Mississippi Valley Field Naturalists Spot Rare Sighting

Press Release - Mississippi Valley Field Naturalists

On Sunday, August 6, a number of members of the Mississippi Valley Field Naturalists (MVFN) were on a paddle on the Mississippi River just downstream from Dalhousie Lake, when they spotted a strange bird, which was later identified as a Limpkin.

The Limpkin is native to Florida, Mexico, the Caribbean, and most of Central America. This was the first sighting in Lanark County, although three other sightings have been reported in Ontario.

We can only guess what motivated them to come this far north, but one person speculated that they may be confused, and on the wrong Mississippi River!

The MVFN runs a paddling program “Seeing Nature from the Water’s Edge.” Seven trips are planned throughout the summer. The pace is slow so that we can observe and appreciate nature. We stay away from open water and fast moving currents. There are no portages.

Our next, and final trip for 2023 is on Sept 30, 2023. For information, see our website at www.mvfn.ca or email the coordinator at paddling@mvfn.ca.