The Crow Commute
40" x 60", archival print backmounted to aluminum, edition of 5
30" x 45", archival print backmounted to aluminum, edition of 7
Every evening in East Vancouver, one can witness a fascinating daily phenomenon: a seemingly endless stream of crows flying overhead, leaving the city eastward with the evening rush hour. In his History of Metropolitan Vancouver, Chuck Davis reported that in 1903, the city of Vancouver opened a cull on crows - for a time, citizens could lawfully shoot them. According to a 2008 TED Talk by Joshua Klein, crows are one of the few species which, like humans, are capable of learning culturally, that is to say that they can communicate knowledge to each other, and pass this knowledge to subsequent generations. Despite the cull, there are an abundance of crows in Vancouver today, and over a hundred years later, every evening, thousands of them fly to the suburbs to roost at the end of the day, interestingly just outside of Vancouver’s official city limits.
Chinatown Otter
40" x 60", archival print backmounted to aluminum, edition of 5
30" x 45", archival print backmounted to aluminum, edition of 7
In November 2018, staff at Sun Yat-Sen Garden in Vancouver spotted what appeared to be a river otter in the park, and quickly realized it had eaten some of the park’s prized koi fish. Several attempts were made to catch the otter, all of them unsuccessful, which was followed by the discovery that beloved 50-year-old koi, Madonna, was gone. Countermeasures were stepped up. Experts were brought in. Yet, the otter continued to eat the fish and successfully elude capture. The story made international news, and on social media, allegiances were pledged to #TeamOtter and #TeamKoi. Some cheered the otter on, to the dismay of those who felt Madonna, in particular, was part of their neighbourhood. Others proclaimed the otter a thief, supposing it could understand that while eating any other fish anywhere was fine, these koi in this park were somehow different.
Caribou Migrants
40" x 60", archival print backmounted to aluminum, edition of 5
30" x 45", archival print backmounted to aluminum, edition of 7
The arctic is warming faster than any place on earth, and nations are jockeying for position to move in and extract previously inaccessible natural resources. As this happens, northern communities are sure to expand as people move into these regions. This story will be familiar to us all, as throughout human history, people have always moved from place to place to find the resources they need. Meanwhile, caribou (also known as reindeer in Europe) are the furthest-migrating terrestrial mammal in the world, traveling as far as 1,350km annually from their winter ranges to their preferred calving grounds, themselves moving to find the resources they need. Time will tell if their migratory instincts take them through, or around, growing northern settlements of people, most of whom will have recently migrated themselves.
Permanent Resident Canada Geese
40" x 60", archival print backmounted to aluminum, edition of 5
30" x 45", archival print backmounted to aluminum, edition of 7
A previously migratory bird, perhaps no species has done better to transition to residing permanently in human-altered areas than the Canada goose. And, few doing so has caused as much consternation amongst humans. Often considered pests, Canada geese are at home in city parks, golf courses, and other pleasant outdoor spaces near water where we like to walk, sit, play, and enjoy the outdoors. The geese enjoy these spaces as well, grazing on the manicured grass, and rather notably defecating up to three pounds per day each. Concentrations of E. coli and other bacteria in their feces present problems for local authorities, and have actually led to beach closures in some places. Although attempts are made to control their population, Canada geese are a protected species throughout North America and their numbers continue to grow, both here and abroad, where these Canadians have settled as permanent residents in Great Britain, western Europe, Scandinavia, Russia, China, and New Zealand, amongst other places.
Rabbit Co-op
40" x 60", archival print backmounted to aluminum, edition of 5
30" x 45", archival print backmounted to aluminum, edition of 7
For most people today, your twenties are a time in your life where your income level and desire for independence often leads to living in basement suites, co-ops, or older rental apartment units. Like us, rabbits live in domiciles where they burrow separate rooms for living, nesting, and sleeping. These are often then interconnected with the homes of many other rabbits, with multiple entrances and emergency exits. And also not unlike many people at that stage in their lives, rabbits are of course known for their frequent mating. In their case, as a prey species, their prodigious reproduction rate serves as an effective survival strategy. As it turns out, though, when in cities, where there are smaller patches of open land, all these rabbits clustered together forces them to each live in smaller living spaces within the burrow. Like us, to live in cities they must trade stately rural homes for modest urban apartments, no matter how many offspring they may have.
Olympic Village Beavers
40" x 60", archival print backmounted to aluminum, edition of 5
30" x 45", archival print backmounted to aluminum, edition of 7
A few years ago, a family of beavers settled in a small park next to the Olympic Village condo development. As the name implies, these buildings served as the athlete’s village for the 2010 Olympic Games, after which units went on sale as luxury condos. However, after financing problems, cost overruns, and the rush to build in time for the games, they had a poor reputation and were slow to sell. In fact, in 2011, 62 owners filed a lawsuit, alleging that their units were badly designed and poorly built. But, after some time, bars and grocery stores opened in the area and the units sold out, as Vancouver’s usually hot real estate market took off once again. Nowadays, the adjacent park is full of joggers and locals taking their dogs to the off-leash park, right next to the beaver lodge. Although a fun and popular sight for locals (the beavers even have their own instagram account) it’s hard to imagine that amongst all that foot traffic, the bustle of people and dogs, is the best place for a beaver to build a lodge. It seems that even they can’t find their preferred housing in Vancouver.
Bears in our Backyard
40" x 60", archival print backmounted to aluminum, edition of 5
30" x 45", archival print backmounted to aluminum, edition of 7
Despite being amongst the most modern places in the world, many cities in western North America were really only very recently carved out of the wild, and as such, true wilderness can be just a couple of hours away, and in many ways much less. One side effect of this is the overlap in territory with some species, including bears. A surprisingly common experience for those living in suburban areas of BC and Alberta is finding a bear on or around your property. In fact, around 15,000-25,000 reports of bear conflicts are made to BC conservation officers each year. Needless to say, it can be a frightening encounter, as after all, “in your own backyard” is an idiom for something feared being too close for comfort. That said, data going back to 1986 shows the average rate of human fatality by bear attack at 0.5 per year, but the rate at which bears are destroyed due to human conflict is between 300–500 per year. That would suggest it is rather the bears who should be concerned about us building homes in their backyards.
Lone Coyotes
40" x 60", archival print backmounted to aluminum, edition of 5
30" x 45", archival print backmounted to aluminum, edition of 7
A naturally diurnal species (awake during the day), coyotes that come into populated areas turn nocturnal as a strategy to avoid contact with humans. It’s a dramatic adaptation, but one that so many people make as well, to work any number of positions necessary to keep society functioning. Security guards, truckers, taxi drivers, people who clean and restock, and so many others defy their circadian rhythms to take work at night. Although there are surely some that prefer it, for many it’s as born of necessity as it is for the coyotes. But like how our nighttime workers are needed and perhaps under-appreciated, so too are the coyotes, who balance urban ecosystems by acting as necessary apex predators in areas where wolves and bears can no longer operate.
Trash Pandas
40" x 60", archival print backmounted to aluminum, edition of 5
30" x 45", archival print backmounted to aluminum, edition of 7
Originally reclusive creatures that burrowed around trees near rivers, hunting for frogs and crustaceans, some raccoons moved into cities, where they absolutely thrive. There are now 50 times more raccoons living in Toronto, the raccoon capital of the world, than in any adjacent rural space of the same total area. Their small size and dextrous, hand-like front paws allow them to navigate into the very core of human-built spaces, and of course, they can eat anything. Approximately 1/3 of all food we produce goes to waste, so there’s a lot available to them, and being the ultimate dumpster divers has changed the raccoon’s behaviour, physiology, and perhaps even their brains. Very human health concerns like obesity and heart disease affect city raccoons, although they still live much longer and breed more than their rural cousins.
- The Crow Commute
40" x 60", archival print backmounted to aluminum, edition of 5
30" x 45", archival print backmounted to aluminum, edition of 7
Every evening in East Vancouver, one can witness a fascinating daily phenomenon: a seemingly endless stream of crows flying overhead, leaving the city eastward with the evening rush hour. In his History of Metropolitan Vancouver, Chuck Davis reported that in 1903, the city of Vancouver opened a cull on crows - for a time, citizens could lawfully shoot them. According to a 2008 TED Talk by Joshua Klein, crows are one of the few species which, like humans, are capable of learning culturally, that is to say that they can communicate knowledge to each other, and pass this knowledge to subsequent generations. Despite the cull, there are an abundance of crows in Vancouver today, and over a hundred years later, every evening, thousands of them fly to the suburbs to roost at the end of the day, interestingly just outside of Vancouver’s official city limits.