Owl angels in the snow

Have you ever seen an owl's snow angel? (Photo by Jaimee Dupont/NCC staff)
My hometown is a small, lovely and isolated boreal mining town in northern Manitoba. On a recent trip back to visit family, my husband and I were out for an evening walk when we stopped alongside the edge of town to marvel at the silence. That...
The Hunger Games' new Tributes (of nature)

Grizzly bear (Painting by David Arrigo) represents one of the several Canadian animals you can sponsor this holiday season.
Welcome to the Nature Conservancy of Canada's (NCC’s) Hunger Games! This year there are six tributes battling it out for Canada’s pledges. In honour of the underground District, here are 13 tweetable facts about NCC’s annual...
Strength in numbers: Captive breeding and release program for shrikes in Ontario

All of the young shrikes are banded with a uniquely-numbered metal band before they are released; most will also get a combination of colour bands so they can be easily identified from a distance in the wild. (Photo by Lydia Dotto, ImageInnovation Photography)
There are only a few places left in Ontario where you can reliably find the endangered loggerhead shrike; one of those places is a property owned by the Nature Conservancy of Canada (NCC). NCC’s Scheck Nature Reserve, located northeast of...
Birds of the Happy Valley Forest (Part Two)

Two species commonly sharing the feeder: rose-breasted grosbeak and male indigo bunting. These and the oriole represent the greatest beauties in the forest. (Photo by Dr. Henry Barnett)
Summer birds There is plenty of sound in the Happy Valley Forest, from the summering birds throughout the day and the woods only quiet down from September to late March. Some usually mid-southern birds have reached the Moraine to live. I can...
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...
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...
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...
Deciphering the nesting behaviour of barn swallows: What are THEY looking for?

Three barn swallow eggs spotted during a nest check in spring 2014! The nest cup edges and interior area are built up with mud pellets and beautifully lined with feathers. (Photo by Carolyn Zanchetta)
The unique song, fantastic flight pattern and beautiful colouration are just a few of the many wonderful features of the barn swallow that make it a favourite species to many bird watchers — myself included. Barn swallows are the most...
Off to see the swans! My day out in the field with the National office's birdwatching enthusiasts

Amy Wu, Helen Kim, Rosemary Park, Suzzette Chin (Photo by NCC)
After many cold and wet days of a long winter we woke up to a very sunny Sunday on March 30. A group of "wannabe" lady bird watchers from the National office piled in to one car and drove to Port Rowan to see the swans. None of our job...
Any bird you can spot, I can spot better: My backyard bird bonanza

Chickadee at feeder (Photo by Kaitlyn Finnegan)
As I washed dishes at my kitchen sink I saw a flicker out of the corner of my eye. By the time I looked up, my backyard and the high wooden birdfeeder filled with sunflower seeds were both perfectly still and empty. I looked back to the sink and a...