Most AJMers would agree that one of the best parts of our jobs is spending time out in nature, getting the chance to see wildlife up close. We often focus on vertebrates, but it's hard to forget that the animal world is mostly insects when we visit a site as diverse and full of bugs as a wetland.

Migratory birds are true global citizens. They do not recognize international borders, belong to a specific country, or call only one place home. Just as humans do, these birds follow good weather and food availability across great distances. In the spring and summer months, thousands of birds make the trip up to Canada to nest, mate, and raise their young.

Each spring, as the ice begins to thaw, the forests, wetlands and prairies awaken to the sound of birdsong, brought by hundreds of migratory bird species arriving home to their summer breeding grounds.

Under the cover of darkness, a small, sleek amphibian emerges from beneath ground cover. Part of the mole salamander family, the long-toed salamander (Ambystoma macrodactylum) is mostly nocturnal and spends much of its time hidden under rocks and woody debris in boreal habitats and montane basins …

lthough many of us have appreciated the melody of birdsong, the buzzing of insects, and the noises of wildlife, we might not realize just how unique and important these sounds are. Across the globe, scientists, naturalists, and wildlife aficionados tune into wildlife sounds to inventory species …

As spring sweeps into Alberta, ice thaws, snow melts away, and seasonal rains and flurries fall, all across the province waterbodies fill and wetlands come to life. Many of us will turn our eyes skyward watching flocks of birds wing their way north from their winter refuges, but from under the fallen leaves, rocks, holes …

Ord’s kangaroo rats are an amazing species, trust us, we could wax poetic for hours about their cute appearance and incredible adaptions. Instead, welcome to K-rat 101, an introduction to the wonderful world of Alberta’s nocturnal ninja. With no close relation to the invasive Norway rat, nor the leggy marsupials from Australia, the Ord’s kangaroo rat is part of a distinct group of rodents specially adapted to life in hot, arid environments.

Alberta’s grasslands are an iconic eco-region and productive both agriculturally and industrially. These rangelands are home to some of Alberta’s most charismatic wildlife species like the burrowing owl, sharp-tailed grouse, pronghorn antelope, and the majority of our resident snake species. Snakes live the majority of their lives unseen and …

Technology has changed the face of resource management and one tool in particular has gained popularity as a resource for visualizing diverse landscapes. Drones, also known as unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs), are an incredible tool to capture both large and fine scale aerial imagery of anything from tracts of wilderness to large infrastructure projects.