Snowy Owl (still) in Ottawa

Got some photos to share from last Monday and today.  Last Monday, I went out for a stroll at McCarthy Woods near where I live.

All the snow are gone, but nothing flowering yet.

Alderville Black Oak Savanna - Control burning

Fire is a critical ecosystem process that has the ability to create new habitats for species and lead to the regeneration of forests and grasslands.  This process occurs both naturally and anthropogenically, and how it triggers the sprouting of dormant seeds is not very well understood (Edit: until just this Tuesday when another piece of knowledge is added to the puzzle.  Read this article and follow the link below for more information.).  Today, I volunteered to help out with managed burn of some sites at the Alderville Black Oak Savanna.  This area supports unique and important habitats (i.e., long-grass prairie and black oak savanna) here in Ontario, and you can find out more about this location at the official website. 

Before the actual burn took place, we went for a short walk around the site.