I attended the spring workshop for identifying and learning about Birds of Prey at the High Park Nature Centre with Emily Rondel. Together we examined specimens from the Royal Ontario Museum collection, and ventured into the park to see hawks, owls, and other birds in the trees. As a bonus, we also identified rodent skeletons in samples of owl pellets – including complete skulls.
I attended a lichen workshop at the High Park Nature Centre in Toronto, led by Troy McMullin from the Canadian Museum of Nature. We discussed basic features of lichens in High Park and in eastern Canada, and their role in the environment.
Distinct from fungi, and plants - lichen are creatures that may consist of alage and fungi together, or fungi and specially adapted cyano-bacteria. They are sometimes known as the “corals” of the forest, and can speak to the quality of the air wherever they are (or aren’t) found.
