Saturday June 20, 2026 - Learn Your Butterflies with Mark Dorriesfield
1 pm - Blackwater
The end of June and beginning of July is peak butterfly season in North Durham. Join Mark to learn where to look for them and what to look at to tell them apart. There are two butterfly counts in North Durham the following two weekends, so this is a great opportunity for a primer on butterflying for anyone interested in contributing to those counts as well.
Saturday June 27, 2026 - Rice Lake Plains with Mark Stabb
8 am - Rice Lake Pains
The Rice Lake Plains are home to tallgrass prairie, a habitat type that has all but disappeared from southern Ontario. Mark Stabb has been involved with preserving and restoring this habitat on a number of properties with the Nature Conservancy of Canada, and will show and tell about this unique habitat.
Tuesday July 1, 2026 - Tricky Sparrows with Derek Connelly
6 am - Goodwood
Sparrows are thought by some as "just a bunch of little brown birds", however there are a wide variety to be found in open country habitats around North Durham. Join Derek on Canada Day to search for some of these streaky sparrows and learn how to tell them apart. Breakfast afterwards at Annina's for those interested after the early morning walk.
Butterfly Counts
Sunday June 28, 2026 - Oshawa Butterfly Count
Sunday July 5, 2026 - Sunderland Butterfly Count
These two are not NDN walks, but annual community science surveys coordinated by NDN's James Kamstra. Teams go out to survey butterflies at different areas within a defined count circle, then join at the end of day for a tally-up. Those interested in participating can contact James at: james.kamstra AT outlook.com
