Canadian Wildlife – May-June 2026

Summary

Canadian Wildlife May + June 2026 (Volume 32, Number 2) races to save the racer on its cover: Andrew Findlay's Chasing Shadows at page 14 follows the Eastern Yellow-bellied Racer, one of Canada's most elusive snakes. Brian Banks' Naming the Giants at p24 tracks humpback whales reclaiming B.C.'s coast.

CEO Sean Southey opens with What the Water Holds, noting leatherback sea turtles and humpback whales gather in Canadian waters in summer, and introducing the Marine Education and Research Society on Vancouver Island, whose team names each humpback. Rivers to Oceans Week runs 8 to 14 June.

Wayne Lynch's Wilson's Snipe is the issue's best science: Gallinago delicata sings with its tail, has tactile receptors in its bill tip, and performs a winnowing display from heights sometimes reaching 90 metres. Prairie potholes store carbon and prevent flooding yet are still drained, and off-leash dogs disturb wildlife.

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Content Guide

▸ Cover — Species

p.14 · Chasing Shadows
Andrew Findlay follows the race to save the Eastern Yellow-bellied Racer, one of Canada's most elusive snakes. Elusive snakes are the hardest animals to protect because nobody sees them. Report any racer sighting to your provincial reptile atlas.

p.24 · Naming the Giants
Brian Banks reports on humpback whales reclaiming B.C.'s coast after being pushed to the brink of extinction. Sean Southey introduces the Marine Education and Research Society, based on Vancouver Island, whose researchers name each whale, and notes leatherbacks and humpbacks gather in Canadian waters each summer. Choose any whale-watching boat by its approach distance before you book.

▸ Science and Habitat

p.9 · Out There — Wilson's Snipe
Wayne Lynch writes on the Wilson's Snipe, Gallinago delicata, listed Least Concern and found in wetlands in every province and territory. The bird sings with its tail, and its long bill tip carries dense tactile receptors that detect food in mud, with a bone in the upper mandible sliding forward to flex the tip upward. Its aerial display, winnowing, makes a hu-hu-hu-hu tremolo during high-speed dives, sometimes from as high as 90 metres, performed by both sexes with males defending territory and attracting mates. Listen for the tremolo over a marsh at dusk this spring.

p.10 · Bigger Picture — Prairie potholes
Prairie potholes store carbon, prevent flooding and sustain migratory birds, and this page asks why they are still being drained. Draining wetlands trades flood control for short-term field area. Find your local wetland and ask what protection covers it.

p.6 · In Focus — Hoary Marmot
Barbara Robson photographed a remarkably relaxed hoary marmot at Whistler, British Columbia, entered in the Canadian Wildlife Federation photo contest. Contest images set the standard for ethical wildlife photography. Give any marmot the distance it chooses rather than approaching for a shot.

▸ Living With Wildlife

p.40 · Urban Wildlife
Letting your dog off-leash may seem harmless, but the effect on local wildlife tells another story. Of the 12.2 million Canadian households owning a pet, 49.1 per cent have a dog, and dogs spread disease, disturb wildlife, introduce invasive species and destroy habitat; the fix is to keep them on a leash. Keep your dog on a lead in any wildlife area this summer.

p.44 · Engage — CanFishPass
A new community-science app, CanFishPass, helps Canadians identify barriers to fish passage, from dams to road crossings. Blocked passages kill fish quietly and invisibly. Log one crossing near you on the app this month.

p.38 · Field Guide — Mitreworts
Mitreworts are delicate, shade-loving plants that support solitary bees and suit woodland gardens. Single-plant pages are the most useful thing a magazine prints. Plant one shade-loving native in a woodland border this spring.

▸ Regulars

p.36 · Birding
The birding expert shares the gear that takes birding to the next level, from beginners to seasoned pros. Better optics beat more expensive trips for most birders. Borrow one pair of binoculars before buying your own.

Great Canadian Bioblitz
The Canadian Wildlife Federation invites all Canadians to the annual Great Canadian Bioblitz, running 18 to 27 September, with observations and recordings uploaded to iNaturalist Canada at GreatCanadianBioblitz.ca, and prizes on offer. Citizen science fills gaps professionals cannot. Record one species a day during the bioblitz.

p.46 · Right Here — Ouimet Canyon Provincial Park
The back page visits Ouimet Canyon Provincial Park in Ontario. Park pages give readers somewhere concrete to go. Check trail conditions before driving to a canyon park.

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Editor's Take

Wayne Lynch's Wilson's Snipe is the standout in Canadian Wildlife May + June 2026, because a bird that sings with its tail, hunts by touch and winnows from 90 metres is the kind of detail that changes how a reader walks a marsh. The racer and humpback cover stories give the issue two real species, and Sean Southey naming MERS and Rivers to Oceans Week ties them together. Weakest is the off-leash dog piece, which states its case well but sits oddly beside a fishing passage app and a plant guide, and the birding gear page is thin. The prairie pothole question deserves more than one page. Buy this for the snipe and the two cover species.

Strengths
• Wilson's Snipe gives 90 metres and tactile bills
• Racer and humpback covers give real species
• Pothole page asks why wetlands are still drained
• Bioblitz and CanFishPass give readers actions

Weaknesses
• Off-leash dog piece sits oddly among the rest
• Birding gear page is thin for the section

Verdict: Recommended — the snipe science and cover species earn it.