The World Through Our Lens
Photography of birds we have observed in the wild.
The second morning following our arrival in Mexico, Bob and I took full advantage of a perfect sunny day to go to Santuario de la Mariposa Monarca “El Rosario” to witness the phenomenon of wintering Monarchs by the millions. Getting there was half the adventure, and unexpected sights such as a spur-of-the-moment cockfight at roadside certainly made the trip interesting. Read more
As Bob and I climbed the mountain at El Rosario Monarch Butterfly Reserve in Mexico, we were on the alert for any new bird species living in that forest habitat. It wasn’t until we returned to the visitor centre back at the trailhead that we were treated to a sighting of Hepatic Tanagers. Read more
Who can resist the endearing face of a chubby Canada Jay or Gray Jay as they are more familiarly known? In certain areas of Algonquin Provincial Park, one is almost guaranteed to sight these friendly birds that are always quick to come close as if in welcome to their territory, the boreal forest. Read more
Bob and I enjoy birdwatching through our patio door as we take our meals every day, but near the beginning of this past December, as we finished up our lunch, all the songbirds took flight in a rushed panic. Next thing we knew, this Juvenile Cooper’s Hawk assumed a stakeout from on top of my garden arbour. Read more
Bob and I had heard that, at a particular cemetery in Burlington, Ontario, there are no less than three Eastern Screech Owls that inhabit nest holes in a couple of different trees. On the morning of our most recent visit, we did find one of the Red Morph Screech Owls, but when directed to a second tree that a pair of Screech Owls calls home, the cavity showed no sign of its occupants. It wasn’t until much later in the afternoon that I spotted this Red Morph when it poked its head out of the dark hollow for a peak at the world. Read more
Bob and I could not believe our good fortune when we found a second Eastern Screech Owl on the same visit to Burlington, Ontario. This Eastern Screech Owl Grey Morph is quite different from the Red Morph Eastern Screech Owl we had just observed at a nearby Cemetery. Read more
Well, Bob and I can finally say that we have seen an Eastern Screech Owl in the wild, as opposed to one we visited at the Mountsberg Raptor Centre a couple of years ago. It has taken us two years to finally see the Eastern Screech Owls in Burlington and not for lack of knowing where to look. It was overcast one day last week when Bob and I again ventured west of Toronto in hopes of finding at least one of the known Screech Owls out of its nest hole. Read more
What a challenge to capture any Belted Kingfisher (Megaceryle alcyon) in a photograph! Over the years, as Bob and I have canoed on various lakes and rivers, we have observed countless Kingfishers taunting us with their perpetual cat and mouse routine. Always just one step ahead of us, it seems that these birds are playful at best, and always wait until we are in sight before taking flight for another tree a couple of hundred feet further down the shoreline. This handsome female took no notice of our presence on the observation deck at Colonel Samuel Smith Park in Toronto. Read more
For weeks, Bob and I had been hearing about a Yellow-crowned Night Heron making a stay at Colonel Samuel Smith Park on Toronto’s lakeshore. When finally we had a chance to pop down there for a look, it was quite late in the afternoon so we did not hold out much hope of seeing it since other people had been numerous times without success. Lo and behold, after we circled the main pond on an obscure trail through the woodlot, we came out to a clearing and found the Night Heron perched nonchalantly on a rock. Read more