Fourteen species of owls occur throughout Canada, and one of them, the great grey owl, is on the bucket list of most birdwatchers and wildlife photographers. Every winter, these phantoms of the forest move to the snow-choked edges of rural roadways from the Yukon Territory to western Quebec where they […]
The two wintering sea eagles are Steller’s (left) and the white-tailed. In addition to plumage differences, the size of their bills differs remarkably. Last month I featured the elegance and beauty of the red-crowned cranes and whooper swans I photographed while leading two previous winter photo tours to Japan. I […]
The red-crowned crane of Japan is one of 15 species of cranes in the world. Cranes occur on every continent except Antarctica and surprisingly, South America. In the past two winters, I led a small group of nature photographers on a wildlife tour to Japan. I have worked in photo […]
Every autumn, if I want to brighten my day, I drive to the mountains west of my home in Calgary to watch American pikas prepare for winter, and this year was no exception. Everyone who sees a pika (pronounced PIKE-ah or PEEK-ah) for the first time invariably exclaims, “Aww, it’s […]
The Lapland longspur, a circumpolar songbird, is arguably the most abundant Arctic-nesting terrestrial species in the world. As is typical of most songbirds, the male (pictured on the left) is much more colourfully feathered than the female, who incubates the eggs and broods the young in a hidden nest where […]
It is no surprise that many Canadians, including me, are feeling especially nationalistic these days. As it turns out, this moment in history coincides with the 50th anniversary of the beaver becoming Canada’s official national emblem. Back in March 1975, with the passage of the National Symbol of Canada Act, […]
During the winter months, my wife Aubrey and I take frequent walks through a wooded area near our home. We’re always on the lookout for wildlife, hoping to spot a rarity such as a short-tailed weasel, a striped skunk, a moose, or a bobcat, but usually have to settle for […]
Sometimes an unexpected photo project falls straight into your lap, and so it was with me and mermaids. In the winter of 2008, my wife and I decided to rent a condo in Crystal River, Florida to fulfill the promise I had made to myself some 36 years earlier. I […]
I got to follow the romantic exploits of this young bull, who I estimate was just three or four years old, when, over the course of two days, I spent over nine hours with him as he shadowed and courted a reluctant adult female who was mothering a four-month old […]
In May 2023, my wife Aubrey and I spent three weeks camping in the southern Okanagan Valley in British Columbia. Our quest was to explore, hike, and photograph the wild lands west of the town of Osoyoos where Parks Canada is hoping to locate the country’s latest protected natural region, […]
