ON NATURE Spring 2009

Coming soon: Special Issue on the Songbirds of the Boreal Forest

The Incredible Journey: Internationally renowned author and ornithologist Bridget Stutchbury writes of the remarkable migrations undertaken by the jewel-coloured songbirds that travel thousands of kilometres to reach the boreal forest every spring. Once there, millions of birds build nests and breed. Stutchbury explains in vivid detail why it is so important to safeguard Ontario’s songbird sanctuary.

Return of the Hawks: It is one of the most breathtaking migrations that birdwatchers witness: the return of the raptors filling the early-morning skies. Find out the best places for hawk watching in the province and how to identify what you see.

Rain Gardens: Our summers are getting wetter: the city of Toronto alone experienced its rainiest summer yet last year. The downside of all that precipitation is the oil, pesticides, bacteria and other contaminants that together form a toxic soup of storm water. One appealing way to slow this funnel of pollution is with rain gardens, clusters of native vegetation designed to capture rainwater and add a bit of wildlife to the concrete jungle.

Plus:

• Bird Watch: The striking red-headed woodpecker has experienced one of the largest declines of any bird species in Ontario.

• Salamanders: Amphibians are believed to be the first vertebrates to have evolved, some 300 million years ago, into animals that can also live on land. Sadly, Ontario’s nine salamander species are now in decline as a result of acid rain, toxins in the water and habitat loss.