My (grizzly) neighbours - Part One
No need for coffee when you see this vision outside the kitchen window first thing in the morning. (Photo by Peter Shaughnessy)
Never leave the house without a camera...and a spare battery. I learned that lesson well over the past 27 years while living and working in British Columbia’s Tatlayoko Valley and I will explain why. But first, where is Tatlayoko? It is a...
The farm kid gets a job
Rainbow at Waterton, AB (Photo by Wonnita Andrus/NCC staff)
Bindloss, Alberta is the sort of place where cows outnumber the people 100 to one. You probably haven’t heard of it, won’t find it on most maps and are unlikely to ever need to visit. Its remoteness is…well…remote. So...
A first timer at the Festival of Birds
Going birding at the southernmost tip of mainland Canada! (Photo by Wendy Ho/NCC staff)
I love to travel. But travelling stresses me out when my focus is on optimizing every second for sightseeing with a tightly packed itinerary. A few weeks ago, I had a chance to reconcile those feelings on a trip to Point Pelee and Pelee Island...
Conservation Volunteers helping protect snapping turtle habitat in Nova Scotia
Snapping turtle (Photo by Ryan M. Bolton)
Imagine if you can a wide gravel beach overlooking a small, tranquil lake surrounded by rich forests. As the sun rises on the horizon, a turtle breaks the surface to survey the surrounding landscape. This snapping turtle has recently come out of...
A tale of two hawks
Red-tailed hawk (Photo by Bill Hubick)
Each spring the hills of the Happy Valley Forest become the stage for a spectacular aerial ballet. They have a short run over the woods, but if you are lucky you may see the swooping, diving courtship display of red-shouldered hawks. If you miss...
La petite chauve-souris brune : mon animal canadien favori
Little brown myotis (Photo Ann Froschauer/USFWS)
La petite chauve-souris brune est un mammifère insectivore vivant dans l’ensemble de l’Amérique du Nord et présente dans toutes les provinces du Canada. Bien que nocturne, elle peut être très active...
Le petit polatouche : mon animal canadien favori
Southern flying squirrel (Photo by Judy Frederick)
Le petit polatouche est un mammifère nocturne, vivant au Québec et en Ontario, principalement autour des grands lacs. Petit rongeur semblable à l’écureuil, il est très à l’aise dans les arbres...
Lessons learned from the otter meme
Otter meme (Photo from Pinterest.com)
I have mixed feelings every time I see a river otter meme pop up on my Facebook feed. They are my favourite animal, and they are often very funny, and cute as anything, but as a wildlife biologist, I often wonder whether it impacts how people...
Loggerhead shrike: A prairie jewel
Loggerhead shrike (Photo by Don and Karol Dabbs)
A denizen of the native prairie landscape, the loggerhead shrike has captivated me for years with its beauty, behaviour and pizzazz. Even its Latin name, Lanius ludovicianus, rolls off the tongue with passion and grace. Of course, the romanticism...
La tortue mouchetée: mon animal canadien favori
Blandings turtle (Photo by NCC)
Pour ma part, c’est la tortue mouchetée qui a ravi mon cœur! Par la forme de son bec cornu et son cou jaune vif très apparent, cette espèce de tortue semble afficher un sourire en permanence. Hormis ce...
