Wood Buffalo Wildlife Research Institute

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Wood Buffalo Wildlife Research Institute

The WBWRI is a nonprofit organization conducting wildlife research and monitoring in the Wood Buffalo region of northern Alberta

22/04/2026

Happy Earth Day 🧡

16/04/2026

Yesterday Big Brothers Big Sisters hosted us for their Full circle program at Elsie Yanik Catholic School, where Michelle, their land-based learning teacher, taught the children some common bird names in Cree! We also talked about the upcoming spring migration and created repurposed bird feeders. This will be Nancy's last school program with WBWRI and she is going to miss doing this important work.

07/04/2026

Last week, Big Brothers Big Sisters hosted us for their Big Circle program at Good Shepard school in Beacon Hill. We had a fantastic time! Students of the program were taught common landbird and waterfowl names in Cree and then we created repurposed bird feeders. We were able to share information about WBWRI's programs, wildlife within Fort Mac, and also engage the students in a fun craft!

13/03/2026

Interested in wildlife drawing or printmaking? We have the workshop for you. Come explore wildlife illustration with Knowledge Keeper Claire Antoine and some printmaking techniques with Nancy Ransom. This is a collaborative event with the arts council, the Nistawoyou Association Friendship Center, and WBWRI.
To sign up please check out the link in our profile.

12/03/2026

Yesterday we were invited to be a part of Big Brothers Big Sister's Full Circle Program. We talked about birds, their significance, and created bird feeders out of old water bottles!

Programming within the community is imperative, as it is inspiring to the next generation of naturalists. I'm glad I get to share my love of birds and nature with students. We had a very birdy time!

07/03/2026

Happy international womens' day to all women who have pursued a career in the wildlife sciences.

Field biology is muddy boots, early mornings, long hikes, heavy gear, unpredictable weather, and a lot of problem-solving. It’s incredibly rewarding work, but being a woman in this space can come with extra layers that often go unseen.

It can mean being underestimated when you show up to a field site.
It can mean constantly having to prove you’re capable of the same physical and technical work as your colleagues.
It can mean navigating safety concerns that others don’t always think about when you’re working in remote areas.

I'm proud to be a part of the women who are doing the work to break down these barriers. There is so much more work to do to make science a more inclusive space.

Today we celebrate the women who are still doing the work despite the challenges-- in labs, in the field, and in classrooms. Happy international womens' day 🧡🐦

03/03/2026

WBWRI is excited to share that we have been accepted by Nature Alberta as a member club!

Nature Alberta supports and connects nature organizations across the province, and we are now their northern-most member!

We are excited to see our programs continue to develop and compliment Nature Alberta's community of nature lovers.

25/02/2026

Taiganova Top Ten! We have our number one caught species-- the White-throated Sparrow.

White-throated Sparrows are one of North America's most common and abundant sparrow species, and breed throughout the Boreal. Their sound is abundant during morning point counts, that's for sure.

Spot a funky looking White-throated Sparrow?. Although the White-throated tends to be picky about which morph it mates with—white-striped birds only mate with tan-striped birds—they sometimes pair with Dark-eyed Juncos! (Audubon).

21/02/2026

Taiganova Top Ten! Today we are featuring the Alder Flycatcher.

Empidonax flycatchers can be tough to identify, especially in areas where Willow and Alder flycatchers overlap. They are categorized as "Traill's flycatchers". As a birder, you can only distinguish them by their vocalizations, but when having them in the hand, there are a number of different measurements and functions that can be executed to determine the difference. Using special tools, we can measure the bill length and width, as well as the tail length. A few different wing equations can help in clarifying species.

Thanks to for the photo

19/02/2026

Taiganova Top Ten!

Today we are featuring the slate-colored junco (dark-eyed junco)

The dark-eyed junco is known for its adaptability and distinct regional subspecies. The main subspecies recognized are the Oregon Junco, Pink-sided Junco, White-winged Junco, Gray-headed Junco, and Red-backed junco.

Fun fact: if you go birding in Colorado, you can see up to SEVEN different subspecies of dark eyed juncos.

18/02/2026

Taiganova Top Ten!

Taiganova was filled with migrating Swainson's Thrushes. They are known for their buffy 'spectacles'.

Loss of habitat on the breeding grounds has been a concern for these species, as they are northern breeders. Banding data has helped us track population changes of this species in the boreal.

These thrushes love munching on berries, which means handling them can create quite the mess when banding (you may need to wash your sweatshirt at the end of the banding day)

Address

T9K 0R3

Telephone

+14035124039

Website

http://wbwri.org/

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