Flyway or the highway: Saskatchewan's birds wing it south

Every year, during the tail end of summer, it is hard to not notice the tremendous amount of activity in the skies above Saskatchewan as thousands of birds begin their annual pilgrimage from their summer habitats southward to more favourable winter climates. 

Kristin Martin, Conservation Science and Planning Manager with Nature Conservancy of Canada, tells us about this yearly phenomenon. 

Flyway or the highway: Saskatchewan's birds wing it south

Every year, during the tail end of summer, it is hard to not notice the tremendous amount of activity in the skies above Saskatchewan as thousands of birds begin their annual pilgrimage from their summer habitats southward to more favourable winter climates. 

Kristin Martin, Conservation Science and Planning Manager with Nature Conservancy of Canada, tells us about this yearly phenomenon. 

Flyway or the highway: Saskatchewan's birds wing it south

Every year, during the tail end of summer, it is hard to not notice the tremendous amount of activity in the skies above Saskatchewan as thousands of birds begin their annual pilgrimage from their summer habitats southward to more favourable winter climates. 

Kristin Martin, Conservation Science and Planning Manager with Nature Conservancy of Canada, tells us about this yearly phenomenon. 

Preventing SAD: practical advice to improve mood and mental health

As the seasons change, and the days get shorter, some of us may find our mood changing as well.  

We spoke with Rebecca Rackow, Assistant Executive Director of the Saskatchewan Division of the Canadian Mental Health Association to shed some light on the causes, and methods to alleviate the symptoms of what is known as Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD). 

“Seasonal Affective Disorder happens as we get less sunlight, and generally it feels a little bit like depression does, it feels like low energy and (for some) low mood,” she explained. 

Preventing SAD: practical advice to improve mood and mental health

As the seasons change, and the days get shorter, some of us may find our mood changing as well.  

We spoke with Rebecca Rackow, Assistant Executive Director of the Saskatchewan Division of the Canadian Mental Health Association to shed some light on the causes, and methods to alleviate the symptoms of what is known as Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD). 

“Seasonal Affective Disorder happens as we get less sunlight, and generally it feels a little bit like depression does, it feels like low energy and (for some) low mood,” she explained. 

Don't be cold-blooded to Saskatchewan's snakes

There is an often maligned and misunderstood class of animal that calls Saskatchewan home, which plays a crucial role in the ecosystem that our conservation efforts tend to overlook. 

There are nine species of snake in Saskatchewan, found primarily within the southern portion of the province, and like many species native to the grasslands of the region, four of those nine are now listed as at risk of extinction. 

Leaf your worries behind: some tips for fall gardening

While it may be hard to accept, we are in the latter half of summer and for those with a green thumb it is now time to get the garden ready to weather the inevitable chill that fall brings. 

We spoke with Leslie Cornell, owner of Cornell Design & Landscaping, to discuss some of the things that you can do now while the weather is favourable to keep your garden healthy as the seasons begin to change.  

Wasp Wars: the science behind late-summer wasp activity

Wasps — they’re hard to miss if you spend any amount of time outside, and as we enter the latter half of summer these aggressive and disruptive insects become an increasingly common annoyance. 

We spoke with Graham Parsons, Pollinator Biosecurity Specialist for Saskatchewan Agriculture, to learn more about what drives their behaviour, the role they play in the ecosystem, and what can be done to prevent them from disrupting outdoor activities.  

Wasp Wars: the science behind late-summer wasp activity

Wasps — they’re hard to miss if you spend any amount of time outside, and as we enter the latter half of summer these aggressive and disruptive insects become an increasingly common annoyance. 

We spoke with Graham Parsons, Pollinator Biosecurity Specialist for Saskatchewan Agriculture, to learn more about what drives their behaviour, the role they play in the ecosystem, and what can be done to prevent them from disrupting outdoor activities.