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Syd Cannings

@sydcannings1.bsky.social
2.1K followers 493 following 349 posts

Biologist, naturalist, bug- and bird lover, and inhabitant of the Yukon's boreal woodlands. Co-author of British Columbia: A Natural History. Conservation. Biodiversity.

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Syd Cannings @sydcannings1.bsky.social · 14h
Winter has indeed arrived in the northern Yukon... but is the Dempster a "major Canadian highway?" It's definitely a great one... www.theweathernetwork.com/en/news/weat...
theweathernetwork.com
First blizzard warning of the season for major Canadian highway - The Weather Network
A powerful, low-pressure system ushers in the season's first significant winter storm for Northern Canada
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Syd Cannings @sydcannings1.bsky.social · 15h
#BirdOfTheDay as a #BirdSupermodel. This Dusky Grouse in the Yukon (back in June) is staring down the camera and demanding attention! #birds
A male Dusky Grouse with a big flared black tail, bright orange combs above its eyes, and inflated red neck sacs... looking right at the camera
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Peter Durst @peterdurst.bsky.social · 06/10/2026
The Yukon Olympus Pen S Kodak 250D
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Dr Alex Bond @thelabandfield.bsky.social · 04/10/2026
.... and they demand a sacrifice!
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Syd Cannings @sydcannings1.bsky.social · 01/10/2026
Hello October! It actually seems that the fall colours and leaf drop are late this year in the Yukon. I would have thought most leaves would normally be down by now...
Golden aspens and willows in front of a line of dark green spruce. Dark blue backdrop is a distant slope of spruce forest
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Syd Cannings @sydcannings1.bsky.social · 01/10/2026
A few days ago I came across a late flying damselfly, a male Boreal Bluet. On a warm summer's day, he would be bright sky blue, but on a cool Yukon autumn day (9C) it was a dark grey-violet! This is a common response to cold in both bluets and the much larger blue darner dragonflies. #Odonata
a dark grey-violet damselfly with a long, narrow abdomen and slender wings held over the back
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Syd Cannings @sydcannings1.bsky.social · 30/09/2026
When the local dinosaur hops up onto your car... #birds #Yukon
large black raven on car hood
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Terry McGlynn @hormiga.bsky.social · 28/09/2026
I became a biologist because of a museum exhibit. Real artifacts tell stories that are more powerful than anything we can get from scrolling. They are part of our engine for training the next generation of scientists. 🧪 scienceforeveryone.science/the-awesomen...
scienceforeveryone.science
The awesomeness of museums
Genuine artifacts tell the richest stories that fill our souls. And they fuel the scientific enterprise.
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Thomas Cullen @thomascullen.bsky.social · 28/09/2026
With all the news of museums being closed and/or defunded, I feel the message of our paper on the importance of natural history research (and the collections housing those specimens) is just as relevant (or more) today as it was when it was published. onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10....
cover page of the linked paper
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Paul Fairie @paulisci.bsky.social · 27/09/2026
Albertans with Canadian flags attached to their car in 2026 and Albertans with Canadian flags attached to their car in 2021 are completely non-overlapping groups.
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Syd Cannings @sydcannings1.bsky.social · 26/09/2026
The young Red Crossbills were by the house the other day, showing off their fancy striped suits. But not for long... if you look closely, you can see a few small patches of pale yellow-green starting to appear! #birds #Whitehorse #Yukon
A young Red Crossbill with fine, dark-brown stripes down its front. A few blotches of pale yellow-green near the throat.
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Syd Cannings @sydcannings1.bsky.social · 25/09/2026
As someone who grew up on an apple orchard, this is fascinating stuff! Love those old, tart varieties... But the Red Delicious that we grew, not so much.
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Syd Cannings @sydcannings1.bsky.social · 23/09/2026
"mirror, mirror on the wall..." an American Yellowjacket (Vespula alascensis) gazes at its fair reflection in Whitehorse, Yukon. #wasps #Hymenoptera
a yellow- and black- striped yellowjacket wasp on the shiny surface of a red car
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Canadian Paintings @canadianpaintings.bsky.social · 21/09/2026
Haines Junction, Yukon Doris McCarthy 1991
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Syd Cannings @sydcannings1.bsky.social · 21/09/2026
Flew over BC's spectacular Coast Mountains again on my way back home to Whitehorse today... gorgeous as usual but my, those glaciers are getting smaller every year! #climatechange
aerial view of icefields, mountains,  and valley glaciers
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David Ho @davidho.bsky.social · 15/09/2026
NSF has reduced the research budget for all atmospheric, ocean, and earth sciences by ~80%. 80%! A lot of us will not be conducting new research or training new students for the foreseeable future.
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Dr. Merritt Rae Turetsky @queenofpeat.bsky.social · 16/09/2026
What is tiny but has a PLANET-sized influence? Sphagnum of course. A 🧵 on why this moss matters more than ever. Holding more than 20× its dry weight in water, halting decay, shaping entire ecosystems, thwarting fire. Never underestimate a moss. 1/
Close up image of a tiny red Sphagnum moss.
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Aaron Wherry @aaronwherry.bsky.social · 11/09/2026
Name someone who is more Jean Chrétien — you can't
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Eva Holland @evaholland.bsky.social · 11/09/2026
In all the years (25, somehow?) and all the stories about 9/11, you may not have heard about the Korean Air scare that prompted an evacuation of downtown Whitehorse. I wrote about it for @cangeo.bsky.social:
canadiangeographic.ca
9/11 in the North: how terror touched Whitehorse and Yellowknife
In the Yukon and NWT, unexpected arrivals and a major hijacking scare brought the terror attacks closer to home
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Syd Cannings @sydcannings1.bsky.social · 11/09/2026
Bluesky at night... We don't see many stars all summer in the Yukon, but now that it's fall... wow! (and aren't these phone cameras crazy amazing?)
The seven (or more,  since one is a multiple star system) stars of the Big Dipper in a dark blue sky,  framed by silhouetted spruce trees
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Paul Byrne @theplanetaryguy.com · 09/09/2026
Astrophotographer Adam (AJ) Smadi caught this image a few hours ago from Washington state. A thin crescent Moon, sunlight illuminating the rugged lunar surface. And 2,400 times farther away—and on the other side of the Sun—mighty Jupiter, and its moons Io (left) and Ganymede (right).
A crescent Moon seen during the day, arcing from upper left to lower right of the frame. At lower centre is the full disk of Jupiter; the small dots to its upper left and lower right and Io and Ganymede, respectively.
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Dr. Merritt Rae Turetsky @queenofpeat.bsky.social · 09/09/2026
Forget planting trees for a second. Let's talk about BOGS. Did you know that peatlands cover a tiny 3% of Earth’s land, but store MORE CARBON than all the world's forests combined?They are an ultimate MVP of our climate system and it’s time we start hyping them. Join me! 🧵 1/
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Syd Cannings @sydcannings1.bsky.social · 08/09/2026
Winter is right around the corner above Fish Lake near Whitehorse, Yukon. Ruishen is changing the sample jar on our BugQuest Malaise trap, which has been collecting insects and their DNA here since the snow left in early June... but the snow will be back any week (day?) now!
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Syd Cannings @sydcannings1.bsky.social · 08/09/2026
'tis the season for lowbush cranberries (as they're known in the Yukon) or lingonberries (as they're known in IKEA)!
bright red berries on a tiny alpine plantbowlful of bright red berries
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Syd Cannings @sydcannings1.bsky.social · 05/09/2026
Autumn comes to the Yukon River, just downstream of Whitehorse city centre. Have a great Labour Day Weekend, for those who celebrate! #ChàsanChùa #McIntyreCreek
wide river with conifer forests and distant mountains
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Syd Cannings @sydcannings1.bsky.social · 02/09/2026
Autumn evening at the neighbourhood beaver pond... he/she was eager to get back to adding mud to the dam I was standing on! #Whitehorse #Yukon
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Syd Cannings @sydcannings1.bsky.social · 29/08/2026
Look at those muscles go to work!
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Syd Cannings @sydcannings1.bsky.social · 29/08/2026
Two-year-old Bald Eagles are going through that awkward adolescent phase where you want to look cool and grown up but your body chooses something else. But you still look cool! #birds #Yukon
Second-year Bald Eagle perched, with mottled black, brown and white feathers
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Times Colonist @timescolonist.bsky.social · 29/08/2026
dlvr.it
'Epic fighter': Tributes for B.C. Indigenous leader and MLA Joan Phillip
Joan Phillip had been battling an illness for months before her death at age 74.
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Syd Cannings @sydcannings1.bsky.social · 29/08/2026
Even though Northern (Yellow-shafted) Flickers are fairly common where I live, I've had a tough time having one pose for a photo, so I was thrilled the other day when this female flew up from slurping down ants and landed right in front of me! A real stunner of a bird... #birds #Yukon
Female Northern (Yellow-shafted) Flicker, showing bright yellow and black tail feathers, black-spotted breast, black 'bib', and bright red nape.
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Eva Holland @evaholland.bsky.social · 27/08/2026
Stunning work as always from @cangeo.bsky.social's Canadian Wildlife Photography of the Year. Treat yourself:
canadiangeographic.ca
Announcing the winners of the 2026 Canadian Wildlife Photography of the Year competition
Canadian Geographic is pleased to honour 18 photographers for their outstanding images of Canadian wildlife
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Justin McElroy 🇨🇦 @jmcelroy.bsky.social · 24/08/2026
fantastic timeline we're in
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Syd Cannings @sydcannings1.bsky.social · 24/08/2026
Mini blueberry bushes (4" high) with maxi berries in the Yukon alpine tundra! mmmm Vaccinium uliginosum. #Whitehorse
blueberries on low bushes,  leaves turning orange and red
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Brittlestar @brittlestar.com · 23/08/2026
A Message From The Government of Canada Regarding the US Trade War
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Mark Carney @mark-carney.bsky.social · 22/08/2026
For over a year, Canada has worked intensively and in good faith with the United States to negotiate a new comprehensive trade deal. We have been pragmatic, patient, and persistent. Our goal has always been to get the best deal for Canadians, never a deal at any price or on any time frame.
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American Birding Association @aba.org · 20/08/2026
In the September issue of Birding magazine, read the extraordinary and harrowing story of the “Hantavirus Cruise,” a remote South Atlantic Ocean birding expedition that turned into a deadly outbreak, with #2 world lister Steve Kornfeld unexpectedly becoming the ship’s doctor. ABA.org/join
Steven Kornfeld in a zodiac off South Georgia Island.
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Greenpeace International 🌍 @greenpeace.org · 20/08/2026
🚨 OCEAN HEAT: We are entering uncharted territory. Record-breaking ocean temperatures are pushing ecosystems closer to dangerous tipping points. Fossil fuel corporations and big polluters are gambling with a liveable planet for profit.
Line graph of Niño 3.4 sea-surface temperature anomalies from 1982–2026. The red 2026 line rises from around -0.7°C in January to nearly +2.7°C by mid-August, far above most previous years. Source: Climate Reanalyzer, using NOAA OISST v2.1 data.
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Syd Cannings @sydcannings1.bsky.social · 20/08/2026
Fireweed on fire. Yukon summer's end. Sigh.
red-leaved fireweed plants in the evening sun,  in an aspen grove
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Syd Cannings @sydcannings1.bsky.social · 19/08/2026
A neighbour who loves bugs suggested that I come over and have a look at all the cool things crawling over their woodpile. Stared at it for some time, and saw horntails, beetles, and robber flies! But also this critter... Ibalia leucospoides, a wasp that parasitizes horntails... New for the Yukon!
Sirex Ibaliid wasp on a spruce log.  A black wasp with a red abdomen,  flattened from side to side
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Merriam-Webster @merriam-webster.com · 19/08/2026
People who don’t know the difference between ‘entomology’ and ‘etymology’ bug us in ways we cannot put into words.
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beespeaker @loriweidenhammer.ca · 18/08/2026
I had the privilege of meeting one of my heroes at Nanaimo Bee School. Lynda Stevens is a talented photographer and iNatter. Her dedication and enthusiasm is amazing! Please consider buying her book. All proceeds go to the Nanaimo Area Land Trust. #bees nalt.bc.ca/product/comm...
Lynda with a grasshopper on her hand.Lynda's book.
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Syd Cannings @sydcannings1.bsky.social · 18/08/2026
Yukon air quality update ...we've been lucky this summer! Fish Lake, Whitehorse #bluesky #Canada
long blue lake in a valley surrounded by gentle mountains,  under a blue sky with puffy white clouds
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The Narwhal @thenarwhal.ca · 14/08/2026
'We’re in uncharted territory. There is no historical analog for this kind of rapid increase in fire activity.' In the last decade, more area has burned in B.C. than in the preceding 67 years. Professor Mike Flannigan explains why: thenarwhal.ca/bc-wildfires...
thenarwhal.ca
The ‘new reality’ of B.C. wildfires is anything but ‘normal’ | The Narwhal
Scientist Mike Flannigan looked at decades of data about B.C. wildfires. He has ideas about how to protect people and the planet in years to come.
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Jeff Berardelli @weatherprof.bsky.social · 14/08/2026
The forecast El Niño peak is so high, I think I just rolled my ankle! 🤣 #elnino
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Syd Cannings @sydcannings1.bsky.social · 14/08/2026
Found this tiny little critter crawling up my back door yesterday... turns out it's a Narrow Lichen Case-Bearer, an apparently new immigrant to the Yukon! #moths #Lepidoptera 1/3
Small caterpillar living in a case made of fragments of lichen, plants. and sand
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John Vaillant @johnvaillant.bsky.social · 10/08/2026
Way to go, @theglobeandmail.com and Jeff Jones! Really solid reporting on BC's #wildfires, their causes and remedies. #oilandgas #cdnpoli www.theglobeandmail.com/canada/artic...
theglobeandmail.com
Okanagan fires offer a glimpse of a worsening wildfire crisis
Experts say Canadian wildfires are part of a much larger problem connected to the burning of fossil fuels
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Tarnjit Parmar @tarnjitparmar.bsky.social · 09/08/2026
From the Penticton Sikh gurdwara … hundreds of meals prepared by volunteers and sent to people who have been evacuated by the fire. Delivered to parking lots where people were camped out and other spaces evacuees have gathered.
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Dezene Huber 🍁 🌻 @dezene.me · 09/08/2026
As an LA Rams fan and an entomologist, I love this convergence of football, taxonomy, cultural entomology, and integrated pest management/biological control. 🪲 🐏 🏈 defector.com/what-big-bug...
defector.com
What Big Bug "Attacked" An ESPN Reporter At Rams Camp? | Defector
ESPN reporter Lindsey Thiry found herself accosted by an alarmingly big bug at Los Angeles Rams camp Thursday. She was preparing for a live report when the flying creature suddenly dive-bombed in. The...
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Matt Bertone @bertonemyia.bsky.social · 02/08/2026
Gold star for this silver soldier #fly 🌟 Diptera are seriously amazing 🤩 🥰 #Stratiomyidae: #Artemita argentea Soltis Center, Costa Rica @flygirlnhm.bsky.social @dipteracourse.bsky.social @riccardi-p.bsky.social
A fly covered with thick silver fur sits on a white background facing left. It's head is mostly red eyes with darker red squiggles, and it's wings are held out folder over each other sticking out the rear.
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Syd Cannings @sydcannings1.bsky.social · 01/08/2026
The iNaturalust AI suggests that I recorded my 3000th species this morning: Walker's Epinotia Moth... but even though it looks "right" to me, I've learned that these micromoths are complicated and difficult! I'll await the judgement of a human expert 😃
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