The World Through Our Lens
At the time Bob and I visited Northern Ireland, we had only a casual interest in birds and animals, so it was just by happenstance that we took several photographs of the peculiar looking birds called Razorbill auks (Alca Torda) that were nesting on Carrick-a-Rede Island. What struck us about their appearance was the thick black beak that is so deep and blunt. Read more
Bob and I arrived in Northern Ireland a day earlier under rainy skies that persisted into the following morning and dampened our hopes for a clear day to visit the Giant’s Causeway. In light of the inclement weather, we chose to tour the Bushmill’s Distillery en route as a means of killing a couple of hours, and lo and behold, by the time we drove a little further east to the UNESCO World Heritage Site, the rain had stopped. Read more
Bob and I had spent the early part of one morning touring the ancient fort, Dun Aonghasa, and photographing the wide variety of wildflowers at that location, so by the time we returned to our accommodations at Kilmurvey House , our rental bikes were ready and waiting for us. A quick stop at the nearby cafe afforded us some sandwiches and apples that were tucked into our backpacks before setting off on our bike ride on Inishmore Island. Read more
Bob and I had the opportunity to drive to the town of Haliburton one spring weekend. With a set time required for our arrival, nothing much was going to get in our way of arriving on schedule. As we drove along Highway 35, Bob drew my attention to a black blob on the ice of Cedar Lake, and I recognized it immediately as a River Otter. Read more
On an outing to Tommy Thompson Park, Bob and I were in search of American Woodcocks in the Wet Woods, several having been sighted there a week earlier. Although we only managed to flush a couple of those elusive birds, we certainly had no trouble photographing some of the thousands of Ring-billed Gulls (Larus delawarensis) that had congregated at the Ring-billed Gull Colony at Tommy Thompson Park. Read more
It isn’t as if Bob and I have never seen Long-tailed Ducks before, previously known as Oldsquaws, but on one spring visit to Tommy Thompson Park, in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, we noticed something quite unusual about this female as it swam near the lift bridge on the Leslie Street Spit. Read more
Pine Martens seem to be regular visitors to certain spots in Algonquin Provincial Park in Ontario at least during late winter. Whether seen frequenting the bird-feeding station along the Spruce Bog Trail or those feeders set below the deck of the Visitor Centre, these small furry mammals delight observers, young and old. Read more
When Bob and I set out from Zitacuaro for San Blas on the Pacific Coast of Mexico, our spirits were high. Being a birding hotspot, our destination had us filled with anticipation. What we did not expect to find was the lush aquatic environment and the prolific population of shorebirds at Lago de Cuitzeo, which is found along Toll Highway 15D still in the State of Michoacan. Read more
Bob and I could think of no better way to shed the winter blahs than to go for a hike at Tommy Thompson Park, on the Leslie Street Spit here in Toronto, Ontario. That is where we came across a raft of Redhead Ducks. Read more