Local nature club celebrating 85 years of fostering a connection to the natural world
Peterborough Examiner – October 25, 2025 – by Drew Monkman
There’s something special about exploring the outdoors with people who share your sense of curiosity and wonder. You’ll be amazed how much more you notice when you’re with others who share their keen eyes and knowledge. That’s the magic of the Peterborough Field Naturalists (PFN) — a community of curious, caring people who see every outing as a chance to learn, connect, and share the joy of discovery.
For 85 years, PFN members have been watching birds, identifying plants and insects, advocating for nature, and exploring the wetlands and woodlands that make the Kawarthas so rich in life. Along the way, they’ve built friendships, deepened their understanding of local ecology, and helped protect the habitats we all treasure.
All this year, the PFN has been celebrating its eight and a half decades of inspiring people to connect with nature. “Our motto has always been, ‘To know, appreciate, and conserve nature in all its forms.’ That remains as true today as it was 85 years ago,” said Sue Paradisis, PFN club president. “Our core programs– educational members’ meetings, nature outings, the Junior Naturalists program, and our newsletter– continue to inspire a deeper understanding and appreciation of nature.”
Past traditions brought back
The celebrations began at The Canadian Canoe Museum in January, where members reflected on the club’s history and its role in local conservation. In March, the PFN revived a much-loved 1990s tradition: the Waterfowl Viewing Festival. Held at the canoe museum docks and other locations around Little Lake, the event invited the public to witness the spring return of ducks and geese. Volunteers set up spotting scopes, helped visitors get great looks at the various species present, and shared their knowledge and excitement of spring migration.
A beloved ritual from the club’s earlier days also found new life this spring. In the 1960s, members would gather at the Millbrook farm of Harry and Claire Williams to greet the dawn. With notebooks in hand, they would listen to the multitude of bird voices that make up the “dawn chorus.” Each different species was tallied along with the exact time it first began singing.
This June, members revived the event, spreading out across seven sites in Peterborough County. Through drizzle and clouds of mosquitoes, they listened from 4:30 to 6:30 a.m. as the landscape awoke—robins first, then sparrows, thrushes, warblers, orioles and much more. In all, 63 species were noted. “Research traditions like this connect us not just to data points in nature, but to generations of members who saw the same sunrises and heard the same songbirds,” said PFN director Lou Smyrlis.
Other special 85th anniversary events this year have included a spring wildflower outing and picnic at Mark S. Burnham Provincial Park. There was also a fall picnic at Tecasy Ranch near Burleigh Falls where members hiked and took part in activities like forest bathing – Shinrin-yoku.
Celebrated naturalists
Over the decades, some of the Peterborough areas most celebrated naturalists have been part of the PFN. They include:
- Frank Morris, a club founder and author of “Our Wild Orchids”, one of the most comprehensive early books on North American orchids. Many of the species were photographed in the Cavan Swamp and at Stoney Lake.
- Doug Sadler, who penned the highly esteemed nature column “Come With Me Quietly”, which ran for over 40 years in the Peterborough Examiner. He was one of Ontario’s most esteemed naturalists.
- Larry McKeever, originator of the Peterborough Christmas Bird Count and co-founder with his wife Kay of The Owl Foundation, a rehabilitation and research centre for owls.
- Rhea Bringeman, who represented the PFN on the board of the Federation of Ontario Naturalists (now Ontario Nature) for 19 years.
- Gordon Berry, co-author of Kawarthas Nature, Nature in the Kawarthas, and Upper Stoney Lake – Gem of the Kawarthas.
- Harry Williams, an internationally recognized authority on mosses, liverworts and lichens whose collection of these organisms is housed at the Royal Ontario Museum.
Meetings and outings
With a membership of almost 400, the PFN is one of the largest and most active field naturalist clubs in Ontario. The club’s calendar of events is full of opportunities to explore and learn. Monthly meetings are held the second Thursday of the month from September to June, featuring guest speakers on diverse natural history themes. Speakers in the past year have covered topics ranging from the Kawartha Highlands Signature Site Park to a year in the life of a moose. Upcoming meetings this fall include “Birding in the Colombian Andes” on November 13 and the annual members’ slide show on December 11. You can attend both in-person at the Camp Kawartha Environment Centre at 2505 Pioneer Road or online via Zoom.
Nature outings take place throughout the year. Although birding is a main focus for many trips, nearly all areas of our flora and fauna are explored. These include everything from mammals, butterflies and amphibians to wildflowers, ferns, and fungi. Every winter, for example, Don McLeod takes people out to look for and identify mammal tracks. A late April outing gives members the opportunity to listen to the spring frog chorus and see the sky dance of the American woodcock. This past year members also took part in a snowshoe outing to explore winter insects.
There are also trips to locations outside our region like Presqu’ile Provincial Park – a prime destination for observing migrating birds – and the Carden Alvar, a rare habitat near Kirkfield. It is known for uncommon birds like upland sandpipers and unique plants like prairie smoke. On November 2, there will be an outing to Kawartha Highlands Signature Park near Buckhorn to explore the world of lichens, fascinating organisms that are usually overlooked. Outings are open to both members and non-members, with pre-registration required.
Citizen Science initiatives are also a key feature of the club. They include the Peterborough Christmas Bird Count held each year in December and the Petroglyphs Butterfly Count which takes place in July.
The PFN also has a Junior Naturalists Program designed for children aged 5 to 12 which engages young participants in nature exploration and environmental stewardship. There is even a PFN Book Club where members read and discuss books on themes related to nature and the environment. They are currently reading Diana Beresford-Kroeger’s book, “To Speak for the Trees”.
Consider joining
In addition to its many activities, the club publishes an outstanding monthly newsletter, The Orchid. Each issue highlights upcoming PFN events and events offered by other organizations, recent observations, members’ photos, book reviews, and articles on everything from what species to watch for each month to members’ personal encounters with nature. Anyone can go on the PFN website and download a copy of past issues. The website also offers a host of other resources including maps, checklists, ways to take environmental action through Citizen Science or volunteering with the club, and even Ojibwe and Anishinaabemowin bird names.
The PFN welcomes non-members to try an outing or to attend a meeting to see what the club is all about. As a long-time member myself, I can assure you that the club is a very welcoming organization whose members are eager to share their knowledge and enthusiasm for the natural world.
Whether you’re a seasoned naturalist or new to nature exploration, the Peterborough Field Naturalists offers a welcoming community dedicated to connecting people with the natural world. For more information, visit https://peterboroughnature.org/
