join us.

Sunday, June 13: The focus was earthworms – leaf litter and soil in some forests are disappearing, and the Shaw Woods was no different. This could have a lot to do with alien species of earthworms in our area, says Rob Lee, who has made a study of them. As well, Eleanor Thomson helped us look at the plants, and Dr. Kathryn Lindsay the birds, of this old-growth forest.

Tuesday, June 1: How do plants find their “niche,” a place where they are adapted to survive and prosper? Polar bears or codfish can move around to flourish, but plants can’t, so what counts most as they seek an ecological home? We found out from Prof. Lonnie Aarssen of the Queen’s University biological field station and editor of Ideas in Ecology and Evolution. Big isn't always best, when it comes to plant size.

Saturday, May 22: The 8th Annual Renfrew County Natural History Day was held at the Calabogie Community Centre. Attendees from all the Valley nature clubs learned about Renfrew County's natural history through displays, talks and nature hikes.

Tuesday, May 4: We learned about some of the most complex and visible parts of the insect world – dragonflies and damselflies – from Colin Jones of the Natural Heritage Information Centre in Peterborough. As we head into mosquito season, this was an opportunity to learn about these predators who make mosquitoes one of their favourite targets.

Saturday, May 1: We launched our revised trail guide and invited everyone to join in and take a stroll down the Macnamara Nature Trail in the Nopiming Game Preserve on Saturday May 1 at 11 a.m.  Club president Michael Runtz and officials from Nylene Canada Inc. led a mini field trip to take in spring flowers, migrating birds and the whole explosion of life that comes to the Ottawa Valley in May. This was also an important opportunity to say thank you to Nylene, which for years has granted permission for this trail to run through its property. This company has showed enormous civic spirit and concern for the natural world and it was time we let them know we appreciate it.

Monday, April 5: Club president Michael Runtz took us on our annual Owl Prowl.

Saturday, February 27: Club wildlife expert Fergus Nicoll led the Young Macnamaras to Ryan Zimmerling's farm in Stewartville to meet local birds and show how a bird bander entices them in, holds them safely, and gathers scientific information - all in less than 10 minutes! And we learned how to identify birds using calls, coloration and habitat. This was our biggest Young Mac turnout so far, with eight young people on hand with their parents.

Saturday, February 20: Club naturalist Gord Vogg took us into the Nopiming Crown Game Preserve for animal tracks and signs, winter plant and tree identification, winter mushrooms and even evidence of insects!

Saturday, January 16: We were invited to the Thomson cabin trails for snowshoeing, x-country skiing and winter ecology. We learned about the natural world in winter from two of the club’s most longstanding members.