The World Through Our Lens
One winter, Bob and I went cross-country skiing on the Fen Lake Trail in Algonquin Provincial Park, in Ontario. As luck had it, we spotted two female Pileated Woodpeckers working industriously on the same tree in the depths of the forest. Pileated Woodpeckers are the largest woodpeckers you will find in the wilds of Ontario. Read more
Without a doubt, we have all seen endless pictures of the Arc de Triomphe in Paris, France. Similarly, it is probably one of the most popular sights to be both visited and filmed in Paris. But I have got to tell you that, when Bob and I emerged onto the surface from Le Métro subway stop, the sheer enormity of the Arc de Triomphe and its ownership of the landscape literally brought tears to my eyes. Standing across the street from it, I just stood there amazed, very moved, and in awe. Read more
Bob and I began our second day in Paris, France, with a visit to the Roman Catholic church La Madeleine located at the very top of rue Royale. With its massive Corinthian columns, La Madeleine Church occupies a commanding position at the end of the street, and I remember being awed when I first caught sight of it. This church has a very interesting history. Read more
With Arctic air being driven into Southern Ontario by a gusty wind right out of the north. Bob and I, nevertheless, seized the opportunity to go in search of a Northern Mockingbird, in Thickson’s Woods in Whitby, Ontario. Read more
On a bitterly cold January day with temperatures of -20 Celsius when the wind chill was factored in, Bob and I, drove out to Thickson’s Woods in Whitby, Ontario, because we had heard that two Great Horned Owls make their home in that unique small forest. As it turned out we didn’t find the Great Horned Owls, but did find this Barred Owl sitting in the woods. Read more
Late one fall, Bob and I hiked a new trail at Rouge National Urban Park, in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. We were amazed at how remote it felt on the edge of a big city, and the Bufflehead ducks that are from the Arctic seemed right at home. Read more
On a visit to Lynde Shores Conservation Area in Whitby, Ontario, we managed to sight a Red-bellied Woodpecker late in the afternoon beneath cloudy skies, high in a treetop. Read more
On an unseasonably warm January day, Bob and I visited Lynde Shores Conservation Area in Whitby, Ontario, to do some birdwatching. No sooner had we entered the grounds than a huge flock of eastern wild turkeys were found clogging the walkway of the Bird Feeding Trail. Read more
There are few places on the planet that Bob and I have visited that can compare to Paris In The Spring. And even as our picture illustrates, it does get cloudy in that City of Light. Paris is a city where time seems to stand still, and as you walk its streets, hills and riverside, the past and present seem to meld into one. Read more
One spring, in our local Toronto park, in Ontario, a Sharp-shinned hawk (Accipiter striatus) was taking issue with the weather even as a gentle mist continued to settle on the land. The hawk had taken refuge in the top of a local century old maple tree. Read more
