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What are they, a white sucker or a longnose sucker? These two species can be difficult to identify, particularly when the are small. I have learned over the years to never rely only on colour to ID a fish. The same fish species can exhibit a wide range of colour patterns depending on their environment and the time of year. At first glance at the photos below, the light-coloured fish may have been identified as a white sucker. Using other identifying features, the light coloured fish is actually a longnose sucker and the darker coloured fish is a white sucker. Hybridization does occasionally occur but is generally rare and not well documented, therefore we will leave that topic for another day! Write-Up Credit: Richard Carson, P.Biol, R.P.Bio. (President and Senior Fisheries Biologist) #RCBioSolutions #RCBioSolutionsLtd #Fish #Wildlife #Wetlands #Grasslands #Regulatory #Alberta #EnvironmentalConsulting #SylvanLake #Edmonton #Calgary #Fieldwork #FishFriday

This Wildlife Wednesday, we are cheering on the immense undertaking of over half of North American bird species… Migration! This is the time of avian rush hour, where billions of birds are in the midst of their journey south from their breeding grounds to where they will overwinter. Many species will fly thousands of kilometers in order to avoid the snow and find a winter home that is plentiful enough to sustain them until the following spring. We at RC Bio are bidding safe travels to our birdy neighbours and look forward to their return next year! Write-up and Photo Credit: Hannah DuPerron (Intermediate Wildlife Biologist) #RCBioSolutions #RCBioSolutionsLtd #Fish #Wildlife #Wetlands #Regulatory #Alberta #EnvironmentalConsulting #SylvanLake #Edmonton #Calgary #RedDeer #fieldwork #WildlifeWednesday #Migration #FallMigration

Like most major cities, Calgary gets its natural cycle of traffic as people make their coffee-fueled drives to work in the morning and rush home to make dinner on time. With the arrival of fall, local news stations have new additions to the traffic reports: Larch Madness. What is Larch Madness? As leaves begin to change color in the fall, one species stands out: the larch (Larix Laricina). Unlike most conifers, the larch loses its needles in the fall. Like deciduous trees, their needles change from green to golden yellow. This phenomenon is hard to describe and must be seen in person. As their color peaks in early October, trails with larches are flooded with visitors, causing a spectacle of nature and traffic alike (good luck finding parking!). Once you can regain your train of thought after being gobsmacked by the beauty of larches, you may ask yourself: why do they lose their needles? There are a few reasons! 1) Dropping needles can help prevent water losses through the needles, 2) they don’t need to allocate as many resources to maintaining their needles, 3) it reduces the risk of disease/pests, and 4) before losing their needles, they re-absorb nutrients held in them. Re-absorbing the chlorophyll from their needles also gives them their unmistakable golden color! Photo & Write-Up Credit: Jenna Watson (Junior Wetland and Vegetation Ecologist) #LarchMadness #Larch #Larix #RCBioSolutions #RCBioSolutionsLtd #Fish #Wildlife #Wetlands #Grasslands #Regulatory #Alberta #EnvironmentalConsulting #SylvanLake #Edmonton #Calgary #Fieldwork #FloraFriday

Happy Wildlife Wednesday! Today we are highlighting the Canada Jay (Perisoreus canadensis). A bird of many names, they are also known as Gray Jays (or Grey Jays), Camp Robbers, and Whisky Jacks. Canada Jays are a small corvid that can be found coast-to-coast throughout boreal and coniferous forests all year round. Though the Canadian government has never named an official national bird, the Canada Jay is a popular pick for that particularly prestigious position. What do you think should be our national bird? Write-up and Photo Credit: Hannah DuPerron (Intermediate Wildlife Biologist) #RCBioSolutions #RCBioSolutionsLtd #Fish #Wildlife #Wetlands #Regulatory #Alberta #EnvironmentalConsulting #SylvanLake #Edmonton #Calgary #RedDeer #fieldwork #WildlifeWednesday #Corvid #CanadaJay #GrayJay #GreyJay #WhiskyJack

Happy Fish Friday! Modern science has unraveled many secrets of the natural world. We have uncovered how mountains form, how animals communicate, and how the moon creates tides. One mystery still baffling science is how the American eel (Anguilla rostrata) reproduces. American eels are a snake-like fish species native to the east coast of North America. As of 2024, no one has seen an American eel reproduce in the wild. Until the mid-1900s, scientists (including Aristotle) thought these slimy creatures spawned from the mud since so few had been found with reproductive structures. In the late 19th century, Sigmund Freud took an interest in eels and dissected over 400 in an attempt to understand their reproductive system. With little luck, he later moved onto psychology. Other scientists like Johannes Schmidt had more success and discovered that the eels migrate from rivers to the Sargasso Sea to reproduce, making them a Catadromous species. Although we know more about eels today, they are still a mystery. But doesn’t that make them even more interesting?! Write-Up Credit: Jenna Watson (Junior Wetland and Vegetation Ecologist) #AmericanEel #RCBioSolutions #RCBioSolutionsLtd #Fish #Wildlife #Wetlands #Grasslands #Regulatory #Alberta #EnvironmentalConsulting #SylvanLake #Edmonton #Calgary #Fieldwork #FishFriday

This Wildlife Wednesday, we’re looking at the Pileated Woodpecker (Dryocopus pileatus). The largest woodpecker in Canada, the Pileated Woodpecker is an iconic species found in forests from coast-to-coast. They can be spotted hopping up and down tree trunks, or are more often heard drumming their strong bills against a hard tree. They also use their bills as tools to search for food inside tree trunks and for excavating their cavernous nests. Pileated Woodpeckers are truly the homebuilders of the forest; pairs rarely reuse the nest cavities that they make, which in turn creates opportunities for secondary cavity nesters such as Northern Saw-whet Owls, Common Goldeneyes, Mountain Bluebirds, and even mammals like bats and squirrels.   Write-up and Video Credit: Hannah DuPerron (Intermediate Wildlife Biologist) #RCBioSolutions #RCBioSolutionsLtd #Fish #Wildlife #Wetlands #Regulatory #Alberta #EnvironmentalConsulting #SylvanLake #Edmonton #Calgary #RedDeer #fieldwork #WildlifeWednesday #PileatedWoodpecker #Woodpeckers #KeystoneSpecies

Welcome back to Fish Friday where we are highlighting Rainbow trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss) In Alberta, rainbow trout were originally only found in sections of the upper Athabasca River and upper Peace River basins, however as a hardy and active sport fish they have been stocked into a variety of lakes throughout Alberta. Rainbow trout prefer colder, oxygen rich, fast flowing waters but they have also been found in meadow streams. They display an olive-green colour and are heavily covered in black spots scattered across their entire body. Adult fish will also feature a red stripe along the lateral line, running from the gills to tail. The same species when found in lakes are often lighter in colour and more silvery than those in streams. The diet of these fishes consists of aquatic insects, snails, leeches, other fish and fish eggs. Wild Rainbow trout naturally spawn in spring, however as a farmed fish species, they have been developed to spawn earlier in the year so the associated hatcheries may release sizable fish in spring. Rainbow trout can grow 15 to 40cm (5.9 to 15.7in) and weigh up to 1kg (2.2lbs) in streams, and up to 3kg (6.6lbs) or larger in lakes. The Alberta record for this fish was set in 1980 from Maligne lake weighing in at 9.1kg (20.25lbs). Write Up Credit: Dylan Putthaaree (Junior Fisheries Biologist) and Photo Credit: Jenna Watson (Junior Wetland and Vegetation Ecologist) #RainbowTrout #Trout #RCBioSolutions #RCBioSolutionsLtd #Fish #Wildlife #Wetlands #Grasslands #Regulatory #Alberta #EnvironmentalConsulting #SylvanLake #Edmonton #Calgary #Fieldwork #FishFriday

Oh lawd they comin… Happy Wildlife Wednesday, and happy Fat Bear Week to those who celebrate! Throughout the summer and fall, bears across the continent have been gorging themselves on any food they can find to fatten up for their big winter sleep. While most black and grizzly bears light hibernate/go into torpor over the winter, their body temperature and metabolism are lowered so they can spend up to seven months in their dens to avoid the cold weather and lack of food availability. In order to survive the winter, bears need to pack on the pounds to sustain their bodies, as they will not eat or drink until they emerge in the spring. The typical bear will lose up to one-third of their body weight over the winter, so the more rotund a bear becomes, the better equipped they are to survive until spring!   Write-up and Photo Credit: Hannah DuPerron (Intermediate Wildlife Biologist) #RCBioSolutions #RCBioSolutionsLtd #Fish #Wildlife #Wetlands #Regulatory #Alberta #EnvironmentalConsulting #SylvanLake #Edmonton #Calgary #RedDeer #fieldwork #WildlifeWednesday #NationalWildlifeDay #Bears #FatBearWeek #BlackBear #GrizzlyBear #AlbertaBears

September 22-28th marks National Forest Week, so we are dedicating this Friday to Forests! Although Alberta is known for the Rocky Mountains and Prairies, the province is also home to the Boreal Forest. The Boreal is the largest natural region in Alberta, making up 58% of its landmass. Alberta also holds the world's largest protected area of Boreal forest- Wood Buffalo National Park! This is no small task, considering the boreal makes up 30% of the world’s forests. Despite being characterized by long, cold winters, the Boreal Forest is dominated by resilient conifers equipped for the North. Unlike deciduous trees, conifers hold onto their needles to reduce water loss and have antifreeze compounds to prevent damage. Their conical shape and flexibility also make them better equipped for heavy snow. Since disturbance is critical to the renewal of these forests, conifers have also adapted to fire! Species, such as Jack Pine and Lodgepole Pine, have resin-encrusted cones that open in fire, allowing their seeds to recolonize. These trees are so productive that global carbon sequestration spikes following snow melt when the boreal forest starts breathing again! But a forest is more than trees. The Boreal is home to a huge diversity of flora and fauna. Each species within the forest has adapted to its harsh winters and bountiful summers. Over 3 million migratory birds, 130 species of fish, including salmon, and over 85 mammals, such as grizzly bears and caribou, all rely on these forests to survive. Photo & Write-Up Credit: Jenna Watson (Junior Wetland and Vegetation Ecologist) #BorealForest #Forest #RCBioSolutions #RCBioSolutionsLtd #Fish #Wildlife #Wetlands #Grasslands #Regulatory #Alberta #EnvironmentalConsulting #SylvanLake #Edmonton #Calgary #Fieldwork #ForestFriday

Happy Wildlife Wednesday! It’s the time of year that Alberta raptors are beginning their migration south for the winter, and sometimes it can be tough to tell what species you’re seeing when you spot a large bird soaring in the distance. The easiest way is by their feathers, of course. Some examples of plumage ID features are the dark patagium (leading wing-edge) patches on Red-tailed Hawks, white rumps on Northern Harriers, dark wrist patches on Rough-legged Hawks, and reddish leg feathers of Ferruginous Hawks. But identifying raptors in flight can be tricky, especially when taking juvenile and dark morph birds into consideration, but there are ways to help you figure out what species you’re looking at other than just by plumage. Key characteristics to note when observing raptors at a distance are their wing shape and posture, the shape and proportions of their tail, their flight style and wing beats, and whether their wingtips droop. Keep your eyes to the sky this fall, and practice your raptors-in-flight with the birds pictured here. Can you identify the six different species in these eight photos? Write-up and Photo Credit: Hannah DuPerron (Intermediate Wildlife Biologist) #RCBioSolutions #RCBioSolutionsLtd #Fish #Wildlife #Wetlands #Regulatory #Alberta #EnvironmentalConsulting #SylvanLake #Edmonton #Calgary #fieldwork #WildlifeWednesday #Raptors #Hawks #Migration #Biology