Hunting … It’s a Crapshoot
One of the most common questions we get asked by non-hunters, and those new to hunting, is, “How do you find and track the animals…
Wildlife
Time To Talk Poop
As a trapper and hunter, you learn to identify wildlife excrement rather fast, as you’d want to. Why? To determine what kind of critters…
The Guardians of Magundy River Canyon
In May of 2010, a lady contacted me and invited me to visit Faro, to discuss an encounter with a group of Sasquatch…
Tales of Nahganne
For as long as humans have been in the Yukon, they have shared this vast land not only with various animals but also with…
Books To Read On A Trapline
When the evenings get longer, we enjoy reading a good book. So here we go with the books to hunker down with on a cold, dark night
Whitehorse Photo Club Q4 Showcase
The Whitehorse Photo Club has submitted its final showcase submissions for 2022! Check back in 2023 for even more amazing images!
Counting Birds This Christmas
I was not sure what to expect for my first Christmas Bird Count, a few winters ago. For someone who, back then, didn’t know her birds…
Furry Wildlife and Little-Known Facts
Beavers are found in most provinces and territories. They used to be eight-feet long and weigh about 200 pounds.
A Long Time Coming Part 2
The moose continued barrelling on his path for another hundred yards or so. Between us was an elevated creek bed and then a tiny meadow.
Freeze-Proof Animals
Each winter, our furry neighbours don an extra-thick coat of fur and fat to make it through the winter. But a coat isn’t the only strategy…
A Long Time Coming Part 1
An hour before dawn, my alarm goes off like a foghorn behind my head. I frantically reach behind me to shut it off.
When the Mountains Call, Bring Your Sketchbook
When opportunity knocked for Kluane National Park and Reserve to host an Artist in Residence program this past summer, enthusiasm was high.
Breaking Trail
The new moon brought winter, including swans and more ducks taking a rest on our little lake. We will soon be breaking Trail.
The Trapper’s Life
What is trapping? I had no idea. But I slowly but surely found out that hunting and trapping is a passion. Serious, gorgeous and grounding.
Behind Every Great Flea Is A Lesser Flea
An area of land that includes habitat like water, or sources of food and places where animals seek shelter will support specific animals or birds. Because that parcel of land would support a grouse, does not mean the same parcel would support a different population of birds.
Caribou vs Mining: Mitigating Effects On Caribou Migrations
Mitigating the effects on caribou migrations in the North is essential for their continued survival.
The Simplest, the Smallest and the Most Profound
I was heading to the land for a night, to stay in a small cabin near Atlin. It would be me and the three dogs.
It’s Time for Birds! 37th Yukon Birdathon
In spring &, the Yukon comes alive with birds. The 24-hour birdfest, always held at the end of May, runs this year May 27/28 2022.
Canada Jays love their kibble!
The Canada Jays love their kibble!
They are especially happy when I keep them company while they eat it.
To catch a chipmunk: It’s not as easy as you might think
I stashed a few peanuts in an awkward place I was fairly certain would prevent the conniving squirrels, but tempt the chipmunk.
Yukon coyotes: The dos and don’ts
Coyotes are survivors and are very adaptable. Unlike other predators, they thrive living in our urban environment.
Moose Bush: The way-posts home
In the North, we measure distance by the amount of time it takes. A way-post is an item that marks your progress along a road or trail.
Conservation Photography
I have a confession. I work for CPAWS Yukon and I’ve never been into the Peel Watershed. (The small exception is the time I canoed the Blackstone River when I was a kid). Still, I’ve never hiked the jagged ridgelines of the Mackenzie Mountains, or admired the crimson-speckled stones on the shore of the Snake …
Factors in wildlife management
Progression. Now there’s a word that’s important to the future of all wildlife. Look at a section of forest that has been harvested. A group of conservation-minded people entered the cut and made a number of bush piles. The bush pile becomes a safety net for rabbits, squirrels and other such creatures, but let’s not …
Candy for the carnivores
Yukon Wildlife Preserve annual Wild Trick or Eat event. Stuffed pumpkins have been added to the menu for special carnivore feeding.
Living With Wildlife: Steve Wilson
How can anyone call this guy a tree rat or a pest? Squirrels need to eat too!
Counting birds is a social affair
The International Christmas Bird Count (CBC) is Dec. 14 – Jan 5. last year (2017) saw 12 in The Yukon from Watson Lake to the Tombstones.
Living With Wildlife: Steve Wilson
Hello Everybody, We invite you to share your photos of Yukon wildlife. Email your high-resolution images with a description of what’s going on and what camera equipment you used to [email protected] Living With Wildlife by Steve Wilson Chickadees are the perfect Yukon bird. The crappier the weather, the happier they seem to be. Camera: Nikon …
Living With Wildlife: Steve Wilson
Hello Everybody, We invite you to share your photos of Yukon wildlife. Email your high-resolution images with a description of what’s going on and what camera equipment you used to [email protected] Living With Wildlife by Steve Wilson Driving into Whitehorse on the south access, just past the Robert Service Campground, I had to stop and …
Living With Wildlife: Tim Green
Hello Everybody, We invite you to share your photos of Yukon wildlife. Email your high-resolution images with a description of what’s going on and what camera equipment you used to [email protected] Living With Wildlife by Tim Green The eagles of Rabbit’s Foot Canyon perch at the top of the Eagle Cliffs between the entrance to …
What’s on the river? – A winter warm-up to the Christmas Bird Count
It’s snowy and cold outside, and most of the Yukon’s migratory birds, such as swans, pretty yellow warblers, ducks and shorebirds, have long fled the territory. There’s always a few species, however, that linger. A favoured habitat for some of these birds is the Yukon River, just below the Rotary Centennial Bridge (“blue bridge”) near …
What’s on the river? – A winter warm-up to the Christmas Bird Count Read More »
Feeding our feathered friends … do it for joy, and do it for science
It’s winter—time to check out the bird feeders and stock up on “fast food” for our feathered friends. A huge variety of bird feeders are available in local stores or can be made easily from milk jugs or cartons. The cheerful black-capped chickadee is the most frequently reported “feeder bird” in the Yukon and in …
Feeding our feathered friends … do it for joy, and do it for science Read More »
Living With Wildlife: Matt Cook
Hello Everybody, We invite you to share your photos of Yukon wildlife. Email your high-resolution images with a description of what’s going on and what camera equipment you used to [email protected] Living With Wildlife by Matt Cook I captured this little chipmunk getting a snack on a deck at Lake Laberge. Camera: iPhone 7
Living With Wildlife: Steve Wilson
Hello Everybody, We invite you to share your photos of Yukon wildlife. Email your high-resolution images with a description of what’s going on and what camera equipment you used to [email protected] Living With Wildlife by Steve Wilson Gray jays, a.k.a. Canada jays, visiting our deck on Duncan Drive in the Golden Horn subdivision. We somehow …
Saskatchewan in October
Once upon a time, “back in the days” (last year, in October) when the Greyhound bus still existed, a garter snake slithered out of the way, a pronghorn bounced over a fence, and I happened to step into cactus. This is the beginning of a most auspicious tale … In the days of the Greyhound, …
Living With Wildlife: Pat Bragg
Hello Everybody, We invite you to share your photos of Yukon wildlife. Email your high-resolution images with a description of what’s going on and what camera equipment you used to [email protected] Living With Wildlife by Pat Bragg I was lucky enough to take these photos from the White Pass & Yukon Route train, from Skagway …
Keeping Yukon wild at the Yukon Wildlife Preserve
Yukon Wildlife Preserve offers wildlife viewing, school programs, family passes, run/ski/walk events, Yukoner Day and holiday activities.
The Wild Things are coming!
It’s no secret that Alberta artist Kari Lehr loves bears. You only need to look at her bright and expressive bear “portraits” to see she has an affinity with animals.
The life and times of a bear (and being ‘bear aware’)
Other than facing a mad wolverine, I would say that the black bear is the most mistrusted creature in all of North America.
The life and times of a beaver (and steadfast overachiever)
In Canada, the beaver is the largest member of the rodent family. The largest beaver I ever live-trapped was 63 pounds.
The art of pelts, skulls and antlers
Cindy Klippenstein is a small-business owner with a degree in fine arts degree, who spends her days fleshing, tanning and mounting hunting trophies as the Yukon’s only full-time taxidermist. And she couldn’t be happier.
Living With Wildlife: Don Graham
This is what happens when you put fish heads on a lake shore cabin roof.
Living With Wildlife: Philip Doehler
This little beauty watched me when I hiked up a hill by Schwatka Lake in Whitehorse. Lovely spot and there is always wildlife to admire.
Living with Wildlife: Faye Cable
The Whitehorse Photography Club makes a photo trip to Skagway during June every year to photograph the field of irises at Dyea Tidal Flats. We always see bears on the road on the way home.
Nothing says spring more than the sounds of birds
The Yukon Bird Club’s new president is Shyloh van Delft (shown here leading a field trip at Tagish). The club has launched a new season of free field trips and special events. PHOTO: Jenny Trapnell The North is a nursery for millions of migratory birds returning from winters in places as far south as South …
Nothing says spring more than the sounds of birds Read More »
Living With Wildlife: Peter Zenkl
This photo of the running fox was shot in Whitehorse at Shipyards Park.
Living With Wildlife: Peter Zenkl
Grey squirrel shot with Nikon D3300, Tamron 70-300 mm, 1/125 sec., f4.0 along the Dempster Highway. Submit your wildlife photos too.
Living With Wildlife: Carolin Kleedehn
I always carry my camera, because you never know what’s going on up here in the Yukon!
Living With Wildlife: Steve Wilson
Here are two photos of a female fox who likes to visit us and clean up under our bird feeders in our backyard on Duncan Drive in the Golden Horn Subdivision.
Living With Wildlife: Herbert Arnold
Pine Grosbeaks female / Canon EOS 5D Mark II / Canon EF 100 – 400mm / 1/1000 sec. / f8 / freehand (Whitehorse Mosquito Road) Moose Lady Canon EOS 5D Mark II / Canon EF 100 – 400mm / 1/2500 sec. / f8 / freehand (Whitehorse Mosquito Road) [box] Hello Everybody, We invite you to …
Knowing the beaver
Picture this: an animal that lived in our waterways, here in Canada that was close to 8 feet long, big chisel teeth and could swim above and below the water line. Of course you would have had to live a few thousands of years ago. It was a beaver – and the beaver of those …
Living With Wildlife: Wyatt Biggart
Hello Everybody, We invite you to share your photos of Yukon wildlife. Email your high-resolution images with a description of what’s going on and what camera equipment you used to [email protected] Living with Wildlife by Wyatt Biggart, Biggart Photography I went on a trip to the Yukon because I’m from Alberta and I wanted to see …
Living With Wildlife: Judith Beaumont
Hello Everybody, We invite you to share your photos of Yukon wildlife. Email your high-resolution images with a description of what’s going on and what camera equipment you used to [email protected] Living with Wildlife by Judith Beaumont, Mount Lorne When we were clearing trees to build a guest cabin this summer, we discovered a woodpecker …
Living With Wildlife: John Birmingham
Hello Everybody, We invite you to share your photos of Yukon wildlife. Email your high-resolution images with a description of what’s going on and what camera equipment you used to [email protected] This guy was busy bringing dinner home for the family when I was lucky enough to snap him at the McIntyre Creek pump house …
Human Errors Re: Bears
Sadly some human errors are fatal mistakes when bears are involved. Bears are somewhat predictable, but there are many exceptions to that rule. As a result, humans must always err on the side of caution when in bear country. Recent photos in the news from Banff show two separate situations where a human has moved …
Wilderness Living with a Canine View
… A wind was blowing from the mountains, and the surface of the snow was swirling along like snakes, the way it often did on the lake. The moon was at just the right angle to light up the swirling snow, but not the ground beneath it. We marvelled at the strange sensation of having …
Do You Bang, Do You Jingle, Do You Spray?
Would you know what to do if you encountered a bear? Do you know how to avoid meeting a bear in the woods? Do you know how to keep yourself and your surroundings safe from a bear? Do you know how to use bear spray? I am a long time Yukoner and I was convinced …
Big Fun at Little Atlin Lake
You don’t own a boat or a canoe? No problem – Little Atlin Lodge is one of the very rare locations in the Yukon where you can rent a boat or a canoe directly on a lake shore. The Little Atlin Lodge at km 6 of Highway #7 (Atlin Road) offers boat and canoe rentals …
Black or Grizzly? It’s Good to Know
Just two weeks ago – and many times over the past – I’ve heard people say they saw a grizzly bear along the road or out in the wilderness. In many cases I have asked why they were sure it was a grizzly bear and all too often the only reason is that it was …
Dreamtime, Bourbon Time
I’ve always loved the stories where people slip out of the present and into a different time; kid’s stories like Tom’s Midnight Garden, or the Narnia series, or, in adult fiction, The Time Traveller’s Wife. There’s something compelling about the notion of arriving in another time, unmoored from the present, where the universe bends and …
Bear Spray
It’s that time of the year again, the bears are out and we need a refresher on bear spray. It isn’t magic – and definitely not the solution to all bear problems – but with a little know-how it will keep you safe in most bear encounter situations. Bear spray is a tool to help …
Living With Wildlife: Laura Hill
Hello Everybody, We invite you to share your photos of Yukon wildlife. Email your high-resolution images with a description of what’s going on and what camera equipment you used to [email protected] The Northern Goshawk was spotted south of Watson Lake on an old logging road. The murder of crows was taken near the Yukon River …
The Life of Rabbits and Hares
Growing up in the 1930 and early 40s was tough times. First, there was the Great Depression, followed closely by the Second World War. For the average family, money was tough, far tougher than today and rabbits and hares often graced the supper plates. Of course the cottontail rabbit was the choice of the two …
Coyotes in the Neighbourhood
Coyotes inhabit everywhere from Central America to the Canadian territories. Originally they resided in the west, but now they reside all across Canada including Prince Edward Island and Newfoundland since the 1980s – they crossed over when ice tied the islands to the mainland. They are somewhat opportunistic in their menu choices, but mammals make …
Ode to Mosquitos
I love blood-sucking mosquitos In my eyes, ears and nose; On my chips, nachos and tacos, In my hair and between my toes.
CAUTION: Bison bison athabascae
The first time I saw this sign, I had to stop and pull over on the side of the road to make sure I had read it correctly. It was early spring in 2012 and I was travelling up the Alaska Highway for the first of what would be uncountable times. The decision to come …
Look Who’s Parking in Whitehorse
Dr. Katie Aitken, an ornithology instructor at Yukon College, says it’s “unknown” if Yukon’s house sparrow population will expand to become a problem downtown or with bird lovers. She admits she has a soft spot for them. “It was the first species I identified when I started birding as a child down south,” she told …
Spring Guests
If the crocus is the official flower of spring, then the swan must be the official bird of spring in the Yukon. Each year thousands of swans ascend to the Yukon from winter feeding grounds along the coasts of Washington and southern British Columbia. Their annual stop brings them to Marsh Lake, where the birds …
Swans are an ‘easy sell’
Sylvie Binette probably has the easiest job at the Department of Natural Resources. As a wildlife viewing technician, it is her job to make the public aware of swan habitat and why it is important to preserve it. It’s an easy job because Swan Haven, on Marsh Lake’s M’Clintock Bay, offers a marvellous view of …
Living with wildlife: Maggie Leary
Hello Everybody, We invite you to share your photos of Yukon wildlife. Email your high-resolution images with a description of what’s going on and what camera equipment you used to [email protected] Here’s a photo of two female pine grosbeaks arguing beak to beak about who’s turn it is on the birdfeeder.
Yukon See It Here: Donald Graham
What do you do when a porcupine decides to gnaw on the underside of a shelf for the salt content in plywood ? [ in the production process of plywood, veneers are impregnated with a salt solution ]. – Problem is the shelf is about two feet from your slumbering head and it’s four o’clock …
From the Catch to the Table
For those who don’t like the taste of fish, the reason is because of the lack of proper handling of the fish from the time it is caught to the minute it is served. It might come as a surprise to some, but a fish starts to deteriorate the minute it is hooked. More often …
Why Fly South When You Can Tough it out Here
Mary Whitley felt surprise and compassion when she saw a robin perched in a tree in her Hillcrest yard on December 9th.
Yukon / Utopia
In “Spell of the Yukon,” Bobby Service suggests, The realm’s Utopia—snock snarls of forests; Avalanches that out-grumble politicos; Gold that outweighs paper dollars backed by zeroes; Where the cussedest blizzard outlasts even August; And extra white comes snow, pure as a virgin’s Lust; Where dew fanatically lavishes each grass blade; Damned good is muck where …
Winter Bird Feeding
I feed the birds in winter because it makes me feel good to do it and the birds certainly seem to enjoy it as well. Squirrels certainly take advantage of the situation, but seem to be much less interested in the feeders that do not contain sunflower seeds. Squirrels can also be stopped by blocking …
Living With Wildlife: Maggie Leary
Hello Everybody, We invite you to share your photos of Yukon wildlife. Email your high-resolution images with a description of what’s going on and what camera equipment you used to [email protected] This little redpoll was by himself on our feeder on a forty below day in Mayo, when suddenly his breath puffed out. If you …
A Cozy Place to Spend the Winter
Fritz Mandl was enjoying a sunny day at Army Beach in September when he came across what looked like a dying butterfly. The fragile insect was flying past him on a cold gust of northern wind when it suddenly dropped from the air and went limp, becoming motionless. Assuming that the poor creature had died, …
A Gang of Elk, An Obstinacy of Bison
Buffalo are associated with four collective nouns. A herd, a “gang”, a troop and, our favourite, an obstinacy of buffalo.
Waterbugs in Winter
I use the word ‘bug’ here, to describe little creatures with … legs. Insects, but more than that. Not everything I call ‘bug’ living underneath the ice are insects, some turn out to be crustaceans. In the beginning of October, before it started snowing, there was a brief period when the thermometer dropped below zero …
The Yukon’s Winter Mermaid: The American Dipper
A happy melodic song rings along the Yukon River below the dam, and you imagine it’s a pretty little bird singing in a tree. But it’s 10 below. Then you notice a small chubby bird, coloured like slate, sitting on boulders near the rushing water. Its body is bobbing up and down. It suddenly plunges into …
Collective Nouns for Birds Near and Far
On water geese are a plump. in flight, geese are a skein. We look at collective nouns for geese, eagles and ravens.
The Threads that Hold Us Together
“Stories are not only words, you know. Words are just the clothes that people drape on stories.” – Brian Doyle, author of Mink River I was drawn to Mink River without knowing the author or the story. But at that time, and since then, it’s reminded me of the lyricism of life and the love of home …
Collective Nouns For Animal Groups- Near and Far
A Late Middle Ages hunting fraternity began a game of inventing animal group names. Some were collected in The Book of Saint Albans
A Sandhill Crane (Grus canadensis)
I am pleased to announce that I recently had my first encounter with a sandhill crane. I have never gone to the Crane and Sheep Festival in Faro, which is held in May, and the time and place when the cranes fly over the town. Years ago, I saw flocks of sandhill cranes in November …
To go where few people go: I wonder if that is why we saw four wolverines playing?
On August 13, my friend Nancy Ohm and I went for a hike in my backyard. I’ve been working on a walking trail towards the mountains for 20 years. I am making slow process, using only a small ax and clippers. Lately, I have seen signs of people, probably neighbours, establishing the trail. Great! Still, …
To go where few people go: I wonder if that is why we saw four wolverines playing? Read More »
Ptarmigan: Nothing but facts
The Ptarmigan is the territorial bird of the Yukon. Ed. Note: The distinction of being known as the Yukon’s territorial bird goes to the raven, which, Canada Post recently announced, is to be featured on a stamp. Ravens are more widespread than ptarmigan. They are found throughout the territory and are totally black. The Ptarmigan …
On memory, and bears
This is a story from many years ago, about the day I was followed by four bears – a close-call bear encounter kind of story. I was on a solstice hike up Kelvin Mountain with Allison Morham and Jane Vincent. Jane and I see each other regularly, but I only run into Allison every few …
On Living With Things That Might Want to Eat You
“You just take a cup full of piss,” he says, “And then you throw it up high – like, splash it around on your roof, up in the trees, as high up as you can get it. Then, when the bear comes by, he’ll smell it way, way up and be like ‘holy crap, that …
On Living With Things That Might Want to Eat You Read More »
Continuing the Legacy of Alex VanBibber
The late Alex VanBibber had a favourite refrain: “An outdoor life is a healthy life.” This is according to his friend, Harvey Jessop. Jessop wrote some remarks about VanBibber’s life for the Yukon Fish and Wildlife Management Board, pertaining to a new scholarship it is offering in VanBibber’s legacy. The Alex VanBibber Sharing the Land …
Avoiding Calamity with Bears
Yes, bear stories, undoubtedly a favourite topic in the Yukon and one that gets people talking. As I write here, there is a black bear poking around on our property. I have never had a true calamity involving a bear in my 30 years of hiking and living in the Yukon. Recently, I tripped and …
From the Ashes of A River Fail: Two Cocktails
A couple of weeks ago I wrote about heading off on a trip down the Wind River. I was concerned that our group, with all our goods and chattels for the 17-day journey, was going to be overweight for the flight to the put-in at McCluskey Lake. Well, turned out there was no need to …
Vestmannaeyjar Voyage
The road that encircles Iceland, called Highway 1 or the Ring Road, offers access to many of the sights on the tourist track, called the Golden Circle. We explored the usual postcard sights; geysers, rift valleys, craggy ocean shores, and flat, glacier-formed black alluvial plains. However, there is one place in particular, our first overnight …
Summer Birding: It’s All About the Kids
In summer, birding is all about the kids. Or, chicks. After the spring blitz of migration and mating, many birds are rearing offspring and staying closer to their nests. It’s a time when many Yukoners stop birding. “Our forests are usually more silent and less colourful as males no longer have to advertise for mates or rivals,” …
A Family Tradition
When the hooligan are running, the rivers and harbour In Haines, Alaska host a fiesta of wildlife that congregate to feed on this little fish that First Nations prize for its high fat content. Sea gulls, eagles, sea lions and even whales feast on the bounty when it arrives. For generations, the local Tlingit people …
Camaraderie in a Canoe
Nine ladies in a voyageur canoe whose ages range from 23 to 62; 715 kilometres; paddling for Yukon Cancer Care Fund. Stix Together is a team of Whitehorse women participating in the 18th Annual Yukon River Quest. The race begins with a mass start at noon on Wednesday, June 29. Participants gather at the gazebo …
Putting the WOW in Tombstone Park
Looking for a memorable northern road trip? The 17th annual Tombstone Weekend on the Wing (WOW) offers three days of fabulous hiking, a birding festival and interpretive events for all ages. The weekend of free events takes place June 3 to 5 and will start from the Tombstone Territorial Park campground, at kilometre 71 of …
A Bird in the Hand is Messy
I don’t like crows. I never have, and probably never will. I can spend hours watching eagles soar and glide on the thermals. I love blue herons, in flight or standing in solitude along the shoreline. Ravens are mysterious and interesting. Loons, well you get the point. There are many birds I like. As a child …
Sharing His Knowledge of Wolves
For 20 years, Robert (Bob) Hayes was the Yukon’s wolf biologist. During those years, he studied hundreds of radio-collared wolves and conducted several long-term wolf-prey studies. He is considered a world expert on moose and caribou predation by wolves and the effects of wolf control efforts on wolves and their prey. Over time, his studies …
You Know It’s Spring When the Swans Arrive
“Last year was a big year,” says Scott Cameron, Environment Yukon’s Wildlife Viewing Technician. “We were up to 2,000 swans every day for a few days.” The height, he says, was April 9, when 2,200 were counted out on M’Clintock Bay. Typically that number is closer to 1,200. “And early too – usually you expect …
Visiting the Glaciers
We always said that when the kids were old enough we would take them for an Alaskan kayaking expedition, just like the one we had gone on before the kids were born. So last summer we did just that, and what we learned is that an eight-year-old and a 13-year-old are awesome ages for such …
What You Might Not Know About Ducks
Back in the early 1960s, I spent a couple of years banding waterfowl in one of the newly-created marshes of the hydro project in Lake St. Lawrence, just west of Cornwall, Ontario. This is when I really got the opportunity to know the many features of waterfowl (duck, geese and swans). The flooding of the …
Grouse Stew with Baking Powder Biscuits
Grouse Stew with Baking Powder Biscuits If you had a good grouse harvest or are just looking for a different way to serve them, follow this easy recipe. Ingredients: 3 grouse breastplates (still attached to the bone) 1 slice celery stalk 1 sliced onion 1 sliced carrot 1 Tbsp. pickling spice 1 bay leaf 4 …
Ode to Kusawa Lake
Boxing Day: we drive out to Kusawa Lake. My beloved lake, Kusawa. The joys of the lake for me include swimming, boating, floating, skating, to be in it/ on it or crossing the lake. I have even bicycled on it and now I walk on it. I have often sunbathed on its sandy beaches or …
Living with Wildlife: Urs Wyss
Hello Everybody, We invite you to share your photos of Yukon wildlife. Email your high-resolution images with a description of what’s going on and what camera equipment you used to [email protected] We observed this funny Bison near the Alaska Highway between Contact Creek and Liard Hot springs on September 14th last year. I used a Canon EOS …
One-Two-Tweet…
There’s nothing like a bird count to inspire new and seasoned birders. This Great Backyard Bird Count (GBBC) takes place Feb. 12-15 and it’s a family-friendly event for any skill level. The GBBC helps to give a snapshot of bird life throughout Canada, the continent, and the world. Last year 5,090 species were recorded – …
Bison: From the Edge of Extinction
People driving down the highway may see a few bison, and never realize that this animal was at one time on the very edge of extinction. The bison made some people extremely wealthy, others kept some people from starvation, some were shot for sport from a traveling railway cars, herds were driven over cliffs simply for …
The Story of Eagles Paradise
Every November up to 3,600 eagles gather in one place: the Chilkat Bald Eagle Preserve in Haines, Alaska. It is the largest gathering of eagles on earth. The Preserve holds unique conditions for these magnificent birds: Sections of the Chilkat River remain ice-free and an unusually late run of salmon from November until January provides …
Living with Wildlife: Jozien Keijzer
Hello Everybody, We invite you to share your photos of Yukon wildlife. Email your high-resolution images with a description of what’s going on and what camera equipment you used to [email protected] The photo taken with my Panasonic lumix DMC FZ200 On Christmas Morning, I went out to photograph a pink sky bordered by the forever …
Living with Wildlife: Michele Newell
Hello Everybody, We invite you to share your photos of Yukon wildlife. Email your high-resolution images with a description of what’s going on and what camera equipment you used to [email protected] Hi my name is Michele Newell. I found this critter in my bird feeder this morning. I don’t know what it is. Must be …
Things the Forest Hides
Talking to my friend Mary Whitley, a fellow explorer, we started discussing how many trails we had found this summer that we did not even know existed. She was finding them on her side of town around Mount Lorne, and I was finding them on mine around the Mendenhall Subdivision. So, on one of those …
Musings on Ice: A Changing Yukon Winter Story
Ice is important. It allows people and wildlife to use or cross lakes, ponds and rivers. Ice also provides access to what’s below: fish, muskrats and water, for example. Unfortunately, the mild fall temperatures in many parts of Yukon have again delayed ice formation. This isn’t new. Recorded observations of Yukon River freeze-up in Whitehorse …
Didee & Didoo: MOOSE AND RABBIT
THEY EAT WILLOW LEAVES IN THE AUTUMN AN’ ONLY RABBIT EATS AT THE BOTTOM. MOOSE AND RABBIT MADE A DEAL SO THAT THEY’LL BOTH HAVE A MEAL. RABBIT WASN’T IN CHARGE BECAUSE MOOSE WAS LARGE. MOOSE KNOWS RABBIT IS NOT BIG SO HE ONLY EATS AT THE TOP OF THE WILLOW TWIG. MOOSE KNOWS RABBIT …
How to Deal with Tough or Strong Tasting Meat
Tough or gamey meat is a real challenge for you and your family. If the first meal doesn’t come off well, you’ll have a hard sell to get them interested in the remaining 150 to 200 kilograms that remain in the freezer. What can we do to make that situation better? First of all check …
The Chilkoot Pass: The Challenge Of My Summer
This summer my family and I hiked the Chilkoot Pass. When we kids learned we were actually going, the first response was “Why?” and “I don’t want to!” We got over it and realized that we were, in fact, going to go no matter what our opinion was. Eventually, when we were actually hiking, we …
Living with Wildlife: Richard Brochet
Hello Everybody, We invite you to share your photos of Yukon wildlife. Email your high-resolution images with a description of what’s going on and what camera equipment you used to [email protected] I got this sweet picture of a mama Grizzly. A family of three was hangin’ out near the carcross desert. The cubs were chewing on roots while …
Living With Wildlife: Michele Newell
Hello Everybody, We invite you to share your photos of Yukon wildlife. Email your high-resolution images with a description of what’s going on and what camera equipment you used to [email protected] My Mom Joanne Newell from Sardis B.C was visiting me this summer. She stayed with a friend for a week up by Destruction Bay. …
Living with wildlife: 2015-11-05
Hello Everybody, We invite you to share your photos of Yukon wildlife. Email your high-resolution images with a description of what’s going on and what camera equipment you used to [email protected] This is what happens when you put fish heads on a lake shore cabin roof. Camera: FinePix S8000 set on continuous mode.
Hunting or not, wild animals are my teachers
Why have I never written about hunting before? Maybe it’s because writing about an experience makes it more real. In the face of hunting, that is hard for me to accept. I do love my hunting partner, my husband Don, for it. He, too, is quite undone after actually shooting an animal. He will only …
My Favourite Word is Grandma
On December 1, 2007 at 1:32 p.m. my life changed forever. I was introduced to Darwin Orion Murray. At about 10 p.m. the evening before I received a telephone call from my son-in-law, Avery. Kirsten and Avery were on their way to the hospital. Even though they said I could wait for a bit before …
Living With Wildlife: John Birmingham
Hello Everybody, We invite you to share your photos of Yukon wildlife. Email your high-resolution images with a description of what’s going on and what camera equipment you used to [email protected] Golfing at Annie Lake I thought I could shave a few strokes off of my scorecard but, this Yukon sentinel was keeping me honest. Camera: Samsung Galaxy …
Living With Wildlife: Gabor Naby
Hello Everybody, We invite you to share your photos of Yukon wildlife. Email your high-resolution images with a description of what’s going on and what camera equipment you used to [email protected] Driving to Carmacks I spotted this big Brown Bear in the ditch. He didn’t care about me stopping there and taking photos. He was …
Living with Wildlife: Nancy Ohm Eagles
Walking along the Millennium Trail in mid-July, it was just perfect to catch a shot of these two (eagles), sitting on the cliffs
A scientistʼs letters to the future trace a journey to find optimism
What kind of world will be handed down to my daughter’s generation? That question led conservation ecologist Alejandro Frid to write A World for My Daughter: an Ecologist’s Search for Optimism, which is scheduled for publication by British Columbia’s Caitlin Press later this month. Alejandro Frid is an assistant professor in environmental studies at the …
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Are You Ready?
Hunting season is right around the corner; I started to go over my equipment this weekend. There are a lot of things that can be done to make a hunting trip more enjoyable; it can also be a headache when you get home if you didn’t make the right arrangements before you left. I use …
Living With Wildlife: Jacqueline Clancy
Hello Everybody, We invite you to share your photos of Yukon wildlife. Email your high-resolution images with a description of what’s going on and what camera equipment you used to [email protected] These pictures were taken at the Dredge Pond subdivision near Dawson City. It’s the resident wildlife in my yard. The momma bear and her three …
Didee & Didoo: Surviving Spring
WHEN I SEE A SWAN I KNOW WINTER IS GONE. WHEN I SEE A BEAR I KNOW SPING IS HERE. THERE IS NO MORE SNOW AN’ RHUBARB WILL GROW. OUR LAND WILL TURN GREEN AND OUR WATER IS CLEAN. WE WILL HEAR OUR BIRDS AN’ SEE OUR CARIBOU HERDS. WE SEE ANIMALS ON ALL FOURS …
Life on the Edge of the Forest is a Hoot
It’s a cold morning. While I’m writing, the twin deer are in the yard — last year’s fawns, without their mother now. May was full of summer weather and I often had breakfast outside. Yet, a deer never walked up to me during those quiet morning times. However, on one lovely morning in May, suddenly, …
Folk art in the forest
The forest is my palette. The flora, the fauna — they inspire me. I am so lucky to have an acreage at my disposal. I’ve created walking paths and gardens. Over the last few years I’ve enjoyed yarn bombing the forest paths I’ve created. It is a great way to create pattern swatches and use …
Where the Wild Women Are
The paths of Maureen Morris and Sandra Grace Storey have crossed more than once during their careers, but today is the first time they meet.
Cranes Fly High Up in the Sky
The thermals above the town of Faro may account for the “tens of thousands” of sand hill cranes that fly above it each spring. Or so Rose Fulton speculates. Fulton works for the town, and is the Faro Crane and Sheep Viewing Festival coordinator. She says she’d be the event coordinator, but there aren’t enough …
A Northern Diary
I have been in the wilderness of the Mackenzie Mountains for six weeks, and have decided to begin a diary. It’s maybe not the right time to start one, but now that I’m not quite as busy and not nearly as tired at the end of the day, I’ll begin one anyway so that I …
The Encounter
The following story was my submission for the 1994 Yukon Young Authors’ Conference. There, I got to work with acclaimed Canadian playwright Guillermo Verdeccia, who first sparked my interest in dramatic writing. Happily, 21 years later, this important conference is still going strong. The 35th annual version is being held from April 23-24 at F.H. …
My Yukon Bison Hunt
There’s something special about waking up in a cabin with a bunch of peers who all want the same thing: to catch a bison. It puts a goal in everyone’s head, a sense of unity. There is also the excitement and thrill that this could be the day, the day we finally get that elusive …
A Trumpeter’s Perspective
Hiya, my name is Ed, and I am a proud trumpeter swan. I’m eight-years-old and grew up in the Red Rock Lakes area of Montana, USA. Although I am American, I consider Canada to be a second home since my family and I migrate through there every year. My wife is Lily. We have four …
Living With Wildlife: Maggie Leary
Hello Everybody, We invite you to share your photos of Yukon wildlife. Email your high-resolution images with a description of what’s going on and what camera equipment you used to [email protected] This photo submitted by Maggie Leary The pine grosbeak was sitting in a tree in our backyard, planning his launch onto the birdfeeder. I took this …
Living with wildlife: Maggie Leary
The baby peregrine falcon was photographed on the Stewart River. There is actually another baby crouched in the background. I used the Nikon D80 with a 18-135 mm lens. Photo Maggie Leary
How About a Winter Road Trip?
Winterize the camper, stash the emergency parkas and boots, pack all the necessary clothing for three seasons (fall, winter, and spring), get coffee to go, and we are off. When you work in the construction industry as my guy does, you don’t always get to pick your vacation season. Unfortunately, slow times are rare when …
Our Grand Yukon Canada Day Parade
July 1st 2014: What a beautiful sunny day it is amidst this not-yet very warm summer. My husband Don and I are off to our neighbouring province, B.C. by way of the Haines Road to celebrate Canada Day our particular way. At Klukshu, we check to see if there are any salmon in the river …
The Unexpected
It was a cool November morning in 2010, when the unexpected happened. My dog Gypsy and I had walked the Fish Lake Road area for the past five years, enjoying the tranquility and beauty of McIntyre Creek. Par for the course was to park the truck at the bird-watching pull out, just before Icy Waters …
Finding the Essence of Experience in Nature
Yukon artist Helen O’Connor’s textural, organic, large-scale sculpture, assemblages, and installations beg the viewer to reach out and touch them. The works seem as though they are part of the natural world, not made by human hands. Indeed, O’Connor’s works are made with reverence to nature. However, instead of literal depictions, she tries to find …
Ecologically-inspired Cuisine
When I first arrived in Kluane as an aspiring biologist, it seemed fitting that I would land in the place where the famous lynx-snowshoe hare cycles had been studied since the ’70s. Famous – at least to ecology students and trappers – graphs showing their staggered 10-year oscillations had figured prominently in my university courses. …
Capturing Something Intangible
If you need a break from winter’s dominating shades of grey, a collection of paintings at the Yukon Arts Centre will remind you how colourful the Northern landscape is during the rest of the year. The centre is hosting two solo shows featuring the work of icksYellowknife artist Jennifer Walden and Yukon artist Jane Isakson. …
The Butterfly Report
On July 16, 2013 I saw a super big moth. I am not into moths yet, I’m just getting to know butterflies, but this Bedstraw Hawk-moth is special and it loves my garden because of the Northern Bedstraw that grows abundantly. I had not seen this moth for several years, but it is unmistakable due …
Unwelcome Guests at Butchering Time
It’s chicken-butchering time again … This is a part of farming that is definitely hard work. It starts a day or so before the actual butcher date with the set-up of the equipment: a kill site, a scalder, a plucker, an evisceration table and some large chill tanks. Most of this is stored in a …
Welcome Visitors of the ‘Non-Human’ Variety
Recently, I was sitting at my desk when a red fox paused outside of my window. Just near the edge of the decking, he rather abruptly came to a halt, assuming a stalker-like position. His tail was straight out from the back of his relatively little body, and his one paw was mid-air, reminiscent of …
When a Moose Waits…
Rocky was waiting for me. For three days in a row, Rocky, one of our moose bulls, was waiting. To put this into perspective, I had been working at the Yukon Wildlife Preserve for about two months before I got within a kilometre of any moose. The day I did, I called home, woke my …
Thank You, Yukon!
What a terrific day! It was another one of these fabulous spring-like days we’ve been having. The mountains were covered with snow, the sky was blue, the sun was blazing through my windows and the caribou were grazing on the horizon. Despite the enticing weather, I was sitting at my desk, embroiled in resumes for …
Road Trip Reveals Yukoners’ Fortune
Irecently attended my cousin Jessica’s wedding in Vancouver. Since the wedding was the first stop in an extended holiday, we decided to drive. Long, yes, but the weather was perfect, the scenery beautiful and, for wildlife viewing, I was not disappointed. Our first big encounter was bison. While I am fortunate to see bison most …
If I Could Ski With the Animals …
I could put it off no longer. Since work began on our trail (thank you Chris and Cole!), I could think of nothing but cross-country skiing. In my mind, I would ski every day, check in on the animals and get some sunlight in this, my first full Yukon winter. By December, we had volunteers …
Schwartz on the Job
One of my pet peeves is dogs (no pun intended). More specifically, other people’s dogs that come onto the farm. One reason dogs were domesticated was that they were territorial and would protect their territory and their pack. Farm dogs are here for security of the pack, which includes humans and farm animals. Our dog, …
Witnessing Arctic Change
On my second day on board ship we saw a cow and calf blue whale,” says Emerald Kains. “The opportunity to share a moment with the largest animals on the planet was so surreal and moving.” Kains, a recent graduate of Vanier Secondary School, was part of the Students on Ice Arctic Youth Expedition that …
Skiing the Animal Trail
Bison and foxes and sheep. Oh my! The Yukon Wildlife Preserve on the Takhini Hot Springs Road offers all of these and more—and it’s recently added a series of track-set ski trails to give visitors a new way to get up close and personal with the animals. The Wildlife Preserve covers over 700 acres of …
Atlin is Great for Young Explorers
We drove down to Atlin for the May long weekend for some family time. Atlin is one of my favourite getaway places. The town is so quiet the birds make more noise than the people. The Saturday we arrived it was a bit cool and grey during the day. We pulled in to top up …
