GEOFF CARPENTIER

by Geoffrey Carpentier It’s May, and most of our migrants are back already, setting up territories, finding mates and getting ready to start the next generation of their species. Many of our migrants, most in fact, spend the winter in South and Central America and make the perilous journey, twice annually, north to south then back again in the autumn. With their return each spring, they do bring joy and colour to our lives, after we’ve enjoyed (?) our own, long cold winters.

by Geoffrey Carpentier Without any exaggeration, our birds and many other wild things are under siege and face a battle they really can’t win, without help. Sounds gloomy? Well, it actually is! Canada’s wild landscapes, from the Arctic tundra to the temperate rainforests of British Columbia, to our own Great Lakes and the vibrant rocky eastern coast, serve as a critical nursery for billions of birds. Over 450 species of birds call Canada home, for at least part of the year, a

By Geoff Carpentier Each spring, as the snow melts and seasonal rains soak the landscape, shallow pools appear in depressions, within forests and meadows. These short-lived waters, known as vernal ponds, may last only a few weeks or months. Yet during their brief lives, they become some of the most biologically productive and important habitats in temperate ecosystems. Vernal ponds are seasonal wetlands which typically appear in late winter or early spring and dry up by mid t

by Geoffrey Carpentier A few years ago, a cloud was just that, a cloud. Now it seems it’s actually a remote computer which mysteriously stores any information I wish to entrust to it. While we may not understand it, if you’ve ever saved a photo to ‘the cloud,’ streamed a movie on Netflix, or backed up your phone, you’ve used the ‘cloud.’ The term sounds nebulous and abstract, as if your data floats somewhere above the Earth, but in reality, the cloud is firmly grounded in bui

by Geoffrey Carpentier As the cold of winter slowly abandons our landscape, something exciting is happening. Although unseen, we can enjoy the pleasure and taste of this annual event for months afterward. The sap is running, and so begins the task of making Canada’s famous maple syrup! Beginning as a clear, slightly sweet sap from the sugar maple, weather, patience and time, and generations of practice are needed to ensure the maple syrup is perfect! From late February to ear

by Geoffrey Carpentier A late winter forest can feel quiet on the surface, but if you pause beside a patch of softening snow, the season reveals a world which is anything but still. As the sun climbs higher and the snowpack thins, life begins to stir in places most of us never think to look. This is the moment when winter’s “sleepers,” and “movers” begin to reappear. These are creatures which have spent months tucked beneath the snow, waiting for the first hints of warmth t

by Geoffrey Carpentier Well, even though the days are marginally longer now, the sky still seems dark and foreboding. In the summer, clouds seem to vary in shape, size and colour, but in winter they often seem to be just dark, grey and gloomy. Let’s explore these clouds a bit and see if we can understand them a little better. Clouds are made up of water droplets or ice crystals which are so light they defy gravity. So, how did they form in the first place and how did they rea

by Geoffrey Carpentier The idea of animals being spies in our midst is not a new phenomenon. Historically, we used animals for varying purposes, mostly functional, such as beasts of burden, but over time we realized they could be used for other purposes. For example, during WWII, carrier pigeons were used to deliver messages to and from the front lines, to help the Allies. During the Cold War, the CIA developed small cameras which were strapped to homing pigeons. As the birds

by Geoffrey Carpentier I must admit, sometimes I just wonder why things are as they are. Case in point, it’s winter and cold outside. But as I stand near the window, with the sun beaming in, I feel warm, yet when I touch the window, it’s still cold. How can that be? Even though the air may be frigid outside, somehow the sun is clearly heating the window, and its heat is being transferred through the glass to make me warm and cozy. I thought I might explore this and find out w