In early November as the sun was breaking through the clouds, the Young Macnamaras met at the Macnamara Trail kiosk in anticipation of what the morning would bring. Of the six warmly dressed participants, only one keen young naturalist was in attendance, with several would-be participants on the sick list. Fergus and Gordon, two club experts, were on hand to impart their impressive knowledge of plant and animal life on the trail, and Alicia provided the background on what really happens during the fall season.

Fall is a great time of year to discuss how nature prepares for winter, and our Young Macnamara already knew a lot about it. We discussed how all animals are looking for food and a safe shelter for the long winter months, and how some hibernate. We considered Eastern Chipmunks, American Toad and Green Frogs, as well as the Wood Frog which is able to go into a frozen state until spring. And we talked about migrating birds as well as the ones that stay in our area during winter.

Our next plan was to learn how to identify trees after their leaves fall. Alicia said the first step is to determine whether a tree is coniferous or deciduous – and the coniferous species were decidedly easier to remember! She showed how Eastern White Cedar needles lay flat and look like the scales of a snake, and that White Pine needle bundles of five are easy to remember because “white” has five letters. Once we had the coniferous trees figured out, Fergus explained the difference between alternate and opposite branching, and how only maple and ash trees have opposite branching. The rest of our walk consisted of looking at trees and assessing their characteristics including their bark patterns, seeds, leaves found on the ground, buds, and habitats. Gordon helped us identify a few remaining fall fungi, explained tree “cankers,” and gave a little lesson on local geology.

An exciting moment saw American Crows, Blue Jays and Black-Capped Chickadees “mobbing,” a possible predator. Fergus explained that mobbing occurs when birds find a hawk or owl and attempt to drive it away by ganging up on it in a noisy “mob,” making the neighbourhood too uncomfortable to hang around. Based on the habitat at the time, it may have been a roosting owl.

We definitely got up close and personal with autumn’s sights and sounds along the Macnamara Trail, and our Young Macnamara took home a pile of great information, thanks to our club experts.