
In Our Backyard: Little Brown Bat
February 1, 2023At this time of year, you typically won’t spot this bat species unless you are exploring abandoned mines and dark caves where they hibernate during the cool months. The little...

In Our Backyard: Western Rattlesnake
December 30, 2022Did you know that the western rattlesnake (Crotalus oreganus) is the only venomous snake native to British Columbia? The western rattlesnake, also known as Northern Pacific rattlesnake, lives in in...

In Our Backyard: American Badger
December 1, 2022This winter you may be able to spot footprints of the American badger in the snow in the Thompson-Nicola. There are four subspecies of the...

In Our Backyard: Sharp-tailed Grouse
October 31, 2022As the Thompson Watershed transitions through fall, you may be able to spot the flocks of the sharp-tailed grouse (Tympanuchus phasianellus columbianus) on the roadside and underneath...

In Our Backyard: Great Basin Spadefoot Toad
October 7, 2022If you are out at night in the Thompson Watershed you may be able to hear the call of the Great Basin spadefoot toad (Spea intermontana), which...

In Our Backyard: Southern Mountain Caribou
September 14, 2022If you go hiking through the Thompson Watershed, you may be lucky enough to catch a glimpse of the southern mountain caribou (Rangifer tarandus caribou). This population...

In Our Backyard: Olive Clubtail Dragonfly
July 27, 2022If you’ve been on the South Thompson River in Kamloops you may have been fortunate enough to have seen the striking blue eyes of the olive clubtail dragonfly (Stylurus olivaceus)....

In Our Backyard: A Coastal Shore Bird in the Grasslands?
July 1, 2022Long-billed curlews are North America’s largest shorebird. In Canada, they breed in southern Alberta, Saskatchewan, and the interior of BC. Approximately 16% of the long-billed curlew’s global breeding range is...

