When
you look at Canada on a map you see geographical boundaries that divide
up one of the largest countries on earth. You hear us mention places
like British Columbia and Yukon, or the Kawartha Region of Ontario...
but what you don't hear mentioned is the actual diversity of the
landscapes that we visit, and what the draw is for us.
From
the tundra in the far reaches of the north, to the Boreal forest, the
largest forest on earth, to the taiga, the world's largest land biome,
and this week we will be
highlighting these three areas. So, please come back and visit our blog
on Thursday and Friday to learn more about Canada, and the wonderful
photographic opportunities that it has to offer.
The Taiga
is the world's largest land biome, and makes up 29% of the world's
forest cover, the largest areas are located in Russia and Canada. The
taiga is the terrestrial biome with the lowest annual average
temperatures after the tundra and permanent ice caps. Extreme winter
minimums in the northern taiga are typically lower than those of the
tundra. The lowest reliably recorded temperatures in the Northern
Hemisphere were recorded in the taiga of northeastern Russia. The taiga
or boreal forest has a subarctic climate with very large temperature
range between seasons, but the long and cold winter is the dominant
feature. This also means that the short summer (24-hr average 10 °C (50
°F) or more) lasts 1–3 months and always less than 4 months. There are
also some much smaller areas grading towards the oceanic climate with
milder winters, whilst the extreme south and west of the taiga reaches
into humid continental climates Twith longer summers.
The
taiga experiences relatively low precipitation throughout the year
(generally 200–750 mm annually, 1,000 mm in some areas), primarily as
rain during the summer months, but also as fog and snow. This fog,
especially predominant in low-lying areas during and after the thawing
of frozen Arctic seas, means that sunshine is not abundant in the taiga
even during the long summer days. As evaporation is consequently low for
most of the year, precipitation exceeds evaporation, and is sufficient
to sustain the dense vegetation growth. Snow may remain on the ground
for as long as nine months in the northernmost extensions of the taiga
ecozone. Since North America and Asia used to be connected by the Bering
land bridge, a number of animal and plant species (more animals than
plants) were able to colonize both continents and are distributed
throughout the taiga biome. Others differ regionally, typically with
each genus having several distinct species, each occupying different
regions of the taiga. Taigas also have some small-leaved deciduous trees
like birch, alder, willow, and poplar; mostly in areas escaping the
most extreme winter cold.
The
boreal forest, or taiga, supports a relatively small range of animals
due to the harshness of the climate. Canada's boreal forest includes 85
species of mammals, 130 species of fish, and an estimated 32,000 species
of insects. Insects play a critical role as pollinators, decomposers,
and as a part of the food web. Many nesting birds rely on them for food
in the summer months. The taiga is home to a number of large herbivorous
mammals, such as moose and reindeer/caribou. Some areas of the more
southern closed boreal forest also have populations of other deer
species such as the elk and roe deer. The largest animal in the taiga is
the wood bison, found in northern Canada.
Some
larger mammals, such as bears, eat heartily during the summer in order
to gain weight, and then go into hibernation during the winter. Other
animals have adapted layers of fur or feathers to insulate them from the
cold. Predatory mammals of the taiga must be adapted to travel long
distances in search of scattered prey or be able to supplement their
diet with vegetation or other forms of food.
Mammalian predators of the
taiga include Canada lynx, Eurasian lynx, stoat, Siberian weasel, least
weasel, sable, American marten, North American river otter, European
otter, American mink, wolverine, Asian badger, fisher, gray wolf,
coyote, red fox, brown bear, American black bear, Asiatic black bear,
polar bear (only small areas at the taiga - tundra ecotone) and Siberian
tiger.
More than 300
species of birds have their nesting grounds in the taiga. Siberian
thrush, white-throated sparrow, and black-throated green warbler migrate
to this habitat to take advantage of the long summer days and abundance
of insects found around the numerous bogs and lakes. Of the 300 species
of birds that summer in the taiga only 30 stay for the winter. These
are either carrion-feeding or large raptors that can take live mammal
prey, including golden eagle, rough-legged buzzard (also known as the
rough-legged hawk), and raven, or else seed-eating birds, including
several species of grouse and crossbills.
In
2016 and 2017 we will be headed back to photograph these animals and
this captivating region. Please check out our tours and workshops. You
can find these tours and workshops here on our Canadian Workshop and
Tour page here... http://northof49photography.com/photo-workshops/
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