Snapshot: One last (busy) Quebec summer, part I

There's no denying it - we've put down roots here in Quebec. 

And yet, it's official that we're leaving. In fact, we're moving to Wyoming in early November! Knowing this, we've spent the summer cramming in everything Quebec has to offer and then some. In the next few posts, we'll share lots of photos that offer a glimpse of the various adventures and visitors we've had.

Snapshot: Winter is the new spring in Quebec

In light of what seems to be the "new"spring around here, we've collected a handful of images that show the scenic side of wintry Quebec.

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Snow and sub-zero temperatures characterized the first few days of spring. In fact, the 5th annual Quebec City Saint Patrick's Parade took place last Saturday during a not-so-minor snow storm.  

Chasing bison: On the wing

Photo by Jerod A. Merkle

Along with all the hooved creatures we see and record, Prince Albert National Park's west side boasts winged abundance unlike anything I've experienced.  Here's a glimpse of some of what we see flitting through the trees, squawking in the meadows, and fluttering underfoot.

The ruffed grouse (Bonasa umbellus) pictured above inhabits a particular patch of woods along one of the trails we walk nearly every day.  Without fail, that bird (or one of its brood) gives us a heart attack as it drums and flushes loudly, seemingly out from underneath an elbow.  In this particular situation, Jerod managed to sneak up on it without spooking it.

Aurora borealis: When the sun goes down, the lights go up!

Photos by Jerod & Bethann Merkle

I remember, once when I was young, riding back in to town from my grandparents' place on a dark night.  The three miles of highway between our homes ran through the flood plane of the Teton River, and on either side, velvet-black ridges rose up from cottonwood bottoms.  As my mother prudently passed through a gauntlet of willows known to harbor kamikaze deer, we glanced up at the inky ridge to the east.

Above the colorless outline of shrubs and the occasional fence post, we saw glimmers of light.  No one lived up on that hill, so we looked more closely. . . and then the lights danced.

Celebrating International Biodiversity Day in the field

Happy International Biodiversity Day, everyone!

Here's a sampling of some of the biodiversity we've been enjoying in PANP over the past few weeks.  

Photo by Jerod A. Merkle

04 May (JAM/BGM)

• Lakes still frozen (LSF)
• Lots of sandhill cranes!

05 May (JAM/BGM)
*Throughout field notes, meadows will be indicated in parentheses, at the end of each observation.  For example, two red tail hawks (Long mdw).

Chasing bison: Smokin' grass

In the grand scheme of things, most prairies and forests in western North America historically burned far more often than they do today.  The nutrient cycling, clearing of young trees, and other disturbances caused by these fires are essential elements of many ecosystems.  In Prince Albert National Park, two species - a plant and a large mammal - are key drivers for conservation planning.  They are the reason the park sets fires each year.  

On May 9th, several meadows within our study area were burned, as part of the park's prescribed fire regime.  I was invited along to document the burns, which were carefully controlled, deliberate, methodical, and yet still managed to offer a few surprises.

Snapshot: Sturgeon Crossing Station

It's been a little while since we posted, with good reason. We've been criss-crossing the country (photos coming eventually), and getting ready for a cross-country road trip. I'm working for Jerod on his bison study this summer, which is based in Saskatchewan.

We spent the past three days on the road, en route from Quebec City to SK.  Yesterday evening, we arrived at the cabin in Prince Albert National Park where we'll spend the next three months. The wildlife of the park gave us a fine welcome.

Chasing Bison: The Great White North

This is part of a series by Jerod, about his bison research.  All photos are by Jerod, unless noted otherwise.

Read more:  The Approach . Getting to the Edge . The Count . Cohabitants of the forest . What's it all about?  Candid Camera 

One element of my (Jerod's) study is to evaluate if your location on the landscape has an influence on your level of stress.  In other words, are there places on the landscape that stress you out more than others?  This question is important because it provides us a link between behavior (i.e., where animals go) and survival and successful producing young.  For example, if you are stressed out all the time, your digestion efficiency decreases, and if you are a lactating female, you can't produce milk as well either.

A 'candid camera' conservation project

This is part of a series by Jerod, about his bison research.  All photos are by Jerod, unless noted otherwise.

Read more:  The Approach . Getting to the Edge . The Count . Cohabitants of the forest . What's it all about? The Great White North. 

As photographers, we are intrigued by both the artistic and scientific possibilities presented by wildlife photography.  Since starting his Ph.D. here in Quebec City, Jerod has been exploring these options with some interesting results.

Lions, and tigers, and BEARS, oh my! Taking a close look at Missoula's black bears

Written by Jerod A. Merkle

Panoramic view of Missoula's Rattlesnake Valley - click on any image to view a larger version.

From January 2008-December 2010, I worked on a Master's degree at the University of Montana.  My project was both intriguing and challenging.  In collaboration with local wildlife managers, residents, and community groups, I was trying to come up with some data that would provide insight into the habits of black bears that are increasingly present in Missoula.

Big male black bear in a yard in the
Lower Rattlesnake (B.G. Merkle)

My research process was full of ups and downs, and included capturing and collaring black bears, hiking through the surrounding woods hunting for bear dens and monitoring berries, and even juicing apples and counting garbage cans in the dark on garbage nights.

Chasing bison: What's it all about?

This is part of a series by Jerod, about his bison research.   This post and most of the photos are by Bethann.

Read more:  The Approach . Getting to the Edge . The Count . Cohabitants of the forest . Candid Camera . The Great White North.

Bison bull (photo by Jerod A. Merkle, 2012)

I had an opportunity to visit Jerod out in Saskatchewan this summer.  In early August, I took a ~4,600-mile road trip, from Quebec City to Prince Albert National Park.  When I arrived, Jerod was just wrapping up his field season, and another team, led by Jerod's labmate Marie Sigaud, was just getting started.  I had a chance to tag along with both teams, and had a great time sketching "bazillions" of dragonflies, frogs, bison, aspen trees, and more.  There were wild berries galore, great food, and fantastic weather.  We even had a respectable thunderstorm one evening!  

Keep reading for photos and sketches from the trip, accompanied by an article I recently published in the QCT about Jerod's study.  The article explains the study in a little more detail, making it a great companion to Jerod's series about his field work.

Trans-Canadian Summer, part I: Saskatchewan

View the full Trans-Canadian Summer series

Tagging along behind a biologist can be great fun.  Despite the looonnnggg drive required to get to Prince Albert National Park, the trip was worth it.  There were lots of highlights of my visit which did not fit into the Chasing Bison series.  So, I've lumped them here, and assure you patient readers that this is the last you'll hear of PANP...for a while.  After all, it's harvest time back here in Quebec, and food, friends, and other adventures will surely require our attention.

Chasing bison: Cohabitants of the Forest

This is part of a series by Jerod, about his bison research.  All photos are by Jerod, unless noted otherwise.

Read more:  The Approach . Getting to the Edge . The Count . What's it all about?  Candid Camera . The Great White North.

Photo by Georges Kedl, a 2011 field assistant

Although bison are the focus of my project, working in Prince Albert National Park can be a spectacular experience for those interested in a variety of animals. Many of the species residing in the park are associated with insects and water. If you eat insects – think animals such as dragonflies, bats, and frogs – you are at home in the park. Specifically, if you enjoy dining on mosquitoes, you can gorge yourself from the beginning of June until the end of August, without a break. Those miserable mosquitos are not the only species to benefit from the thousands of acres of standing water in the park - other species, such as ducks, moose, and other insects find food and shelter in the vegetation growing in this warm stagnant water. As I pass through meadows or sit quietly in them, I come across a variety of wildlife, not limited to just bison. 

Chasing bison in PANP: The Count

This is part of a series by Jerod, about his bison research.  All photos are by Jerod, unless noted otherwise.

Read more:  The Approach . Getting to the Edge . Cohabitants of the forest . What's it all about?  Candid Camera . The Great White North.

The grass in Prince Albert National Park can be quite tall, often obscuring the animals in the meadows. Wolves can rarely see their surroundings when plowing through tall grass. Although bison are the largest North American mammal, when they are in meadows sometimes you can only see the tops of their backs and in some cases you cannot see them at all. In these cases, calves and young animals just disappear. 

Chasing bison in PANP: Getting to the edge

This is part of a series by Jerod, about his bison research.  All photos are by Jerod, unless noted otherwise.

Read more:  The Approach . The Count . Cohabitants of the forest . What's it all about?  Candid Camera . The Great White North.

There are two unavoidable aspects of the forests in Prince Albert National Park that will slow a person who wishes to hike cross country. The first is water. PANP's underlying geology means that water has no place to go. Although central Saskatchewan receives less than 18 inches of precipitation a year, much of that sits above ground creating the lakes, bogs, swamps and sloughs typical of the area. Most people working in the field wear mud boots, but many times the water and mud are just too deep to navigate. A person can wander for hours in a maze of bogs, trying to find a dry place to continue on a path. 

Chasing bison in PANP: The Approach

This is part of a series by Jerod, about his bison research.  All photos are by Jerod, unless noted otherwise.

Read more: Getting to the Edge . The Count . Cohabitants of the forest . What's it all about?  Candid Camera . The Great White North. 

West Side Road, Prince Albert National Park (PANP)
Photo courtesy of Georges Kedl

As I approach, I can barely find an opening through the trees.  I just dismounted my bike, and I am slowly pushing it towards the meadow, making as little sound as possible.  Before I can make out the shapes of any animals through the thickness of the quaking aspen, I hear the strong soothing grunt of a cow bison.  I carefully turn my head in the direction of the sound, hoping to catch a glimpse – kind of silly because I still cannot see into the meadow. 

Eclipsed

Written by Jerod A. Merkle

My father always said that he was never really that impressed with celestial events.  I tend to agree, however, sometimes looking into the sky can be really impressive.  This evening was quite special, as a partial solar eclipse was happening over "the land of the living skies," Saskatchewan!  Like normal evening weather, we had mostly sunny skies with light clouds moving through.  I managed to get this photo as the sun was just emerging from a cloud, with the poster child tree of southern Prince Albert National Park, quaking aspen (Populus tremuloides), in the foreground.

Bethann asked how I took the picture without burning my eyes sightless.  I put my thumb over the viewfinder hole, and aimed the camera at the eclipse.  Thanks to the digital display, after the first "blind" shot, I could adjust the focus and orientation of the camera until I got this image.  I'm glad we were far enough west to see it - you couldn't see anything in Quebec, apparently.  In our part of Canada, this solar eclipse was one to not forget.

Jerod

Field Notes from PANP

The Kestrel Conundrum

Context 
I used to teach kids about bluebird nestboxes at an outdoor program in Montana, and peeking into nestboxes is like opening presents. Even better, Jerod grew up with a watching the video-cam installed in a kestrel nestbox in his backyard (right in the urban core of Phoenix, AZ). As a result, the opportunity to volunteer with this project is one neither of us would have missed.

Over the moon for the supermoon

This post was re-purposed & published as 'Good Heavens!' in the Quebec Chronicle-Telegraph (06.13.2012)

The supermoon shines over the St. Lawrence River and the lights of Lévis.

Sometimes, size does matter. In the case of full moons, you could even say, bigger is better, and this past weekend was the weekend for moon watchers. According to NASA, a “supermoon” is the full moon that occurs when the moon and the Earth are closest together each year. This year, the supermoon occurred on May 5-6, 2012. NASA stated, “The full moon on May 5, 2012 will be as much as 14 percent bigger and 30 percent brighter than other full moons of 2012.” Technically speaking, the difference is so slight that the casual observer cannot actually perceive it. 

Snapshot: Spring in Quebec

Local seafood is a much-anticipated sign of spring.

(by Jerod Merkle)

Sunset casts a rosy light on the St. Lawrence River near Quebec City.