GEOFF CARPENTIER

As my faithful readers and colleagues know, I am very fortunate to be able to travel abroad, to see new and exciting things, with some frequency. Still, I always love to come home and settle into the rhythm of daily life, with family, friends and of course our local wildlife. Over the years, I have shared many stories with you and sometimes think, “What else could there be? By now, I must have seen everything which could show up in my personal wildlife haven (aka my back yard

Manitoba just passed legislation to make Daylight Saving Time (DST) permanent – no more semi-annual time changes. Ontario passed legislation in November of 2020 but has not yet enacted it, as it is linked to Quebec and New York state following suit. In January of 2025, the Sunshine Protection Act was reintroduced in the United States Congress. If enacted, it would make DST permanent year-round. The modern concept of semi-annual time changes dates to WWI when both the Allies a

In my last two columns, I spoke about the mechanics of migration – how do birds migrate? What tools do they have to make these perilous journeys? What can go wrong when they lose those tools or use them improperly? Today let’s finish the story and see how the environment itself can cause catastrophic challenges. I mentioned last time that small errors in the chosen migration route will be magnified each time the bird deviates from course. Gradually, the bird will drift east o

Warning: This column is a bit technical but so very fascinating! Migration - the birds go north in the spring and south in the autumn, in our neck of the woods. Pretty simple - right? Well, I’ve studied birds for over 60 years, and it’s way more complex than ever I imagined. It involves some combination of: innate knowledge, solar bodies, a built in GPS system, magnetic fields, polarization of light and olfactory clues which allow birds to migrate successfully to and from the

by Geoffrey Carpentier A few weeks ago, something strange happened. I felt a soft bump against the base of my back. Carefully, I reached back to see if it was something unwelcome. To my surprise it was a very small Blue Jay. It clung there for a few seconds, then weakly flew up to my shoulder and simply sat there, while I talked to my neighbour. To say this was distracting would be an understatement! I wasn’t sure where this little guy (or gal) came from, but I suspected it w

by Geoffrey Carpentier Last time we talked about migration and how birds and some insects use a variety of tools to safely move from their summering to wintering grounds and back again. However, what if things don’t go as planned? There are many factors which can and frequently do occur which can offset the positive migratory adventure our birds face. Setting aside things like predators, wires, buildings, hunters, pesticides and disappearing habitats (which usually lead to th

by Geoffrey Carpentier From time immemorial, humans have looked to nature to adorn themselves, perhaps to just offset the mundane parts of their difficult lives, or more likely to make themselves more attractive to their partners. Beads made from seed pods or berries, flowers, shells, bits of bone or feathers to adorn the hair and small pieces of wood were shaped into appealing decorative items. This trend has continued to the present day and will assuredly persist for eons.

by Geoffrey Carpentier It’s not hard to imagine why we might be speaking about forest fires right now. Our skies are clouded with smoke which has travelled thousands of kilometres, homesteads in the north are gone or threatened and people displaced to cities and towns far from home. I think we understand why our skies are smoke filled, as it’s relatively simple – lots of fires, lots of smoke and winds which have driven them both towards us. The other day, as my wife and I sto

by Geoffrey Carpentier I remember, as a kid, spending countless summer hours fishing and enjoying nature. One thing I recall encountering, with some frequency, were the dark black mussel shells which littered the lake and river bottom, once the living organism inside had died. They were simply a curiosity to me, and a hindrance at the time, as I often cut my foot on their sharp edges. Many years later, as I revisit some of my childhood memories, I now wonder how these animals