Biodiversity

Monthly Archive: December Biod

An Important Bird Area (IBA) and an Awesome Spectacle!

Posted: November 30, 2015 - 10:35 , by royal
Categories: 
| Comments () | Comment
Bonaparte's Gull flying over the ocean

Looking for a fun activity one winter weekend? Head down to Niagara Falls and be amazed by the annual gull spectacle that takes place each year along the river. As many as 100,000 gulls of up to 12 species spend December along the river between Fort Erie and Niagara-on-the-Lake. Drive the River Road and get a great look at thousands of Bonaparte’s Gulls, Ring-billed Gulls, Herring Gulls and a wonderful variety of waterfowl like Bufflehead. The river has recently been designated an Important Bird Area (IBA) in Canada.

WPY - The Proof is in the Picture

Posted: November 20, 2015 - 14:10 , by ROM
“Tundra Buggy and Sun Dog” Don Gutoski’s snowy view on a photography adventure in Cape Churchill, Manitoba.

Guest Blog written by Environmental Visual Communication student Kendra Marjerrison

For some wildlife photographers, a kill shot is the ultimate goal. It creates compelling photographs that highlight moments people don’t often get to see. For others, it’s a difficult scene to witness from behind the lens. Don, the 2015 Wildlife Photographer of the Year, had no idea that the predatory behaviour captured in the photograph he took on the last day of his northern adventure would be more than just an interesting shot. It’s a powerful story about what can happen when the Earth becomes warmer and two competing predators, the red fox and the Arctic fox, are driven to cross paths...

 

Nature Stories through Photography: Insights from Connor Stefanison

Posted: November 17, 2015 - 13:33 , by ROM
Connor Stefanison at the Wildlife Photographer of the Year Exhibition at Natural History Museum, UK

Guest Blog written by Environmental Visual Communication student Sean de Francia

Connor Stefanison is this year’s recipient of the Rising Star Portfolio Award, given to outstanding photographers 18-25 for images that will be featured at the Wildlife Photographer of the Year Exhibit. He was also awarded the Eric Hosking Portfolio Award in 2013. Here he shares his insights into producing powerful narratives through nature and wildlife photography.

Ladybug, ladybug and more ladybugs

Posted: November 5, 2015 - 14:53 , by ROM
Categories: 
| Comments () | Comment

You may have seen lots of ladybird beetles flying about recently. Unlike our native species which are adapted to Canadian winters, the Asian Multicoloured Ladybird Beetle (Harmonia axyridis) has to find a place to hibernate over the winter, usually indoors. With the warm weather we have had this week; they have been scouting out the best south facing walls of buildings (like here at the ROM). We were out collecting a few for a gallery exhibit on invasive species.

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. 

Hopping Their Way to Your Heart

Posted: September 29, 2015 - 15:06 , by ROM
a toad sits patiently in the hand of a naturalist who holds it out for a young person to explore

Guest Blog written by 2015 Environmental Visual Communication student Lian Jong

Lian sat down with ROM Herpetology technician Amy Lathrop to get some insight into the museum's vast Natural History collections, in particular, its reptiles and amphibians.

Blue Whale Update: A Whole Lotta Heart

Posted: September 23, 2015 - 19:22 , by ROM
Jacqueline Miller, Robert Henry and Paul Nader putting plugs in the major vessels of the blue whale heart. Photo by Sam Rose Phillips

Guest Blog written by 2015 Environmental Visual Communication student Sam Rose Phillips

 

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.