• Defending the lowly … by myself

    In the wild kingdom there are many amazing, beautiful or powerful creatures. The muskrat is none of these. But I still feel something for this love-challenged underdog – perhaps it’s my Canadian roots. Unfortunately extolling the muskrat’s virtues is a public relations nightmare. Here’s a creature that is often described as ugly, appears a bit… Continue Reading

  • Elk Family Foibles

    Remember when you were a child visiting a friend’s home and got to see what their family was really like? This isn’t like that. The elk family is just too different. They all appear to get along well enough and share considerable time with their only apparent interest – eating. This leads to a surprising… Continue Reading

  • Family feud at Sandhill Crane gathering

    At the end of the story, the Sandhill Cranes are all getting along fine and back to eating. That’s also how the story started … but there was a little incident along the way. To set the scene, think about attending a really large family gathering with some strong personalities. People showed up you may… Continue Reading

  • Looking for lunch

    When it comes to food, there are some striking similarities between wild creatures and male teenagers. Here’s my top three: They spend their waking hours looking for food … Good meat is in high demand … And every once in a while they get tricked into having vegetables … Where did this rather odd comparison… Continue Reading

  • Surprise attack … on the prairies?

    I usually feel safe walking around outside. After all, I live in the grain belt of the prairies – not exactly crawling with violent and venomous creatures. But a surprise encounter last week changed my perspective. There I was just enjoying the gorgeous weather and beautiful fall colours – the last thing on my mind… Continue Reading

  • Choosing regular rejection

    After considerable self analysis, I have determined that I am neither scary nor obsessed with popularity. Both theories get put to the test regularly while photographing skittish animals. Wildlife may tolerate my presence from a distance but only until I’m almost close enough to take a photo. Then the place clears out like I am… Continue Reading