On a September morning at the southern tip of Lake Manitoba, a small group from the Westman Naturalists climbed a viewing tower and watched several great egrets wade through the marsh shallows below. Migrating warblers and redstarts moved through the trees behind them.
The trip leaders also pointed out trees and flowering plants — including the common hackberry (Celtis occidentalis), which grows only in sandy habitat and is one of the rarest trees in Manitoba.
That kind of outing is the everyday work of the Westman Naturalists, a Brandon-based non-profit looking to grow its membership across western Manitoba.
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WHY IT MATTERS: Citizen-science groups like the Westman Naturalists collect bird counts, plant inventories and habitat data that feed into provincial and national conservation programs — work that depends on volunteers showing up.
A new name, a long history
The group is the successor to the Brandon Naturalists, which operated from 1964 to 2013. The organization shifted its name and direction over the years, eventually becoming the Westman Naturalists to welcome a wider regional membership. It was incorporated as a non-profit corporation within the last year and will hold its first official annual general meeting this spring.
“We are a group of amateur naturalists with the goal of exploring and enjoying the natural beauty and history of southwestern Manitoba. From wildlife to wildflowers and everything in between,” the group says on its website.
Its stated aims are to offer nature-related educational opportunities, encourage the study and protection of the natural world, collect nature-related data for statistical and educational purposes, and act as environmental stewards.
The group, then known as the Brandon Naturalists, hiked the Lauder Sandhills on a 2024 field trip — a habitat that yielded a hidden lark sparrow nest and a blooming western spiderwort. Photo: Donna Gamache
What members see in the field
I have taken part in a couple of excursions and hope to join more in the next months.
On the Manitoba Delta trip, the egrets and migrating songbirds were the headline sightings. The previous year, on a visit to the Lauder Sandhills, I strolled with other participants through the rolling hills, finding a hidden lark sparrow nest and snapping photos of a green snake, a prickly pear cactus and a blooming western spiderwort, a protected flower species.
Left: Egrets, they had a few: a view of great egrets at the Manitoba Delta on an excursion by Westman Naturalists. Right: Members and guests of Westman Naturalists use an observation tower at the Manitoba Delta. Photos: Donna Gamache
That same excursion included a stop at the Broomhill Wildlife Management Area, where the group was fortunate to hear a rare Sprague’s pipit singing and to see numerous colourful prairie flowers.
Other Westman Naturalists excursions over the last few years have included trips to Whitewater Lake, south of Boissevain; migrating hawk watches on a viewpoint overlooking the Assiniboine Valley, north of Virden; the Criddle/Vane Homestead south of Shilo; and nature walks at Lake Clementi, Virden, Souris, Oak Lake, Minnedosa and Riding Mountain National Park. Some of this summer’s trips will be repeats, but new areas will also be explored.
Westman Naturalists at the Broomhill Wildlife Management Area in southwestern Manitoba, where the group has heard the rare Sprague’s pipit calling from the grass. Photo: Donna Gamache
Citizen science and monthly talks
The group runs several citizen-science events each year: the Christmas Bird Count, Project FeederWatch (November to April), the Great Backyard Bird Count in February, spring and fall hawk watches, and the Global Big Day. These are all bird-related, but the group hopes to add others.
Regularly scheduled talks happen on the second Thursday of each month at the Brodie Building at Brandon University, with Zoom access available. Upcoming events include a “Plant ID Talk” on May 14.
Past presentations have covered Manitoba’s important bird areas; the Batbox project and white-nose syndrome; the burrowing owl recovery program; “Bugs Do It Better”; and migrating dragonflies. Recent outings have included walks around the Riverbank Discovery Centre and the Assiniboine Food Forest on the outskirts of Brandon, winter hikes in the Brandon Hills and a snowshoe trip at Riding Mountain National Park.
How to join
The Westman Naturalists’ first AGM as a non-profit corporation is scheduled for Saturday, May 2 at the Riverbank Discovery Centre in Brandon, beginning at 1 p.m., followed by a social and a nature walk along the centre’s nearby trails. Everyone is invited to attend, but only members can hold positions or vote.
The trails at Brandon’s Riverbank Discovery Centre are a frequent stop for members of Westman Naturalists. Photo: Donna Gamache
Membership is $10 per year, paid in person at events or through the online form. Anyone interested in nature and the environment is welcome.
More information is available at westmannaturalists.ca. Membership is welcomed but not required to participate in outings or presentations or to receive newsletters.
