Guided wetlands tour May 25 of Oshawa’s Second Marsh and McLaughlin Bay

An Ojibway artist, writer and wildlife biologist will bring his unique gifts to Oshawa’s Second Marsh and McLaughlin Bay Wildlife Reserve on May 25 for a ‘Moods of May’ guided tour.

Rick Beaver, a Michi Saagiig of the Mississauga Ojibway of the Rice Lake area, has been painting and exhibiting internationally for nearly 50 years and will lead the tour of Second Marsh and McLaughlin Bay, which together with nearby Darlington Provincial Park make up nearly 400 hectares – the largest remaining wetland and one of the largest publicly accessible waterfront spaces available in the GTA.

The wetlands, accessible off Colonel Sam Parkway in the city’s southeast, is host to marsh, swamp, wet meadows, a barrier beach and woodlot habitats and supports a rich and diverse wildlife community containing 380 plant species, 305 bird species, numerous species of mammals, reptiles, amphibians, fish and hundreds of species of insects.

Ojibway artist and biologist Rick Beaver

Beaver fuses his formal training as a wildlife biologist with art to “honour and protect” earth, with the spring being a special time for observing life in the wetlands.

“For some naturalists, Ontario’s most anticipated events often occur during the transitional seasons of spring and fall. We often remark at their rapid appearances and departures, when everything seems in a hurry either to catch up or avoid being left behind,” he said. “Like transient weather systems, the seasons bring migrants, stories and change. May is such a month, at times seeming to flow smoothly into summer; at others moodily reluctant to release the grip of cooler days, in defiance of the calendar’s date: a time of both flowers and frost.”

“On this outing, the marshes, woodlands, fields and beaches will reveal their character in wings, songs, aroma and hue, writing their own chapters in the journal of the seasons.”

To optimize this three-hour ticketed event, the group will be limited to 20 participants 16 and older.

To buy tickets ($90) go to https://www.eventbrite.ca/e/the-moods-of-may-guided-tour-tickets-864686138517.

The tour will run from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. on Saturday, May 25.