The World Through Our Lens
Photography of birds we have observed in the wild.
After an hour-long guided hike known as a Fossil Walk at Grand Canyon National Park, Bob and I were returning to Maswik Lodge for lunch by way of the forested area adjacent to Village Loop Drive and the railway track. A brilliant blue flash of colour had us both looking up into one of the pine trees where sat perched a male Western Bluebird (Sialia mexicana).
After yet another early morning wake-up call, Bob and I found ourselves fed and watered by 9 a.m., ready for exploration. We enjoyed breakfast at El Tovar Hotel on the South Rim of Grand Canyon National Park, then meandered along the South Rim Trail and investigated Grand Canyon Village. It was there that Bob and I came upon a Lesser Goldfinch nestled in amongst the feathery styles of an Apache Plume plant. Read more
Bob and I enjoy making annual trips to Fernwood Farms in Stayner, Ontario, for that is where we pick the biggest, juiciest blueberries that one can imagine. There had been a deluge of rain the day before we visited the farm, and a Solitary Sandpiper was making use of an impromptu pond that had formed at the edge of the cornfield. Read more
Bob and I had been catching glimpses of the Western Scrub Jay since our arrival at Grand Canyon National Park, but it wasn’t until we were on our early morning hike down the Bright Angel Trail that we finally caught sight of a Western Scrub Jay sitting in a tree…stationary enough for us to snap a few quick photos before we continued on our marathon hike. Read more
My husband, Bob, while in the process of putting bird food into the feeders, happened to notice a new visitor to our backyard…a Black-and-White Warbler (Mniotilta varia), a type of Wood Warbler. Read more
On a visit to Oxtongue Lake, in Ontario, Bob and I made a point of revisiting the now familiar Great Blue Heron rookery because we knew the Great Blue Herons had made their return to the nests earlier this spring. What a delight to see so many young herons once we got our binoculars and camera lenses focused on the nests. Read more
When Bob and I visited Grand Canyon National Park , our primary objective was to revel at the overwhelming and impressive scale of the canyon. Little did we know that our passion for birdwatching would be so richly rewarded both on the South Rim and deep within the canyon, itself. On one visit to Hopi Point, we were lucky enough to spot one of the two California Condors known to be nesting in a nearby rock face. Read more
Bob and I were delighted when we spotted a Willow Flycatcher (Empidonax traillii) sitting below the nesting hole of two woodpeckers at Second Marsh, near Oshawa, Ontario. Read more
A visit to Second Marsh in Oshawa is great at any time of the year, but is especially rewarding for birdwatchers. On a visit to the protected wetland, Bob and I were thrilled to see, not one, but many Baltimore Orioles (Icterus galbula). At our own home in Toronto, we are lucky to see a Baltimore Oriole once every few years. Read more