Parenting tricks from the wild
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”
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
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
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
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...
How a hidden forest valley is a big opportunity for conservation
Towering hemlocks reaching for the sky. A deep and rugged valley covered with ferns. A coldwater stream flowing over and under moss-covered fallen pine trunks. Just the thought of these scenes makes my mind wander yet again to northern...
Ringing in 2018 a little lighter: How reducing my impact kept me in the black
The holidays have come and gone, but there’s one thing that tends to stick around with the glitter: debt. In the past, I would rack up my credit card bill, year after year, causing a mini heart attack each time I looked at my bank account....
Year-end reflections that everyone can get into this season
As the clock ticks towards the end of 2017, many people can’t help but reminisce about what a year it was. And some may ponder what they’ve missed out on or wished they made more time for in these past 12 months. Whether the year has...
