DDT and the Osprey
DDT has a nasty reputation. Probably the most commonly-known fact about DDT is that it caused prey bird populations to plummet in the 1960s and 70s. Birds that ingested DDT produced eggs that were...
Saving Salamanders
Last month, I swung a pulaski for the first time. Okay, not so much swung it, as hacked and chopped and dug with it as I helped repair the salamander fences and tunnels in...
Keeping Ospreys Safe
Birds nest in the strangest places – like the robin that built its nest in our canoe once, and the dove that decided to nest on my parents’ front door. Yup, right on the...
Airborne Predators
Ospreys are hunters, or, more accurately, fishers. They are birds of prey, after all. Other birds of prey, like eagles, hawks, falcons, and owls, hunt a variety of other critters, which helps keep an...
What inspires you?
Last month, I found myself in need of a little inspiration. I sat at my desk, fingers poised above the keyboard, blinking cursor ready to march across the page – and I couldn’t get...
Calgary Hatch Date Contest!
ENMAX has launched a Hatch Date Contest in Calgary! The ospreys in the nest near the Calgary Zoo have laid 3 eggs and if you can guess the date that one of them will...
Osprey Nests Around the World
If you are looking for truly unscripted reality television, check out an osprey nest cam. Family squabbles, sibling rivalry, murderous intruders, and first flights are all high drama in the osprey world. Nest cams...
Waiting in Anticipation
It’s early May, and all over the northern hemisphere, ospreys are starting their families. They’ve spent some time sprucing up the nursery, lining the nest with soft materials like grass, and females should be...
Nest Building, Osprey-style
It’s late April, and all over the northern hemisphere ospreys are arriving at their summer homes after a long migration. Males and females usually arrive separately and whoever gets to the nest first begins...
Is that bird wearing a backpack?
You have probably seen birds with bands on their feet. These tiny metal bracelets may be colored and labeled with letters and numbers, all of which can tell scientists a lot about the bird,...
Ospreys are on the Move
How many kilometers do you expect your car will log in the next 10 years? 100,000? 200,000? More? Compare that to an osprey, which may fly more than 250,000 km in its lifetime as...
A nestcam on Kauai
What bird eats mostly squid, can live more than 50 years, and may be able to sleep while flying? The Laysan Albatross, that’s who! While we wait for the ospreys to return to their...
A New Book in 2016!
After 15 years of writing, I have learned that the best news doesn’t arrive in the mail. Self-addressed stamped envelopes never contain anything more than rejection. The words I hope for – we’d like to...
The Canada Jay gets my vote for Canada’s national bird!
I know what you’re thinking – Yer daft, McDowell. There is no Canada Jay! But there was, once upon a time, before the bird’s official English name became more commonly used. Gray Jay is...
Have you finished reading Ospreys in Danger? Here’s another quiz!
Have you finished the whole book? Congratulations! Now you are ready to take the second quiz – 20 questions for Chapters 4 to 8. And if you would like to share your thoughts about...
Can wolves change the behavior of rivers?
Wolves were reintroduced into Yellowstone Natural Park in 1995. The result was an amazing impact on deer and elk populations, as well as birds, bears, rabbits and mice — even forests and rivers. Really? Wolves...
Can an eagle swim??
Short answer: Not very well. An eagle’s breast stroke may be sufficient to get it to land that is not too far away, but Michael Phelps’ record is safe. It had never occurred to...
Family life in the osprey nest
Ospreys usually mate for life and are devoted parents. Ozzie and Harriet are two ospreys that have raised several families in the nest at Dunrovin Ranch in Montana (daysatdunrovin.com). This year’s chicks, Sol and...
Waterton launch of Ospreys in Danger on July 19!
My new chapter book, Ospreys in Danger, is set in Waterton Lakes National Park, so I am very excited to travel down to Waterton for a launch. I will be at the Waterton Heritage...
Ospreys thrive in Calgary
The next time you see a large bird soaring overhead, have a close look at it – it might just be an osprey! There are several active nests within the city of Calgary. The fishing...
Brian Keating talks about osprey platforms
No one gets as excited about wildlife as Brian Keating and today he was whipping up enthusiasm about ospreys. The osprey nest with the highest profile in Calgary is the one across the river...
From call to launch: Two years, three months and 17 days
My telephone – my rather retro home landline – has a strange feature: it announces the caller. I found that annoying right from the start because it garbled simple words. I mean, really, how difficult is “Grandma...
BOOK LAUNCH of Ospreys in Danger
I hope you’ll join me in celebrating the launch of Ospreys in Danger on Saturday, May 10, 1:00 – 3:00 pm at the Inglewood Bird Sanctuary in Calgary. I’ll share a bit of the book...
A beautiful day for inspiration
Real squirrels are one of my favourite animals. Not those imported black things that bounce along the top of my fence and nest in the chimney if we give them half a chance. Red squirrels...
