Photographic evidence that an island is worth protecting
Josh Noseworthy taking a photo of Governor's Island, PEI. (Photo by Sean Landsman)
The Nature Conservancy of Canada (NCC), as I’m sure the readers of this blog already know, plays a crucial role in conservation efforts across Canada. Through hard work and determination, NCC keeps ecologically important lands in their...
Conservation from abroad: Saving the Andean condors
Zuleta, Ecuador - the town near the hacienda where I stayed for one month doing condor conservation. (Photo by Carissa Wasyliw)
At 3:19 a.m. on January 1, 2015, I left my home to embark on a four-month adventure through South America. Having just finished my degree, I was feeling a little stir crazy and ready for a change of pace. My New Year’s resolution was to live...
Birds of Old Man on His Back
Barn swallow nesting at OMB interpretive centre (Photo by Dr. Steve Zack)
I moved to southwestern Saskatchewan in 1969 when I married a farmer/rancher whose land adjoins the Old Man on His Back Prairie Heritage and Conservation Area (OMB) on the south side. As a newcomer to the prairie, I had lots of fun learning about...
Happy trails in the Happy Valley Forest
Tour participants walk by a mature maple tree on the Goldie Feldman Nature Reserve. (Photo by NCC)
We heard the eastern wood pewee before we saw it. Just as the name suggests, we could hear it calling “Pee-oo-wee! Pee-oo-wee!” as we walked along the trail in the Happy Valley Forest. We stopped to admire some of the older-growth...
#HowToNature series: How to bird (Part Two)
Downy woodpecker (Photo by Bill Hubick)
In Part One of the birding how-to, I talked about the joy of "birding" (also known as birdwatching), what one should bring and what to watch or listen for. With that knowledge at hand, the next question is: "Where to go?" Where to go...
A first timer at the Festival of Birds
Going birding at the southernmost tip of mainland Canada! (Photo by Wendy Ho/NCC staff)
I love to travel. But travelling stresses me out when my focus is on optimizing every second for sightseeing with a tightly packed itinerary. A few weeks ago, I had a chance to reconcile those feelings on a trip to Point Pelee and Pelee Island...
Why I'm hooked on birding at the Tatlayoko Lake Bird Observatory
Avery Bartels with a sharp-shinned hawk (Photo by Kristie Foster)
Many years before I was born my parents bought eight acres (three hectares) with a small cabin on it near Nelson BC. As their family grew, so did their humble abode to accommodate my four siblings and me. From as early as I can remember I have...
The incredible journey
Well worth the trip: the Okanagan Valley from above (Photo by Catherine Dale)
“We’ve got rocks and trees, and trees and rocks, and rocks and trees, and trees and rocks, and…rocks and trees, and trees and rocks, and water…in Canada.” As I glanced through the car window to the distinctive...
Mother’s Day
Canada geese (Photo by Denise Harris)
When I think of a mother I think of my own mother who gave selflessly and tirelessly her entire life. My mother worked from dawn ‘til late every night, 365 days of the year. She was always busy with an endless list of chores. From growing...
The year the bluebirds stayed the winter
A pair of western bluebirds is spotted in March prospecting for nest boxes at a territory that has not been used by bluebirds since 2013. (Photo by Trudy Chatwin)
In Canada, conservation activities for the western bluebird normally begin in earnest in late March or early April, timed with the arrival of the first birds returning from migration to their breeding grounds. But it was only mid-January when we...
