I was very excited to continue from the summer to fall fieldwork with the OTCC this year. It has been so interesting to see the behavioural changes of the study turtles and the changes within the field site habitats. As a bonus, the cooler weather meant fewer biting insects! One big change at the [...]
As you know if you read my first blog post, we see all kinds of wildlife while conducting our research in the field. On top of the various species of fish, amphibians, and reptiles I mentioned in my previous blog post, we have come across many more wildlife species. From chipmunks to fishers and [...]
Before starting the field technician position for the Ontario Turtle Conservation Centre, I expected to see plenty of turtles with the odd wildlife encounter while out in the field. To my surprise and delight, in the first few weeks alone, we saw more wildlife than I have seen through an entire summer in past [...]
Spring 2021 One of my favourite parts of spring is seeing everything outside starting to wake up. I love hearing the birds coming back from their migrations over winter, seeing the spring flowers popping up from the ground and all the new critters that were just born. When the field crew is out searching [...]
April DeJong (Team Lead) Hello all, my name is April. This is my third field season with the OTCC and I am very excited to get back out there! I have my B.Sc. in Biology from Trent University and have graduated from the Fish and Wildlife Technology program at Fleming College. [...]
People from all over the world can recognize a turtle, they have a distinctive appearance that intrigues us. This sparked my curiosity as to how turtles play a role in human history, throughout different cultures around the world. Blanding’s turtle. Photo taken by Lisa Browning. Most of my research has led to [...]
Hello all! As many of you know the field team is out and about tracking juvenile head-started, wild, and translocated Blanding’s turtles, via radio telemetry. We started off the 2020 season tracking 19 turtles and currently we are up to 25 individuals! This season we found a turtle that was lost in 2017, likely [...]
Many of you may be wondering what it is like to work as a part of the OTCC field team, out of general interest or due to aspirations of one day working on a similar project. If I were to try and explain every aspect of what is involved in our work I fear [...]
Throughout my life I have always loved being outside and experiencing nature. Even to this day I am still awe-inspired by the vast outdoors and I am constantly learning. I feel very excited to be working alongside such a knowledgeable team in a fantastic environment this summer. We have only been working for about [...]
By Lisa Browning As the world deals with the COVID-19 pandemic, it reminds me of the many diseases and viruses that animals are faced with, including turtles. Ranavirus infects amphibians, fish, and reptiles, and has been found in Ontario’s turtles. Just like how COVID-19 can be transmitted through our environments and between humans, [...]
While most people take a relaxing trip in the canoe and have fun with their friends and family, when the field team takes out the canoe for turtle research, it becomes a full body workout. We are all familiar with strong winds and some uncomfortable waves that prove difficult for canoeing, but [...]
As humans, we have five senses (sight, touch, smell, taste and hearing). A lot of us tend to rely on sight the most, but this week we are going to explore a day in the field from the perspective of my ears. I awake to the raspy call of an Eastern Phoebe at 6:30 [...]
