Nature in the...parking lot?
Monarch butterfly on Joe-pyeweed (Photo by NCC)
I work as a development officer at the Nature Conservancy of Canada and have lots of friends who are outdoorsy and also work in this field. This means that I am often swapping stories of cool wildlife sightings. The rare bird my co-worker spotted,...
The pine needle game
Play a game of Guess Who? with pine needles from four species (Painted by Mena Wallace)
Trees are a wonderous thing. Most of the time we barely notice them amid the scurry of our busy days, but every now and then you encounter a showstopper. I’m always on the lookout for a new tree to discover because species identification is...
Adventures in the night, continued!
The night sky over Rankin River in Saugeen Bruce Peninsula. (Photo by Esme Batten/NCC staff)
I get it. It can be hard to look outside in the winter and think, “Wow, I want to go and explore!” When it is -20 C and the wind is blowing, it’s hard enough to get outside during the day, never mind at night. However, I...
Adventures in the night: My foray into astrophotography
Located on Plymouth's doorstep, Dartmoor National Park is a vast moorland known for its forests, rivers, wetlands and tors (rock formations). This photo is of Great Staple Tor with me in the foreground. (Photo by Esme Batten/NCC staff)
“Are we almost there?” I ask my new friend Matt as we wander along a sea cliff on the north coast of Cornwall, U.K., shivering, in search of our shooting location for the evening. Although by Canadian standards the evening was balmy at...
Between two ears: How horse riding makes me a better conservation biologist
Spending time with Vegas is the best part of Megan's day (Photo by Megan Quinn/NCC staff)
There is no one single way to enjoy time in nature. Some people like to go on multi-day wilderness camping trips and fully immerse themselves in the forest, while others enjoy sitting under a tree and reading a book. A person’s connection to...
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...
De-stressing with plants
McHugh Lake Loop, MB (Photo by Wikimedia Commons)
During the pandemic, many people experienced increased stress levels due to illness, work difficulties and isolation. But many of us have discovered that there is solace in the natural world. In 1984, biologist E.O. Wilson noted that...
When tiny things make your heart sing
Selfie of Logan and Breanna hiking in Waterton National Park, AB (Photo courtesy of Breanna Silversides)
In the winter of 2017, I saw an advertisement for the Nature Conservancy of Canada’s (NCC’s) Conservation Internship Program. I was in the middle of law school and had planned to return to the summer job that I had worked at and loved...
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,...
