From the Field

Monthly Archive: December From

A Superior BioBlitz

Posted: July 27, 2017 - 15:46 , by ROM
The insect team travels with nets in hand on a chilly morning towards the dock. Photo by Adil Darvesh

Guest blog written by 2017 Environmental Visual Communication student Adil Darvesh

Most BioBlitzes tend to span a 24-hour period, but this was no typical BioBlitz. Read on to see what made the Big Trout Bay BioBlitz on the North shore of Lake Superior different!

Behind the Blitz: Eye to Eye with a Bat

Posted: May 25, 2016 - 22:50 , by ROM
A young girl named Saskia peers closely at the bat being held in the hands of ROM mammalogist Burton Lim. The scene is illuminated by headlamp. Photo by Kendra Marjerrison

Blog by Environmental Visual Communication alumnus / Ontario BioBlitz Communications Assistant Fatima Ali

The second of four blogs in our Ontario BioBlitz: Behind the Blitz series introduces us to Saskia, a ten-year-old natural history enthusiast who was a participant in the Guided Blitz at the 2015 Don Watershed Ontario BioBlitz event. Watch a video about her experience as she follows ROM mammalogist Burton Lim into the woods with her group to capture and identify some bats!

A little piece of the puzzle – Citizen Science works!

Posted: April 16, 2016 - 11:17 , by Nicole Richards
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ROM Ornithologist, Mark Peck describes one of the ways he contributes to Citizen Science

Wildlife Photography: Behind the Camera

Posted: March 15, 2016 - 12:24 , by ROM
A bolt of lightning streaks across a purple sky over the mountains and rainforests of Sri Lanka

Guest Blog written by Environmental Visual Communication students Aisha Parkhill-Goyette and Jeff Dickie

Imagine you are deep in the jungle of Sri Lanka. You find yourself blinded by the pouring rain, knee deep in a rushing river, desperately trying not to fall in. Lightning strikes only meters away, but instead you are worried about the small tickle by your left elbow, and you are hoping that it is not one of the dozens of land leeches that keep falling onto you from the trees above. Not everyone has what it takes to be a wildlife photographer. It takes a special kind of dedication and a special kind of person - someone who is just as wild as the creatures they are trying to capture on camera.

EVC Students Jeff and Aisha interviewed a pair of up-and-coming wildlife photographers who travelled with ROM mammalogist Burton Lim to Sri Lanka last fall, to share some stories about what it's like behind the camera.

BioBlitz Bits: Liking Lichen

Posted: October 15, 2015 - 14:10 , by ROM
A type of shield lichen demonstrates the beautiful patterns of these complex organisms. Photo by Austin Miller

Guest Blog written by 2015 Environmental Visual Communication student Austin Miller and Lichenologist Dr. Troy McMullin of the Biodiversity Institute of Ontario (BIO)

Ever wondered what a lichen is? The story that is coming to light about the species diversity in and around Toronto for this unique group of organisms may surprise you.

The ROM's Very Own Batman Returns

Posted: October 13, 2015 - 14:00 , by ROM
The ROM’s very own ‘Batman’, Assistant Curator of Mammalogy, Dr. Burton Lim with "bat wings" outlined with light in a long exposure photo. Credit: Vincent Luk

ROM Biodiversity (@ROMBiodiversity) was in the fields and forests of Sri Lanka for an intense four weeks between Aug 23 - Sept 19, 2015, completing the first comprehensive survey of bats and other small mammals that live on the island in close to 80 years. 

ROM in the Field: Bats, Barcoding, and a Baby

Posted: September 8, 2015 - 16:15 , by ROM
A tube-nosed bat (Murina cyclotis) in flight. Photo by Vincent Luk

ROM Biodiversity (@ROMBiodiversity) is in the fields and forests of Sri Lanka for an intense four weeks doing the first comprehensive survey of bats and other small mammals in close to 80 years. Follow the South Asian adventure on social media with #ROMSriLanka, and join Burton Lim and the Team LIVE from the field on September 10 at noon: https://www.rom.on.ca/en/activities-programs/events-calendar/hangout-with-our-rom-biodiversity-team-in-sri-lanka  

#ROMSriLanka Kicks off Month-long Expedition

Posted: August 21, 2015 - 12:47 , by ROM
photo of a an elephant standing in a wetland in Yala National Park in Sri Lanka with jungle and a mountain in the background

Guest blog written by #ROMSriLanka Communication team member Deirdre Leowinata

The ROM’s own Assistant Curator of Mammalogy, Burton Lim, along with his ROM Biodiversity team, are traversing the planet’s surface to reach the small and mysterious country of Sri Lanka between August and September for one purpose and one purpose only… to study the island's small mammals.

BioBlitz Bits: The Bat Pack at Baker's Woods

Posted: August 7, 2015 - 11:20 , by ROM
Burton Lim untangles a Big Brown Bat (Eptesicus fuscus) from a mist net during the 2015 Don Watershed Ontario BioBlitz. Photo by Samantha Phillips

Guest blog written by 2015 Environmental Visual Communication student Kendra Marjerrison

EVC student Kendra revisits the 2015 Don Watershed Ontario BioBlitz to share a newfound appreciation for bats after spending an evening with ROM scientist Burton Lim during his guided blitz bat hike

Bug Hunting with Bed Sheets

Posted: June 25, 2015 - 15:44 , by Nicole Richards
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3 people in silhouette look for insects attracted to a light

What would make a couple of insect-keen naturalists lug a car battery, a mercury vapour lamp and a white bed sheet into a forest around midnight? A BioBlitz of course!