Big, bold and boreal: Once complete, this will be Canada’s largest private conservation project
Boreal Wildlands, ON (Photo by NCC)
Spring is unfurling across the country, and those who know me know I love my birds. Birdwatching is great in any season, but I start to get a specific set of goosebumps when I hear the first sounds of migratory birds returning from the south in...
The dos and don’ts of birdwatching
Northern cardinal (Photo by NCC)
The creation of my high school’s birdwatching club sparked a passion in me that has lasted years following graduation. The excitement of seeing a new species for the first time was contagious and something I continue to seek, to this day. I...
Pics, or it didn't happen
A snow covered forest (Photo by Paula Noel/NCC staff)
The day after our first real snowstorm of the winter, I headed out to enjoy the woods near my home. At a brisk -10 C, it was the perfect temperature for hiking with the right gear on, but not an ideal temperature for my cell phone; I...
5 bird species that stay for winter in Canada
Brown creeper (Photo by Mark Dennis, CC BY-NC 4.0)
Some bird species migrate south for winter, and some are year-round residents in Canada. Others migrate to southern Canada from northern forests or the Arctic and hang around until spring. Birdwatching is one of the easiest ways to enjoy nature,...
Yay! The ducks are back!
Mallards — male on the left, female on the right. (Photo by Pia Vahabi/NCC staff)
Here in Toronto, winter and waterfowl don’t necessarily sound like two things that should go together. But the truth is, while some birds (and people) escape Ontario’s cold winter to warmer climes, others migrate from the Arctic to...
Winter is for the birds
Prothonotary warbler (Photo by Bill Hubick)
When the temperature drops and fall colours give way to bare trees and snowy scenes, we tend to huddle up for the winter. Much like the natural world, we might prefer to take off to somewhere warm or hunker down indoors, to conserve our energy and...
Pileated woodpeckers in the city
Pileated woodpecker (Photo by vtjohn, CC BY-NC 4.0)
If you go birdwatching, you might take your binoculars and plan on sitting for hours at the edge of a marsh or grassland, waiting for the birds to come. If you want to see pileated woodpeckers, you’ll likely go out into the forest. However,...
Canada's largest bird of prey: two bald eagles having a staring contest
After a few minutes of giving each other looks and making small calls, the bald eagle on the left flew off, leaving the carcass for the other eagle to enjoy. (Photo by Nila Sivatheesan/NCC staff)
I’ve always loved being outside and learning about the nature around me, since I was as young as I can remember. So, when I first picked up a camera at 19, I naturally gravitated toward photographing nature and wildlife. Being in nature...
A Canadian winter warrior
Snowy owl (Photo by Gregg McLachlan)
A few winters back, during the continued irruption of snowy owls into southern Ontario, I was lucky enough to come across a “snowy hot spot” just 25 minutes from my home in Guelph, Ontario. My husband and I have passed many Sundays...
On the road
Riding Mountain, MB (Photo by Cathy Shaluk)
As with most Nature Conservancy of Canada (NCC) properties in Manitoba that are spread throughout the central and southern part of the province, it’s inevitable that staff spend a fair bit of time travelling between properties. The hours...
