Pollinating the prairies
A parasitic fly pollinating a hairy golden aster (Photo by Diana Bizecki Robson)
It was with some sadness that I finished my last field work of the season at Yellow Quill Prairie. It will be many long, cold months before I get to go out again. However, I was eager to get back to the office to crunch some numbers and see how...
Celebrating Canadian species: Grizzly bear
Grizzly bear (Photo by Peter Sulzle)
When I put my boots on in the morning, I never really expect or seek to see a grizzly bear. Despite the fact that my Rocky Mountains backyard is home to many brown bears, any encounter always feels like a surprise. Meeting a bear in the wild...
Thanks Canada, Thanks Virgina - The warblers have returned to Florida!
Palm warbler (Photo by Marshall Faintich)
As October draws to a close, so does the fall migration season. Billions of birds, including the colourful, neotropical warbler varieties, have journeyed thousands of miles from summer breeding grounds in the north to winter haunts in the south;...
Why Canada’s prairies are the world’s most endangered ecosystem
Rolling prairie at Old Man on His Back Prairie and Heritage Conservation Area, SK (Photo by Branimir Gjetvaj)
Updated November 7, 2018 Ask any Canadian kid to name the world’s most endangered ecosystem, and chances are you’ll hear one of the following answers: 1) rainforests; 2) coral reefs; 3) leave me alone. Ignoring the last answer,...
Welcome snowbirds!
Palm warbler (Photo by Marshall Faintich)
Hey Canada, hey Virginia…it only seems a short time has passed since I was telling you all that our wintering palm warblers were leaving Florida and heading your way. Thanks to the great conservation efforts taking place to conserve habitat...
Thank you Canada...The warblers have returned to Virginia!
Palm warbler (Photo by Kelly Colgan Azar)
We recently learned from our friends in Canada that the palm warblers had concluded a successful summer breeding season and were on their way south; and now, we are pleased to share, “They’re here!” Palm warblers and other...
Tin cans, a Mormon cricket and a UFO landing pad: One perspective on the Conservation Volunteers weekend at Old Man on His Back
Tin cans capping fence posts (Photo by Bill Armstrong)
I understand there are likely to be a couple more Land Line blogs about the recent Conservation Volunteers (CV) weekend at the (inhale) Old Man On His Back Prairie Heritage and Conservation Area (OMB) (exhale), so let me give you my take on the...
Hey Florida, hey Virginia...The birds are meandering back!
Palm warbler (Photo by Marshall Faintich)
The fall migration for warblers is often a leisurely and spread out event spanning August to October. As I am in the midst of the back-to-school rush with my five-year-old twins, warblers are meandering back down south, taking their time in fair...
Atlantic Salmon: Lake Ontario’s ghost fish
Atlantic salmon jumping in Humber River (Photo by Tom Moffatt/ASF)
The Atlantic salmon is usually associated with Canada’s east coast, where declining populations of the species have inspired conservation efforts by the Nature Conservancy of Canada, as well as Fisheries and Oceans Canada. Historically,...
The Migratory Bird Treaty turns 100!
Woman, wearing a large feathered hat and boa, posing for a portrait (Photo by John Oxley Library, Public Domain)
This year we mark the centennial of the convention between the United States and Great Britain (for Canada) for the protection of migratory birds — also called the Migratory Bird Treaty — that was signed on August 16, 1916. A century...
