In search of my totem
![Great blue heron spreading its wings (Photo by Lorne)](https://www.natureconservancy.ca/assets/images/species/bird/GBH-Lorne-1-thumb.jpg)
Great blue heron spreading its wings (Photo by Lorne)
I frequently awaken with pre-set routines and their parameters dancing in my head — actions and reactions caused by billions of neurons sending and receiving electrochemical signals to and from my brain. Whether stretching and slowly...
The 12 birds of Christmas
![Mourning dove (Photo by Ken Schneider)](https://www.natureconservancy.ca/assets/images/species/bird/mourning_dove_ken-schneider-thumb.jpg)
Mourning dove (Photo by Ken Schneider)
On the 12th day of Christmas, my true love gave to me…fun bird facts! To celebrate the holidays this year, here are some interesting tidbits about 12 different birds found in Canada, some of which are featured in the 12 Days of Christmas...
Birdwatching apps play a role in conservation
![Downy woodpecker (Photo by Lorne)](https://www.natureconservancy.ca/assets/images/species/bird/Downy-woodpecker-Photo-by-Lorne-thumb.jpg)
Downy woodpecker (Photo by Lorne)
Wondering what that bird is? Several apps make it easy to answer this question. By entering some data, uploading a photo of the bird or matching its birdsong you can confidently identify birds. Three particular apps — eBird, Merlin and...
Keep them in your heart: Monitoring Bicknell's thrush
![Bicknell's thrush (Photo by Serge Beaudette)](https://www.natureconservancy.ca/assets/images/species/bird/bicknells-thrush-serge-beaudet-thumb.jpg)
Bicknell's thrush (Photo by Serge Beaudette)
John Burroughs, an American naturalist, once said, “You must have the bird in your heart before you can find it in the bush.” While that might be true, unless you’re planning a trip to the Greater Antilles, you won’t have...
Winter strategies for at-risk birds
![Bobolink (Photo by Bill Hubick)](https://www.natureconservancy.ca/assets/images/species/bird/bobolink_bill_hubick_thumb.jpg)
Bobolink (Photo by Bill Hubick)
Now that I’m hunkered down for the cold winter season, I often find myself reminiscing about summer days and the colourful feathered friends that have long departed for warmer climates. Yearning for a trip somewhere warm, I wonder, what...
Tracking eastern loggerhead shrikes
![Eastern loggerhead shrike (Photo by Dave Menke, courtesy of USFWS)](https://www.natureconservancy.ca/assets/images/species/bird/eastern_loggerhead_shrike_dave_menke_usfws_thumb.jpg)
Eastern loggerhead shrike (Photo by Dave Menke, courtesy of USFWS)
Driving past the Nature Conservancy of Canada (NCC) Napanee Plain Alvar Nature Reserve, north of Napanee, Ontario, you might not notice anything overly special about the site. In fact, if you didn’t stop to have a closer look, you might not...
Capturing a conservation gem in action
![Bald eagle (Photo by NCC)](https://www.natureconservancy.ca/assets/images/blog/DSC_0212-Bald-Eagle-NCC-thumb.jpg)
Bald eagle (Photo by NCC)
One of the greatest Canadian conservation success stories is that of the bald eagle. It’s hard to believe that such an iconic species was almost wiped out, yet today in Atlantic Canada, bald eagles are so numerous that we export them to the...
Strong and free: Releasing a red-tailed hawk at Bunchberry Meadows
![Red-tailed hawk (Photo by Bill Hubick)](https://www.natureconservancy.ca/assets/images/species/bird/red-tailed-hawk-on-bill-hubick-thumb.jpg)
Red-tailed hawk (Photo by Bill Hubick)
This fall, WILDNorth (formerly the Wildlife Rehabilitation Society of Edmonton) staff were invited by the Nature Conservancy of Canada (NCC) to release a red-tailed hawk at NCC’s Bunchberry Meadows property in Alberta — an absolutely...
The incredible migration at Johnson's Mills Shorebird Reserve
![Semipalmated sandpiper (Photo by NCC)](https://www.natureconservancy.ca/assets/images/species/bird/semipalmated-sandpiper-ncc-thumb.jpg)
Semipalmated sandpiper (Photo by NCC)
From late July to mid-August, the scene at the Nature Conservancy of Canada’s (NCC’s) Johnson’s Mills Shorebird Reserve on the Bay of Fundy in New Brunswick is awe-inspiring. There are days when as many as 140,000 semipalmated...
10 species protected thanks to Conservation Volunteers, coast to coast
![Juvenile burrowing owls (Photo by Lauren Meads)](https://www.natureconservancy.ca/assets/images/species/bird/juvenile-burrowing-owls-lauren-mead-thumb.jpg)
Juvenile burrowing owls (Photo by Lauren Meads)
So far this year, hundreds of volunteers from across the country have gathered to lend a hand for nature at events hosted by the Nature Conservancy of Canada (NCC). Whether it was removing invasive species wreaking havoc on a delicate forest, or...