A fledgling snowy owl practises its flying skills on the hills above Marcil Lake, just northwest of Arctic Bay, on Sunday, Aug. 23. “I’ve seen the adults hunting in the general area for some time now, but the juveniles must have fledged around this weekend as they’ve been visible since at least Friday,” writes photographer Clare Kines. “The young owls will be practising their flying and perhaps their hunting skills as well, although the adults are likely still feeding them most of their food. They’ll move off later in the fall as winter sets in.” (Photo by Clare Kines)
Clare Kines of Arctic Bay spotted these white-rumped sandpipers on Aug. 9 at Kahula Lake, beyond Nanisivik. “These are young birds, hatched this summer,” he writes. “The adults have already left for the south. Incredible to think that they already have the map for their journey, the first they will make, imprinted in their brains.” (Photo by Clare Kines)
Aqpiit, or cloudberries, grow on a hillside near Kangiqsualujjuaq as the Koroc River rushes past below. Photographer Isabelle Dubois took this shot on Aug. 15 during a weekend camping trip. “We were fishing on the Koroc River all morning and I got hungry, so I went looking for a snack and found these aqpiks up on top of the hills overlooking the rapids, where some of the women had gone berry picking. The view from up there was just amazing! But it was so hot that after that climb, I actually went back down for a dip in the river with the kids, out of harms way from the rapids of course. It was a bit chilly, but oh so refreshing! Actually, if you look closely, you can see some of the kids playing in the water down there.” (Photo by Isabelle Dubois)
The sun sets behind the mouth of the George River leading to Ungava Bay, seen from the hills behind Kangiqsualujjuaq, on Sunday, Aug. 16. (Photo by Isabelle Dubois)
The sun sets on sea ice remnants near Qikiqtarjuaq on Aug. 1 around 9:45 p.m. in this photo taken by Maggie Kuniliusie. “We were in awe/ahh… moments to have witnessed this magnificent scenery but a little bit sad at the same time as we watched the sun disappeared behind those mountains,” she writes. “This signifies 24 hour sunlight is over.” (Photo by Maggie Kuniliusie)
The City of Iqaluit began work on removing abandoned vehicles, shacks and garbage from the Apex beach this morning, following complaints made by local residents. Mayor Kenny Bell, who was on hand as the first of the garbage was removed, said that the city is concerned that abandoned shacks can pose fire hazards and safety concerns, and that other refuse, such as abandoned vehicles, batteries and fuel canisters, could leak hazardous waste into waterways. (Photo by Dustin Patar)
