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voles, not moles: A personal journey connecting with nature
Soren Bondrup-Nielsen 2021 Gaspereau Press ISBN 9781554472178 In this book wildlife biologist and ecologist Soren Bondrup-Nielsen reflects on his career as a scientist and on how his experiences as a researcher cultivated a deep sense of connection with nature. While pursuing academic degrees in zoology, Bondrup-Nielsen’s love of the outdoors and adventure drew him to the fieldwork aspects of biological research, taking him to Northern Ontario in pursuit of the elusive boreal owl, to the Lake Superior region to survey birds for a year in what would become Pukaskwa National Park, and to Northern Alberta to study voles (not moles). His research collaborations would later take him to places like Norway, Finland, Poland, and Russia, where he was always as interested in the people and the culture as he was in his actual study subject. While structured as a memoir, this book is at heart a meditation on the role of science in society, contemplating issues such as human evolution, the nature of science, human population size, forestry practices, the role of wilderness preserves, the concept of biodiversity, climate change, and the importance of solitude. Like all good teachers, Bondrup-Nielsen is part curious observer and part storyteller, weaving a lesson into his intriguing narrative. |
Pukaskwa: A Naturalist's Year Surveying Birds in the Lake Superior Wilderness
Soren Bondrup-Nielsen
2016
ISBN 9781554471614
Gaspereau Press
Through 1976–77, Soren Bondrup-Nielsen spent a year conducting bird surveys in the territory that would become Pukaskwa National Park (pronounced Puck-a- saw), a 1878 km2 tract of wilderness located on the northern shore of Lake Superior. Fueled by youthful idealism and eager for adventure, the pair elected to live in the park for the full year, camping at various inland and coastal sites and travelling to remote corners of the park by ski, snowshoe, skidoo, powerboat, canoe, helicopter and bushplane. Comprised of an edited selection of Bondrup-Nielsen’s diary entries, Pukaskwa offers a look at daily life in the bush: from walking transects and recording observa- tions to whimsical projects and side excursions; from the rudimentary essentials of warmth, food and shelter to the joy of companionship and the simple comforts of camp life.
Soren Bondrup-Nielsen
2016
ISBN 9781554471614
Gaspereau Press
Through 1976–77, Soren Bondrup-Nielsen spent a year conducting bird surveys in the territory that would become Pukaskwa National Park (pronounced Puck-a- saw), a 1878 km2 tract of wilderness located on the northern shore of Lake Superior. Fueled by youthful idealism and eager for adventure, the pair elected to live in the park for the full year, camping at various inland and coastal sites and travelling to remote corners of the park by ski, snowshoe, skidoo, powerboat, canoe, helicopter and bushplane. Comprised of an edited selection of Bondrup-Nielsen’s diary entries, Pukaskwa offers a look at daily life in the bush: from walking transects and recording observa- tions to whimsical projects and side excursions; from the rudimentary essentials of warmth, food and shelter to the joy of companionship and the simple comforts of camp life.
MERGING: Contemplations of Farming and Ecology from Horseback.
Soren Bondrup-Nielsen
2014
Gaspereau Press
ISBN 9781554471379
Merging is a book about relationships and the way our perspective shifts as we become attuned to the workings of the natural world, merging with our surroundings and the creatures we share them with. Working in the tradition of Henry David Thoreau and Aldo Leopold, Soren Bondrup-Nielsen catalogues the rich biodiversity of his own backyard, exploring the fields, dyke roads and woodland trails that surround his home in the agricultural heartland of Nova Scotia’s Annapolis Valley. Framed as a single day’s horseback ride which begins on a spring morning and ends in the dusk of autumn, the narrative engages subjects such as the relative merits of large-scale and small-scale farming and forestry practices, the challenge of fostering sustainable economies in rural communities and the impact our consumer choices have on the natural and economic health of the places we live
Soren Bondrup-Nielsen
2014
Gaspereau Press
ISBN 9781554471379
Merging is a book about relationships and the way our perspective shifts as we become attuned to the workings of the natural world, merging with our surroundings and the creatures we share them with. Working in the tradition of Henry David Thoreau and Aldo Leopold, Soren Bondrup-Nielsen catalogues the rich biodiversity of his own backyard, exploring the fields, dyke roads and woodland trails that surround his home in the agricultural heartland of Nova Scotia’s Annapolis Valley. Framed as a single day’s horseback ride which begins on a spring morning and ends in the dusk of autumn, the narrative engages subjects such as the relative merits of large-scale and small-scale farming and forestry practices, the challenge of fostering sustainable economies in rural communities and the impact our consumer choices have on the natural and economic health of the places we live
A sound like water dripping: In search of the Boreal Owl
Soren Bondrup-Nielsen
2009
Gaspereau Press
ISBN 9781554470747
Owls seem to hold a fascination for just about everyone. Maybe it is their appearance where we see ourselves reflected in their face. Their beak resembles our nose and their big eyes similar to ours look forward and have eyelids that close from above unlike all other birds where the eyelids close from below. To us, owls represents wisdom and not the fierce predators which they are. Owls may also represent ghost-like qualities flying on silent wings and being active at night. For some cultures, owls are harpengers of death. What ever it is, owls are somehow magic.
I studied the Boreal Owl in northern Ontario and Alberta from 1974 to 1976, yet I am still approached by Naturalist Societies with invitations to talk about this small northern owl so few people have seen. In my teaching, as well, when I get a chance to talk about my resarch on owls the whole class listens intentively. Thus, after I had finished my book, Winter on Diamond, I felt a longing for the solitary but exciting experience of disappearing into my head but this time to relive my discovery of the Boreal Owl.
Soren Bondrup-Nielsen
2009
Gaspereau Press
ISBN 9781554470747
Owls seem to hold a fascination for just about everyone. Maybe it is their appearance where we see ourselves reflected in their face. Their beak resembles our nose and their big eyes similar to ours look forward and have eyelids that close from above unlike all other birds where the eyelids close from below. To us, owls represents wisdom and not the fierce predators which they are. Owls may also represent ghost-like qualities flying on silent wings and being active at night. For some cultures, owls are harpengers of death. What ever it is, owls are somehow magic.
I studied the Boreal Owl in northern Ontario and Alberta from 1974 to 1976, yet I am still approached by Naturalist Societies with invitations to talk about this small northern owl so few people have seen. In my teaching, as well, when I get a chance to talk about my resarch on owls the whole class listens intentively. Thus, after I had finished my book, Winter on Diamond, I felt a longing for the solitary but exciting experience of disappearing into my head but this time to relive my discovery of the Boreal Owl.
Winter Nature:Common Mammals, Birds, Trees and Shrubs of the Maritimes.
Merritt Gibson, Soren Bondrup-Nielsen
Illustrated by Twila Robar-Decoste
2008
Gaspereau Press
ISBN 9781554470594
Winter Nature Notes was compiled for the many Maritimers who enjoy the outdoors in winter. If you are a cross-country skier or snowshoer, a winter camper, or simply someone who enjoys walking along woodland trails and open fields, you have wonderful opportunities to observe the wild plants and animals that live all around you. With such interests, you will plan trips to areas of special interest: a walk to watch eagles soaring in the air currents above a mountain, a ski along a river to see golden-eyes diving in the rapids, a hike to look for a deer yard, or to find a giant oak tree.
Winter is a good time to start watching the world around you. Many birds migrate south in autumn, but the numbers that remain are sufficient to challenge your abilities to find them. Deciduous trees and shrubs have lost their leaves but, with practice, features of the twigs and buds may be used to identify them. Some mammals hibernate, but many remain active and winter is one of the best times to look for them. Mammals are secretive and difficult to find at any time of the year, but in winter their tracks record their presence. It takes patience to identify tracks and decide what the animal was doing and where it lives. Exploring the world around you takes you outdoors, challenges your ability to find plants and animals, and provides many hours of enjoyment.
Merritt Gibson, Soren Bondrup-Nielsen
Illustrated by Twila Robar-Decoste
2008
Gaspereau Press
ISBN 9781554470594
Winter Nature Notes was compiled for the many Maritimers who enjoy the outdoors in winter. If you are a cross-country skier or snowshoer, a winter camper, or simply someone who enjoys walking along woodland trails and open fields, you have wonderful opportunities to observe the wild plants and animals that live all around you. With such interests, you will plan trips to areas of special interest: a walk to watch eagles soaring in the air currents above a mountain, a ski along a river to see golden-eyes diving in the rapids, a hike to look for a deer yard, or to find a giant oak tree.
Winter is a good time to start watching the world around you. Many birds migrate south in autumn, but the numbers that remain are sufficient to challenge your abilities to find them. Deciduous trees and shrubs have lost their leaves but, with practice, features of the twigs and buds may be used to identify them. Some mammals hibernate, but many remain active and winter is one of the best times to look for them. Mammals are secretive and difficult to find at any time of the year, but in winter their tracks record their presence. It takes patience to identify tracks and decide what the animal was doing and where it lives. Exploring the world around you takes you outdoors, challenges your ability to find plants and animals, and provides many hours of enjoyment.
Winter on Diamond: An encounter with the Temagami Wilderness
Soren Bondrup-Nielsen
2004
ISBN 9780973632101
Res Telluris Book Publishers
Winter on Diamond is the story of two young men who winter deep in the Temagami Wilderness, neighbouring with whiskey-jacks and the tall red pines. It is the remembrance of a fifty-year old biologist who discovered the power in life by lifting his feet one snowshoe-step at a time across a season of cold. Winter on Diamond, redefines the meaning of adventure, where the surprise is not the danger encountered but the impact experienced. No longer is it necessary to conquer mountains. Sometimes it’s more powerful to rest in a cabin with your closest friend, eat bannock, cut firewood, play cribbage, feed the red black vole that befriends you and trek through the cold night
mesmerized by an outburst of stars.
Kelly Marie Redcliffe
Soren Bondrup-Nielsen
2004
ISBN 9780973632101
Res Telluris Book Publishers
Winter on Diamond is the story of two young men who winter deep in the Temagami Wilderness, neighbouring with whiskey-jacks and the tall red pines. It is the remembrance of a fifty-year old biologist who discovered the power in life by lifting his feet one snowshoe-step at a time across a season of cold. Winter on Diamond, redefines the meaning of adventure, where the surprise is not the danger encountered but the impact experienced. No longer is it necessary to conquer mountains. Sometimes it’s more powerful to rest in a cabin with your closest friend, eat bannock, cut firewood, play cribbage, feed the red black vole that befriends you and trek through the cold night
mesmerized by an outburst of stars.
Kelly Marie Redcliffe