NORTHERN PERSPECTIVES

This image is of a Western Meadowlark nest, a grassland-specific songbird that can be found across the prairies in the summer. Only 25-30% of Canadian grasslands remain, an area that is currently declining due to conversion into agricultural fields and fragmentation due to the construction of powerlines, roads, and pipelines. In 2014, a massive powerline (500kV) was constructed through valuable grassland habitat in Southeastern Alberta. My research focuses on how this powerline is affecting grassland songbirds by comparing pre-construction data from 2012 and 2013 to post-construction collected in 2016. This photo of a Western Meadowlark nest was taken during songbird sampling in 2016, and tries to emphasize how the effects of powerline development may not be obvious at first, much like this hidden nest.