The World Through Our Lens
Photography of birds, animals, landscape and places we have travel to around the world.
Fiordland National Park on the South Island of New Zealand abounds with picturesque landscapes. While there, several stops to appreciate the scenery also rewarded us with a couple of special bird sightings. One pullover afforded us the encounter we had hoped for. Several Kea, also known as New Zealand Mountain Parrots, flew in to greet us. Read more
Bob and I arrived at Hilltop Camp in Hluhluwe-Imfolozi Park exhausted after an extremely long day that saw us traveling from Kruger National Park and across Swaziland to get there. Over dinner, we had views of the Park from the expansive restaurant patio that overlooked muted silhouettes of undulating mountaintops while an armed guard sat unobtrusively in the shadows and watched for wildlife like Vervet Monkeys that might cross the thin electric wire just below the terrace. Read more
After reading Ken Follett’s novel, Pillars of the Earth, which loosely parallels the construction of Salisbury Cathedral, New Sarum, and having completed Edward Rutherford’s book about Sarum, it was a consensus between Bob, me and our son that we should visit Old Sarum, the location of the original Salisbury Cathedral in England.
As Bob and I toured the small town of Ajijic, Mexico, also known for its heavy contingent of resident Canadians, we soon discovered why it is referred to as a Town of Murals. Read more
Our long-anticipated arrival at Kruger National Park was like a dream come true. This journey, for me, had its roots tied to historical accounts of explorers Dr. David Livingstone and Sir Henry Stanley and their exploits on the Dark Continent. Add to that a detailed look at Kenya in one of my high school science projects, and a life-long passion to travel to the deep, dark “jungles” of Africa was born. Travel to the sub-Saharan region of the continent personified my imaginings of an exhilarating trip complete with risk, daring, incomparable wildlife adventures and unique landscape. We had to conquer our fears and fan the flames of our adventurous spirit. As we entered through the Phabeni Gate, our excitement was palpable even though I was withstanding a bout of stomach and intestinal infection that had arisen that afternoon. Read more
After spending 3 hours hiking coastal trails near Signal Hill in St. John’s, Newfoundland, Bob and I hastily changed out of wet gear and drove south for lunch in Petty Harbour. From there, it was a short jaunt to Ferryland and the location of the Lost Colony of Avalon. Read more
The first trip that Bob and I booked for the sole purpose of birding was to the Birder’s Paradise at Long Point on Lake Erie in Ontario. Through different facebook groups, we had seen ample evidence of bird sightings at Long Point, and we were eager to check out the area for ourselves. Read more
Our plan, when staying in La Fortuna, was to make a couple of road trips to further our exploration of the area. On our third day in Costa Rica, we were up at 5 a.m., wakened by bird song, but pouring rain had us holding off until 9 o’clock before setting off for Cano Negro Wildlife Refuge. It is considered by many to be the third most important wetland in the world. Read more
On our first full day in Sabie, South Africa, a drive north of the town to investigate Blyde River Canyon had us putting three landmarks on our list of things to see. The first one up was The Pinnacle Rock. This massive freestanding rock towers over the deep ravine carved by the Ngwaritsane River. Read more