The hummingbird's igloo
Sweetiebird, an Anna's hummingbird, in her igloo. (Photo by Eric Pittman)
I always thought of hummingbirds as warm-weather birds. So I was surprised to see an Anna's hummingbird building a nest in early February. I was even more surprised because it was its sixth nest in a year, built in our yard. I live in Victoria,...
Natural Continuities: Connecting to nature through photography
Looking out over a pond at the MacMillan Nature Preserve. (Photo by Sara Schiavello)
This month, our class from Mr. Senisi’s Grade 12 photography class at St. Jean de Brebeuf Catholic High School in Woodbridge, Ontario, hosted a photography exhibit called Natural Continuities: A Photography Exhibit in Honour of Lyn...
An intimate connection to nature
Norman Hallendy (Photo courtesy of Norman Hallendy)
For the last 40 years, Norman Hallendy has spent his life learning about the Arctic and the many Inuit people who call the land home. His deep interest in this area has brought him across the Arctic, studying different communities and their...
A walk in the woods: The forest through the lens of a photographer
Forest along Long Tusket River, NS (Photo by Mike Dembeck)
For me the forest is always a welcoming place. As a child, I always knew what to expect when wandering off: always predictable, friendly and ever welcoming. A forest was a place to immerse myself in and experience nature. Photographing it was...
Communications from the coast: Three days of travel as a student videographer
Getting a close up of the old-growth forest at the Gullchucks Estuary conservation area (Photo by NCC)
From May to August of this year, I worked in Victoria as the Nature Conservancy of Canada's (NCC’s) communications intern in British Columbia. I’m a writing student at the University of Victoria, and film is one of my areas of...
Take only Poké Balls, leave only footprints: Tips and tricks for Pokémon Go users for getting up close and personal with nature
Gaff Point in Kingsburg, Lunenburg County, NS (Photo by NCC)
It’s safe to say Pokémon Go has made a Gyarados-sized splash for mobile users around the world. The app (which is not yet available in Canada) is turning smart phones into a window to a virtual reality where you can see a Bulbasaur in...
In the eye of an osprey
Osprey in flight (Photo by Lorne)
Since the publishing of “An osprey family affair,” I’ve made three trips to a primary nest site to witness the arrival of the Kawartha Lakes osprey this spring. As a photographer, waiting up to four hours for even a short burst,...
Paradise for daytrippers and stargazers
Star trails over Butala Homestead in OMB at dawn, SK (Photo by Alan Dyer)
Imagine plains so vast and wide that the night sky is flooded with stars and the Milky Way as far as the eye can see. There is one Nature Conservancy of Canada (NCC) property renowned for its rolling grasslands and nightscape: Old Man on His Back...
Through the lens I see a beautiful Earth
Large-format camera lens (Photo by Wikimedia Commons, Image Gallery of the Agricultural Research Service (U.S. Department of Agriculture))
An avid photographer may do just about anything to get the perfect shot: whether contorting their body (to shoot in a novel perspective), hiding for hours on end to catch a glimpse of a rarity, or, in the same light, trekking through all types of...
NCC Creative Conservation Challenge: Mud Inspired 2015
My 2015 year in nature (Collage by Cameron Curran)
There’s no question that I had a "wild" 2015. My experiences in nature encapsulated discovery, wilderness, adventure, learning and community building. Through these experiences, I learned an abundance of natural heritage and ecological...