Algonquin
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 Senegal
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to those who are in these pictures, or those whose pictures I have used, please let me know if you'd rather they not be posted here.

I spent the winter of 2007 tracking and wolves and moose in Algonquin Provincial Park
for a project studying predator/prey interactions

click on the thumbnail for the larger picture
and on the numbers below for the full-size image


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Our very first day on the job we trapped this wolf to put a GPS collar on it



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After we collared it and took all our measurements and samples, we administered a drug to speed the reversal of the immobilization drugs

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Photo shoot as Karen moves the wolf away from our work area as it regains consciousness


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"The Hydro Line" cuts through almost the entire park and provides a good means of North/South transit


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A lake near Basin Depot on one of our first excursions into our study area


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We followed the signals of the McKaskill pack to this small lake and bog in hopes of finding their tracks

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Kilometer 18 on Major Lake road, one of our most traveled routes


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Our tracks cut into the fresh snow along this old logging road


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Tom and Kiira as we stop to sort out jumbled tracks of the Cauliflower pack


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We followed the tracks until they crossed a small lake, counting 5 wolves in this group

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I slammed on the brakes when I saw this small browsed tree in the sun!


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I would often walk to this dock at a nearby staff house after work in the evenings


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Trying to locate a collared moose from the Lookout trail along Highway 60.



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Picture-perfect winter day near the Mew Lake campground



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Tom, Karen and Kiira try to download the GPS data off the Potter pack.



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There was supposedly a kill just out on the ice here, but it was too thin for us to explore and we had to leave empty-handed

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A fairly fresh moose kill that Kiira and I investigated, showing the tell-tale hemorrhaging on the inside of the hide (indicating a kill rather than scavenge)

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The Madawaska River with hoar frost from the river steaming overnight




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As part of our certification for Ice safety and rescue we had to jump into a hold in the ice twice and simulate a rescue



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Travis, husband of "Karen Moose" definitely provided the most dramatic and entertaining display!



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We were supposed to check out a kill on the other side of the river, but when Kiira tested the "ice" it was found to be unsafe.

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Almost every week an "aerial flight"  was done to locate collared wolves and download GPS data


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Between bouts with nausea, I was able to snap away this picture of the 8-wolf Sunday pack as we passed overhead


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A view of one of the many many lakes in Algonquin




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Crossbills like this one were a very common sight in the winter, often on the road where their slow reaction time causes many to be hit

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Myself, Kevin and Mike preparing "beaver soup" to lure an uncollared pack into a convenient trapping location


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A Pileated Woodpecker that allowed me to get very close




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This road-killed deer was to be used as wolf bait along with our beaver soup

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Danielle and I went on a crazy adventure to get to a moose kill, with three-hour bushwhacking snowmobile ride to begin with.  This was one of the calmer moments...

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Kiira shows how huge a moose is with a leg and pelvis from a kill we found

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This cluster was only 200m from the road, but because the Oxtonque river was in the way, we had to walk nearly 3km out of our way to get there!


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Crossing an open boggy spot with a group of students from Fleming college to do deer presence transects



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Gray Jays are always up for a feeding!  This one was banded, the subject of many studies and very used to people


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I couldn't walk past this without taking a picture!





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I did a deer transect in the Pine Lake area near the end of the season.  With milder temperatures and less snow, alot more rocky outcroppings were visible

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The ice hanging of this rock wall made for some interesting shots




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More ice pics.... I probably should have been working!




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A beech tree with a surprising amount of leaves still hanging on it



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This trail went through a hardwood forest near the town of Whitney and was close enough for a leisurely walk on days off


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A view from the Barron Canyon trail




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Mike and I were to look for a couple hard-to-fine packs in the north end of our study area


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Two moose (one collared) that Tom and I were following for scat samples



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This white wolf crossed the road as Mike and I were driving along Barron Canyon road


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The wolf showed hardly any fear of our vehicle and actually trotted along the road in front of us for a couple hundred meters


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We ended up only doing one camping trip this season, and it just happened to be a -35 degree night!  Good thing the truck was nearby!

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Along an old rail bed near the Achray campground




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Unlike the day before when temperatures were in the -20's, this day's snowmachine ride was comfortable and enjoyable

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A view across the lake from the Achray campground




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Twilight on the Spruce Bog trail.  I had the day off and needed to get outside

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Leatherleaf bog north of Basin Lake.  Kiira and I were investigating one of the many clusters where nothing was found.

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Filling out the data for this cluster

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We found nothing here but in all likelihood it was a bed site as the wolves like open areas with clear views for resting


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Kevin crosses a small stream with a homemade bridge (recycled from a nearby beaver lodge)


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The grasses next to the lake had been frozen over by a thin layer of ice.  Both Kevin and I took a few minutes for pictures.

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One of the nicest bed sites I saw all winter.  This rocky ledge had a view of the entire area.  I would have slept here too!

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Always one for a laugh, Mike skated on our backyard lake in his boxers on one of our last days


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The Madawaska River north of Whitney after the snowmelt.  It was the first day warm enough to just sit without getting cold


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Clark Lake, right behind our house on one of our last evenings.

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Fog covered Clark Lake as I went down to the edge for my last time
The following pictures were taken by Kevin Downing, another volunteer on the project.

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Sunset over Clark Lake





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Two wolves were collared in our time there and thankfully everyone got to see one.  This was Wolf 205 from the Potter pack

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The ubiquitous logging trucks seen within the park

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Great closeup of a Gray Jay





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Kevin and Mike had a little too much fun with a carcass drop!  This is not normal.

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A snow-covered stream



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Mike doing telemetry



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Red Squirrel and his stash



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Project leader Karen and her dog, Leo (named after a paternal uncle Leonard; or Aldo Leopold depending on who you ask)

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A bog somewhere





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During the helicopter flight they saw a few wolves on the ice



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This brave guy turned against the helicopter as it neared!





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