Dr. Heather Hinam 🍁 🇨🇦
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secondnaturemb.bsky.social
Dr. Heather Hinam 🍁 🇨🇦
@secondnaturemb.bsky.social
Naturalist, writer, artist, and educator with a Ph.D. in Ecology. I make interpretive signs, illustrations, murals, and books. Sometimes, I chase polar bears and belugas. #scicomm #sciart http://www.discoversecondnature.ca
Pinned
Hi Everyone!
I'm Heather. A lot of new people have joined me in the last 24 hours so I thought I'd answer some frequently-asked questions.

1. Where do you live? - I live in Manitoba, Canada in a provincial park on Lake Winnipeg. It is a wild area of the boreal forest, but not remote. 1/
Reposted by Dr. Heather Hinam 🍁 🇨🇦
A story in four parts. This second year polar bear cub wasn't feeling it anymore. Mom, however, reminded her that they needed to keep moving with a few potentially dangerous males nearby. However, the effects of the pep talk didn't last long :) #Mammals #BearSeason2025 🌿
November 25, 2025 at 8:44 PM
I started my week with a milestone. My family built it when I was two. I bought it in my 30s and officially paid off the mortgage yesterday. My own little piece of paradise is all mine.
November 26, 2025 at 2:01 AM
A story in four parts. This second year polar bear cub wasn't feeling it anymore. Mom, however, reminded her that they needed to keep moving with a few potentially dangerous males nearby. However, the effects of the pep talk didn't last long :) #Mammals #BearSeason2025 🌿
November 25, 2025 at 8:44 PM
Reposted by Dr. Heather Hinam 🍁 🇨🇦
Tapping the sign again
November 25, 2025 at 5:50 PM
Apparently I was a day early for the #BirdofTheDay theme of #YellowEyes so here this is again :)
Took a detour on my way home from the city today to look for snowy owls and lucked into one just before sunset. They're such beautiful birds. #birds 🌿
November 25, 2025 at 4:38 PM
Took a detour on my way home from the city today to look for snowy owls and lucked into one just before sunset. They're such beautiful birds. #birds 🌿
November 25, 2025 at 1:59 AM
Some colourful visitors to the feeder yesterday. I don't see evening grosbeaks that often, despite them being year-round residents. #birds 🌿
November 24, 2025 at 2:55 AM
Reposted by Dr. Heather Hinam 🍁 🇨🇦
Mom and cub stopped by to check us out where we watched, breathless from the buggy. Some bears are very curious of the large, white box full of people with clicky things.
November 23, 2025 at 1:38 AM
Mom and cub stopped by to check us out where we watched, breathless from the buggy. Some bears are very curious of the large, white box full of people with clicky things.
November 23, 2025 at 1:38 AM
Like mother, like daughter. This cub is 1 year and 11 months old and will be sticking around for another 6 months at least before venturing off on her own. They both look to be in good shape and I hope they have good luck on the ice once Hudson Bay freezes. #BearSeason2025 #Mammals 🌿
November 22, 2025 at 10:33 PM
Watching polar bears spar will never get old. #mammals 🌿
November 22, 2025 at 2:07 AM
Two evenly-matched males spent the afternoon lazily sparring while waiting for the bay to freeze. #BearSeason2025 #Mammals 🌿
November 21, 2025 at 4:51 PM
He found a chew toy on the tundra. Polar bears will eat just about anything they can find, but the only thing that will really fuel their metabolism is seal fat, which they will have to wait for the bay to freeze to get their paws on. #BearSeason2025 #mammals 🌿
November 21, 2025 at 2:51 AM
How I've been feeling this week at the end of polar bear season in Churchill. #Mammals 🌿
November 20, 2025 at 10:00 PM
Reposted by Dr. Heather Hinam 🍁 🇨🇦
Polar bear moms are fierce. This mom watched three different males approaching her nap spot, posing a threat to her cub. They retreated with Mom stopping to assess the situation regularly. You can see a pretty serious scar on her face, indicating that she was quick to defend her cubs. #mammals 🌿
November 20, 2025 at 3:21 AM
Polar bear moms are fierce. This mom watched three different males approaching her nap spot, posing a threat to her cub. They retreated with Mom stopping to assess the situation regularly. You can see a pretty serious scar on her face, indicating that she was quick to defend her cubs. #mammals 🌿
November 20, 2025 at 3:21 AM
The happiest doggos you'll ever meet. They are part of the Wapusk Adventures family, just south of Churchill, Manitoba. I love photographing them in their element.
November 19, 2025 at 5:01 PM
Reposted by Dr. Heather Hinam 🍁 🇨🇦
Polar bears a BIG. This one had pass through only a few hours prior. #mammals 🌿
November 18, 2025 at 8:48 PM
Polar bears a BIG. This one had pass through only a few hours prior. #mammals 🌿
November 18, 2025 at 8:48 PM
I got to cap off a fantastic polar bear season with the treat of driving one of the tundra buggies for a while. This stretch of trail is quite smooth, but they did let me take it down off of the ridge into rougher terrain.
November 18, 2025 at 3:34 AM
Two mother polar bears and their respective cubs beating a hasty retreat from a large male who had just showed up in the neighborhood. Males are a risk to cubs. #BearSeason2025 #mammals 🌿
November 15, 2025 at 1:26 PM
A very stark reminder why no one goes out on foot after dark in Churchill, Manitoba. This mom and her cubs came just off the beach and behind the town complex. The Polar Bear Alert staff gently herded them away from town to keep everyone safe. #mammals #BearSeason2025 🌿
November 14, 2025 at 3:39 AM
Happy Exploding Whale Day for those who celebrate :)
55 years ago today, the Oregon State Highway Division had a whale of a problem on its hands. How it solved it is the stuff of legends.

In other words: Happy Exploding Whale Day!
The Exploding Whale: An infamous moment in Oregon history creates a strangely beloved icon
YouTube video by KATU News
youtu.be
November 12, 2025 at 5:42 PM
Polar bears are solitary for the most part. Usually, the only time you see cuddling is with mom and cubs. However, this is two males. I've noticed that some males will hang out together while waiting for the ice and this will be a precursor to a sparring bout. #mammals 🌿
November 12, 2025 at 4:07 PM
I really need to get to bed, but I just poked my head out the back door again. This is the view from my deck. All of this is looking south. When the geomagnetic storms are like this, the oval overshoots me and stretches into the US, which is why so many are seeing it tonight. #aurora
November 12, 2025 at 5:16 AM