Sarah McComb-Turbitt, was born in Chatsworth and her love for Nature, the ocean, and painting began at a young age.

Now an accomplished scientist and visual artist, she will be the Owen Sound Field Naturalists' (OSFN) featured presenter of Catching Penguins and Diving into the Icy Cold, plus Wildlife Art for Conservation, Thursday Dec. 8, 7:00 p.m. at the Harry Lumley Bayshore Community Centre. 

She will share her research into individual variations in the winter foraging behaviours of Gentoo Penguins, while she camped beside the penguin colony in the Falkland Islands.

Having developed her skills as a wildlife photographer out on the ocean, earned a degree in marine biology, and a certificate in animal behaviour she combines her science and artistry to share the stories of the species she has studied so closely.

Now an accomplished scientist and a busy visual artist as well, Sarah McComb-Turbitt received her initial training at OSCVI here in Owen Sound.

She excelled as an art student with her teacher Jim Sebesta in high school, and at University she majored in the natural sciences to work in the nature field.

Having recently returned to Owen Sound, she has been concentrating more on her art career.

This has included the installation of an amazing and beautiful mural in downtown Wiarton, and this past summer she was also on the conference committee for the Society for Marine Mammalogy where she coordinated the art exhibit, the online auction and also presented research on pilot whales.

Sarah is also a Signature Member of Artists for Conservation, based in Vancouver. Her painting was selected for the front cover of their 2023 environmental calendar, still available here.

This is a family and children friendly event and everyone is welcome to attend, at the Bayshore, Thursday Dec. 8, 7:00 p.m., and admission is free or by donation.

OSFN also plans to offer the presentation on zoom, and a zoom link can be requested by emailing [email protected] with Penguin in the subject line. 

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Annual Christmas Bird Counts (CBCs) – this  year, Christmas Bird Counts are scheduled between December 14, 2022 and January 5, 2023.

The CBC is North America’s longest running citizen science project. Volunteers record and submit sightings which contribute to an understanding of population trends and bird distribution.

Become a citizen scientist by getting involved! Here are many of the local CBC's with the dates, and contact details for the compilers for you to consider:

• Wednesday, Dec. 14, 2022 - Tobermory
       Tyler Miller - [email protected]
• Thursday, Dec. 15, 2022 - Kincardine
       James Turland - [email protected]
• Saturday, Dec. 17, 2022- Owen Sound
       Erik Van Den Kieboom - [email protected]
• Saturday, Dec. 17, 2022 - Hanover/Walkerton
       Gerard McNaughton -  [email protected]
• Sunday, Dec. 18, 2022 - Wiarton
       Jarmo Jalava - [email protected]
• Wednesday, Dec. 28, 2022 - Meaford
       Lynne Richardson - [email protected]
• Thursday, Dec. 29, 2022 - Pike Bay
       Andrew Keaveney - [email protected]
• Friday, Dec. 30, 2022 - Cape Chin
       Andrew Keaveney - [email protected]
• Wednesday, Jan. 4, 2023 - Saugeen Shores
       Kiah Jasper - [email protected]

Or visit this link to find a CBC near you. Participate and become a citizen scientist!

Thank you to Norah Toth for compiling and sharing this information.

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The Young Naturalists are a hearty bunch to head out for a hike in rain! It was quite the adventure that ended with smiles and a few wet feet.

Jody Johnson Pettit shares some of the photographs she took during the walk Sunday, Nov. 27, near Woodford.

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Each year at this time, I usually purchase a few extra nice calendars, with local connections, for myself and for gifting.

This year there are at least three of these 2023 calendars I will be considering that especially feature nature and art too. They are:

The Tom Thomson Art Gallery's fundraising calendar this year features much loved works sponsored and selected from the collection. Always a winner! Visit them at Tom Thomson Art Gallery, 840 1st Ave. W., Owen Sound, or phone: 519-376-1932

The exquisite bird photography by David Turner of Local Colour / Flesherton Art Gallery and Beaver Valley Birding – calendars are available for pick-up (or can be shipped) at Flesherton Art Gallery, 20 Collingwood St., Flesherton, or phone: 519-924-3560

As mentioned above Sarah McComb-Turbitt is also a Signature Member of Artists for Conservation, based in Vancouver where her painting was selected for the front cover of their 2023 environmental calendar, which is still available – for more info visit here.

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Our members are great photographers, and they capture their images ethically. Thanks for sharing, please keep them coming!

Ingrid Remkins took a walk in the snow – and found a sandhill crane! Heard it too! This marvelous image was taken north of Kimberley, December 1. Below, a Northern Shrike stays warm on a blue-sky November day.

Margaret Wolf came across this stunning Bald Eagle near Tara, November 29.

Marilyn Ohler found this Hooded Merganser in the Owen Sound harbour, December 1.

William Gray shows the beaver's tendancy towards obstinate single-minded determination to lay claim to any wood it finds appropriate, near Benallen, November 29.

 
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To close, a Nature quote from Welcome to Owen Sound, Fern Capital of Ontario,
by Nelson Maher (1933-2005):

Green and graceful,
ferns embody a charm
that is also universal.

The lush symmetry of their arching fronds
draws many a weary city-dweller
back to woodlands,
escarpments and streams,
even if the tired traveller
is unable to tell one fern from another.

And ferns are somehow the emblem
of a shady forest, a symbol of its
cool solitude and repose,
inspiring a poetical turn of mind
in even the most prosaic of us.

Source: media release, Owen Sound Field Naturalists – John Dickson