Willow Beach Field Naturalists

Meetings & Speakers

Attend a WBFN meeting

Meetings are free to attend and are held at the Cobourg Public Library located at 200 Ontario St., Cobourg. Doors open at 7:00 pm and the meeting starts at 7:30 pm. Due to venue capacity limits, registration is required to attend in person. Check this page each month for speaker details and the registration link. Alternatively, you can attend by Zoom. The link will be posted with the meeting information each month.

To view previous meetings, please visit our YouTube channel.

A group of Short-billed Dowitchers perched on a partially submerged log

Our next meetings

Topic: Eastern Whip-poor-wills

Eastern Whip-poor-will resting on a branch

Annual General Meeting

Date:  Friday Feb. 27, 2026 @ 7:30 pm; doors open at 7 pm

Speaker:  Richard Feldman

Details: Eastern Whip-poor-wills, once a widespread aerial insectivore throughout the central Great Lakes region of Ontario, have experienced significant population declines in recent years. Join us to learn more about the unique Carden Alvar ecosystem and how it sustains the local Eastern Whip-poor-will population.

Richard is a research scientist in the Wildlife Research and Monitoring Section of the Ontario Ministry of Natural Resources in Peterborough. At the OMNR, he directs research projects focused on conserving grassland birds and their habitats and developing restoration and conservation planning tools.

Topic: "Lyme disease: what is happening in Ontario?"

Photo of Dr. Andrew Peregrine

Date:  Friday March 27, 2026 @ 7:30 pm; doors open at 7 pm.

Speaker:  Dr. Andrew Peregrine

Details: This talk will review the ticks that can be found in Ontario, and how to identify the tick responsible for Lyme disease. Data will be presented that indicate how the risk of Lyme disease is changing across Ontario and what will likely happen in the future.

Dr. Andrew Peregrine is the Associate Professor in Clinical Parasitology at the Ontario Veterinary College, University of Guelph. 

Future meetings schedule

Red-tailed Hawk in flight

May 1, 2026@ 7:30:  TBD

May 29, 2026@ 7:30: Members photography showcase