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Melissa Alves

Melissa Alves

Photography & Storytelling for Nature

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Home » Animal Facts

Category: Animal Facts

Learn your animals with these quick and easy animal fact blogs, focusing on Pacific Northwest wildlife and British Columbia.

Golden-Crowned Kinglet
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Animal Facts

Golden-Crowned Kinglets

January 17, 2024May 14, 2025Melissa Alves

My Fall 2021 obsession was these small, flighty birds known as golden-crowned kinglets. Back then I wasn’t able to get…

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Northern Harrier Composite
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Animal Facts

Northern Harriers

September 29, 2023May 15, 2025Melissa Alves

If you’ve ever visited Boundary Bay in British Columbia, then no doubt you are familiar with the Northern Harriers that…

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Red-Tailed Hawk
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Animal Facts

Red-Tailed Hawks

September 22, 2023September 13, 2023Melissa Alves

Red-tailed hawks are incredibly common here in British Columbia. Some days, it seems there’s one sitting on every other lamp…

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Sandhill Cranes and Colt
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Animal Facts

Sandhill Cranes

September 15, 2023September 13, 2023Melissa Alves

Sandhill cranes are a tale as old as time: this bird dates back to an estimated 2.5 million years ago,…

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Rough-Legged Hawk
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Animal Facts

Rough-Legged Hawks

January 13, 2023February 13, 2023Melissa Alves

It’s not often that I get to see rough-legged hawks, so it’s always quite a treat. As far as local…

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Barred Owl, December 20, 2021
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Animal Facts

Barred Owls

November 18, 2022February 13, 2023Melissa Alves

This particular post is long overdue. Barred Owls are a frequent subject of mine, and definitely one of my favourite…

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Rufous Hummingbird
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Animal Facts

Rufous Hummingbirds

November 10, 2022April 21, 2023Melissa Alves

Each spring, Britsh Columbia welcomes back little orange dynamos known as Rufous Hummingbirds. These hummingbirds come all the way from…

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Pacific Wren
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Animal Facts

Pacific Wren

April 29, 2022February 13, 2023Melissa Alves

The Pacific Wren has somehow managed to be one of the loudest birds in the woods as well as one…

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Pied-Billed Grebe, November 23, 2021
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Animal Facts

Pied-Billed Grebes

December 24, 2021January 19, 2023Melissa Alves

There are certain birds that give me dinosaur vibes more than others, and pied-billed grebes are definitely one of them.…

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Mallard Duck, November 19, 2021
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Mallard Ducks

December 10, 2021January 19, 2023Melissa Alves

Mallard ducks are high on the list for recognizable ducks species. They can be found throughout North America, Europe, parts…

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Bald Eagle, November 23, 2021
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Animal Facts

Bald Eagles

November 26, 2021January 19, 2023Melissa Alves

Bald Eagles are one of the most recognizable eagle species out there, especially in North America. The white head, contrasting…

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Lesser Snow Geese, November 5, 2021
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Lesser Snow Geese

November 19, 2021January 19, 2023Melissa Alves

Each winter, the Lesser Snow Geese travel all the way from Wrangel Island, Russia and the Arctic to winter in…

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Cedar Waxwing
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Cedar Waxwings

October 8, 2021January 19, 2023Melissa Alves

I’m a little bit obsessed with cedar waxwings. I first saw them in a field guide, and immediately knew I…

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Great Blue Heron Hunting Fish
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Animal Facts

Great Blue Herons

October 1, 2021April 24, 2024Melissa Alves

When I think of my little corner of the world, great blue herons come to mind. There can be seen…

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Eastern Kingbird, July 19, 2021
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Animal Facts

Eastern Kingbirds

September 10, 2021February 10, 2023Melissa Alves

Eastern kingbirds: the unassuming bully of open wetlands and grasslands. Learn how this flycatcher climbed to the top and became king.

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Western Tanager
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Western Tanagers

September 3, 2021February 13, 2023Melissa Alves

Never in a million years would I think that I would get to see a bird as stunning as western…

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Bonaparte's Gull, August 15, 2021
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Animal Facts

Bonaparte’s Gull

August 27, 2021February 13, 2023Melissa Alves

I was hanging out at the beach looking for something other than seagulls, but couldn’t resist how cute this small…

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Downy Woodpecker Cover Photo
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Animal Facts

Downy Woodpeckers

August 20, 2021February 13, 2023Melissa Alves

Downy woodpeckers are one of the cutest woodpeckers around, no contest. While they are quite wide-spread in North America, I…

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White Crowned Sparrow
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Animal Facts

White-Crowned Sparrows

August 13, 2021February 13, 2023Melissa Alves

White-crowned sparrows are fairly common in my area, but they’re still one of my favourite birds to watch. Seeing them…

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Black-Capped Chickadee Eating Worms in Blossoms
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Animal Facts

Black-Capped Chickadees

July 30, 2021April 24, 2024Melissa Alves

There was a point in time where black-capped chickadees were my goal bird. Not because they’re that interesting or rare,…

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Working on the unceded territories of the
scəw̓ aθən (Tsawwassen), xʷməθkʷəy̓ əm (Musqueam) and other Coast Salish Peoples.

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