Nature News #25

Bird News

A study in a peer-reviewed journal shows annual bird mortality in the bitumen tailings ponds of northeastern Alberta greatly exceeds industry estimates.

A team of Canadian scientists is conducting an initial assessment of contaminant concentrations in northern fulmars.

The sighting of a great egret in Orillia, ON is unusual and may indicate the species’ northern expansion.

Mammal News

Remote camera monitoring equipment is being used to monitor the reintroduced Swift Fox along the Alberta/Saskatchewan border, whose population is now estimated at 1,162 animals.

Environmental and aboriginal groups hope to use the Species At Risk Act to force the federal government to protect woodland caribou herds in northeastern Alberta.

Parks Canada officials in Banff National Park are warning people to stay away from bull elk, as the rutting season has begun and the animals are unpredictable.

Marine mammals are returning to the Straight of Georgia, and staying longer than in previous years.

The Manitoba government has completed upgrades to a polar bear pen, used to house problem animals until the ice forms in Hudson’s Bay when they can be returned to the wild.

A marine biologist says the noise off Canada’s west coast is distracting killer whales from feeding and reproducing.

The ongoing disintegration of Arctic sea ice and the proliferation of giant ice floes is posing a hazard for the narwhal.

Insect News

Caterpillars of an unknown moth species are damaging the leaves of wild Saskatoon trees in eastern Alberta.

Monarch butterflies have begun their migration to Mexico for the winter, and Point Pelee, ON is an excellent place to view the spectacle.

New research suggests that climate change may be causing flowers to open before bees wake from hibernation, causing them to miss out on nectar and therefore not pollinating the flowers.

Ecosystem News

The Yukon Territorial government has stopped a mining company from explorations in a Territorial Park.

The Premier of Alberta will focus on environmental issues in the oil sands during a meeting with the  Speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives.

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