My snowy day...And tips for non-intrusive enjoyment of snowy owls
This snowy encounter was a long time coming, and it made my day. (Photo by NCC)
My moment with a snowy owl has been a long time coming. In late 2013 I wrote about my attempts to find one during the Guelph Christmas Bird Count and I spent many wintery days in 2013/2014 driving down country roads peering hopefully into fields...
Return of the raven: What the rewilding of southern Canada teaches us
Common raven (Photo by pcb21, Wikimedia Commons)
Thanks to a bird, I recently needed to change the ring tone on my mobile phone. My ring had long been the classic call of the common raven — a deep gurgling croak that reminded me of being in wilder places. Places such as the northern shores...
Transferable confidence
Thomas Unrau at work (Photo by NCC)
In ecology we talk about how ecosystems with high biodiversity have a greater resilience compared to those that are more homogenous. I think that the same goes for a young professional starting his or her new career in conservation or the...
The elephant in the woods
Backus Woods, Ontario (Photo by NCC)
Settled Southern Ontario still has magical places where you can experience the grandeur of wild nature. Backus Woods, just north of Lake Erie’s Long Point, is such a place. This is where forest cycles play out largely as nature intended....
My 2014 Christmas Bird Count
Kristyn Ferguson out for a snowy day of field work (Photo by NCC)
Believe it or not, when my alarm went off at 5:15 a.m. on Sunday, December 14, 2014, I actually sprang out of bed with a smile on my face. While I typically rue any waking in “the 5s”, this was one day I knew would be worth it: the...
I saw tree chips: A carol for the Rice Lake Plains
NCC national staff tackling Scots pine on a nature reserve, ON (Photo by NCC)
A holiday-themed song for you, inspired by Nature Conservancy of Canada staff Val Deziel and Thom Unrau and their ongoing work removing non-native Scots pine trees from the Hazel Bird Nature Reserve in the Rice Lake Plains of Northumberland...
Powder Islands adventure
Susan Bryan checks the plants on a section of rock pavement (Photo by Mike Bryan)
"I haven’t seen that before. It's a lifer!" You may be thinking birds, but for me the "lifer" was a delicate plant with white blossoms growing in a crack on a bare cliff face. Hoary draba is a member of the mustard family and usually found...
Exploring the remarkable Gervais Property
Channel spring, Gervais property, Ottawa, ON (Photo by Daniel F. Brunton).
You can hear it...The sound of rushing water, like a rapids or a waterfall, right in the middle of the woods where no channel exists. Huh? Until then there had been no immediate outward sign that I was in a remarkable spot, let alone one that is...
The eastern subterranean termite: An introduced species in Ontario
Eastern subterranean termite (Photo by United States Department of Agriculture, Wikimedia Commons)
Most of us in Ontario, I think it is safe to say, don't give a moments thought to termites, or realize that they are found in this region. In fact you are unlikely to ever meet the acquaintance of one, unless your house unfortunately becomes...
Betty Henderson and The Elsa Wild Animal Appeal of Canada
Judith Eger, Jack Bateman and Robert Hester of the ELSA Wild Canada Appeal (Photo by NCC)
This fall, the Nature Conservancy of Canada (NCC) unveiled a commemorative sign honouring Doreen Elizabeth (Betty) Henderson’s contributions to conservation in Canada. The sign was erected in NCC’s Norfolk Forests and Long Point...
