Submitted by John Dickson
The following is an excerpt from the Owen Sound Field Naturalists (OSFN) October 2026 column. To learn more about OSFN please visit www.osfn.ca
The featured speaker for the October 15th presentation of the Owen Sound Field Naturalists (OSFN) was Tyler Miller, with ‘Asters, Goldenrods & Fleabanes,’ for which it has been an amazing season.
Bruce and Grey counties are home to 45 of these wildflowers, some of which have amazing stories and are unique to this landscape.
Tyler is a skilled ecologist boasting more than fifteen years of experience, primarily in Bruce and Grey. A natural curiosity drives his desire to explore and understand the intricate connections within wild ecosystems, including alvars. As a leading botanist in the region, during the past five years, Miller updated the Vascular Plant List of Bruce and Grey, and has played a pivotal role as a supporting expert for updating OSFN’s popular field guides about ferns, about orchids and most recently about asters, goldenrods and fleabanes.
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The Bruce Peninsula Bird Observatory recently reported the news of its 25th anniversary, and the latest observations of birds and banding details.
However, they also shared the very sad news of the passing of one of its co-founders, Ted Cheskey, a great naturalist I got to know a little when I first attended the Huron Fringe Birding Festival in 2001.
I especially remember the way he demonstrated the bird banding process, and after documenting the banded birds, he then let us use a stethoscope to listen to the rapid (normal) heartbeat of the specimens to be released. He handed them to those in attendance (myself and also some children who were there) and I remember wonderful close encounters with a Cedar Waxwing, and the waxy feel of its red appendages. I also learned first-hand that the small hook a Red-eyed Vireo has at the end of its beak is ‘very sharp’ and is well-designed to assist with its hunting operations.
There are plans for a Celebration of Life for Ted Cheskey in spring of 2027. Memorial donations to the Bruce Peninsula Bird Observatory would be appreciated.
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Rare bird sighting – On September 29, my glance was drawn to the backyard where a dozen or so migrating sparrows, after flying all night, dropped by here in Owen Sound for some speedy refuelling. So, I took a quick look, and saw what looked a little like a junco, so I snapped a few photos, before they all scattered. A closer look at the photos revealed that the junco was instead a Gray-cheeked Thrush, (Thanks to Rob Wray for the ID), a bird which prefers higher altitude, and taiga breeding territories, in the far northern parts of the province, and from the Yukon to Newfoundland and Labrador. Southern Ontario (such as Toronto or Owen Sound) is strictly a migration corridor rather than a breeding territory, where transients are occasionally spotted resting in dense brush – or ‘backyards.’
It was a ‘Lifer’ for me. Flesherton’s David Turner commented: “A great bird for Grey County, John, let alone your backyard!” Not to be outdone, Bruce County’s Bruce Edmunds also had a sighting of a Gray-cheeked Thrush in downtown Kincardine on September 26, saying “‘Tis the time of year for these guys!”
More migration news – Peter Metcalfe reported September 26, “Despite the cooler nights, we still have 3 little brown bats in our bat house. Soon, they’ll be flying off to their winter spots in caves and abandoned mine shafts.”
On October 6, Jan Pugsley was very surprised to see an adult monarch butterfly fuelling up on gorgeous goldenrods near Tobermory, the latest she has seen in the fall.
