On silent wings

A gale-force wind drives freezing rain directly at me as I hunker down in a roadside ditch. When I’m not wiping water from my camera, I peer through a telephoto lens at a female snowy owl perched on the ground, just 30 metres away. Apart from a cursory glance my way when I first emerged from my car, she ignores me. I have photographed this owl more than a dozen times in recent weeks in the same farmer’s field and along the same road in southwestern Ontario. Building trust. Now she’s comfortable enough to hunt meadow voles and mice while I snap away.

I hear nothing, but a change in the owl’s stance tells me she has detected something moving beneath the snow in the ditch to my left. Feathers around a black bill help direct sound to her ears, allowing her to home in on her prey. Owls are far-sighted, so her large yellow eyes can also pick out prey at great distances and, because she can also turn her head roughly 270 degrees, her peripheral vision is sublime.

The atmosphere was decidedly festive as hundreds of people gathered at the Canadian War Museum in Ottawa on November 16 to celebrate geography’s biggest night!

It was the first time in two years that the Royal Canadian Geographical Society’s College of Fellows Annual Dinner has been held in person. Hosted by RCGS Fellow and award-winning television host, producer and environmental journalist Aliya Jasmine, it was a night to remember.

Notable guests included the Right Honourable Jean Chrétien, former Prime Minister of Canada; representatives to Canada of foreign governments, including Alfredo Martinez Serrano of Spain, Hanne Fugl Eskjaer of Denmark, Jon Elvedal Fredriksen of Norway, Kerim Uras of Turkey, and Noureddine Bardad-Daidj of Algeria; the Honourable Pamela Gross, Deputy Premier and Minister of Education of Nunavut; the Honourable Lois Mitchell, former Lieutenant Governor of Alberta and newly-elected President of the Society; and Nellie Kusugak, former Commissioner of Nunavut and Society Governor.

Here are some of the highlights from an incredible night of music, laughter, food and fellowship in celebration of Canada’s geography.

It’s an undeniable fact: Electricity makes our lives more convenient. With the simple flick of a switch or the insertion of a plug, we can clean our clothes and cutlery with minimal effort, and we can store food in the freezer for weeks instead of needing to shop every day for meals.

Though appliances indisputably make our lives easier, it comes at a cost. Residential electricity use is associated with about four per cent of Canadian greenhouse gas emissions, according to the Canada Energy Regulator. Though appliances like washing machines, dishwashers, refrigerators and freezers are convenient to use, Natural Resources Canada reports they can also be a major drain on homeowners’ finances and can account for 14 per cent of total household energy use.

In Live Net Zero’s second challenge, Canadian Geographic asked our five competing families to perform an audit of their electrical devices to see where their greatest energy – and emissions – savings will come from. Here’s how they approached it.

A spectacular journey through Peru’s varied landscape encompassing coastal desert, snow-capped Andean peaks, the high altiplano, and lush cloud forest. The most famous sites are all visited including the mysterious Nazca Lines, awe-inspiring Machu Picchu in its incredible mountaintop setting, Lake Titicaca, where the night is spent in an island homestay, and the remarkable 3000m deep Colca Canyon. On the way, we encounter traditional culture, condors, llamas, and a warm welcome from the Peruvian people.

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Check out these other upcoming trips:

- Highlights of Bolivia with George Kourounis
- Classic Dolomites with Marlis Butcher
- Wildlife of the Zambezi Valley with Travis Steffens