Reflections on our Travels to Rome

photograph of the Roman Forum in Rome, Italy

Rome Italy Skyline

In August 2015, Bob and I celebrated our 40th wedding anniversary so we wanted to further mark the occasion with a memorable trip.  Never having visited Italy, we figured that a jaunt to the city of Rome would be a good place to start our 3-week vacation.  After all, it is considered amongst the top ten romantic cities in the world. Read more

Eastern Wolf Lurking In The Shadows

photography of an eastern wolf in Algonquin Park, in Ontario

Eastern wolf in Algonquin Park, in Ontario, Canada.

On any given trip into   Algonquin Provincial Park,   Bob and I are on the lookout for wildlife.  Who goes to the Park and doesn’t hope to see an animal in its natural habitat?  One of the purposes of the Park is to provide a safe natural habitat for all the creatures that live within its boundaries.  On this visit to the Park in early October, an Eastern Wolf gave Bob a rare opportunity to see and observe its movements. Read more

Three Pied-billed Grebes Swimming at South Reesor Pond, Toronto

Pied-billed Grebe at South Reesor Pond in northeast Toronto, Ontario

Upon learning of a family of Pied-billed Grebes at South Reesor Pond in northeast Toronto, Bob and I made it our destination for a late afternoon outing in hopes of getting a look at them.  What we found were two immature Grebes with a mother whose vocalizations kept the pair in check. Read more

Shamrock Orbweaver Spider at Col. Samuel Smith Park

Shamrock Orbweaver Spider at Col. Samuel Smith Park

Shamrock orbweaver spider at Colonel Samuel Smith Park in Etobicoke, Ontario, Canada

Late last summer, based on reports of a Yellow-crowned Night Heron being seen at Colonel Samuel Smith Park in Etobicoke, Bob and I finally found the time to take a spin down to that waterfront park to see if we would be lucky enough to find it.  Amongst other things, I found this gorgeous Shamrock Orbweaver Spider. Read more

Wood ducks relocated from Mimico Creek oil spill

Wood duck at Lower Reesor Pond in Toronto, Ontario, Canada

By word of a fellow Facebook member who frequents South Reesor Pond even more often than we do, Bob and I came to know about three young Wood Ducks that recently were relocated to this small body of water in northeast Toronto.  We had occasion to photograph mature males and females at High Park in the spring, and very young hatchlings in Rouge National Urban Park a couple of years ago, so we were eager to observe a few juveniles. Read more

Striped Hairstreak Butterfly in Huntsville, Ontario

Striped Hairstreak Butterfly in Huntsville, Ontario

Striped Hairstreak Butterfly on a plant leaf near Huntsville, Ontario, Canada.

After arriving at our accommodation in Huntsville, Ontario, late one July, we headed off almost immediately to stretch our legs.  As we are always on the lookout for whatever wildlife might cross our paths, we had our cameras in tow.  It was Bob’s keen eye that noticed the fluttering of a Striped Hairstreak Butterfly on a plant and had him exclaiming, “there’s a new butterfly!”.  Read more

An Atlantis Fritillary Butterfly in Algonquin Park

An Atlantis Fritillary Butterfly in Algonquin Park

Atlantis fritillary butterfly on the ground at Mew Lake, in Algonquin Park, Ontario, Canada

This past summer found Bob and me in Algonquin Provincial Park in Ontario in search of Black Bears.  The blueberry patch at the old airstrip near Mew Lake Campground was a magnet for two families of Black Bears a year ago, so we were hoping that some of them might have returned in search of this year’s crop.  Instead, the only visitors to the blueberry patch were countless Atlantis Fritillary Butterflies. Read more

A Black-Crowned Night Heron at Tommy Thompson Park

photograph of a black-crowned night heron sitting on a tree at Tommy Thompson Park, Toronto, Ontario

A Black-crowned night heron at Tommy Thompson Park in Toronto, Ontario, Canada

Tommy Thompson Park in Toronto is recognized worldwide as a significant habitat for breeding waterbirds, and during the summer months, when fewer songbirds make the Leslie Street Spit their home, birdwatchers will still be rewarded with glimpses into the lives of the colonial species, one of which includes the Black-crowned Night Heron. Read more

A Ruby-throated Hummingbird prepares to head south from Toronto

A Ruby-throated Hummingbird prepares to head south from Toronto

Ruby-throated Hummingbird at a Canna Lily in Toronto, Ontario, Canada.

The addition of some vibrant red Canna Lilies in my backyard garden this year has had just the result I’d hoped for.  Every day, for several weeks in August and early September, I had a Ruby-throated Hummingbird visit my flowers on its trek south. Read more

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