Giving a hoot about owls: A night-time survey with NCC in Manitoba
Great horned owl fledglings (Photo by NCC)
On March 26, 2015, the Manitoba Region of the Nature Conservancy of Canada (NCC) hosted a Conservation Volunteers event — a night-time owl survey, which took place after sunset on NCC's Makinak Woods property east of Riding Mountain National...
Reflections on James L. Baillie
James Baillie (Photo courtesy of Bird Studies Canada)
Whenever I see reference to Bird Studies Canada’s James L. Baillie Memorial Fund for Bird Research and Preservation, I think about my friendship with Jim Baillie and feel privileged to have known him for so many years. I wanted to share my...
A tale of two hawks
Red-tailed hawk (Photo by Bill Hubick)
Each spring the hills of the Happy Valley Forest become the stage for a spectacular aerial ballet. They have a short run over the woods, but if you are lucky you may see the swooping, diving courtship display of red-shouldered hawks. If you miss...
Loggerhead shrike: A prairie jewel
Loggerhead shrike (Photo by Don and Karol Dabbs)
A denizen of the native prairie landscape, the loggerhead shrike has captivated me for years with its beauty, behaviour and pizzazz. Even its Latin name, Lanius ludovicianus, rolls off the tongue with passion and grace. Of course, the romanticism...
There's no place like home
Catherine Dale with bluebird (Photo by Angela Boag)
“The bluebird carries the sky on his back.” ~ Henry David Thoreau It seems to be an immutable law of nature photography (at least in my experience) that anything mobile will move the second you’ve gotten your camera ready,...
On the trail of snowy owls
Snowy owl (Photo by Gregg McLachlan)
When I got an inside tip in late December that numerous migrating snowy owls were being spotted near Long Point, Ontario, I knew I had to grab my DSLR, 600mm lens, fingerless gloves, four layers of clothing, and get down there fast. The Long Point...
My snowy day...And tips for non-intrusive enjoyment of snowy owls
This snowy encounter was a long time coming, and it made my day. (Photo by NCC)
My moment with a snowy owl has been a long time coming. In late 2013 I wrote about my attempts to find one during the Guelph Christmas Bird Count and I spent many wintery days in 2013/2014 driving down country roads peering hopefully into fields...
Bring Back the Bluebirds: Putting translocation to work to restore a rare ecosystem’s flagship species
In 2014, this breeding pair of western bluebirds returned to NCC’s Cowichan Garry Oak Preserve to nest for a second year in a row. (Photo by Jemma Green, GOERT)
As recently as 60 years ago, the gentle, vibrantly coloured western bluebird was a common occurrence in the species-rich Garry oak meadows and savannahs of the Salish Sea region of British Columbia and Washington. But as their habitat became...
The woodpecker bubble
Red-headed woodpecker (Photo by D. Fast)
Protected forests are the kingdom of the cavity-dwellers. This is where woodlands grow to an old-growth state, and where dead, damaged or otherwise wonderfully flawed trees take their rightful place in woodland ecology. As a result, nature...
Return of the raven: What the rewilding of southern Canada teaches us
Common raven (Photo by pcb21, Wikimedia Commons)
Thanks to a bird, I recently needed to change the ring tone on my mobile phone. My ring had long been the classic call of the common raven — a deep gurgling croak that reminded me of being in wilder places. Places such as the northern shores...
