The wolverine went over the esker
Wolverine going up the esker as the red fox trails behind (Photo by Claire Elliott/ NCC staff)
By Wendy Ho, as told by Claire Elliott It’s not every day that you see a wolverine. These elusive predators have vast home ranges (50–400 square kilometres for males and 230–1,580 square kilometres for females). So, when I not...
Hooray for hummingbirds
An Anna's hummingbird on one of her nests. (Photo by Eric Pittman)
You hear a buzz and see a streak of green, red or purple, and then you realize that a hummingbird just flew by! Hummingbirds are fascinating creatures that have captured our attention for as long as humans have co-existed with them. They are...
The wonderful world of sparrows
House sparrow (Photo from Wikimedia Commons)
When asked to picture a sparrow, I think a lot of us, especially city dwellers, think of the common house sparrow. Though ubiquitous across southern Canada, this little sparrow is not actually native to North America. This introduced species hails...
So you'd like to see a warbler...
Black-and-white warbler (Photo by NCC)
I like birding at just about any point of the year, but spring birding brings a certain excitement after a long winter season. Throughout Canada, warblers and other songbirds are starting to flock to landscapes that were recently quiet. Many are...
Birds of a feather
Ruffed grouse (Photo by Yaremchuk)
This winter I am taking the second half of a two-part ornithology course. The coursework is focused on taxonomy and identification, and as such I spend a lot of time in a lab handling specimens, both mounted and study skins. The average birder...
Close encounters with a pileated woodpecker
Pileated woodpecker female foraging on a dead stand. (Photo by Claire Elliott)
When I’m feeling unmotivated to go for a hike, I usually try to suppress those feelings and go anyway. I never regret the time I spend outdoors, and again that was the case this past weekend. I was sitting restlessly at my desk, which was...
#HowToNature series: How to butterfly
Cranberry blue. (Photo by Claire Elliott/NCC intern)
Though August may be drawing to a close, butterfly season is not over yet. Many of Canada’s 200 plus species of butterflies remain active well into the fall. Below are some tips to take with you into the field next time you go out searching...
