This season, OSFN Director Elaine van den Kieboom is heading up the Young Naturalists Club, following the retirement of Krista McKee of Grey Sauble Conservation. OSFN extends our sincere gratitude and best wishes to Krista.

On October 29, the OSFN's Young Naturalist Club also started their season with a nature art theme. Acclaimed painter Frank de Matteis demonstrated sketching techniques, and close observation skills to create images of several bird species and then invited the budding Batemans outside to introduce appropriate tree and shrub habitat features into their birds' portraits. Birds being drawn included Screech Owl, Woodcock, and Whippoorwill. Matteis pointed out salient details of each bird's behaviour and habits and then identified complementary physical features on the birds which facilitated some of those activities. For example, he explained to the Young Naturalists present, that the Whippoorwill is nocturnally active, and flies with its very widely opened mouth trapping all of the various insects being funnelled towards the mouth by very distinctly angled bristles.

There is still room for a few more in the Young Naturalist Club, which next meets on Sunday, November 26. For details visit www.osfn.ca

source: media release, Owen Sound Field Naturalists