Dr. Heather Hinam 🏳️🌈🌻
@SecondNatureMB
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Helping people connect with nature through interpretation, art, and science. Ph.D. in Conservation Ecology. #scicomm #sciart Art site:
Manitoba, Canada
Joined June 2011
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Thanks to all of the new followers who've joined me in the last few days. I thought it might be a good time to explain what it is I do for a living. I make interpretive signs, from the planning, through to content research/writing, illustration and panel layout. 1/
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@danransomphoto
@PeccaryNotPig
It's usually a fairly regular partnership. Here's a great explanation of the behaviour.
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I’ve been feeding my crow family off and on for the last couple years. I can’t be sure, but I think one of them brought me a present. I found this under the tree where I often find them sitting. I don’t know any other way it ended up in my yard.
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With so many people in North America experiencing cold they're not used to, I thought it might be a good time to look at how wildlife handles snow and cold in places like here in Manitoba where these temperatures are the norm. 1/
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I lucked out and ended up in the middle of a flock of friendly Pine Grosbeaks the other day. Brace yourself because these birds are truly beautiful and I took a ton of photos. There will be a few tweets :)
#birds
#birding
#TwitterNatureCommunity
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@AdaMcVean
Indeed, and for many species, tucking their heads into their shell means having to hold their breath for a bit. The lungs don't have any room to inflate.
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I am over the moon with this photo!
I’ve been trying to photograph the barred owls that live near my cottage for years. So, when I heard them calling this afternoon, I went tromping into the bush in shorts, sandals and a tank top. So worth the mosquito bites!
#birds
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I spent 3 hours under the
#AuroraBorealis
last night in brutally bitter wind, but the show just wouldn’t end. So many different colours and characteristics and I took a few hundred photos. It’s going to take days to go through them all and share the highlights with you.
#aurora
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A little less than a minute of pure magic from this afternoon on the Churchill River.
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Did you know that some trees make sunscreen? Trembling aspen create a white powder on their bark called aspen bloom. It reflects the sun‘s rays and keeps the bark, which unlike many other trees, is still alive, from getting sunburn. The whitest side of the tree gets the most sun.
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This was the point on Thursday night where I was spinning around in circles on the ice of Lake Winnipeg just laughing to myself. It was the most incredible thing to behold, standing there on 4 feet of ice. I’m not sure I’ve ever felt so small before.
#AuroraBorealis
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My sister and are both in our mid-40s but we’ve been decorating gingerbread cookies since we were kids. It was a late night last night, but we got this year’s batch done. It’s always a little bit irreverent.
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Last year, I learned that opossums use their tails to carry leaves for their beds and it is truly one of the best things I've ever learned :)
Small Opossum just climbed up with some new cozy bedding…
1/2
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Belugas rarely lift their heads out of the water, so when I realized that I'd managed to capture this little calf's face up against its mother's flank, I was so excited. This little guy is only a few months old and will take 7-9 years to lose its grey colour.
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My little cottage under the lights. What makes this photo special is that I’m facing south. The lights were so intense last night that they stretched all around me and reached quite a ways south into the US.
#AuroraBorealis
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Ruby-crowned kinglets are some of the sassiest little birds you'll even meet. This one especially :)
#birds
#wildlifephotography
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I still haven't quite got over the fact that this is moth.
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Still slowly working my way through last night’s photos. They are going to be lots of posts over the next week. The lights were ever-changing and often came cascading down like the wings of a giant bird, and it was such a treat to be able to capture that.
#AuroraBorealis
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About a month ago, I watched a little red-backed vole dash into this hole in an old downed aspen tree in my backyard. It was clear that it was living there, so I set up my trail camera to catch a glimpse of the wildlife using this log.
#cameratrap
1/ 🧵
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It's my birthday! It's also rather appropriately
#WorldWildlifeDay
. Let's celebrate both and brighten up the timeline by sharing our favourite
#wildlife
photos. I'll start...
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Doesn't get much cuter than a baby beaver munching away on aspen leaves in a pond stained pink from the sunset.
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I’m finally finished my owl shawl and am so pleased with how it turned out! The pattern is by Cottontail and Whiskers.
#crochet
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The moment when we were adopted by a pod of young male belugas. Thousands of these whales spend their summer in the Churchill River Estuary. They are very smart and curious and will approach boats. These ones decided to play with us for about a hour. It was incredible!
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More magic from mouth of the Churchill River - belugas right beside the boat.
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Here are some black-capped chickadees and a red-breasted nuthatch you hopefully brighten your day.
#birds
#TwitterNatureCommunity
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A little black-capped chickadee borb catching snowflakes. Doesn't really get much cuter than that :)
#birdwatching
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This evening’s mackerel sky was something else. Beautiful end to a beautiful day.
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Sitting silently in nature for as long as possible can result in amazing moments. I'd been sitting for about 45 minutes in the cold when this wolf emerged from the forest on the edge of a beaver pond. It was a fleeting moment of magic before it disappeared, one I won't forget.
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It was an incredible weekend for
#Aurora
and we may get a bit more tonight.
#AuroraBorealis
#NorthernLights
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Red breasted nuthatches are one of the cutest
#birds
out there. So much personality in such a tiny body.
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The framing isn't quite where I'd like it to be; but when you're trying to photograph ruby-crowned kinglets, you take what they give you for the split second they hold still.
#birds
#wildlifephotography
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I don’t normally go for walks in the morning on weekdays, however it’s supposed to rain this afternoon so I got myself out the door by 7:30. I’m very glad I did, because I found this river otter (!) fishing and grooming behind the St. Boniface Hospital.
#Winnipeg
#UrbanNature
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I have had a trail camera pointed at the large aspen log in my backyard for about a year. It sees a lot of life, but this one ruffed grouse moment was something I was so hoping to capture. I was really excited the first time I saw the video.
#CameraTrap
#TrailCamera
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Known as Canaries of the Sea, belugas are very vocal. They’re also very curious and love checking out the boats that bob around in the Churchill River. We had a hydrophone in the water so we could listen in on their conversations.
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They came out early last night around 9:50 pm CDT and were short-lived but the
#AuroraBorealis
were awesome again.
#NorthernLights
#Aurora
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It's only four seconds, but it's a pretty cool four seconds. A lynx came through the yard with a snowshoe hare for dinner.
#CameraTrap
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My blocked and starched crochet snowflake. Not bad for a first attempt.
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Thirteen years ago, I lost my last full-time job. I had no idea at the time the adventure I was about to embark on. 1/
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A beautiful weekend in the forest with minimal internet access. A great way to ring in the new year. I wish you all the best.
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I'm shattered. I lost my best friend this morning. The pancreatitis was hiding something much worse and we had to say goodbye after 17 years. Toby was larger than life and my constant companion. I will miss him with all of my heart. Thanks for loving him along with me.
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This is why you don't go walking around on the tundra in and around Churchill, Manitoba without a bear guard (or bear guard training) and safety gear.
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The snowflakes this morning make me wish I had a macro lens.
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I hit a milestone last week, but in the holiday craziness, I didn't have time to mark it. Over 10,000 of you have decided to join me on my adventures in nature and art. I don't know where you all came from, but I wanted to thank you very much for making me a part of your life.
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Going through old photos. Sometimes the colours line up just right, like the lichen on the branches and the head and back feathers of this female pine grosbeak.
#birds
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How do bird feet not freeze? Birds keep their feet cold all the time. Foot veins and arteries pass next to each other forming a counter-current heat exchange. Warm arterial blood passes heat to the returning cold blood. There's not much water in the feet, so they don't freeze. 8/
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My neighbours don’t quite get the concept of ‘personal space’. 😊
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When you've been told by your mom not to leave the porch while she's away.
This red fox kit is one of five who live in a den that sees a lot of human traffic. As such, they're pretty unfazed and let me take a few shots from a distance with my long lens one morning.
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I can't stop watching this. The way she has to change her approach when trying to stuff her kid down the hole is not working is hilarious.
What do you do when your kid is misbehaving? Ground them!
The American badger is considered a species of 'Special Concern' in Canada.
#WildlifeWednesday
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I’ve been lucky to have seen the
#AuroraBorealis
many times. However, last night’s geomagnetic storm was incredible. Standing on a giant frozen lake while the entire sky is on fire with dancing lights so bright the snow glows green is something I won’t soon forget.
#Aurora
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It's my birthday! It also happens to be rather appropriately
#WorldWildlifeDay
! Let's celebrate by sharing some of our favourite wildlife photos we've taken over the last year. Here's one of mine.
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A photo from New Year's Day. I like the contrast of the black raven against the grey-white frost on the black spruces.
#birds
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I don’t decorate cakes often, but when I do, I like to try to challenge myself with different ideas and arrangements. This one has been in my head for a few weeks so I’m pleased with how it turned out. These are vanilla cupcakes with American buttercream. Edible art.
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I'm always blown away by the night sky up around my cottage. The stars are endless.
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It's my birthday (45 years on this planet) and it's
#WorldWildlifeDay
(feels rather apropos) and
#WildlifeWednesday
. I would love to see a favourite wildlife photo that you took celebrate. Here's one of mine :)
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This is wonderful!
Pine martens caught on camera playing on children's swingset in Ardnamurchan, Scotland. The owner of the video, Les Humphreys, tells us this is a nightly occurence in his garden.
Credit: Les Humphreys, Ardnamurchan Wildlife Watch Facebook Group
#pinemarten
#wildlifephotography
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So as you hunker down to stay warm, think about our wild friends who are out there thriving in the winter thanks to some amazing adaptations!. Stay warm, everyone ❄️ 13/13
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Caught the early
#Aurora
show this evening. Taken with my iPhone, which kind of blows my mind. More to come from my good camera when I have a chance to go through them.
#Auroraborealis
#northernlights
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I haven’t paid much attention to Twitter drama, but I know some people are thinking of leaving. I just wanted to drop a quick note to say I’m not going anywhere. You can keep counting on me for nature content, ID help and my artwork. Thank you for your time and interest .🍂🍃🪶
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Trying to explain the different types of wetlands as simply as possible. I think this has come together relatively well.
#sciart
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I get a lot of questions about how our wildlife can survive the cold. It can be -35C and you'll still hear and see signs of animals everywhere. How do they do it? I thought it might be fun to take a look at some of our wildlife's amazing adaptations for winter.
#scicomm
1/
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I love looking for the little things on my walks, like these tiny pixie cup lichens. Lichens are not one organism but a mutualistic relationship between a fungi and one or more alga or cyanobacteria.
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Black-capped chickadees brighten my day every time and see or hear them. These year-round residents increase their feather count to about 2500 feathers in winter, about a 45% increase from their summer plumage.
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This print of a painting by Inuk artist Kananginak Pootoogook is one of the first things I see every day and it never fails to make me smile. I thought it might make you smile too. 😊
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This pileated woodpecker was about 60 feet directly above me when I took this photo, head tilted as far back as I could go with a 500 mm lens mounted on the camera that was balanced against my face. The picture came out pretty good considering :)
#birds
#WildlifePhotography
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I had just reset my trail camera and had sat down on the log for a few minutes, when the chickadees all landed on me demanding seeds. While I sat there with them, I realized we weren’t alone. As soon as I turned off the video I chased it away. Never approach coyotes.
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Moon rise over Lake Winnipeg. I love standing out on the ice.
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So we’re having a bit of a geomagnetic storm right now. I’ve been bouncing up and down with excitement in the middle of an empty road for the last half an hour.
#aurora
#auroraborealis
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We have liftoff! Although great gray owls are the largest North American owl, by size, snowy owls are a good half a kilo or more heavier.
#WildlifePhotography
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Held out as long as I could, hoping for a bit more structure, but eventually had to make a run for it.
#mbstorm
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While out for my walk yesterday morning, I saw what at first looked like the biggest squirrel I’ve ever seen run up into a nearby spruce. When I got closer, I realized it was definitely not a squirrel. 1/2
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This little red breasted nuthatch stopped by to let me know that he and the chickadees had run out of seed.
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I wasn’t feeling up to a long walk this morning, but anytime spent in the woods in winter is good time. If you look very closely, you will find a deer in amongst the aspen trees.
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I had the incredible experience to get behind the scenes of the Assiniboine Park Zoo with the head of zoo operations today. Not every day you get this close to a polar bear. It was a very educational and humbling experience to be in the presence of these animals.
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I’m sitting quietly along the shore of Lake Winnipeg, in the gathering dusk. Two of my neighbours (coyotes) decided to join me. I’m pretty sure the one on the right knew I was watching, but the one on the left didn’t seem to notice me. Definitely, a magical moment.
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I finished my little red-breasted nuthatch. I started it just to see if I could still make things out of clay after 20-something years. I’m happy with how it turned out, but if I make any more, I’d like to find a paint that is less glossy.
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The frogs basically freeze solid but only in places that don't damage organs. They can stay like this for months. Once it's time to thaw out, the heart starts up first. This process is something that biologists are still trying to understand. 4/
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I’m watching a fallstreak hole form right now. They’re caused when supercooled water droplets in the clouds meet ice crystals and suddenly freeze, dropping out of the cloud and leaving behind a hole.
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There is much to be said about the wonder of sitting still. I sat here as quietly as I could for about an hour. In that time, the beaver checked me out repeatedly, two green-wing teals went about life, a swan flew over my head, and a wolf(!!!) appeared on the opposite shore.
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What about birds? About 80% of Manitoba's birds go south for the winter, but the ones that stay have many adaptations. The tiny black-capped chickadee grows more feathers in the winter, increasing the count by about 45% 5/
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I found a marten! Members of the weasel family, they actually specialize on catching red squirrels and will chase them through the branches high up in the trees. They’re also very curious and this one stuck around long enough for a couple quick photos. 2/2
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It's my birthday! It's also, in a wonderful twist of coincidence,
#WorldWildlifeDay
Why not help me celebrate by posting your favourite wildlife photo (taken by you) and maybe together, we can brighten up the timeline a bit. I'll start... 🐻🐨🐸🐘🐡🐠🦂🐦🦝🪲🐌🐛🦋🐙🐢🦎🦬🦉🐇🦨
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Found a beautiful coral tooth fungus yesterday morning. Finding one of these guys is like winning the lottery for me. 🍄
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Many birds seek shelter overnight in the winter. Chickadees, nuthatches and woodpeckers use tree cavities. Ruffed grouse use the snow. They dive in head first and hollow out a cave called a kieppi to spend the night. 7/
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Some iPhone photos of tonight’s
#aurora
taken from near Hecla Manitoba. The camera tends to make the red look a little bit brighter than it is in person, but it was still visible with the naked eye.
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While walking through the forest near my cottage the other day, I heard some gentle pecking on a tree. I assumed it was a hairy woodpecker (something I see often), but tracked it down anyway. I'm glad I did. My only black-backed woodpecker sighting this year.
#BirdsOfTwitter
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Us wildlife photographers like to try to get good close-ups of our target animals (ethically), but sometimes the wide shot is even better. I feel like that's the case in this instance (and not just because I don't have a very long lens 😉).
#wildlifephotography
#birds
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@GetToKnowNature
@danransomphoto
@PeccaryNotPig
Mutualistic relationships can spring up in the most unlikely places, though it isn't all that common to see two species so clearly working together.
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Finding tracks out in the woods. Looks like a small wolf. Glad to see they’re still in the neighborhood.
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Manitoba is home to the largest seasonal concentration of snakes in the world & it's happening right now.
#ExploreMB
#Nature
#ExploreCanada
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This is why you don’t feed bread to waterfowl. These two mallards have angel wing. It’s caused by a vitamin & mineral deficiency and too much sugar and carbohydrates in their diet as they’re growing, often from eating a lot of bread. The wing is twisted and permanently deformed.
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@GetToKnowNature
@danransomphoto
@PeccaryNotPig
You're most welcome. I learned about this behaviour when I was visiting Grasslands National Park. It's so neat.
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I feel it's time for my annual reminder that this is a moth - a hornet clear-wing moth. Mimicry is amazing!
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