Ontario Nature Blog

Any birder who’s seen one, will tell you about the excitement of spotting a red-headed woodpecker. With a striking crimson head and a loud, harsh call, this unmistakable woodpecker takes centre stage on the backyard suet or drilling away into a tree. But unfortunately, things are changing quickly for this woodland standout. A May 2021 ...

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Despite the physical barriers presented by the COVID-19 pandemic, the Youth Circle for Mother Earth (YCME)’s Coordinating Circle continues to engage with one another, learning together about cross-cultural literacy and working to bridge the gap between Western science and Indigenous knowledge systems. For instance, in March we organized a virtual retreat series that replaced the ...

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On April 1st, the Government of Ontario announced it would establish a working group to identify opportunities to protect and conserve more natural areas that would “enhance the province’s natural diversity and provide more recreational opportunities for people to enjoy the outdoors.” This was welcome news for conservation groups like ours. In January, we published ...

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When you think of a bird’s nest, what’s the first image that comes to mind? Probably a bunch of sticks and leaves bundled together – right? Unfortunately, for birds that live in urbanized areas, they often use anthropogenic debris (otherwise known as garbage) to build their nests. This can result in entanglement or ingestion and ...

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Climate change poses a serious challenge to human society. The root cause is human actions. The global carbon balance has been shifted through the extraction and combustion of fossil fuels, and removing natural ecosystems through urbanization and expansion of agricultural lands. While significant reductions of carbon emissions are essential to avoiding the most damaging effects ...

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