The World Through Our Lens
Photography of birds we have observed in the wild.
After picking up a rental car in Auckland, New Zealand, Bob set about driving us to our first accommodation in Karekare at the edge of the Waitakere Ranges Regional Park in the Waitakere Hills. What a warm welcome we received at Lone Kauri Lodge and what a nice touch to see the Canadian flag flying proudly from their flagpole. Read more
You will have to look at my photos closely in order to see the Eastern Meadowlark, but despite the distance between the bird and ourselves, Bob and I were thrilled to see it in the grasslands of the Carden Alvar. Read more
What a thrill to have our exclusive up-close-and-personal encounters in a Blue-footed Booby colony on Isla Isabel off the west coast of Mexico. After spending a couple of days in San Blas, and with the assistance of Josefina Vazquez at Hotel Garza Canela, we lined up a full-day excursion to the small volcanic island that is located some 43 miles northwest of the tiny fishing village. Read more
What a delight to have winter arrive on time! Cold temperatures and lots of snow meant that our bird feeders were busy from morning until night in Ontario, Canada. And then one morning, we noticed that all was quiet in our suburban backyard. A Sharp-shinned hawk had landed. Read more
It had been several years since Bob and I came across a Northern Saw-whet Owl, the first time being in our local park in late October of 2012. It was that bird sighting that got us hooked on bird watching. It was a long interlude but not for lack of trying. Our patience and persistence finally paid off when we located this Northern Saw-whet Owl on a recent warm February day near Oshawa, Ontario. Read more
It is safe to say that we saw many species of birds when we visited San Blas, in Mexico. Among them is this beautiful Tri-coloured Heron. Read more
When Bob and I visited San Blas on the Pacific coast of Mexico, our objective was to see some of the endemic bird species as well as others that winter in that southern locale. We had seen a juvenile Yellow-crowned Night Heron in our hometown of Toronto a couple of years earlier. As we cruised through the mangrove jungle on our guided tour, closeup views of these rather elegant birds were fairly frequent. Read more
Bob and I had a long list of sights to see in New Zealand and first up was the gannet colony at Muriwai Regional Park just outside of Auckland. About an hour’s drive north of where we were staying on the North Island, it made for the perfect day trip. Over 2,000 Australasian Gannets make up the colony at Muriwai, which is one of only three mainland gannet colonies in New Zealand. Read more
One spring, during peak bird migration, we finally visited the Long Point area here in Ontario, Canada. We had a long list of birds that we hoped to see, and on the list was a Northern Parula. We failed to spot one at Long Point, but what a surprise when we had one spend the afternoon in our backyard soon after returning. Read more
On a mid-June visit to Carden Alvar in Ontario, Bob and I opted to tour the area in the reverse direction from our first visit when we crossed Canal Lake at dusk. First thing in the morning provided better light for photography, and there was no lack of activity near the Osprey nests. We were hoping that the Osprey did not drop its load as they flew over! Read more
