Category Archive for ‘News’

This blog is written by guest blogger Sharlene Amalu.  No, I’m not talking about a certain sea captain and some pearl; I’m talking about the bird Ammodramus bairdii, also known as the Baird’s Sparrow. The Baird’s Sparrow is believed to only have a lifespan of three to six years and is approximately 12cm in length or slightly larger than the size of your palm. Individuals only sing one song out of a possible thirteen songs through its lifespan. They’re tiny birds that really sing! Approximately 60% of the overall Baird’s Sparrow population breeds mostly in the southern regions of the Canadian provinces of Alberta, Saskatchewan and Manitoba while also breeding in the states Montana, Wyoming, South Dakota, and sometimes in… read more →

Thanks to a generous grant from the Gosling Foundation, Nature Canada and Bird Studies Canada are injecting new energy into the Important Bird and Biodiversity (IBA) program. Over the past 20 years, millions of dollars and tens of thousands of hours of volunteer hours have been invested in protecting birds at Canada’s IBAs.  We are committed to keeping Canada’s IBAs as a centrepiece of our site-related bird conservation work. From 2008 to 2014, Nature Canada and BSC established the IBA Caretaker network, delivered with provincial nature network partners, and in some cases First Nation partners, aimed to get an ‘on-the-ground” stewardship and advocacy presence in IBAs from local groups and individuals.  Over this entire period, Nature Canada and BSC have… read more →

This blog is written by guest blogger Leanne Lovsin.  Did you know that choosing to eat locally-grown fruits and vegetables is good for the environment? Local produce doesn’t have to travel very far to arrive on your plate; this helps reduce greenhouse gas emissions. It’s a win-win situation! You help support the local economy, eat fresh and delicious food, and improve your carbon footprint. As the days begin to get shorter and the wind becomes a little brisker, you may catch yourself thinking about the upcoming fall season. But wait! There’s still some summertime left. Next time you go grocery shopping, celebrate the late summer harvest with fruits and vegetables that are grown locally during this fleeting time of year.… read more →

This blog was written by guest blogger Amanda Simard.  Jessica Bradford is the 2017 recipient of Nature Canada’s Charles Labatiuk Scholarship Award. Jessica is currently pursuing a Master of Marine Management (MMM) degree at Dalhousie University in Halifax, Nova Scotia. We spoke to her briefly about her schooling and how it contributes to nature conservation. Can you tell us a little about what you are studying? The MMM degree is an interdisciplinary approach to marine management and conservation. By looking through the lens of both natural sciences and social sciences, we can approach conservation from a more balanced perspective and, hopefully, find better solutions. The courses are broad ranging from oceanography, marine science and technology, coastal zone management, and policy,… read more →

Summer may be starting to wind down, but before we all head back to school and work, take a few minutes to connect with nature. Here are some of our top choices for some end-of-summer outdoor activities: 1. Get in one last camping trip. Pack up and head out for a day or a weekend surrounded by nature. Check out these five tips to be a nature-friendly camper! 2. Explore your city by bike. Get two wheels on the road and tour your town on a family bike outing. Ride familiar routes or discover a new favourite trail. 3. Go on a nature scavenger hunt. There is so much to explore right in your own backyard! Put a new spin… read more →

This blog is written by guest blogger Sharon Bamber. Daisies On The Bank Daisies on the Bank. Standing in the warm sunshine, looking down and across to the tangled bank of Mill Creek just as it almost enters the lake. Sun just catching a few places on the rocks, making them glow with a warm pink against the cooler purple in the shade.  The bed of the stream, rocks and pebbles slightly distorted by the shallow clear water. The gentle sound of the burbling stream, not the noise of the small tumbling rapids that are characteristic of the creek further up the mountain. Trying to make sense of that tangle of vegetation on the bank – all those different greens… read more →

This blog is written by guest blogger Cara Davidson.  In today’s busy world, everyone is prone to a little mental exhaustion here and there. A strong coffee and a nap are generally society’s crutches. However, an Italian study by Rita Berto titled Exposure to restorative environments helps restore attentional capacity has proposed an alternate remedy to this fatigue- nature! Berto, researcher and psychologist, studied participants completing an attention intensive task, viewing a photo and then redoing the action. She used three types of pictures: restorative environments (nature scenes), geometric patterns and non-restorative environments (cityscapes) to determine how gazing at them would affect attentional capacity. Interestingly, it was concluded that only restorative environments boosted performance on these tasks. ‘Non-nature’ scenes had… read more →

Congratulations to Environment Minister Catherine McKenna on establishing the boundaries for Tallurutiup Imanga, Canada’s newest national marine conservation area, located in Lancaster Sound. Tallurutiup Imanga will protect 12 of Canada’s Arctic Important Bird and Biodiversity Areas (IBAs) from industrial threats. IBAs are discrete sites that support specific groups of birds: threatened birds, large groups of birds and birds restricted by range or by habitat. IBAs represent the most important sites for birds on the earth. Over 12,000 IBAs have been identified globally, of which Canada has approximately 590. Nature Canada and Bird Studies Canada, Canadian partners to BirdLife International, deliver the IBA program in Canada. IBAs within the new proposed Marine Conservation Area include Berlinguet Inlet, Baillarge Bay, Cape Hay,… read more →

This post was written by guest blogger Rebecca Kennedy. Sunday, August 20 is World Mosquito Day! This annual day commemorates a major development in public health—the landmark 1897 discovery of the female Anopheles mosquito as the transmitter of malaria. The person behind this breakthrough was British physician Sir Ronald Ross, who went on to receive the 1902 Nobel Prize for Medicine for his pioneering work on the devastating disease. Thankfully, malaria is no longer found in Canada; however, the disease continues to persist elsewhere—worldwide in 2015, there were 212 million cases and over 400,000 deaths from the disease, disproportionately occurring in sub-Saharan Africa. There are around 3,000–3,500 species of mosquito depending on whom you ask. They belong to the family Culicidae and the… read more →

Windows are one of the leading human causes of death for birds. Windows are not always visible to birds due to reflected trees or skies, a view straight through the window, or potted plants or living walls on the other side of the glass that draw them in. In order for a window to become visible to birds, it needs to be “broken up.” Visual markers such as patterned window films, window curtains, or window screens make windows visible to birds. By adding these features, it breaks the window up and lets the bird know that it cannot pass through. As many as one billion birds fatally collide with windows in North America annually. According to Safe Wings Ottawa, as… read more →