A novice’s guide to a Christmas Bird Count
Bird count volunteers (Photo by NCC)
Scientific study and academia can feel a long way away from the everyday lives of most Canadians, but for anyone with a pair of binoculars and a passion for wildlife, there is an opportunity to join in on the largest and longest running citizen...
Unlikely animal pairings: Part one
Coyote (Photo by Paul Turbitt)
Have you ever seen the internet stories entitled “unlikely animal friends”? Usually, they are stories about a dog and a cat that sleep together, but sometimes they are about more exotic couplings, like an ostrich and a giraffe, or a...
Heard it from a Scout: Discovering the winter night sky
Discover the winter night sky (Photo by Steve Owst CC0)
One of my most relevant memories during my Scouting years happened at a winter camp in E. C. Manning Provincial Park in BC on a frigid February night. Our patrol was made up of a group of eight Scouts, between 11 and 13 years old, camping in a...
December roundup: Conservation and nature stories from around the world that caught our eye this month
Caribou stag (Photo by David Elliot)
Every day, countless inspiring and informative stories are published about conservation successes or discoveries in nature and wildlife around the world. Here are some that caught our attention in December 2018. Reindeer crash at the North...
Sudbury lakes are becoming less acidic
Common loons moult their feathers, starting at the base of their bills, before autumn migration in September. (Photo by Robert Alvo)
In my July 5, 2018, blog, I summarized my findings of over 25 years of examining the effects of lake acidification on common loon breeding success in the Sudbury region of Ontario. Although Sudbury's lakes have improved after decades of sulphur...
Santa's large helpers
Caribou on Darkwoods, British Columbia (Photo by Christian Schadendorf)
"Now, Dasher! Now, Dancer! Now, Prancer and Vixen! "On, Comet! On, Cupid! On, Dunder and Blixem!" Santa’s reindeer are kind of a big deal. They have important jobs, as they’re pretty much celebrities in the North Pole. Read on to find...
Reigniting a love of insects
Monarch (Photo by NCC)
The love of insects can be a tough sell to many adults. Much like a fascination with dinosaurs, it seems that an interest in insects peaks during childhood and then declines for most people. Butterflies, however, are one of the few insects that...
Close encounters of a furry kind
Plains bison (Photo by NCC)
Confession time: I am not a cowboy. There, I said it! My Carhartts have a lot more house paint on them than cow manure. My farming background is in grains (I am a proud agro and I used to be able to unload on the fly, sort of like these guys), and...
November roundup: Conservation and nature stories from around the world that caught our eye this month
Northern white rhino (Photo by Jana Ohrner CC-BY-NC)
Every day, countless inspiring and informative stories are published about conservation successes or discoveries in nature and wildlife around the world. Here are some that caught our attention in November 2018. Life’s library Scientists...
Hibernation with a hiss
A drawing of a snake (Photo by Darwin Online)
Snakes are such misunderstood creatures. Many people fear them, but that might be because they don’t know how awesome snakes are! Snakes are limbless reptiles with scaly skin. They are very diverse, with different sizes, colours and...
