Nature Nick's Notes

There’s nothing like the thrill of seeing a wild animal in the Alberta wilderness. From spunky little chickadees to the mighty grizzly bear, our native species are all worthy of attention. It’s a natural human instinct to preserve the image of wildlife through artwork. Ancient paintings of Ice Age beasts on cave walls are proof enough of that. These days, the digital camera is one of the preferred ways of capturing the image of wildlife. For some, a low-resolution smartphone shot is enough to preserve the memory of nature. Nothing wrong with that, but I find that the pursuit of closer, sharper wildlife images is a rewarding challenge. Becoming a nature photographer sounds simple at first, but there are things you’ll learn in the act of doing it that complicate matters. There are the basic rules of photography- lighting, shutter speed, ISO, framing, composition, and so on. As if that wasn’t scary enough, you’re also working in unpredictable conditions far from a comfortable studio try...

As a long-time Edmontonian, I figured it would only be right to start this off by talking about the things for a naturalist to see in Alberta's capital city. Edmonton is surrounded by a variety of enticing places for nature lovers willing to take a drive out of town, but many folks might not know that there's a surprising wealth of neat plants, animals, and more to be found right in the city. The most important things are to know what you're looking for, and where to go to find it. Sure, you can spot invasive pigeons and such amongst the skyscrapers and parking lots downtown, but there's more to be found only a short train ride away.  ROCKS   and FOSSILS For those interested in geology and geography, the very shape of the city itself, dictated by the ground it sits on, is noteworthy. Aside from the slopes of the river valley, you might have noticed that Edmonton is pretty darn flat. This geography is thanks to the Ice Age. Tens of thousands of years ago, where Edmonton...