Dr. Heather Hinam 🍁 🇨🇦
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secondnaturemb.bsky.social
Dr. Heather Hinam 🍁 🇨🇦
@secondnaturemb.bsky.social
24K followers 620 following 9.3K posts
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
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secondnaturemb.bsky.social
Dr. Heather Hinam 🍁 🇨🇦 @secondnaturemb.bsky.social · Mar 7
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/
A white woman wearing glasses, a red toque and a scarf with a green parka smiles at the camera. A snowy forest can be seen behind her. A small cottage sits quietly on a moonlit night in the snowy boreal forest. Smoke rises placidly from the chimney while the windows glow with warm light. It's a cold clear night with lots of snow.
secondnaturemb.bsky.social
Frosty faces on the chickadees today. These tiny birds maintain a body temperature of 40C - that's a 70C gradient across only a few centimeters from the outside air to the bird's core! These little guys blow my mind. #birds 🌿
A little black-capped chickadee glances down over its left shoulder and shows of the frost crystals that have formed on its eyebrow and nostril feathers on a frigid morning. A little black-capped chickadee sits puffed up on a metal hook with frosty eyebrow and nostril feathers on a frigid morning.
January 23, 2026 at 2:40 AM
secondnaturemb.bsky.social
This has been pretty much the temperature all day, but with the right layers, it's still quite manageable. Getting acclimated for aurora tours in Churchill next month.
Looking at a digital display of a weather station. It shows that the outdoor temperature is -31C, while it is 22C inside. The wind is at 0 km/h and the forcasted low is -36C. A grey-eyed woman peeks out smiling from inside a fuzzy hood covered in frost. Her orange neck gater is also frosty, but her nose is uncovered.
January 23, 2026 at 2:00 AM
secondnaturemb.bsky.social
A brief moment with a few of my neighbours this morning. The deep cold didn’t seem to be bothering them. Deer grow a dense coat for winter and their legs and ears have a counter current system where the blood vessels keep the heat in the core of their body. #mammals 🌿
January 22, 2026 at 5:09 PM
secondnaturemb.bsky.social
A beautiful and crisp -32°C for this morning’s walk. The wind is going to pick up soon and make being outside dangerous but for now, it’s quite beautiful, as are these snow drifts along lake Winnipeg.
Sharply carved snow drifts look like whales breaching in a white sea. A thick mantle of snow wrapped around boulders that you can’t see anymore. Deep wells form around the side of the rock where the winds picks up the snow.
January 22, 2026 at 4:07 PM
secondnaturemb.bsky.social
I said this this morning and it was -22°C. ❄️ 😊
juliedicaro.bsky.social Julie DiCaro @juliedicaro.bsky.social · 1d
Winter in the Midwest.

(Steps outside) “Oh, it’s warm today!”

(Checks temp): 22 degrees.
January 21, 2026 at 7:11 PM
secondnaturemb.bsky.social
Happy #SquirrelAppreciationDay!
Manitoba is blessed with a wide diversity of squirrels and I've managed to photograph all but the fox squirrel that lives in the far southern portion of the province. #mammals 🌿
A photo guide to 10 different squirrels in Manitoba. The top row features the thirteen-lined ground squirrel (with stripes on the back), Richardson's ground squirrel, Franklin's ground squirrel, black-tailed prairie dog and woodchuck. The bottom row includes the North American red squirrel, eastern grey squirrel, northern flying squirrel, eastern chipmunk and least chipmunk.
January 21, 2026 at 5:26 PM
secondnaturemb.bsky.social
Just a hint of the northern lights from last night. We had very thin clouds and light snow when I took this, so it's the only photo I have that's in focus and it took some cleaning up. #aurora
A band of green light stretches across the night sky over a snowy road curving through a dark conifer forest.
January 21, 2026 at 5:08 PM
secondnaturemb.bsky.social
The back of the camera from about half an hour ago. I’m too tired to stay up and see if the light haze clears and it gets any brighter. Still, it was nice to go out for a bit and enjoy them. #aurora
Looking at the back of a camera at a photograph of the northern lights over a snowy road to the forest. The sky is pretty green with a more distinct ribbon of light near the horizon. The camera makes it look brighter than it was in person.
January 21, 2026 at 4:02 AM
secondnaturemb.bsky.social
A lovely sunset on my way home this evening. It may be the only colours in the sky I see tonight.
The setting sun disappears below the horizon, leaving a splotch of bright yellow amidst the haze of orange and pinky red rising up into the purple sky. A farmers field sits in shadow in the foreground framed by a Y shaped oak tree on the far right along a fence line.
January 21, 2026 at 1:35 AM
secondnaturemb.bsky.social
A few more moments from the great gray owl I encountered a little over a week ago. I haven't seen it since, but I'm lucky to have these photos to look back on. #birds 🌿
A large great gray owl flies through the snowy forest with its nearly 5 ft wings outstretched and bright yellow eyes lit by the setting sun. A great gray owl pulls its enormous wings into a downstroke as it gains altitude on its flight through the forest. Its yellow eyes are lit by the sun as it looks at its next perch.
January 20, 2026 at 4:28 PM
Reposted by Dr. Heather Hinam 🍁 🇨🇦
dwuff.com
Tagging #ClimateSky #climatecatastrophe #climatescience - PLEASE for the love of god stop using AI in your papers and articles
dwuff.com Dwuff 🇿🇦✨ @dwuff.com · 2d
BEGGING climate scientists and writers to stop using AI images for your articles

Talking about climate breakdown while actively using the planet-burning plagiarism machine to generate a throwaway image vs just sourcing a legit image from elsewhere is unethical, not to mention tone deaf.
January 20, 2026 at 7:05 AM
Reposted by Dr. Heather Hinam 🍁 🇨🇦
rosemarymosco.com
How to get into nature.
A four-panel comic titled "how to get into nature". In panel 1, a person kneels in the woods, looking down at a red-backed salamander, and the text says "notice a living thing." In panel 2, the text says "notice some other things that live near it," and there's a starflower, springtail, ant, little wood satyr butterfly, and salamander on the leaf litter. In panel 3, covered in creatures, plants, and a colorful starburst, the text says "Notice the connections between them, discover the wider ecosystem, learn about its histories, and find yourself following links from bedrock to stratosphere, between biotic and abiotic, at scales both microbial and massive, until you’re hopelessly overwhelmed by the wonder of it all." In panel 4, the text says "Fall into a daze and let moss engulf you." The person from the first panel is still kneeling in the woods, looking happy as moss slowly engulfs them, and they're saying "This is for the best."
January 20, 2026 at 1:04 PM
secondnaturemb.bsky.social
Winter white caps. We had some intense winds over the weekend which sculpted the snow in the more open areas into these gorgeous waves. 🌿
A sculpted snow drift curves like a crashing way behind a lone cattail sticking up out of the snow. The snow sparkles in the sunlight. A sculpted mountain of snow sparkles in the sunlight against the bank of willows behind it.
January 20, 2026 at 3:03 PM
secondnaturemb.bsky.social
A gorgeous sunset through the translucent walls of The Leaf in Assiniboine Park, #Winnipeg.
Looking up at a four storey tower with a spiral of translucent ceiling and walls. The golden light of the sunset glows through the walls, lighting up the Mediterranean plants in the foreground.
January 20, 2026 at 3:16 AM
secondnaturemb.bsky.social
Another lovely sunset over the lake. This time it’s -30°C, but the wind has finally calmed down leaving snow drifts in its wake.
An orange sun just begins to spill over the horizon, sending deep orange light over the purple snow. In the foreground, there are ripples and valleys where the drifts have caught on rocks and grass.
January 19, 2026 at 4:15 PM
secondnaturemb.bsky.social
Sometimes the light hits just right.
Black-capped chickadee. #birds
A little black-capped chickadee perches on a thin poplar branch. The background is grey and blurred.
January 18, 2026 at 11:04 PM
secondnaturemb.bsky.social
I will never get tired of looking out the window and seeing these brilliant birds. - Pine Grosbeak #birds 🌿
A bright red male pine grosbeak perches on a black metal hook.
January 18, 2026 at 8:10 PM
secondnaturemb.bsky.social
I had an unexpected morning visitor to the feeder today - a southern red-backed vole. #mammals 🌿
A little reddish-brown vole snuffles through the snow on the ground looking for sunflower seeds. A little reddish-brown vole snuffles through the snow on the ground looking for sunflower seeds.
January 18, 2026 at 1:32 AM
secondnaturemb.bsky.social
Pine grosbeak male on a snowy day. Still one of my favourite winter birds. #birds 🌿
A ruby red pine grosbeak male perches on a delicately curved poplar branch. The tree is dusted lightly with snow, a highlight against the great bokeh background.
January 16, 2026 at 9:38 PM
secondnaturemb.bsky.social
We're in the middle of a little blizzard, so I'm bringing some sunshine into the day with a look at the great gray owl I met last weekend. Hoping for similar luck this weekend.
#birds 🌿
A large grey owl floats through the air on huge but weightless-looking wings. The sun lights up its bright, yellow eye and facial disk as it flies in front of a snow-covered spruce tree.
January 16, 2026 at 3:48 PM
secondnaturemb.bsky.social
Spent a lovely evening in my capacity as board member helping kickoff the third annual Fleur de Villes floral show at The Leaf in Assiniboine Park. Amazing talent by our local florists creating incredible displays using all plant material. Each represents a different wonder of the world. #Winnipeg
A mannequin dressed in a flowing gown made of purple and white flowers and a bodice of sage green leaves. Her hat is made of the same leaves as her bodice. This display is to represent the Lavender fields in France. A mannequin covered in orange roses and orchids and hundreds of hand painted monarch butterflies made out of cornhusks, to represent the overwintering site of monarch butterflies. It’s an incredibly detailed display. Close-up of the monarch butterfly mannequin showing the bright yellow orchids and hand painted corn husk monarch butterflies. A mannequin wrapped in flowing ribbons of flowers in greens, turquoise, purple, and blue to represent the northern lights. It’s hard to describe this one. Its face is covered by the thick ribbon of flowers that wraps around the body and then sprays out at the bottom in a massive skirt.
January 15, 2026 at 8:07 PM
secondnaturemb.bsky.social
I've been working on these wood ducks as part of a larger illustration, but I wanted them to stand on their own so I whipped up a basic background. I hope to work it up into something more detailed and realistic when I have more time. #SciArt #illustration #birds
A female and male wood duck snuggle side-by-side on a rock on the edge of a forest. The painting was done using photoshop. The female is sort of a purplish grey-brown, while the male is bright and has an iridescent green head, red eye and bill with many white highlights.
January 14, 2026 at 5:24 PM
secondnaturemb.bsky.social
A bright, crisp sunrise over Lake Winnipeg this morning. Perfect conditions for a walk.
The bright orange ball of the sun just peeks over the horizon in the mostly clear sky. A small smudge of grey/orange clouds are smeared around the top of the image. The bright orange sunbeams sweep across the enormous snow-covered frozen lake lighting up, the purple coloured snow. A few grasses poke out of the snow in the foreground on the shore.
January 14, 2026 at 5:03 PM
secondnaturemb.bsky.social
We're posting boardwalks apparently. I have a few favourites, but how about this one in winter?
A long, straight, snow covered boardwalk cuts through a thick cedar forest dusted in snow in early winter.
January 14, 2026 at 2:50 AM
secondnaturemb.bsky.social
I came across this pileated woodpecker this morning. While they often work on the base of trees, I was not expecting to see her head popping out from behind a pile of snow. #birds
January 14, 2026 at 2:34 AM