A park for rarities

   Tim Tiner Hidden within the remnants of the Carolinian forest, Short Hills Provincial Park is a neglected gem.   In the first grey light of an overcast morning, the... Read Full Article

Signs of spring

By Tim Tiner Few things are as welcome or longed for as the first signs of spring. They often come unexpectedly, in the surprise visit of a newly returned bird at a feeder, a buzzing... Read Full Article

Rusty blackbird

The triple threat of severe habitat loss, climate change and pollution has caused a precipitous drop in these sublimely coloured birds across North America. By Tim Tiner The muskeg-nesting... Read Full Article

The fight for the forest

One of the world’s last, great, intact forests, the northern boreal contains rare species, ancient trees and billions of songbirds. But it is threatened by logging, mining, hydro... Read Full Article

Northern bobwhite

The grasslands and savannahs of Walpole Island support what may be the last, viable, native population of this pint-sized wildfowl. By Tim Tiner Indigenous to Ontario’s nearly disappeared... Read Full Article

Creatures of the night

By Tim Tiner Wind turbines and disease are taking a toll on bat populations here and south of the border. Can a combination of innovative solutions keep these nocturnal mammals off... Read Full Article

Kirtland’s warbler

  First identified less than two centuries ago, North America’s rarest warbler makes an impressive comeback.  By Tim Tiner   Among species at risk, North America’s rarest warbler... Read Full Article

Whip-poor-will

Often heard but seldom seen, this enigmatic insectivore has undergone a rapid population drop across Canada. Researchers are now turning to new survey methods to help save a poorly... Read Full Article

Chimney swift

  A once familiar urban dweller, Ontario’s latest official bird at risk is in free fall and global warming may be the key cause. By Tim Tiner Unlike most imperilled species, Ontario’s... Read Full Article

Field Trip: Turtles

by Tim Tiner In the mid-1990s, Ministry of Natural Resources (MNR) biologist Tim Haxton made a disturbing discovery while doing a survey of snapping turtles in the Haliburton area.... Read Full Article

The great fall migration

by Tim Tiner Long before the autumn equinox occurs and the leaves begin changing colour, fall migration is well underway among Ontario’s birds. In fact, the first restless, Arctic-nesting... Read Full Article

Acadian flycatcher

Unchecked deforestation throughout its Central and South American wintering grounds is the single greatest threat to the survival of this diminutive songbird. by Tim Tiner Deep within... Read Full Article

Roads to ruin

The province is poised to build a highway that will arc across the Niagara Peninsula, threatening farm lands, headwaters, wetlands and wildlife with car-oriented sprawl. Now a determined... Read Full Article

Short-eared owl

This mysterious little raptor must contend with multiple threats to its survival including the absence of a recovery plan to help stabilize its populations by Tim Tiner Quiet, secretive... Read Full Article

King rail

Searching for king rails is like looking for that needle in a haystack: the few remaining crow-sized birds are so well hidden in the marshes of southwestern Ontario, they are nearly... Read Full Article

Red-headed woodpecker

A once common species in southern Ontario, sightings of this feisty, crimson-hooded bird have become increasingly rareby Tim Tiner he red-headed woodpecker, even within its highly... Read Full Article

The First 10

These high-priority species will be fast-tracked for protection using new regulations that will set the provincial standard for endangered wildlife conservation by Tim Tiner In May... Read Full Article

Dump Debacle

In one of the province’s longest running environmental battles, activists and residents of Tiny Township are waging a last-ditch effort to stop a municipal landfill from being dug... Read Full Article

Canada warbler

Although not yet listed as an at-risk species in Ontario, the country’s namesake warbler is one of the continent’s fastest dwindling migratory songbirds by Tim Tiner It is a painful... Read Full Article