My 2014 Christmas Bird Count
Kristyn Ferguson out for a snowy day of field work (Photo by NCC)
Believe it or not, when my alarm went off at 5:15 a.m. on Sunday, December 14, 2014, I actually sprang out of bed with a smile on my face. While I typically rue any waking in “the 5s”, this was one day I knew would be worth it: the...
Call of the wild: Up close and personal with screech owls in Fernie, BC
Western screech-owl (Photo by US Fish & Wildlife Service)
There is nothing more incredible than witnessing a whole family of owls interacting and communicating with one another. This is what I discovered after an intimate and humbling experience with a family of screech-owls in the Elk Valley this past...
Why bluebirds?
Mountain bluebird (Photo by Allison Haskell)
Why did I decide to write a blog about bluebirds? I am no bird specialist, that’s for sure, but I do think bluebirds are gorgeous. The first time I saw a bluebird was just 10 days after starting my internship with the Nature Conservancy of...
Listening for the yellow rail
Yellow rail (Photo by Dominic Sherony, Wikimedia Commons)
The Alberta Biodiversity Monitoring Institute (ABMI) surveys biodiversity across the province of Alberta. From the grasslands and parklands of the south to the boreal in the north, we record the terrestrial and wetland species present, gather soil...
An ideal spot for bird viewing
American avocet (Photo by NCC)
The Chaplin-Old Wives-Reed Lake area in southwestern Saskatchewan has always been my ideal location for bird viewing, and especially for shorebirds — my favourite group of birds to watch! Abundant American avocets, sanderlings, sandpipers,...
Family fun in nature before back to school: Discover birding!
Birding at the Tabusintac Estuary, NB (Photo by NCC)
“Look! What’s that bird?” “Did you hear that?” “It sounded like dee—dee, the first dee higher pitched than the second!” Can you tell what I’m trying to describe? Attempts of bird...
Carden Nature Festival 2014: “Plain” and simply inspiring
Male eastern bluebird ready to enter a near by nesting box to feed its chicks (Photo by 2014 MudInspired.com)
I had the opportunity to attend the 2014 Carden Nature Festival, which fell on the weekend of June 7 and 8, 2014 at the Carden Community Centre on the shores of Lake Dalrymple. Touching a special place in my heart due to its location, this event...
Connecting birds with people...and people with birds
Pat Shaughnessy with a savannah sparrow, TLBO (Photo by NCC)
Much is written about the importance of getting young children out into nature, while their joy of engagement with natural life is unmitigated. We should not overlook the idea that that joy is not restricted to children. Pat Shaughnessy is 83...
Tatlayoko forever! The Tatlayoko Lake Bird Observatory opens for a ninth season
White-winged crossbills, Tatlayoko Lake Bird Observatory, British Columbia (Photo by Steve Ogle)
Although trained as a vegetation ecologist, I have been interested in birds and birdwatching for many years. To my delight, in 2006 I was asked to design a monitoring program for migratory birds at the Nature Conservancy of Canada’s (NCC's)...
My Wildlife World Cup matchup: Finals
Wildlife World Cup finals (made by NCC)
There have been five rounds of voting, and after weeks of eliminations, two competitors remain. Our finalists will face off for the final time. This fast and furious round of voting will conclude Thursday afternoon, and the champion will be...
