I’ll be in Ulukhaktok for the next week visiting and exploring the high arctic. I’m hoping to return with some more great memories and at least a few interesting wildlife images. In my absence, I thought this would be a great time for a two-part series on sparrows and how to identify them. “Sparrows” is a sort of blanket term …
Beavers are Canada’s national animal. They are abundant across the country and not to brag or anything, but here in the north our beavers are pretty spectacular. I don’t ever remember seeing such large rodents when I lived in Alberta or British Columbia. Perhaps it is our abundance of pristine lakes and ample food sources, or perhaps they are just …
Welcome to this week’s Sunday edition. It’s that time of year when baby birds are crying out from their nests for food food more food and parents tirelessly collect insects, larvae, seed, fish and other prey to satiate their fluffy little offspring. There are plenty of opportunities to watch birds mate, nest, incubate, rear and fledge because Yellowknife is surrounded …
Welcome to woodpecker week. There are a number of woodpecker species that make their home around Yellowknife. Some of them even spend the winters with us. Woodpeckers are hearty little birds who spend much of their time banging their heads against trees. So how do they avoid concussions? Woodpeckers have flexible skulls because of their plate-like bones which help minimize …
Bears have always been one of my favourite animals. I can’t remember the first time I ever saw a bear but I do remember bear sightings were really rare. For the most part bears are shy and not interested in anything except food. Unfortunately, humans are not as diligent as they could be when it comes to securing attractants. Bears …
Owls are one of my favourite birds to photograph. Each of them have their own personality some are tolerant and patient of a photographer and others are skittish and irritable. A couple of years ago I had the pleasure and opportunity to document the growth of a great-horned owlet. This series of photos was taken over the course of just …
A couple of weeks ago I had an exciting moment as a birder; I apparently spotted and recorded the first sighting of an Audubon’s Warbler in the Northwest Territories! The Audubon’s warbler is a sub-species of the Yellow-rumped warbler, the other is the Myrtle warbler, however 40 years ago they were 2 separate species. According to a local bird expert, …
May long weekend was a fantastic weekend for wildlife. Not only did I spot a rare bird in the NWT but also finally got to meet the spring fox kits! The life of a wildlife photographer isn’t always that exciting but after a long winter it’s just great to get outside without mittens! This den is pretty famous in Yellowknife …
RANT/ I went out last night to check in on the fox kits. Sadly, I only saw two of the four kits who were out last weekend. I’m not sure what happened but I found this and was so pissed off I could spit. Someone thought slipping a bucket of dog food under the fence was a good idea. I …
Every year Ecology North hosts a Mother’s Day bird walk for people to get out and meet fellow birders and inventory the species arriving in the North. This year the Mother’s Day walk coincided with International Migratory Bird Day and about fifteen people showed up to join the event. We visited three different parts of the city including Rotary Park, …