Wildlife are found where they eat
Red squirrel cache (Photo by J. Schmidt/U.S. National Parks Service)
Middens are one of my favourite things to point out during a nature hike. Although more noticeable in the winter, they are a great way to see evidence of the presence of wildlife in an area, in every season. You might be thinking, “What the...
Lights, camera, nature: An ode to Canadian landscapes in film
Nodwell, AB (Photo by R. Berdan)
One of my favourite things about living in Canada is getting to experience different seasons. However, my personal favourite season may not be on everyone else's list…Oscars season! As an avid film junkie, one of the most exciting times of...
NCC's Pelee Island fox squad on a mission to clean up Ontario's deep south
Gray fox pup (Photo by Ken Canning)
Making homes for Ontario’s rare and elusive gray fox takes a lot of work. In the fall of 2017, the Nature Conservancy of Canada’s (NCC’s) Pelee Island fox squad travelled to the island in the province’s deep south to do...
Parenting tricks from the wild
Baby elephants playing (Photo by Wikimedia Commons)
Parents everywhere would agree that raising children is no easy feat. New challenges come with every stage of development, from the newborn stage of learning how to eat and sleep, to the more advanced skill of communication. It wasn’t until...
My 2017 Ontario birding “Big Year”
Violet-green swallow at Thunder Bay Marina, Ontario's third ever record of this species. (Photo by Jeremy Bensette)
Last year was a pretty “big” one for me, birding-wise! I committed to completing a "Big Year," a quest to see as many bird species as possible in one year in my beautiful home province of Ontario, and held onto that goal until dark on...
Ten of nature's weirdest courtship rituals
Greater prairie chicken (Photo by Ron Knight/Wikimedia Commons)
Much like humans, other animals have evolved ways of wooing or courting potential mates, whether it’s singing a love song, doing a sensual dance or giving a thoughtful gift. With love in the air this Valentine’s Day, here are 10...
How species survive the winter: Skin breathing and antifreeze
Northern leopard frog (Photo by NCC)
Previous blog posts have discussed how small songbirds and big brown bats survive the winter. Those blogs briefly covered some strategies used by birds and mammals. But what about amphibians? How do frogs survive the many months of sub-zero...
Manitoba's amazing ash forests, invasive emerald ash borer and how you can help
Emerald ash borer adult (Photo by by U.S. Department of Agriculture)
Buy local. Burn local. Don’t move firewood. This is not just another green slogan put out by conservationists in the new year. Allow us to explain… Many people have heard about how non-native invasive species, including insects and...
A mega-rare mistle thrush visited my mountain ash
Mistle thrush (Photo by Peter Gadd)
On Christmas Day 2017.... It is here! It is here in the mountain ash tree at the crack of dawn. It is a brief appearance, as it turns out, but one long enough to perhaps sense it is sending a Christmas greeting. A bird, once known as the ...
Allies in Indigenous-led conservation in Canada
An aerial view of the landscape surrounding the community of Chisasibi, illustrating the vast expanses of open spruce and lichen forests, wetlands and waterways of Eeyou Istchee. (Photo by NCC)
In November 2017, I had the pleasure of travelling to the Cree community of Chisasibi with my colleague Chantal Otter-Tetreault, a protected areas coordinator from the Cree Nation Government. Chisasibi is one of the northernmost communities in...
