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The Birds of Thickson’s Woods is a publication that documents 313 species of birds that have been seen in the reserve with full colour photographs of each species, including their status, and specific dates of the rarities seen. Known around the world as a birding hot spot, Thickson’s Woods is a must destination for any birders visiting southern Ontario.

This Field Checklist to the Birds of Thickson’s Woods was created to accompany the book and is updated to January 2017 with 318 species recorded within the Reserve.

 

Despite recent advances in bird photography, there is still no substitute for making good field notes, and most Rare Bird Committees now ask for field notes to supplement any photographs submitted. Detailed field notes, of course, also act as an excellent learning tool. This publication should increase a basic understanding of a bird’s feather tracts and anatomical features and aid in the identification of rare or problematic species.

Watching shorebirds is a most enjoyable experience and a handy identification guide is essential in the field. This guide focuses on the shorebirds commonly seen in Southern Ontario plus some of our rarer visitors.Illustrated with full-colour photographs, it shows the various shorebird plumages in an easy-to-use format. Light, slim and compact, it fits in your pocket or pack. You’ll have shorebird identification and aging tips at your fingertips.

Silkworm and Sphinx Moths represent the largest and most spectacular moths found in southern Ontario. Some are subtle and blend into their environment, while others are hand-sized and flash brilliant colours. Illustrated with full-colour photographs, it shows the Silkworm and Sphinx Moths likely to be seen in southern Ontario in this handy, easy to use guide, designed for the outdoors. It is light, slim and compact and fits into your pocket or pack.

This checklist documents all the moths recorded within Thickson’s Woods Nature Reserve. Using sheets and traps all species were identified with many being photographed before release, unharmed. No collecting is allowed in the Reserve. The “Mothing” team lead by David Beadle has recorded 1006 species so far. David Beadle, Mike King, Mike McEvoy, Dennis Barry, Margaret Carney, Phil Reyenga and I make up the team. It has been an incredibly successful program. We even attracted a moth that had never been seen in Canada before as well as many Ontario rarities. Quite a coup for Thickson’s Woods.

This publication is based on an original 1996 publication prepared by the late George Scott, with additions by Doug Lockrey and Dennis Barry. This is a checklist of the vascular plants that have been identified within the boundaries of Thickson’ Woods Nature Reserve, Whitby, Ontario, Canada.

With its diverse mix of northern and Carolinean species, including the towering white pines that still grow there, Thickson’s Woods is a living museum. Together with Corbett Creek Marsh, the adjacent lakeside wetland, it forms a genetic storehouse for the future, a vital web of life.

Bats are incredibly complex animals, and are subject to folklore, and misunderstanding. Because of their nocturnal nature they are very difficult to study. Ontario’s bats are under increasing pressure from from habitat loss, White Nose Syndrome and wind turbines. Fortunately there is an increasing interest in bats and we hope this book inspires naturalists, especially the young, to become involved with bats and their conservation. Full of information this book will appeal to amateurs and professionals alike to learn about these masters of the night.

Illustrated with the beautiful artwork of Fiona Reid and colour photographs, it shows all the bats of Ontario with identifying features, how to identfy them using Bat Detectors, discussing threats and their conservation.

In 2015, the Matt Holder Environmental Education Fund conducted a pilot bat study Thickson’s Woods Nature Reserve. The goals of this project were to learn about bats in the Reserve and to engage the public in bat conservation. A series of public walks were conducted, and simultaneous formalised acoustic transects, were completed approximately weekly from June through August 2015.

The most numerous bats were Big Brown or Silver-haired, two species with highly overlapping call repertoires that are difficult to distinguish. Second most numerous were Eastern Red Bats. Other species identified were Hoary, Little Brown, and Tri-colored Bats.

Bats were detected throughout the survey period, indicating that Thickson’s Woods is a valuable site for at least Big Brown, Silver-haired, and Eastern Red Bats. Hoary Bats were detected in low numbers during formal surveys, but were repeatedly observed informally during public events, suggesting they may also make use of the site. The presence of Little Brown and Tri-colored Bats, both rare and threatened species, is significant despite the low numbers. Public engagement efforts were highly successful, with a total of 180 people attending a series of events through the year to listen to talks about bat ecology and to see native bats in flight.

A study report, completed by Toby Thorne, Nigel Parr and Jessica Kroes is available for download.

Wayne King has been a professional Wildlife Ecologist for over 40 years. He travelled through forests, woodlots, meadows, marshes, ponds, swamps, bogs, rivers and streams to photograph every reptile species known to exist in Ontario.

This guide provides key features needed to identify Ontario reptiles in the field. There are over 140 detailed photographs to support the underlying text, depicting the key identification features of each species.

It can be used by naturalists, biologists, and herpetologists but was specifically designed for individuals who have limited to no reptile identification skills.