On a birding outing to Second Marsh Wildlife Area in Oshawa, Ontario, Canada, Bob and I couldn’t have been more pleased at our sighting of a Warbling Vireo. Read more
Category: Birds
Photography of birds we have observed in the wild.
Great Blue Herons On Their Nests At Oxtongue Lake
Great Blue Herons On Their Nests At Oxtongue Lake
During the third week of May one spring, Bob and I found ourselves in the community of Oxtongue Lake, in Ontario, Canada. One of our objectives was to visit the Rookery where Great Blue Herons have nested in past years. When we first broke through the forest that surrounds the beaver pond, we saw only vacant nests. It wasn’t long before one of the majestic herons flew in and landed on its nest. Read more
Long-tailed Ducks At Toronto’s Tommy Thompson Park
Tommy Thompson Park in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, is revered as a magnificent location for bird watching. During one visit to the park, Bob and I came upon a pair of Long-tailed Ducks. Read more
A Yellow-rumped Warbler At Ontario’s Oxtongue Lake
Bob and I visited the community of Oxtongue Lake, in Ontario one spring to help celebrate my dad’s 90th birthday. Being early in May, there was lots of activity in the trees with migrating birds returning to their nesting grounds. Along Oxtongue Lake Road, we were lucky to see a Yellow-rumped Warbler singing merrily from the branch of a tree at roadside. Read more
Black-Crowned Night Herons At Toronto’s Tommy Thompson Park
For my Mother’s Day outing one spring, our family decided to go for a hike at Tommy Thompson Park here in Toronto. It is reputed as a birdwatchers’ paradise, and I would have to agree with whomever made that proclamation. One of the most thrilling sightings we made that day was a nesting colony of Black-crowned Night Herons. We saw at least 12 pairs of these magnificent birds, some on their nests, others perched in the trees. Read more
Common Terns At Toronto’s Tommy Thompson Park
For a Mother’s Day outing one spring, my family suggested a visit to Tommy Thompson Park in Toronto. Well known for fabulous birdwatching opportunities, it sounded like the perfect place to go for my special day. Little did I know just how much success we would have at spotting birds. A large number of Common Terns (Sterna hirundo) caught our eye in a bay on the west side of the Leslie Street Spit. Read more
Northern Flickers in Whitby’s Thickson’s Woods
Bob and I were on one of our regular visits to Thickson’s Woods Nature Reserve, in Whitby, Ontario, Canada, to check out the development of the Great Horned Owl babies. As we turned to leave, we noticed some northern flickers near the top of a snag. Read more
A Baltimore Oriole Enjoys Spring In Whitby’s Thickson’s Woods
On a warm sunny spring day, Bob and I visited Thickson’s Woods Nature Reserve in Whitby, Ontario. We most often explore the trails of the forest, hoping to find some migrating birds, but on this visit, we opted for a walkabout the meadow adjacent to the woodlot. What a perfect habitat for the many species of songbirds that we saw that day, amongst them a beautiful Baltimore Oriole. Read more
Great Horned Owl Babies Out Of Their Thickson’s Woods Nest
It had been almost three weeks since Bob and I visited Thickson’s Woods Nature Reserve one spring in Whitby, Ontario. We were long overdue for monitoring the baby owls’ next stage of development. When last at the forest, the Great Horned Owl babies had remained safe in the nest, but on this visit, the nest sat empty. It took some serious searching in the canopy of pine trees before Bob’s keen eye detected 3 owls perched near the top of one of them…one adult and the two owlets. Read more
Tree swallows at Thickson’s Woods in Whitby
Tree swallows at Thickson’s Woods in Whitby
One spring, in the meadow that is part of Thickson’s Woods Land Trust in Whitby, Ontario, many species of birds were making their homes. The proliferation of long grass, low shrubs, dense thickets, evergreen trees and the remains of an old orchard made it the perfect habitat for many different songbirds. On our visit, Bob and I saw numerous Tree Swallows. Read more