What is Project 366? Read more here. 2019 is coming to an end tonight and so is my Alberta Big Year. It seems appropriate to reflect back on the year that has past and some of the accomplishments and memorable moments. But first, let me introduce the New Year’s jackrabbit. This not so little fella…
What is Project 366? Read more here. The Red Squirrels are rarely far away from the trail in the Whitemud Ravine. Sunflower seeds litter the logs and stumps along the trail, much to the delight of the squirrels, chickadees and nuthatches. Clearly these animals do not consider humans threatening, on the contrary, they associate humans…
What is Project 366? Read more here. The Larch Sanctuary is a 59 acre part of the Whitmud Ravine located on the south side of 23rd Avenue. The combination of coniferous, deciduous, and mixed woods forests provide habitat for dozens of species of mammals and birds, including our largest woodpecker, the pileated woodpecker. Moose, deer,…
What is Project 366? Read more here. On this day a year ago I was in the southern hemisphere at the edge of the Pacific Ocean in a small seaside village called Puerto Saavedra around 38th southern parallel. As we were walking along the ocean, Red-legged Cormorants were skimming along the tips of the breaking…
What is Project 366? Read more here. So finally I was able to take a walk on the creek. The temperature has been consistently well below the freezing point for over a month now and the Whitemud Creek is covered by a thick layer of ice. Well-traveled trails on the ice provided enough reassurance that…
What is Project 366? Read more here. Although the winter officially begun less than a week ago (on winter Solstice on December 21) we have been in the grips of subzero temperatures for several months by now with both the Whitemud Creek and the North Saskatchewan River solidly frozen for quite some time now. On…
What is Project 366? Read more here. What would be more fitting on Christmas Day than a cute little Downy Woodpecker that was enjoying the sunshine today down in Whitemud Ravine. Downy woodpeckers are the smallest of North America’s woodpeckers and other than being smaller are virtually identical to the Hairy Woodpecker. Despite their similarities…
What is Project 366? Read more here. A stubble field is a type of agricultural crop residue consisting of the cut stems after the crop has been harvested. Usually the stems are ploughed directly in to the ground in springtime. Stubble fields serve many functions, including nutrients recycling as the stems compost and fertilize the field…
What is Project 366? Read more here. On this day last year – December 23, 2018 – I landed in Araucanía lacustre, Chile. It was my first trip abroad as a birder and I was super excited about many things, but in particular the prospects of birding in the Southern Hemisphere. It was my first…
What is Project 366? Read more here. It was the first hunt of the year for the Snowy Owls of the Ray Gibbon Drive in St. Albert. It was a beautiful winter’s day with the sun beaming down from a clear blue sky and the temperature in the single digits below freezing point. As we…