Mhairi’s bird of the day: Brown-headed cowbird
Brown-headed cowbird (Photo by Stephen Davis)
Spotted on March 19, 2020 Brown-headed cowbird Molothrus ater molos: “struggle or “battle” in ancient Greek throsko: “to sire” or “to impregnate” in ancient Greek ater: “dull black” in...
Tales of recovery: Trumpeter swan
Trumpeter swan family (Photo by Karol Dabbs)
Their call is unforgettable. When you hear it for the first time, “trumpeter” makes perfect sense. Even when silent, a trumpeter swan remains impressive. With a wingspan that can stretch to three metres, this white swan is the largest...
Reconnecting the wild: Ensuring safe passage through animal road crossings
Deer crossing road (Photo by Steven Coffey on Unsplash)
From Victoria to St. John’s, the Trans-Canada Highway stretches across 8,030 kilometres of landscape in Canada. While it covers a lot of ground, it also fractures many habitats that are home to a variety of animals. Deer, moose, bears and...
Working in a winter wonderland
Kaitlin and I having a purple tongue contest with wild grapes (Photo by NCC).
When I first started at the Nature Conservancy of Canada (NCC), I remember talking to my supervisor about how much field work I would be doing, and being told that I would probably be in the office most of the time during the colder months because...
Learning from Indigenous leadership in Haida Gwaii (part two)
The K'uuna Llnagaay (Skedans) village site and monumental poles, a Haida Heritage Site I visited with Haida Style Expeditions. (Photo by Janel Saydam)
Having studied environment and sustainability at the University of British Columbia for my undergrad, there are many things I learned that have made me lose hope in the future of the planet and the humans that rely on its integrity. One of my...
Learning from Indigenous leadership in Haida Gwaii (part one)
Windy Bay Creek, a river habitat typical to Haida Gwaii and similar to the Honna River where I was fishing. (Photo by Janel Saydam)
Joy, surprise, fear and panic: the flood of emotions that came over me when I finally felt a powerful tug and heard the whine of my reel, which was rapidly losing line. This tug was distinctive, and I immediately knew it was a large fish. When I...
10 awesome nature documentaries to help pass the time
Grey wolf (Photo by Gary Kramer, courtesy of USFWS)
As we self-isolate, social distance and find new ways to connect with friends and family, now has never been a better time to learn more about nature. While Blue Planet and Planet Earth are obvious go-tos, we’re sharing some other awesome...
International Beaver Day
Beaver (Photo by Jason Bantle)
Emily Little is leaving Saskatchewan. In fact, by the time you read this, she will have left already. As part of the tidying up at work that happens when someone winds down their stay and moves on, Emily and I talked about things that should be...
Forces for nature: Celebrating International Women’s Day (part four)
Lesley Neilson on a sailboat at Winter Cove, BC (Photo by Astrid Neilson-Miller)
In celebration of International Women’s Day (March 8), we are profiling a few Nature Conservancy of Canada (NCC) friendly female faces from across the country. These women contribute to our mission and our work in different ways. Lesley...
Even small acts can have a ripple effect: tackling plastic pollution
A turtle swimming with plastic (Photo by Unsplash)
Plastic pollution has become a part of the food chain in our waterways. According to Plastic Oceans, more than eight million tonnes of plastic waste is dumped into our oceans annually. As a result, one in three species of marine mammals become...
