Sarah J.P. Photography

Can't believe it's been almost 2 weeks since this happened.

This is a Woodland Caribou, from Newfoundland, Canada. Maybe one of my favourite wildlife encounters thus far.

Woodland caribou, aka reindeer, are a federally protected species in Canada, with an overall conservation status of 'threatened'. Although, some herds are severely endangered, while others have already died out.

Threats to the caribou's survival come from in many forms of habitat destruction:

Climate change - as the earth warms, it will bring changes to the permafrost of the north and the flora and fauna that lives on it. Land can collapse, habitat can change rapidly. The parameters of the tundra and boreal will face environmental stressors, including fires that are so hot that trees that have been adapted to fire will not be able to reseed.

Mining & oil - Where humans decide to pierce into the wilderness, soon will come roads/roadkill, structures, electricity, garbage, pollution, poaching, pipelines, and oil spills.

Logging - many woodland caribou herds need, and rely on, old growth forests for survival. As those forests get cut down to make our houses and furniture, the caribou are subjected to increased predation as they have no where to hide. Less vegetation gives animals like wolves a significant upper hand. Also, regrowth of chopped forests also bring another issue that caribou never had to deal with before (and have no immunity to), and that's deadly diseases from moose and white-tails, like the brain worm.

Caribou are migratory by nature (some more than others), so when their range is fragmented by these threats, they cannot get to the areas they need to go to, to survive. They cannot hide from predators. They cannot find the food they need. They cannot have successful birth rates.

The arctic has lost 2.6 million reindeer in just 20 years. 4 mountain herds have disappeared from southern British Columbia, there are only around 50 woodland caribou left in the Gaspésie region of Quebec. Across Canada they're all on the decline.

Will caribou/reindeer eventually go extinct? It's quite possible they could in our lifetime if strong protection measures are not taken.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rkr8v00ijvc

The Many Faces of An Eastern Screech Owl Mother Did you know:- Eastern screech owls mainly hunt at dawn and dusk- Males will deliver food for most of the nesting period- Females will stay in the nest with ...

After 5 years of trying to photograph bears in a beautiful, open grassland/meadow setting, persistence finally paid off.

I have a whole new understanding and respect for this species.

Photographed in Algonquin Park, Ontario, August 2024.

🎼Mister blue birds on my shoulder...
It's the truth. It's actual. Everything is satisfactual.
Zip-a-dee-doo-dah zip-a-dee-a....

Have you ever wondered what the Bluebird sounds like? Click to my YouTube channel and find out.

Songbird Sounds: An Eastern Bluebird Sings His Tune, In Michigan, United States The Eastern Bluebird is a common bird across much of eastern Canada and the United States. It likes fields, such as natural fields or farm fields, but can al...

I was very excited to photograph this Cerulean Warbler (Setophaga cerulea) today in Michigan.

The Cerulean Warbler is doing OK in Michigan (considered "threatened"), but without protections they could fall into the "endangered" category, like they have in the eastern USA, and in Ontario, Canada.

About 98% of the population breeds in the USA, with the remaining 2% in Canada (southern Ontario and eastern Ontario).

There has been a 74% loss (maybe higher) of this species since a survey was conducted in 1966.

The biggest threat to this species' survival is deforestation. They love to breed in tall, mature hardwood forests, and we love to log the trees they breed in.

Golden-winged Warbler (Vermivora chrysoptera).
A nemesis bird for me, for the last four years. Nice to finally get a shot. 👇

Did you know:
The Golden-winged Warbler is considered "threatened" under the Species At Risk Act (SARA), and the Committee on the Status of Endangered Wildlife (COSEWIC). As for the US, I couldn't find much info on this bird other than it being under review, and petitioned to be put on the Endangered Species Act of 1973.

In Canada, this songbird's population has decreased 79% over the last 10+ years. In the USA, It's dropped 66% since 1960, and in the Appalachian Mountains the situation is even worse with a 98% decrease.

The biggest threat other than declining habitat? The very closely, genetically related Blue-winged Warbler.

It is thought that the Blue-winged Warbler's habitat has been changing (possibly due to climate change), and they've been spreading further north into Golden-winged Warbler habitat. This has caused hybridization among the two species. Usually, hybrid offspring of two different species are not fertile, and cannot continue to breed, cutting off possible genetic lineages. For the Golden-winged, and Blue-winged, this is not the case; the hybrids are continuing to breed, "muddying up" Golden-winged genetics.

It is theorized that genetically "pure" Golden-winged Warblers will eventually disappear, and will be replaced by Blue-winged Warblers, and their hybrids.

*Info from:
Nature Conservancy Of Canada
Government of Canada
Cornell Lab of Ornithology
Colby College
Houston Audubon
US Fish & Wildlife
Shot on the Canon R5 + RF 600mm F4
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I was up in central Ontario on the weekend, at some endangered alvar habitat, and had the pleasure to watch a Wilson's Snipe. At first I could only hear them in the grass, but after about 10 minutes of waiting in silence, one flew up to a post and started calling. I wasn't fully prepared to take video this day, but I'm happy with how the audio turned out despite not packing a proper microphone.

A Wilson's Snipe Calls Out To Defend Territory, In Ontario, Canada The Wilson's Snipe is a funny looking shorebird in the Scolopacidae family.

Everyday this Cardinal sings outside my window.

The Northern Cardinal Sings His Afternoon Tune This male sings in my backyard every day in the late winter, spring and summer. Northern Cardinal (Cardinalis cardinalis). Also known as the Red Cardinal, o...

A composite image from the April 8 total solar eclipse. Taken in Hamilton, Ontario, Canada. I got really lucky that the clouds parted in the nick of time (and I am not being dramatic) for this to be seen from where I was standing. It was 100% cloud cover when I got to my location, and you couldn't even locate where the sun was.

Totality lasted under 2 minutes, but the entire process was about 2.5h in time.

Today was unreal. The moon covered the sun for less than two minutes creating a total solar eclipse.

Taken in Hamilton, Ontario, Canada. April 8, 3:18 pm, 2024.

Total solar eclipse. April 8, 2024. Hamilton, Ontario, Canada. For less than two minutes, the moon covered the sun, creating a ring of light (diamond ring).Recorded on the Canon R5 + RF 600mm F4 L

Early migrators, the Red-winged Blackbird (Agelaius phoeniceus) is one of the first migratory bird species to show up in southern Ontario for the arrival of spring. This video was taken March 2, 2024, but I had heard a bird or two calling around sunset during the last week of February.

Songbird Sounds: Red-winged Blackbird Call A male Red-winged Blackbird calls out to claim territory, in Toronto, Canada. March 2, 2024.

https://youtube.com/shorts/n59Qf5jJwxo?si=36SrMN56zIi3romk

Cardi boy is here to rest your fears of winter, and to tell you that spring is on its way.

Songbird Sounds: Northern Cardinal Northern Cardinals (Cardinalis cardinalis) have many songs, but here is one of them. A nice reminder that winter is on its way out, and spring is on its way in.