DARE TO BIRD

I got the opportunity to see a Canada Lynx up close in the wild in BC. A rare treat and first for me! Since being in the presence of a wild Lynx for a sustained time is so rare, I wanted to share it with you. I just love their green eyes and large paws and their look with their shorter forelimbs than their hindlimbs. They can climb and swim really well too.  Lynxes have huge paws, which allow them to not only stay warm in harsh Canadian winters but to walk across snowy surfaces quietly. This allows the Lynx to not alert their prey so they can successfully ambush, chase and catch them. Their large paws are advantageous in another way as they act as snowshoes. Their paws distribute their body weight over a larger surface area, so they don’t sink deep in the snow.   I got to watch it wiggle its little tail and see it snooze and bask in the sun and hunt which was fascinating to see. It folds its ears down and its body becomes flat. All the while it is quiet as ever, as it watches ...

Young Birders on the snowshoe trip at Grouse Mtn - Photo: Melissa Hafting Today we had a fun snowshoe trip at Grouse Mountain in North Vancouver. Grouse Mountain graciously paid for all the snowshoe rentals for the youth and for all their gondola rides in honour of Black History Month .  It was rainy and windy in the morning and then there was a high risk of avalanche so a few people cancelled from the sold out trip. When we got there the Snowshoe Grind was closed but at 12pm they opened it up and we hiked up to the top. It had snowed quite a bit overnight so the powder was nice and fresh but made it a bit hard for some of the youth in their snowshoes. Unfortunately the avalanche risk was too high and Dam Mountain Loop and Thunderbird Ridge hike were closed  so we could only go to the top of Dam Mountain. It was a steep at parts hike with a 240m elevation gain and 4.3km, so it was a nice workout for us. The youth had so much fun sharing stories and recent and upcoming trips...

I’ve been asked to do the first Instagram Takeover ever for the Canadian Museum of Nature. I will be posting on both of their accounts one in French and one in English.  Their French account is @museedelanature Their English account is @museumofnature Please follow along as I’ll be doing two posts daily! It’s a great honour to be asked to do this and represent a Black woman birder during Black History Month in Canada. I’ll be discussing many topics which I hope will be interesting to a wide ranging audience. View this post on Instagram A post shared by Canadian Museum of Nature (@museumofnature) View this post on Instagram A post shared by Canadian Museum of Nature (@museumofnature) Example of an image I may share - Northern Hawk-Owl in BC - Photo: Melissa Hafting I recently was asked by the National Audubon Society to do a post about myself that they will feature later this month for Black History Month. I've embedded it below. ...

Tickets will sell out fast as they are free. If you are a young birder aged 12-18 please sign up HERE This event is BIPOC and LGBTQIA2S+ friendly. BIPOC youth are especially encouraged to come!  Please read all the details on the form before registering. Everyone attending must show proof of vaccination status and wear a mask during the entire trip. Looking forward to meeting you all for an awesome day of birding and snowshoeing!! Meet me at the base of the skyride at 9:30 am on Feb 27, 2022. BIG THANK YOU TO GROUSE MOUNTAIN FOR FULLY SPONSORING THIS INCREDIBLE EVENT AND FOR PROMOTING MORE BIPOC PEOPLE IN THE OUTDOORS! We are out here! It is time we see more representation in winter sports and the outdoors

I contacted Grouse Mountain to host an event in honour of Black History Month to support getting Black, Indigenous and people of colour (BIPOC) youth into nature. As many marginalized youth face barriers and cannot afford the cost of such an event. Grouse Mountain was wonderful and offered me 20 free passes to take youth up on the gondola and 20 free rentals to take the youth on a snowshoe trip. We hope to find Canada Jays, Ravens, Gray-crowned Rosy-Finches and Pine Grosbeaks. If we are really lucky maybe even a Northern Pygmy-Owl! This event is BIPOC and LGBTQIA2S+ friendly and is open to all youth aged 12-18 but I especially want to encourage BIPOC youth to come!  Thank you to Vancouver Aboriginal Child & Family Services Society , Urban Native Youth Association, Vancouver Friendship Centre and Union Gospel Mission for helping me to spread the word about this event as well. I will post a registration link out with more details soon! The event will be on Feb 27th, 2022 time ...