Boreal birds
Known as the Phantom of the North, the great grey owl, Strix nebulosa, is synomynous with the boreal forest.
The grey owl’s range stretches across Canada’s primarily coniferous belt and into Eurasia. First
described by Johann Renhold Forster in 1772 as ‘nebulosa’ — derived from Latin for misty or foggy —
this boreal bird of prey prefers larch swamps and small rodents.
Take a look at Canada’s northern forest and the life it supports in this installment of CG In-depth.
Boreal-life casserole
Enjoy mother-nature’s northern Canadian time-honoured recipe
Story by Kate Porter
This rustic northern dish will impress guests with its sheer size and versatility. Ingredients
and measurements will vary by region, but the casserole will always have a strong flavour of
spruce and pine. Serve cold.
Ingredients:
- coniferous trees (white and black spruce, jackpine or lodgepole pine, balsam fir,
tamarack)
- broad-leafed deciduous trees (birch, poplar, aspen, willow)
- shrubs (blueberry, orchids)
- lichens
- lynx
- black bear
- wolverine
- moose
- woodland caribou
- marten
- snowshoe hare
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- red squirrel
- red-backed vole
- black-capped chickadee
- boreal chickadee
- ruffed grouse
- spruce grouse
- great gray owl
- great horned owl
- boreal owl
- hawk owl
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optional:
- Canada goose
- great blue heron
- common loon
- warblers (e.g. palm, blackpoll, Magnolia, Tennessee and bay-breasted)
Method:
Floral base:
Line bottom of belt-shaped dish with lichens, grasses and mosses to form a carpet-like layer.
Add shrubs. In a separate bowl, mix spruce, pine and balsam fir. Drop clumps of this coniferous
mixture on northern half of dish, leaving open spaces. To remaining mixture, add generous spoonfuls
of broad-leafed trees, but make sure to keep texture predominantly coniferous. Spread mixed-wood
blend evenly on southern half of dish. Sprinkle stands of tamarack in marshy areas across pan.
Faunal layer:
Spoon clusters of the following ingredients onto forest base: caribou, snowshoe hare, red-backed
vole. Depending on the season, place the other mammalian ingredients one piece at a time: Lynx,
black bear, moose, red squirrel, red-backed vole, wolverine. Wolverine is a difficult ingredient
to find, but when available it adds to the biodiversity of the recipe. Sprinkle millions of
grouse, owls and chickadees evenly over tree mixture.
Topping (optional):
In spring, many birds will be available to nest in boreal dish, including great blue heron,
Canada goose, common loon and warblers. Sprinkle generously. Dozens of other migrating bird
species can also be used to add variety to the presentation of the casserole.
Refrigerate at an average 11 to 15°C in summer, or freeze at average - 20 to -15°C
in winter. Dish will never fully set. Trees will grow in pure stands, fires and insect outbreaks
will destroy large patches and then cause them to regenerate, and wildlife populations will
fluctuate, only to add flavour to the dish. Enjoy!
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