Lessons learned from the otter meme
Otter meme (Photo from Pinterest.com)
I have mixed feelings every time I see a river otter meme pop up on my Facebook feed. They are my favourite animal, and they are often very funny, and cute as anything, but as a wildlife biologist, I often wonder whether it impacts how people...
Pronghorns: A sure-footed alarm whistle for Canada's Prairies
Pronghorn antelope, Old Man on His Back (Photo by Karol Dabbs)
Growing up on a ranch in the short-grass prairie region of southern Alberta, I had early exposure to the natural world and some of Canada’s most unique and charismatic wildlife species. From the resilient coyote, to the secretive badger, the...
An inordinate fondness for weasels
Fisher, Clear Creek, Riding Mountain Aspen Parkland Natural Area, Manitoba (Photo by NCC)
I suppose I’ve always been a cheerleader for the underdog so it’s only logical that I am a fan of the Fisher (Mustela pennanti). Weighing between seven and 13 pounds, fishers are the second-largest of North American weasels. Like their...
World Wildlife Day Round 2: Vote for your favourite mammal species
World Wildlife Day: vote for Canada lynx (photo by Mike Dembeck) ,moose (photo by Paul Turbitt) or gray fox (photo by John James Henderson)
Certain mammals, such as beavers and grizzly bears, have been very much a part of our Canadian heritage; symbols of this great and vast nation. There are many other mammal species that may be less in the limelight but are just as unique and a...
The swift fox: A conservation success story
Swift fox (Photo by Karol Dabbs)
Although I work as the Nature Conservancy of Canada's (NCC's) conservation coordinator responsible for the area in Alberta where swift foxes now live, I have never seen a wild one myself. These are elusive creatures. I did see several being...
The raccoon: A human’s perspective
Raccoon (Photo by Ken Thomas/Wikimedia Commons)
Most people who live in southern Canada have witnessed raccoons first-hand. However, due to the fact that they are usually observed tearing up garbage bins, they are often viewed with disdain. I must admit, although I love animals, there have been...
Patience
Mother grizzly bear and her cub (Photo by Brocken Inaglory)
The skies are clear on this mid-afternoon in July, with a light breeze blowing in from the Pacific Ocean. A flock of geese fly overhead, honking loudly to one another. A grizzly sow plops down on the small, grassy ridge overlooking a knee-deep...
My Wildlife World Cup matchup: Semi-Finals
Wildlife World Cup semi finals (made by NCC)
After an intense month of voting, the Wildlife World Cup semi-finals will now commence! Thanks to everybody that voted for their favourite reptiles and butterflies. The winners of birds and mammals will compete for a spot in the championship,...
My Wildlife World Cup matchup: Week 2 (+Week 1 results!)
Week 2: bobcat versus Newfoundland marten
It's time to announce the winner of Week 1. It was a close contest, but in the end the burrowing owl emerged the victor by a single vote! Thank you to all who voted for their favourite bird. Check out our updated bracket, below. Vote for...
Small mammals of the Sage and Sparrow Conservation Area
Western harvest mouse, the real life Pikachu! (Photo by Andy Teucher)
In the early 1990s, esteemed entomologist Geoff Scudder spent time in the South Okanagan creating an inventory of the insects that lived in this near-desert landscape. In a happy accident, the traps set out for insects ended up catching a couple...
