The Big Backyard BioBlitz 2024 was a smashing scientific success!
Big Backyard BioBlitz (Photo by Kontakt)
Thank you to the 8,600+ BioBlitzers across Canada who participated in the annual Big Backyard BioBlitz, sharing observations of amazing species from coast to coast to coast. From August 1 to 5, participants shared over 47,000 observations of...
Big Backyard BioBlitz: Snapshots and sound bites to help nature
Big Backyard BioBlitz (Photo by Kontakt)
Just like nature, community science has room for everyone, from the eagle-eyed expert to the newly hatched naturalist. And your contributions can help scientists and conservation organizations like the Nature Conservancy of Canada (NCC)....
Big Backyard BioBlitz: Your cell phone and curiosity can contribute to scientific research
Monarch butterfly (Photo by A. Dabydeen)
Until recently, I thought that "scientific research" was something only done in labs, hospitals and research institutes, by scientists with four different PhDs. Turns out that's not true! When it comes to monitoring biodiversity, community science...
Tips and tricks for everyday nature photography
Volunteer and NCC staff identify a plant during a bioblitz in Alberta (Photo by Brent Calver)
Psst…not sure if you’ve heard of the Nature Conservancy of Canada’s Big Backyard BioBlitz taking place from July 28 to August 1, but there’s still time to participate. This could be your excuse to get outside, connect with...
Hey [name I don’t yet know], mind if I take a picture of you?
Two crane flies on a wild bergamot leaf (Photo by Wendy Ho/NCC staff)
The other week while checking out the wild bergamot in my backyard for powdery mildew, I noticed a big insect perching motionless on the plant’s long serrated leaf. I thought it was a giant daddy long-legs (aka cellar spider). Upon closer...
5 ways to get involved in conservation this Canadian Environment Week
Building bat boxes at Old Man on His Back Prairie and Heritage Conservation Area, SK (Photo by NCC)
Since 1971, Canadians have been celebrating the nation’s natural heritage and the strides made in environmental protection during Canadian Environment Week. The week-long observance also includes World Environment Day (June 5) and World...
Reflections from 500 days of birds: A story of citizen science
Me and my birding sidekick (Photo by Jodi Elchyshyn)
Following the announcement of the COVID-19 pandemic in early March 2020, many of us faced new challenges during these unprecedented times. As a recent graduate and working biologist, I was lucky to be able to work remotely from my apartment in...
No Mow May is over, now what?
Dandelion (Photo by Yinan Chen, Wikimedia Commons)
The Nature Conservancy of Canada (NCC) encouraged people across Canada to leave their lawns alone during May. Or if that was too much, people were encouraged to at least delay the inevitable mow for a few weeks. Where I live, this is relatively...
The Great Backyard Bird Count: Counting birds for community science
Dressed for birding in the polar vortex (Photo by Sarah Ludlow/NCC staff)
The Great Backyard Bird Count (GBBC) is a global community science project that aims to gather a snapshot of bird populations and distributions in mid-February, before their annual spring migrations begin. The GBBC runs for four days each year,...
My Pike Lake Bioblitz
Caterpillar (Photo by Shirley Humphries)
A Nature Conservancy Canada (NCC) email popped up: "Big Backyard BioBlitz,” September 24 to 30, 2020! That sounded both appealing and doable without the risk of COVID-19 exposure. I would go to Pike Lake Provincial Park, where there are a...
