Potential thunderstorms and excessive rainfall will likely unload in the Midwest, Texas and Oklahoma this week, bringing flooding and flash flood risks. Read here.

While the average lifespan of North America's largest and most rare tortoise species is unknown, biologists have said it could span upward of a century.

In 2019, the Intergovernmental Science Policy Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services (IPBES) Global Assessment Report confirmed invasive alien species as one of the five most important direct drivers of biodiversity loss. The others were climate change, land and sea use, direct exploitation of species, and pollution.

With the production of plastic on the rise worldwide and creating ever more pollution, the UN environment chief warned that humanity cannot just recycle its way out of the mess, and she called for a total rethink about the way we use plastics.

Around 30,000 customers have been left with no power supply as Ophelia unleashed havoc in the United States' east coast. Read more here.

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Ophelia, now categorized as tropical depression, made landfall in North Carolina. Read more here to know the effects.

A scientist who handled decaying material for a living somehow gets infected with a plant fungus known as silver leaf disease. Read more here.

In Minnesota, the woman who calls herself 'crazy bug lady' found invasive Asiatic garden beetles in her garden. Read more here.

According to a recent report, an estimated 4,507 deaths were linked to the 2022 extreme temperatures in England. The challenging heat waves can bring life-threatening heat stress and health concerns. Read here.

Skunk: Mammals in the family Mephitidae.

Kingdom: | Animalia
Phylum: | Chordata
Class: | Mammalia
Order: | Carnivora
Family: | Mephitidae

There are 10 living species of skunks. They may be found in the following three genera: Conepatus, Mephitis, and Spilogale.

Size and Weight:

The size of a skunk varies depending on the species. They can range in length from 15.6 to 37 inches, and in weight from about 1.1 to 13 pounds. Spotted skunks are the smallest species. The largest are the hog-nosed skunks.

Appearance:

Skunks have moderately elongated bodies with relatively short, well-muscled legs. They have five toes on each foot, and long front claws for digging. Most skunks have black and white fur, but some may be brown or grey. All skunks are striped. Depending on the species, a skunk may have a single wide stripe along the back and tail, or two thinner stripes, or a series of white spots and broken stripes.

Diet:

Skunks are omnivores. They eat both plant and animal material. Their diet may include insects, rodents, lizards, birds, snakes, eggs, berries, roots, fungi and leaves. When living near human populations, skunks are known to scavenge garbage left by humans. They also may scavenge bird and rodent carcasses left by other animals.

Habitat:

Skunks live in a wide variety of habitats, including deserts, forests and mountains.

Geography:

Skunks inhabit North America and South America.

Breeding:

Early spring is skunk mating season. Skunks are polygynous, meaning successful males may mate with additional females. The female gives birth in a den after a gestation period of about two months. She will give birth to a litter of four to seven kits, which are born blind, deaf and vulnerable. After about three weeks, the kits open their eyes. They are weaned at about two months but will stay with their mother until they are ready to mate at about one year old. Mother skunks are protective of their young and are known to spray at any sign of danger. Males are not involved in raising the young.

Social Structure:

Skunks are crepuscular and solitary animals when not breeding. However, in the colder parts of their range, they may gather in communal dens for warmth. Skunks dig burrows to use for shelter during the day. For most of the year, a skunk’s normal range measures 0.5 to 2 miles. During breeding season males travel an expanded range, 4-5 miles per night.

Although skunks may shelter in their dens for extended time periods in the winter, they are not true hibernators. They go into a dormant stage when they are typically inactive and feed rarely. During the winter months, males often den alone but multiple females may huddle together, returning to the same den year after year.

Lifespan:

In the wild, skunks live two to four years. In captivity, they may live for up to ten years.

Threats:

Skunks are threatened by a long list of predators including humans, coyotes, domestic dogs, red foxes, lynx, bobcats, badgers, mountain lions, and fishers. They also can be prey for aerial predators like eagles, great horned owls and crows. Skunks are highly susceptible to diseases like canine distemper and West Nile Virus, among many others. While skunks have an excellent sense of smell and hearing, they have poor vision and are unable to see objects clearly at a distance of 10 feet or more. This leaves them vulnerable to road traffic.

To protect themselves from predators, skunks have a well-known stink strategy. In response to a threat, a skunk will first try to escape. If escape is impossible, it will hiss and stamp its feet. If the threat persists, a skunk can position itself in a U-shape so that its front and back ends are facing the threat, ensuring that its spray will hit the mark without getting a drop on itself. The skunk then emits a well-aimed cloud of stench.

Most predators are deterred by this tactic, which is one of nature’s most effective defense mechanisms. The skunk spews an oily, yellowish liquid produced by anal glands under its fluffy tail. While the liquid does no permanent damage, its stench may linger for days. And, since one of the spray’s noxious ingredients is water resistant, bathing has little effect on relieving the stench.

Conservation Status:

Eight of the ten skunk species are listed as “Least Concern” by the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. The pygmy spotted skunk (Spilogale pygmaea) and the eastern spotted skunk (Spilogale putorius) are listed as “Vulnerable.”

Sources: San Diego Zoo and Wildlife Alliance and Encyclopedia Britannica.

The post Skunk Fact Sheet appeared first on Nature.

Clouded leopard: one of the most ancient cat species.

Kingdom: | Animalia
Phylum: | Chordata
Class: | Mammalia
Order: | Carnivora
Family: | Felidae
Subfamily: | Pantherinae
Genus: | Neofelis

There are two species of clouded leopards: the clouded leopard (Neofelis nebulosa) and the Sunda clouded leopard (Neofelis diardi).

Size and Weight:

Clouded leopards are larger than small cats and smaller than big cats. Males are twice the size of females, with females weighing 22 to 30 pounds and males weighing 44 to 55 pounds. They measure 26 to 41 inches in length and stand 10 to 16 inches at shoulder height. They have an exceptionally long tail, used for balancing, that measures 24 to 33 inches long.

Appearance:

The clouded leopard is named after the distinctive ‘clouds’ on its coat. Its spots are partially edged in black, with the insides a darker color than the background color of the pelt. Its fur ranges in color from pale yellow to rich brown with irregular dark stripes, spots and blotches.

These medium-sized cats are well-adapted to forest living. They have a stocky build with relatively short legs and large, dexterous paws. Their paws have specialized footpads for gripping branches. These cats have specialized anklebones that allow varied positions for climbing, including climbing headfirst down trees. Clouded leopards are one of the few animals, and one of only two cat species, that can climb down trees headfirst.

Diet:

Clouded leopards usually hunt on the ground and eat a variety of birds, squirrels, monkeys and wild pigs. They have an advantage in hunting as their ankles can rotate backward. This enables them to climb down a tree headfirst, to climb upside down and to hang from their back feet.

Despite their smaller size, clouded leopards have large mouths. While tigers are 10 times larger than them in body size, a clouded leopard’s 2-inch-long canine teeth are the same size as those of a tiger. A clouded leopard can open its jaws wider than any other cat, and its tooth development is most like that of the extinct sabertooth cat. These features enable the clouded leopards to take down larger hoofed mammals.

Habitat:

Their preferred habitats are tropical rainforests. However, they can also be found in grasslands, scrublands and wetlands.

Geography:

Clouded leopards can be found in Southeast Asia. Their range spans from Nepal, Bangladesh, and Assam (eastern India) through Indochina to Sumatra and Borneo, and northeastward to southern China and formerly Taiwan.

Breeding:

Clouded leopards reach sexually mature around 2 years old. Mating can occur in any month. After a gestation period of 85 to 93 days, the mother gives birth to a litter of one to five cubs, typically two or three. At birth, the cubs are small and helpless. At two to three weeks, they open their eyes, and a week later their teeth begin to emerge. By five weeks, cubs leave the nest. By the time they are six months old, they are fully weaned and have full adult coloration. This is when the mother most likely teaches her young to hunt. At 20 to 30 months old, they are ready to strike out on their own. Females can produce a litter every year.

Like many cats, clouded leopards have various reproductive challenges. Males are twice as large as females, so there is a higher chance of injury to the female cat in a breeding encounter. Males sometimes kill their potential mates during courtship. When potential pairs are introduced to each other at an early age, they have better breeding success.

Social Structure:

Clouded leopards live solitary lives with the exception of mothers and their cubs. These cats can communicate through calls. Their calls include a low, moaning roar, a soft chuffle, a growl, a hiss, and meows.

Lifespan:

In the wild, clouded leopards live about 13 years.

Threats:

The greatest threat to clouded leopards is habitat loss due to a growing number of farms. Its rainforest habitat is often divided into small, unconnected patches of forest by industrial logging and the development of agricultural areas. While they are protected by law, clouded leopards are still illegally hunted for their beautiful coat.

Conservation Status:

Both clouded leopard species are classified as “Vulnerable” by The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species.

Conservation Efforts:

Numerous conservation groups are working to protect the clouded leopard. For example, the World Wildlife Fund (WWF) and local wildlife authorities are working together to establish anti-poaching units and strengthen anti-poaching law enforcement in Bhutan.

Sources: San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance, WWF, and Smithsonian’s National Zoo and Conservation Biology Institute.

The post Clouded Leopard Fact Sheet appeared first on Nature.

Sun bear (Helarctos malayanus): small bears found in the tropical forests of Southeast Asia.

AKA: Dog-face bear, Malay bear, and honey bear

Kingdom: | Animalia
Phylum: | Chordata
Class: | Mammalia
Order: | Carnivora
Family: | Ursidae
Genus: | Helarctos
Species: | H. malayanus

Size and Weight:

Sun bears are the smallest bear species, measuring 4 to 5 feet long on their hind legs and weighing 60 to 150 pounds. This is only about half the size of an American black bear.

Appearance:

Sun bears are named for the golden patches of fur on their chests, which are said to resemble a rising sun. Each bear’s crest is as unique as human fingerprints. They are stockily built, with large paws, strongly curved claws, small rounded ears and a short snout. Their fur is generally jet-black but can vary from grey to red. Its unique morphology of inward-turned front feet, flattened chest, and powerful forelimbs with large claws suggest adaptations for climbing.

Diet:

These bears are omnivores. Their diet includes insects, leaves, lizards and berries. Honey is their favorite snack. To get the treat, they use their sharp claws to open beehives. Then they use their extra long tongues to extract the honey inside, often gobbling up bees with the sticky sweet.

Habitat:

Their habitat includes wooded areas and tropical forests. As the most arboreal bear, the sun bear is an excellent climber and creates its nest in tree branches.

Geography:

Sun bears can be found in Southeast Asia.

Breeding:

Sun bears don’t have a particular breeding season. Adult females are the only type of bear to cycle several times each year. They create their nests in leafy vegetation on the ground, in tree branches, or in hollow logs. After a gestation period of 95 to 100 days, the female gives birth to 1 to 2 cubs. Cubs are born hairless and helpless, unable to hear or smell. They depend on their mother for food, warmth, and protection.

By 4 to 5 months of age, cubs are able to run and play. And by 18 months, they are weaned off their mother’s milk. The cubs stay with their mother for about two years and reach sexual maturity when they are 3 to 5 years old.

Social Structure:

Sun bears are typically solitary, except for a mother and its cubs or during mating. These bears are usually active during the day. It is arboreal and an exceptional climber. It sunbathes or sleeps in trees 7 feet to 23 feet above the ground. They are also excellent swimmers.

These petite bears vocalize using a variety of different sounds. Adult bears use a clucking noise, similar to a hen, to signal friendly intent. Aggressive bears bark, growl and roar. Cubs hum while nursing and squawk or cry when in need of their mother’s attention.

Lifespan:

In the wild, sun bears live up to 25 years.

Threats:

Sun bears are shy and elusive, making them difficult to find and study. While current data has them listed as endangered, their population size is believed to be rapidly declining. The largest threats include habitat loss, poaching for their meat and their use in medicine, and the pet trade. Their appetite for oil palm and other commercial crops has led to conflict between them and humans.

Conservation Status:

As of 2016, sun bears are classified as “Vulnerable” by The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species.

Conservation Efforts:

With the exception of Malaysia and Cambodia, laws prohibit the hunting of sun bears throughout their whole range. However, these laws are not strictly enforced. Numerous conservation groups, including The Bornean Sun Bear Conservation Centre (BSBCC), aim to protect these bears. BSBCC aims to provide care and rehabilitation to rescued sun bears and to increase awareness of sun bears internationally.

Sources: San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance.

The post Sun Bear Fact Sheet appeared first on Nature.

Photo by Mile Ribeiro/ Pexels

Last year those who have spent the past decades trying to raise awareness of the global collapse of shark and ray populations spent the summer looking ahead to the possibility that governments would take action to save these ancient ocean predators at an international meeting late in 2022.

At that meeting, the 19th meeting of the Conference of the Parties to the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES) in Panama last November, they were rewarded. Over 180 governments took the decision to fully regulate the trade in shark fins, a product used as a delicacy in East Asia, and that has led to catastrophic shark declines worldwide.

Photo by Walter Torres/ Pexels

That trade is made up of over 100 species, including some of the most iconic and unique shark families found in our oceans. They include the whip-tailed thresher sharks, hammerheads with their bizarre head shape, and the makos—the world’s fastest sharks. With these protections, we stand a chance of still seeing these species in the wild in decades to come.

This is a crucial step, but the hard bit comes next. As we celebrate Shark and Ray Awareness Day, recognized each year on July 14, all who care about the future of these iconic ocean predators helping to keep our ocean ecosystems healthy need to work together to ensure we build on recent conservation successes with ever stronger protections. Sharks remain the second most threatened animal group on the planet. There is no time to waste.

Photo by Samson Bush/ Pexels

The Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS) has been working in countries like Madagascar, Gabon, and Bangladesh that have asked for assistance to turn these international protections into strong conservation action. Those requests have resulted in new protections for a wide range of shark species. We plan to continue our work in those locations and expand our efforts to more than 14 countries over the next three years.

We hope that these new obligations will kickstart shark conservation action around the world, and we will start to see the protections, and then the recoveries, that these species so urgently need.

The post Shark and Ray Awareness Day is Every Day appeared first on Nature.

by Candice Rusch, Director of New Media at explore.org

Thank you to everyone who participated in the survey and gave us feedback about what you want to see in a new comment system. In this blog post, I’ll lay out our goals and analyze the results. Before we begin, I want to offer two caveats. We are still in the planning phase of development. Things can, and likely will, change. The features outlined here may not be feasible. Or, we might need to release these features in phases. The primary goal of the survey was to help us understand what features to prioritize in development. This new system will be for the community and we need you to be a part of this process with us. The second caveat is that we removed feedback from the analysis that was specifically related to moderation policies. This survey was designed to help us understand how to better design a comment system. Moderation policy is a different conversation. Don’t worry, we did read your feedback, but if it was related to moderation then it is not reflected in this report.

Explore.org’s Goals For a New Comment System Stability

It is no secret that Disqus has been buggy. 21% of the free answer portion of the survey was people lamenting how buggy Disqus is as a system. Most of our feedback inbox is filled weekly with people who face issues with the Disqus comment system. Snapshots don’t post. Comments are inaccurately marked as spam. Actual spam floods the site. Comments disappear. Notifications don’t work. The list goes on. The reason we periodically create new comment boards is that Disqus gets even more buggy as a comment board fills up. 

Our primary goal is a new comment system that is stable. To accomplish this, we will have an extensive beta-test. During this test, the new comment board will be placed on a handful of cameras. We will need you to help us test this system: find bugs, tell us where things didn’t function as anticipated. The more feedback the better. I cannot say that our new system will never have bugs, but instead of having to wait days and sometimes weeks for a resolution from Disqus, we will be able to address the issues ourselves. Having our own system also gives us the opportunity to be  transparent with you about fixes and their implementation. 

Features That Fit Our Needs

Disqus is a 3rd party system that we license. We don’t have any control over what features they release and when. This has caused some issues in the past. Most recently their “advanced moderation” feature catches legitimate comments in a spam filter, and we have no ability to opt-out. Even worse, we don’t have the ability to add features that would benefit our community. We feel that the recent tensions around the off-topic rule is a design problem, not a policy problem. This survey revealed that for every person who was sad about the off-topic rule enforcement, there was another person who was happy that the chats are focused on the cams. The community is split in half. We are trying to please two diametrically opposed groups with a system that doesn’t allow us to make any accommodations. Thankfully, you also gave us some great ideas about how to create a chat that can fit more casual conversation, while allowing for people to filter out conversation they don’t find relevant. Explore is unique. It became clear to us that to grow, we need to create something designed for our community. Your responses to the survey were a great help in understanding what you want!

Security & Accessibility

From the moment we started the discussion about what a self-hosted comment system would mean, security and accessibility were at the top of our team’s mind. Part of accomplishing these goals will be consulting with experts to audit the system. Security experts will look at our system and assess it for vulnerability. We will design the system with accessibility in mind from the start. During the beta test we will specifically ask for accessibility testers to reveal any issues there. Once the system is live, we will create guides to help people navigate the new comments.

Survey Results

 

Do you currently use a commenting account on explore.org?

It actually came as somewhat of a surprise to me that 40% of people who took the time to participate in the survey do not comment. The next question explains why people don’t comment. 

If you said no, why don’t you use a commenting account?

To analyze the results of this question, I removed everyone who answered, “I do comment.” We accidentally made this a required question. Sorry about that. I then pulled out all the “other” answers and found a few common themes. 

By far the biggest reason people don’t comment is simply that they don’t want to, or are content reading the comments. The rest of this result confirms our suspicion that the bugs in Disqus are preventing people from being able to comment. This validates our goal of trying to build a stable commenting system first. The rest of the “other” responses have given us a lot to think about. For those of you who cited security concerns, we fully agree that the security of our users’ information is vital. I can confidently say that explore does not, and will never, sell our users’ information. It also looks like we could be better at educating our community about what is possible on the site. I was personally surprised that there were a number of people who didn’t know how to comment or didn’t know they even could comment on explore. 

If you use a commenting account, what is your favorite feature?

To analyze this question, I did something similar to the previous question. I removed all the people who said that they don’t comment. I also broke out everyone who answered “other” and organized the answers around the themes that emerged. 

We learned a couple things from this question. First, we confirmed our hypothesis that explore.org would not be a good fit for a scrolling chat like Youtube, twitch, and other live streaming platforms. The ability to leave and come back is essential to our community. We also learned that while many of you love the ability to post snapshots to comments, it has been deeply frustrating that that feature has been unstable at best. We agree. The reason it hasn’t worked recently is that Disqus’ system flags most attempts to post a snapshot to comments from explore as spam. If we host our own system, we will obviously not flag our own traffic as spam. This would be a very easy win for explore staff, moderators and fans alike. 

If I were to change one thing about the commenting system, it would be

This was one of the more insightful questions in the survey! Like the previous questions, I sorted the “other” responses into themes. There were quite a few pointing out specific bugs in the Disqus. I sorted the bug complaints into the label, “a stable system that works.”

By far most people wanted an easier way to find information they are interested in. The responses in the Other section came with very helpful suggestions. We are currently discussing search and filter options that would let people more easily find what they are looking for! Many of these suggested features are also found in the free-answer portion of the survey, so I will address more of them there. 

There were a small minority of people who urged us not to move away from Disqus. While we are happy that you have not experienced issues, we hope that this blog helps you see the extensive problems most of the community face. We want to reassure people that our goal is to make the transition as simple and painless as possible. Ideally you will be able to comment on the new system with your existing explore.org account and won’t have to sign up for anything new. As much as possible, we aim to maintain any existing features that work, while improving their stability. Any additional features we add will be tested to make sure they add value to the community.

“How Interested Are You” Questions

These questions were meant to gauge the interest of the community on some features that the explore staff brainstormed in one of our planning meetings. While the primary goal is to create a more stable system, we have the opportunity here to add features that could be fun and useful. As a reminder, 1 is Very Uninterested and 5 is Very Interested.

This response was actually somewhat surprising to us! We thought that the ability to private message friends would be a good way to allow for off-topic chatter without making it visible for those that were uninterested, but 56.8% of people were either very uninterested or uninterested in this feature. Only 24.5% of people were interested or very interested in the feature. This was very helpful feedback. Private messaging adds a layer of complexity to the development process. With such a strong response against private messages it is unlikely we will release this feature in the first phase of the new comment system. There were many responses in the free answer portion that specifically asked for private messages. If you were one of those people, know that this doesn’t mean we won’t ever support private messages. It just means that it will not be prioritized over some of the other highly requested features like expanded search and comment filtering. 

This feature was suggested in response to a somewhat common complaint about the phenomena of multiple posts of the same photo in chat. We thought if people could curate multi-photo posts it might incentivize them to curate one large post instead of posting a lot of the same photo. The response here is split. 39.7% of people were some form of uninterested, 36.7% had some form of interest. With a split response, the release of this feature will come down to ease of development and implementation. We might ask for more feedback on multi-photo posts when we have a more concrete example to show people. 

To be honest, this is a feature that the explore staff is very strongly interested in. We use the Fan Favorites section to create the Fan Cam Friday newsletter. As it stands, it is not super obvious how to favorite other community members’ snapshots. I would not be surprised if some people learn right now from this blog post that they can go to a gallery and favorite other people’s snapshots. Moving this feature directly to the comments would add another way to interact with your friends AND it would help us curate the Friday newsletter better. With 36% of the people uninterested and 42% of people interested, we will probably move forward with this feature!

I actually expected this question to even more strongly favor the Very Interested side than it did. 36.5% of the people were uninterested while 44.1% were interested. We know that comment archiving is critical for several fan wikis. We are exploring ways to import Disqus history into the new comment system. We are currently discussing how long we should archive comments in the new system. Text is fairly inexpensive to store. Addition of media such as photos, videos, and gifs, adds to the eventual storage costs of a self-hosted system. We are trying to find a way to balance the need to archive comments with operational costs. Rest assured we are planning on archiving comments, though for how long is an open question. We might request more feedback later in the development process to understand how you are currently using comment archives. 

This feature was suggested as a way to use the snapshot galleries in a new fun way. 37.5% of the respondents were uninterested while 40% of the respondents were interested. Several people mentioned in the free-answer portion of this survey that this would be a great way to discuss bear IDs. It’s a fantastic observation that we didn’t consider! 

We often get feedback that the explore.org app would be better if it had comments. 32% of people were uninterested while 44% of the people were interested. We have tried to get Disqus to work with our app multiple times over the years, and it just has not worked. App integration is very high on our feature requirements for a new comment system. 

We suggested this feature because we know that many schools and parents have their kids watch explore. It is not a huge surprise that 69.4% respondents were not interested in this feature while only 13.4% were interested. Explore’s website audience does trend to people who no longer have school age children. This strong response against parental controls means that it will not be very high on the feature list. Again, this does not mean that we will never release this feature, only that it will not be prioritized in the beginning.

Is there anything else you’d like to see out of a new comment system?

Personally, this was the most interesting and insightful part of the whole survey. Some of the features suggested here we have already addressed. I won’t address every suggested feature, but I would like to highlight a few. 

Stability: 

This has been addressed throughout this blog. It is our primary goal for a new comment system. The ongoing bugs are detrimental to the community. They are also the primary source of complaints for the explore.org website. 

Search & Filtering

These suggestions were the best thing to come out of this survey. So many of you had great ideas for how to use search and filtering to make information easier to find, and to interact easier with other fans. We are currently brainstorming an “off-topic” tag that would allow people to filter out off-topic comments while creating space for people to interact with their friends. 

Off Topic Comments

I did say at the top of the blog that we were not addressing moderation policy issues, but I also acknowledged that the off-topic tension is a symptom of the limitations of Disqus. We obviously want people to feel like they are welcome on explore and we understand that many longtime friendships have been formed here. On the other hand, we also got a lot of feedback from people who say that the off-topic comments make them feel unwelcome, and distract them from the goal of learning more about the live cams. It is a difficult balance. We hope that some of the search and filtering options can create room for both perspectives. 

No Repeated Snapshots 

This was also a common complaint. We don’t have any solid solutions here yet but we are actively considering how to address this issue. In a similar vein, many people requested a way to hide media. We think a filter that would let you see Images Only or Text Only might be a good solution. 

Reactions & Emoji’s

This was also suggested in one of explore’s brainstorming meetings! It is something we are also interested in developing.

Block and Unblock users

This was on our list of basic feature requirements already. Not being able to unblock a user on Disqus is confusing to us as well.  

No Ads

This came up a few times in the survey. Explore does not, and will never, advertise on the site. If you are currently seeing ads in Disqus please let us know, because they should not be doing that. We can guarantee that there will not be ads in the new product. 

Conclusion

Thank you to everyone who made it this far! This will be a long process, but we thank you for helping us start this journey. I didn’t address every feature or concern raised in the survey here, but we have read all of them. Your feedback is critical in making a comment system everyone will enjoy. We will continue to provide updates as we move forward. As always, if you have any questions, comments or concerns, please email us at feedback@explore.org

The Africam Show (Tuesdays at 7 a.m. PT / 10 a.m. ET) – A special live Q&A session to catch up on the best weekly Africam moments. Viewers will have the opportunity to ask Ranger Russel Gerber questions on the Africam Shows Channel or on our YouTube chat roll.

Africam4Good Show (Thursdays at 9 a.m. PT / 12 p.m. ET) – A weekly conversation about the conservation of African wildlife, and an overview of great moments from the live cams. Watch these special broadcasts on the Africam Shows Channel or on our YouTube channel.

● The Africam Show: (2nd November)

Russell takes us on a virtual safari with the live cameras and updates us with highlights of animal characters.

● Africam4Good Show: Predator Conservation (4th November)

Russell chats with Thandiwe Mweetwa from the Zambian Carnivore Project about her conservation efforts in Zambia and what it’s like having a career in conservation.

● The Africam Show: (9th November)

Russell takes us on a virtual safari with the live cameras and updates us with highlights of animal characters.

● Africam4Good: Ground Hornbill Project (11th November)

Russell chats to Kyle-Mark Middleton about the endangered Southern ground hornbill and their current efforts to protect the bird’s future.

● The Africam Show: (16th November)

Russell takes us on a virtual safari with the live cameras and updates us with highlights of animal characters.

● Africam4Good: Tembe Elephant Park – (18th November)

Russell chats with Ernest Robbertse from Tembe Elephant Park about his water project for the Tembe community and to chat about the history of Tembe.

● The Africam Show: (23rd November)

Russell takes us on a virtual safari with the live cameras and updates us with highlights of animal characters.

● Africam4Good: Kalahari Wild Dog Project (25th November)

Russell chats to Nadja le Roux from the Kalahari Wild Dog Project about her conservation work with the endangered painted dog.

● The Africam Show: (30th November)

Russell takes us on a virtual safari with the live cameras and updates us with highlights of animal characters.

The Africam Show (Tuesdays at 7 a.m. PT / 10 a.m. ET) – A special live Q&A session to catch up on the best weekly Africam moments. Viewers will have the opportunity to ask Ranger Russel Gerber questions on the Africam Shows Channel or on our YouTube chat roll.

Africam4Good Show (Thursdays at 7 a.m. PT / 10 a.m. ET) – A weekly conversation about the conservation of African wildlife, and an overview of great moments from the live cams. Watch these special broadcasts on the Africam Shows Channel or on our YouTube channel.

● The Africam Show: World Animal Day (5th October)

Russell takes us on a virtual safari with the live cameras and updates us with highlights of animal characters.

● Africam4Good Show: Charlie Annenberg – Founder of explore.org (7th October)

Russell talks to Charlie Annenberg, the founder of explore.org. He discusses his love for Africa and what inspired him to set up live cameras around the world.

● The Africam Show: (12th October)

Russell takes us on a virtual safari with the live cameras and updates us with highlights of animal characters.

● Africam4Good: Giraffe Conservation Foundation (14th October)

Russell chats to Arthur Muneza about giraffe conservation and the work done by the Giraffe Conservation Foundation to help protect giraffes across Africa.

● The Africam Show: (19th October)

Russell takes us on a virtual safari with the live cameras and updates us with highlights of animal characters.

● Africam4Good: Birdlife South Africa (21st October)

Russell talks to Ernest Retief about the flamingos at Kamfers Dam and the conservation work done by BirdLife South Africa.

● The Africam Show: (26th October)

Russell takes us on a virtual safari with the live cameras and updates us with highlights of animal characters.

● Africam4Good: Elephants Alive (28th October)

Russell talks to Michelle Henley from Elephants Alive about her projects involving elephant identification and conservation.

Late summer is here and Katmai National Park’s brown bears are packing on the pounds in preparation for their winter hibernation. National Park Service rangers and explore.org’s resident naturalist Mike Fitz have many live events in store this month, including Fat Bear Week which begins September 29. And, don’t forget to watch the bears every day on explore.org.

Live Chats

Join park rangers and other experts for in-depth conversations about brown bears and salmon. Find these events on the Brooks Live Chat channel. And, if you miss any of our live chats, you can find the replays on our Bears and Bison YouTube channel.

A Conversation with Katmai National Park Superintendent Mark Sturm: September 1 at 7 p.m. Eastern / 4 p.m. Pacific

What challenges does Katmai face now and in the future? Get a superintendent’s perspective on the park’s priorities, issues, and plans for the future when Ranger Naomi Boak interviews Mark Sturm, superintendent of Katmai National Park. Submit your questions in advance using Ask Your Bearcam Question.

Late Summer at Brooks River: September 8 at 7 p.m. Eastern / 4 p.m. Pacific

During a season when daylight wanes and nights begin to grow long and frosty, Brooks River is still very much alive. Brown bears, who seem to have an unlimited stomach capacity, seek to satisfy their hunger while spawning salmon attempt to complete their life’s work. Join explore.org’s resident naturalist Mike Fitz and Ranger Naomi Boak from Katmai National Park as they discuss the late summer season at Brooks River. It is the second peak season on bear cam and a time of year that offers bears their last opportunity to gain the fat reserves necessary to survive winter hibernation.

The Language of Bears: September 15 at 7 p.m. Eastern / 4 p.m. Pacific

So you speak English, German, Urdu, etc. Want to learn Bear? In this chat Ranger Naomi interviews Bear Management Ranger Nick to translate bear language into our own. What does it mean when a bear lowers its head? That popping sound—what does that signal? Is that a fierce growl or a friendly greeting? No need for Google Translate today.

Katmai’s Keystone: September 22 at 7 p.m. Eastern / 4 p.m. Pacific

Pacific salmon are born in freshwater, grow large in the sea, and return to their place of birth to spawn and die. Their uncommon lives have extraordinary consequences for the ecosystems they inhabit. Join Mike Fitz to explore the amazing lives of Pacific salmon—the heartbeat of Bristol Bay’s economy, culture, and ecology.

Fat Bear Junior Bracket Reveal

Which chubby cubby will face off in the first ever Fat Bear Junior tournament? Find out at the beginning of the bearcam play-by-play on September 20 at 7 p.m. Eastern / 4 p.m. Pacific.

Fat Bear Week

Choose the fattest bear of the year! Some of the largest brown bears on Earth make their home at Brooks River in Katmai National Park. Fat Bear Week is an annual tournament celebrating their success in preparation for winter hibernation. From September 29 to October 5, your vote decides who is the fattest of the fat. Visit fatbearweek.org and join the special live events on the Brooks Live Chat channel.

Fat Bear Week Junior: It is win and you’re in for these young and maturing bears! During this warm-up event for Fat Bear Week, you choose the bear cub who will compete with the largest adults in the annual Fat Bear Week tournament. Fat Bear Week Junior takes place Sept. 23-24 on fatbearweek.org. Fat Bear Week Bracket Reveal: September 27 at 7 p.m. Eastern / 4 p.m. Pacific. Welcome to Fat Bear Week: September 29 at 7 p.m. Eastern / 4 p.m. Pacific.

Play-by-Plays

September 6, 13, and 20 at 7 p.m. Eastern / 4 p.m. Pacific

A favorite of rangers and bear cam fans alike, play-by-plays are live events when rangers and other experts narrate the bear and salmon activity at Brooks River. It’s an opportunity to learn more about the individual bears on the cams and how they survive. Find these events on the Brooks Live Chat channel. You never know what might happen!

Live Q&As

Chat in the comments with Mike Fitz, explore.org’s resident naturalist, and rangers from Katmai National Park during our weekly Q&As. Bring your questions about bears, salmon, and Katmai.

Explore.org: Every Tuesday from 5 – 7 p.m. Eastern / 2 – 4 p.m. Pacific in the comments on the Brooks Live Chat channel.  YouTube Q & As: Every Thursday from 2 – 4 p.m. Eastern / 11 a.m. – 1 p.m. Pacific in the comments on the Brooks Falls YouTube page. Tiktok Q & As: Find these on the explore.org Tiktok channel. September 2, 9, 16, 23, and 30 at 5 p.m. Eastern / 2 p.m. Pacific.

 Fat Bear Week in the Classroom

We invite teachers to take bear cam into the classroom and consider the different ways in which bears find success in Katmai’s challenging environment. Rangers from Katmai National Park and explore.org’s resident naturalist Mike Fitz will record a special broadcast to answer your students’ questions. Learn more about how your class can participate.

Got Questions?

Did you see something on the bear cams you’re curious about? Or, would you like to submit a question in advance for our live events? Ask it here. Rangers and expert staff may answer your question in a live chat, in the bear cam comments, or in a blog post.

By Mike Fitz

Perhaps no other group of bears captures our attention like mothers and their cubs. We empathize with their plight and wish them success. Mother bears often show a high tolerance for each other, almost as though they recognize their mutual problems.

In 2016, I watched 128 Grazer and 409 Beadnose back down from conflict instead of risking a fight in which they or their cubs might be injured. Read my full breakdown.

Bears have large appetites, though. They must eat a year’s worth of food in six months or less. Limited fishing success and empty stomachs  increase the frequency and intensity of conflict between bears at Brooks Falls. Although bears avoid physical conflict most often, we still see them fight. How should we react when bears don’t play nice?

It’s been an unusual year at Brooks River so far. The salmon run was slow at first even as the number of salmon entering the greater watershed climbed above two million. It strengthened and increased in the river toward the end of July and has remained somewhat strong through much of early August. This has kept many bears around at a time of year when they usually disperse away from the river.

As recently as the beginning of the week, dozens of bears have been fishing within sight of Brooks Falls. Congregations like this don’t happen without some level of mutual tolerance, even as the bears warily eye and look to usurp fishing spots from each other.

Mother bears, in particular, must work especially hard to keep their cubs protected and well fed. They display their work ethic and devotion in subtle and overt ways. Some mother bears avoid areas with high numbers of bears, foregoing prime fishing opportunities to give their cubs greater security. As a group, though, no matter if they fish at the falls or elsewhere, mothers are the most defensive of all bears.

128 Grazer, for example, often isn’t willing to back down when another bear approaches her family too closely. If Grazer senses another bear might threaten her offspring, she confronts the threat head on. Under those circumstances her defensiveness extends to most all other bears. She’s defended her yearlings from the largest adult males as well as younger bears who maybe took too great of a risk to satisfy their own hunger.

Here is a cam highlight that shows Grazer defending her cubs against an adult male.

128 Grazer, 854 Divot, and their yearling cubs, engaged in a prolonged conflict over space and a fish on August 10, 2021. In my experience at Brooks River, it’s quite rare to see mother bears compete so vigorously with each other. This situation, interestingly, was precipitated by the yearlings. Grazer’s yearlings wanted a fish that Divot’s yearlings had in their possession. Divot felt the need to defend her yearlings. Each time Divot stepped in, she got too close to Grazer’s yearlings and that caused Grazer to react defensively. It was, for a moment, a feedback loop.

Grazer’s defensiveness, in particular, has provoked a wide range of reactions among webcam viewers, everything from awe to fright to concern to disdain for her aggressiveness. Some viewers have also wondered if Grazer poses an undue threat to other bears. She doesn’t FWIW, but this has got me wondering, once again, how do our human-centered perceptions of the world affect our reaction to the behavior of wild animals?

Although it elicits the ire of many people in the natural sciences, it’s sometimes difficult to not anthropomorphize animals. We are human and applying human characteristics to non-human creatures is common in literature and in real life. We usually have few qualms interpreting the feelings of our pets as sad, happy, or guilty even if our interpretations are sometimes incorrect. When we see Grazer beat up a small, seemingly non-threatening subadult bear, her behavior can seem harsh.

If I’m being honest with myself and you, her behavior is harsh. However, I use that word with caution. The act of being harsh may come loaded with negativity in our minds. I use it, therefore, not as a judgement but as a description. 

For a moment, consider the world through Grazer’s eyes. She’s a sentient individual living in a difficult and competitive environment. Her survival and that of her cubs is not guaranteed. While bears are not as asocial as their reputations suggest, Grazer doesn’t live within a permanent social group. She’s devoted to her cubs, yet cannot rely on the help of other bears to raise them. Her species hasn’t evolved a sense of reciprocation. Like other bears, she establishes her place in the hierarchy through the use of body size, strength, and force. She senses the clock ticking perpetually toward winter, when she and her cubs must outwait famine by hibernating. Grazer faces those challenges daily.

If we can decouple the behavior of bears from the implications of the words we use to conceptualize their behavior—whether that’s moral or ethical—then perhaps we can more easily understand why bears make the decisions they do. Grazer is harsh toward other bears. Yet, her morals and rules for life are not our own. If I am to be fair to her, even as she is unfair to other bears, then I should consider life from her perspective rather than my culture’s and species’ rules for social engagement.

It’s okay to feel when we watch bears. We are emotional creatures, after all. Try as I might, I can’t fully channel my inner Spock well enough to remove myself emotionally from the bears’ lives. I only need to acknowledge that the bears’ minds, morals, and ethics are not human. Bears and other non-human creatures behave in ways that may clash with our values of right and wrong. And, that makes their behavior neither right nor wrong but something unique to them alone.

As the back-to-school season sweeps across Canada, a unique opportunity presents itself to instill a deep-rooted sense of ecological awareness and responsibility in the hearts and minds of the younger generation. The importance of ecological education during these crucial months cannot be understated, as it not only empowers children with the knowledge to understand and address environmental challenges but also fosters a lifelong commitment to preserving Canada’s rich natural heritage. As a teacher and outdoor educator I often see the need for ecological education and alternative supports for learning throughout the public school system from K-12.

Understanding the Importance of Ecological Education

Ecological education goes beyond traditional classroom learning, encompassing a holistic approach that integrates scientific knowledge, hands-on experiences, and a strong sense of stewardship for the environment. It equips children with the tools to comprehend complex ecological systems, appreciate biodiversity, and grasp the interconnectedness between human actions and the natural world. By nurturing this understanding early on, we lay the foundation for a generation that is capable of making informed decisions and leading initiatives that promote sustainability and conservation.

Building a Sustainable Mindset

The back-to-school months provide an ideal window to introduce ecological concepts in a comprehensive and engaging manner. Through interactive lessons, field trips, and practical projects, children can be exposed to real-world environmental issues such as climate change, habitat destruction, and pollution. These experiences not only awaken their curiosity but also inspire them to become active participants in safeguarding the planet. By fostering a sustainable mindset from an early age, we empower children to critically assess their own behaviors and encourage positive changes within their families and communities.

Connecting Classroom Learning with Real-World Applications

Ecological education thrives when it bridges the gap between theory and practice. Collaborations with local environmental organizations, nature reserves, and wildlife centers can bring children face-to-face with the wonders of nature and the challenges it faces. Hands-on experiences like planting trees, participating in clean-up drives, and observing wildlife in their natural habitats create lasting impressions and a profound connection to the environment. These practical encounters transform abstract concepts into tangible actions, inspiring a sense of responsibility and accountability for the world around them.

Promoting Inclusivity and Diversity

Ecological education also has the power to promote inclusivity and diversity by emphasizing the interconnectedness of all life forms and ecosystems. By exploring different biomes, cultures, and indigenous knowledge systems, children gain a broader perspective on environmental issues and solutions. This approach not only enriches their understanding but also cultivates empathy and respect for diverse perspectives, enabling them to become effective global citizens who collaborate across boundaries to address shared environmental challenges. Further, students who often are not wired for the structured setting of public school education often find support, guidance, and real world experiences that provide skills and knowledge that can last a lifetime.

Preparing Future Leaders and Innovators

The ecological challenges facing Canada and the world demand innovative solutions and informed leadership. Ecological education nurtures the qualities required to tackle these challenges head-on. Children exposed to ecological concepts are more likely to pursue careers in environmental science, policy-making, conservation, and sustainable development. In addition, youth with behaviours deemed unacceptable for certain learning environments often thrive and blossom into capable critical thinkers who will become the future leaders and voices of ecology, biodiversity, and the fight against climate change.

By imparting a profound understanding of the natural world, fostering a sustainable mindset, connecting classroom learning with real-world experiences, promoting inclusivity, and preparing future leaders, we are nurturing a generation that holds the key to a greener, healthier, and more harmonious planet. In the end, the investment in ecological education today ensures a legacy of environmental stewardship and sustainable progress for generations to come.

Subscribe to our emails to receive regular updates about what we’re doing to protect nature — and how you can help.

The post Cultivating Ecological Education: Nurturing Young Minds for a Sustainable Future in Canada appeared first on Nature Canada.

Sharing adventures and having fun with your children outside can look different for every family, some may enjoy hiking whilst others prefer puttering about in the garden at home. However you choose to get your green time in, there are massive benefits to be reaped from just a few hours of outdoor interaction with your children.

Here are just a few of the ways you can spend quality time outdoors with your family, and the ways that doing so will benefit your children’s development and well-being.

Go on an adventure

Kids love to be outdoors, and you can sneak in many educational lessons if you get creative with your outdoor adventures. Get everyone excited to explore new places by creating a picture sheet of the local wildlife and see how many you can all spot on your walk. You can also do this with different types of fauna, flora, and fungi — teaching children to be observant and comparing the shapes and colours of different leaves, flowers, and mushrooms. Working together to tick off as many as you can find promotes positive skills such as teamwork, sharing, and problem-solving.

Outdoor play has huge positive effects on children’s development, in all areas. Ever notice how young children don’t just walk? They skip, run, jump, climb, and balance because they are driven to constantly push their bodies in order to fine-tune their gross motor skills. When you give your children the opportunity to explore new outdoor environments, they naturally expand these skills and become stronger and more sure of their physical capabilities.

Become a member of a conservation group

Spending time outside with others in a conservation community and joining in with environmental campaigns as a family has massive benefits all around. Not only does it add manpower to the efforts of the cause, but you’ll be nurturing your children’s innate desire to connect with and protect the world they live in.

Just by joining your neighbours during community clean-ups and rewilding projects, you and your family could create a pollinator’s paradise a few steps beyond your front door that can do wonders for local wildlife. You could also get involved with any eco-friendly campaigns run by your child’s school or nursery. Aside from the benefits to the planet, your children will also reap the rewards of being part of a community. Social skills and self-confidence are boosted greatly when children build these types of connections, and they’ll feel proud of their contributions and more strongly bonded to your local community.

Visit national parks and nature reserves

Exploring places such as nature reserves and national parks presents the perfect opportunity to discuss the importance of protecting endangered species and wildlife with children. Spending time enjoying the outdoors together also fosters a love for nature that will help children become empathetic and responsible world citizens.

Always prepare for your trip and plan ahead to ensure you have the right supplies (don’t forget the snacks) and appropriate clothing for the weather and terrain. When possible be careful not to disturb any habitats while out on an adventure, and always remember to leave no trace when exploring the outdoors. You can engage kids during outings by using iNaturalist to identify different plant species and animal tracks found while exploring, and uploading observations once exploration is over.

Find Your Local NatureHood!

Joining a young naturalists club or a forest school gives you and your child the opportunity to make like-minded nature-loving friends. Emotional intelligence also gets a positive boost from playing outside with others. Without the confinement of being inside, children tend to become more open to sharing and working cooperatively with their peers. This builds social skills and encourages them to become more aware of others’ feelings. Building dens, helping each other climb a tree, or navigating a trail all help children learn to problem solve and work together.

Create a garden together

If you have outdoor space at home, why not get the kids involved in gardening? By teaching them how to sow seeds, grow plants and even create their own vegetable patch you’ll also nurture your children’s mental development. There’s a great sense of satisfaction to be found in gardening, and children feel immensely proud to share their produce with friends and family. This boosts their self-esteem and confidence, as well as reinforces the importance of healthy eating and sustainability. Community gardens in particular reconnect youth with nature and each other while encouraging local residents to consider the importance of locally sourced food.

If you don’t have much of a garden, you can create a window box of various herbs, or utilize vertical space on a patio with raised planters. Fruits such as strawberries and raspberries, and herbs and vegetables such as beans are all great options for smaller gardens.

Aside from planting food, you could spend time together outdoors at home by enjoying other crafts. Painting terracotta flower pots, drawing with chalk and playing with bubbles are activities that entertain little ones for hours and all create fond memories that reinforce family connections and bonds.

Let them set the pace

As all parents know, children don’t like to travel in a straight line. They become distracted and intrigued by everything and love to zig-zag across the path, stopping frequently to investigate every new thing they see. Our best advice? Let them. By focusing on sharing those moments with your children rather than pressing ahead to the finish line, you’ll nurture your connection and open up multiple conversations with your children that you may otherwise miss. Overall, have fun whilst exploring the natural world with your family.

The Trans Canada Trail is an accessible and engaging trail of trails that stretches from coast to coast and connects Canadians to nature and to each other. If you or your family are interested in exploring nature a few steps outside your front door, check out the nearest access point to you!

The post How Can Parents and Children Spend Quality Time Together Outdoors appeared first on Nature Canada.

This summer’s wildfires — on top of ongoing industrial logging — are destroying a vast area of some of the world’s last remaining intact forests in the north of Canada. We all must stand up now to demand action to protect what remains. As a key step, add your name to our Freedom of Information request urging the Government of Canada to reveal the true climate impacts of logging!

Add Your Name

In just weeks, wildfires have destroyed an area of Canadian forests the size of Lake Michigan, Lake Ontario, and Lake Erie, combined1 — more than 3% of all forested areas in our country.

Fires have displaced over 150,000 people in Canada2, led directly and indirectly to innumerable deaths, destroyed and disturbed wildlife and their habitats, and caused billions of dollars of property damage and lost productivity.

And the fires have now spewed out more carbon pollution than our entire country emitted in 2021.3

Canada’s boreal forest is one of the last remaining intact forests on the planet, and home to more than 600 Indigenous communities. It provides habitat to hundreds of species and billions of migrating birds and stores more carbon than all the world’s known oil reserves.

It is critical to our survival that we protect it.

But ongoing clear-cut logging is destroying large areas of primary forest in Canada — about six NHL hockey rinks worth every minute.4

And logging is also a massive carbon emitter: Earlier this year, Nature Canada calculated, based on government data, that logging caused the release of 75 million tonnes of carbon pollution5 in 2021, equivalent to emissions from the entire province of Quebec.

As this recent MinuteEarth video shows, the federal government is masking the true impacts of logging: by giving industry credit for a massive carbon sink in forests they have never logged, the industry is allowed to portray itself as a carbon-neutral climate solution, when in fact, it is one of the highest emitting sectors of the Canadian economy.

In fact, a recent study published in the prestigious journal Nature found that, globally, industrial logging emits about 4 billion tonnes of CO2 — about 10% of human-caused emissions.

There is also evidence that replanted (often single-species) forests are more at risk of catching fire than diverse, older-growth forests.

Canada needs an emergency plan to protect its remaining primary and old-growth forests.

A key first step would be for the federal government to publicly reveal the true carbon emissions caused by logging – so that effective action can be taken to reduce those emissions, by protecting carbon-rich intact forests.

Click here to add your name to Nature Canada’s Access to Information request that demands the government release the true net logging emissions at federal, provincial, and territorial levels.

Add Your Name Now

Thank you for standing up for forests and our future.

The Globe and Mail: Canada Sees 100,000 Square Kilometres Burned This Record-breaking Wildfire Season The Globe and Mail: What’s the Difference Between an Evacuation Alert and an Evacuation Order in Canada? Axios: Canada Wildfires Devour Land, Vault CO2 Emissions Higher Natural Resources Defense Council: Logging Is One of Canada’s Greatest Climate Liabilities Nature Canada: What Are the Net Greenhouse Gas Emissions From Logging in Canada?

The post Wildfires and Clear-Cut Logging Are Destroying Canada’s Boreal Forests appeared first on Nature Canada.

Nature Canada is so excited that this is our 10th annual Nature Photo Contest! To celebrate 10 years of appreciating Canadian nature through photos, we decided to share and highlight our favourite unique photos. These favourites have been featured in past editions of Nature Canada’s calendars!

Sulphurs by Peter Ferguson (2014)

From the photographer:
“On warm, early mornings, you can find resting butterflies—often with dew upon them—in open fields. This pair of Yellow Sulphurs chose to spend the previous night together on a knapweed bloom. I captured this image in Short Hills Provincial Park in the Niagara Region of Ontario.”

Stained Glass Dragonfly by Shauna Howerton (2014)

From the photographer:
“I took this photo on a warm summer day in my garden near Chickakoo Lake, AB. The Variable Darner dragonfly (Aeshna interrupta) was beautifully lit, reflecting the green grass, blue sky, and my pink shirt in the many facets of its wings. The Chickakoo Lake region is an important habitat area, home to an abundance of wildlife and a vital part of the migratory songbird corridor.”

Hummingbird Moth by Tom Lusk (2015)

From the photographer:
“This photo was taken on Hill Island, Ontario, in the St. Lawrence River, on a parcel of land that has been successfully re-naturalized by Parks Canada. Along with native plants and wildflowers though, some invasive species from other parts of the island have taken root—including the Spotted Knapweed. On the positive side, Hummingbird Moths seem to love these “invaders”. I’ve been intrigued by Hummingbird Moths since I first saw one several years ago, and I never tire of trying to capture the perfect shot of these unique little creatures.”

Belted Kingfisher by Tim Hopwood (2017)

From the photographer:
“On an early autumn afternoon, a spur of the moment decision to visit Calgary’s Inglewood Bird Sanctuary led to a chance encounter with this Belted Kingfisher that perched for a few moments above a poplar-lined lagoon watching for unwary fish. The background is the yellow poplar leaves reflected on the still surface of the lagoon – a reflection that you will only enjoy for a brief, but beautiful, week or so in late September.”

Canadian Rocky Mountain Parks Landscape by Bill Settle (2017)

From the photographer:
“Spirit Island, AB remains one of the most photographed spots in the Canadian Rockies but because it is only accessible by boat, only a fortunate few are able to witness the raw beauty and magnificence of this location during a summer sunrise. Spirit Island remains a true iconic Canadian destination.”

Saw Whet Owl by Robert Berdan (2019)

From the photographer:
“This Saw Whet Owl was photographed in Kananaskis provincial park near Turner Valley. I was with a friend and fellow bird photographer Alan Mackeigan who had been searching the area for owls and shared the location of this owl with me. Nikon 300 mm F2.8 lens.”

Mushrooms in Autumn Forest Blossoms by Bill McMullen (2019)

From the photographer:
“One of my favourite times to be in the forest is autumn. The colours are vivid and the lighting can be striking. This scene was taken at an outdoor education centre as the
maple leaves were near peak colour and the late afternoon autumn light seemed to illuminate the forest floor and especially the numerous mushrooms and other fungi.”

Male Ruby Throated Hummingbird by Keri Fisher (2019)

From the photographer:
“Hummingbirds are very territorial over their food sources, which is why I position many feeders around the yard. This little male became very territorial over the feeder positioned near a large tree, and he would defend it viciously. He had a specific branch in the nearby tree where he would lord over “his” feeder, and this photo was taken when he was taking a break and having a good stretch.”

Gray Treefrog by Edward Busby (2020)

From the photographer:
“While out cleaning up around the gardens in our yard, I happen to spot a tiny frog on one of the Brown-eyed Susans. I was surprised at how small it was and was interested to find out what type of frog it was. I hurried over to get my camera and came back and started taking all kinds of photos. Then off to my right I spotted this one guy happily hanging on to a Hosta leaf, looking somewhat like Kermit The Frog! Later I learned (after using my son’s nature book) that these little frogs were Gray Treefrogs.”

Anna’s Hummingbird by Jennifer Callioux (2022)

From the photographer:
“Hummingbirds are my happy place. Their tiny details and beautiful iridescent colours are absolutely stunning to witness. Depending on the angle of the sun, the tiny bubbles in their feathers reflect various colours with a shimmering effect! You may be surprised that this magically colourful image was taken on a very rainy day. It made for a challenging capture in terms of angles and photo gear, yet added to the wondrous capture of this little beauty. I love to admire the hummingbird balancing tiny drops on the bill, while enjoying the rain shower in a meadow of pink flowers. I feel so fortunate to have spent a minute in this little world.”

Have any of your own photos of unique species that you want to share? Or ocean animals? Submit them or any other nature-themed photos to this year’s Nature Photo Contest.

The post Nature Canada’s 10 Favourite Unique Photos appeared first on Nature Canada.

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We heard you loud and clear—municipalities and built environments of all sizes must do more to protect, defend, and conserve their natural areas, wildlife and biodiversity at large. As urban expansion continues, bird friendly actions must be at the forefront of our minds if we want to continue to make our cities, towns, and villages safer places for species at risk and migratory birds. By protecting and restoring natural bird habitat through Nature Canada’s Bird Friendly City Certification Program, community members and decision-makers will have the opportunity to experience the immense benefits of getting outside and viewing birds1 and wildlife — while ensuring their protection.

Furthermore, a Bird Friendly City (just like the 15+ others across the country!) is a badge of honour and a source of community pride. Our certification standard is now even more rigorous than when the program first launched in 2019. The updated criteria now reflect the importance of keeping cats indoors, establishing no-roam animal control bylaws, and banning rodenticides and other harmful herbicides/pesticides that cause insect declines. The new standard also promotes bird-friendly businesses, bird-friendly design guidelines and much more.

You can learn more about our newly updated Bird Friendly City and Small Town Standards by watching our bilingual webinar recordings below or visiting our YouTube channel. Now is the time to apply to become the country’s next Bird Friendly City or Town!

These webinars were previously recorded on July 11th and 12th respectively.

Join Naturalist Director Ted Cheskey and Nature Canada’s Organizing Team to discuss our newly updated Bird Friendly City and Small Town Certification program standards. Whether applying for the first time or renewing an existing certification, these will be the standards by which your application will be judged. We will also set your Bird Team coalition up for success when submitting your application this upcoming September, 2023.

With Nature Canada since 2006, Ted holds undergraduate and graduate degrees in environmental studies, regional planning and resource management from the University of Waterloo. He was a contributing author and steering committee member of Canada’s landmark State of the Birds: 2012 and 2019 Reports and the 2016 State of North America’s Birds, and has authored many publications and presentations related to bird conservation and natural history.

Ted also has a long history of fieldwork and research, both as a citizen scientist and conservation professional. He spent twenty years studying the impact of urbanization on forest birds for the City of Waterloo, Ontario. He co-founded and is past president of the Bruce Peninsula Bird Observatory.

Joignez-vous au Directeur Naturaliste, Ted Cheskey, Amélie Falcon-Borduas, Directrice adjointe de Québec Oiseaux, et à l’équipe et à l’équipe organisatrice de Nature Canada pour discuter de nos nouvelles normes pour notre programme de certification ‘Ville Amie des Oiseaux‘ récemment mises à jour. Notre équipe vous supportera tout au long du processus d’application pour assurer le succès de votre coalition.

Please email Autumn Jordan, Urban Nature Organizer at: ajordan@naturecanada.ca if you have any questions about Nature Canada’s Bird Friendly City: A Certification Program.

1 Tryjanowski P, Murawiec S, Grimalt R. Nature and Mental Health – Birding is a Proven Solution. Alpha Psychiatry. 2022 Sep 1;23(5):262-263. doi: 10.5152/alphapsychiatry.2022.22916. PMID: 36426272; PMCID: PMC9623220.

The post Nature Canada’s New Bird Friendly City & Town Standards: Urban Innovation for People, Birds & Biodiversity appeared first on Nature Canada.

This is a smallish book, Ladybird book in size, of 80 pages, over 20 of which are occupied by Maxime Beck’s attractive illustrations. The text, by Elvira Werkman, covers a lot of ground very clearly in such a short space. I read most of the book, with pleasure, in one sitting. There is a useful index.

The Painted Lady is a phenomenon – some years there are few seen in the UK but in others the numbers are very high. I remember, but it was years ago, seeing tens of thousands of Painted Ladies on thistles in a single field. And another time, happening to be at canopy level in a Northants woodland, seeing butterflies whizzing past, at quite a lick, all heading generally northwards – they were Painted Ladies.

This year seems to have been quite a good year in the UK, but not one of those truly exceptional years where this butterfly seems to be everywhere for a few weeks.  My buddleia in the garden is still flowering and Painted Ladies would be welcome to visit!

The Painted Lady is the most widespread butterfly in the world –  found in Europe/Asia and Africa and in North/Central America too. We now understand that it is a habitual migrant with the population about to head south for Africa now and that it will return to northern Europe next spring and summer. But who returns? Not the same individuals as they don’t live that long. A year will see the species cover nearly 15,000km but that is achieved in around 8-10 generations of butterflies. How stupendous! And the same scale of migration, from Canada to Mexico is taking place, by the same species, in North America. Wow!

An individual butterfly currently in northern Europe may cross the Alps, the Mediterranean and then the Sahara to produce the next generation in the Sahel if the rains have come at the right time and with sufficient volume.  Just wow!

This book fills in the details of the Painted Lady’s life story and something of its place in human culture. It’s a short and gripping read.

The cover makes it pretty clear what the book is about and is rather nice. The illustrations through the book are of similar quality and enhance the reading experience. I’d give it 8/10.

The Painted Lady by Elvira Werkman and Maxime Beck is published by Noordboek Natuur (but it is listed, but not currently priced, on Amazon too).