Natural History
Monthly Archive: December natu
Behind the Blitz: Eye to Eye with a Bat
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!
Behind the Blitz: Three Young Scientists
Blog by Nadine Leone, ROM Hands-on Biodiversity Gallery Assistant Coordinator
The first of four blogs in our Ontario BioBlitz: Behind the Blitz series is an interview with three young ROM scientists, who share their favourite highlights from last year's event in the Don Watershed.
Five Answers to WP "Y?"
Guest Blog written by Environmental Visual Communication student Jessica Gordon
We live in an age where almost anyone with a cell phone can take a picture and share it with everyone almost instantly. In spite of this we continue to take and fall in love with photos of nature and the wildlife that surrounds us. We continue to push the boundaries of where we can go while taking cameras along with us. The question becomes: why do we still carry on the tradition? Why is wildlife photography so important to us? Here are five answers to the question, "why?".
Wildlife Photography: Behind the Camera
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.
How Drone Photography is Saving Wildlife
Guest Blog written by Environmental Visual Communication student Lisa Milosavljevic
A number of photos in the Wildlife Photographer of the Year Exhibit make use of aerial photography techniques, including the use of drone photography. There is also a growing demand for its use in professional and academic fields as people are recognizing how drones can be a valuable tool in their work; one of these areas is wildlife conservation. Here we are going to look at the different ways in how drone photography is saving wildlife around the world, as well as some of the controversies and questions that this developing technology raises.
Have you got 15 minutes to be part of something BIG?
Guest blog written by Bird Studies Canada's Toronto Projects Coordinator, Emily Rondel
What if you could be part of a global conservation project by standing in your yard (or local park, or well…anywhere) for 15 minutes? This coming Family Day weekend (Feb 12-15), be part of the Great Backyard Bird Count (GBBC), a four day worldwide “blitz” of wild birds. The GBBC is an invaluable snapshot of worldwide bird abundance and distribution; and it’s only possible due to the participation of tens of thousands of “citizen scientist” volunteers around the globe.
Mexican Cartel lands are home to a newly described species: Goode’s Thornscrub Tortoise
ROM curator of reptiles and amphibians, Dr. Bob Murphy and a team of international scientists use leading edge genetic techniques and dangerous fieldwork activities to describe a new species of tortoise in Mexico and shine light on the conservation status of other rare and threatened tortoises from the region
Photographer thoughts: A conversation with Mark Peck
Guest Blog written by Environmental Visual Communication student Fatima Ali
In spite of his “im-peck-able” career as an ornithology technician in the Department of Natural History at the ROM, Mark Peck is also a world traveller and an avid natural history photographer with a special interest in breeding and nesting birds. Fatima interviewed Mark to get his thoughts on what it is that drives his passion for photographing birds and other wildlife.
Beneath the Surface: Photographing at the Edge of Imagination
Guest Blog written by Environmental Visual Communication student Sam Rose Phillips
In search of guidance from the master of photographing moments himself, EVC student Samantha Phillips called David Doubilet and his partner Jennifer Hayes, renowned photographers whose work can often be found among the pages of National Geographic Magazine to ask them about their work. Their perspective is filled with insights and stories that Sammy was thrilled to share in this guest blog post.
Blue Whale Update: From Trenton with Love
It’s that time of year where many of us are pretty focused on the holidays. Spending time with family and friends, baking and eating loads of treats, and - let’s be honest - the gifts. Finding them, buying them, wrapping them, and getting them to where they need to go, whether the destination is under the Christmas tree, or to be mailed to relatives somewhere else around the world.
So, given that everybody’s in this present-logistics state of mind, we have a gift-wrapping question for you… how do you ship a blue whale heart?
