The World Through Our Lens
Photography of wildlife we have observed around the world.
For the second visit in a row at my mom’s place, a tour of the gardens was in order, and both times found me without the camera that usually hangs around my neck. A mad dash to the house to alert Bob and to grab my camera had me ready to photograph this stunning Snowberry Clearwing Moth as it flitted from flower to flower. Read more
Bob and I have learned so much through different groups on Facebook, and one of the areas that was brought to our attention was the Carden Alvar here in Ontario. Our second visit in mid-June was a bit late and too hot for much activity where migrating birds were concerned, but our list of sightings was still long and included this female Black Bear and her three cubs. Read more
On a sultry summer day here in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, I went out to the garden to tend to some chores. Imagine my surprise, as I bent to the task of deadheading my Gaillardia, when something clipped the side of my head. Seconds later, I noticed a pair of Dog-Day Cicadas mating where they lay on the pavement of the street. Read more
Along the back half of the Mizzy Lake Trail in Algonquin Provincial Park, if you hike in a counterclockwise direction as suggested, you will eventually arrive at Dizzy Lake. That is where Bob and I found dozens of frogs including several Mink Frogs. It was late in the afternoon when we crossed that particular section of wetland adjacent to the lake, and a good many frogs seemed to be contentedly basking in the sunshine while soaking in the water. Read more
It was almost exactly a year earlier that Bob and I had occasion to observe a family of Red Foxes in Algonquin Provincial Park, and here we were, once again, in the company of the same vixen with a brand new litter of kits. Read more
If ever you have seen a Hummingbird Clearwing Moth, you were probably mesmerized as we were by the sheer look of its see-through wings and the way it hovers like a hummingbird. In fact, you might have mistaken it for one of those teeny birds. Bob and I have seen Hummingbird Clearwing Moths on a couple of occasions, once in Algonquin Park and this one above in my mom’s garden at Oxtongue Lake, Ontario. Read more
Bob and I had been looking forward to getting up to the Carden Alvar in Ontario, Canada, for at least a couple of years. I was filled with excitement at the prospect of seeing a number of early spring migrants and birds that favour the specialized habitat of the alvar plain, so it came as a pleasant surprise to also come across a rare Blanding’s Turtle. Read more
A Moose cow and her calf stand along the forest’s edge in Algonquin Park, in Ontario, in late April. Read more
One particular family of Red Foxes in Algonquin Provincial Park has become quite celebrated, so much so that seeing them no longer represents a challenge. On our day trip to the Park in late April, it was exciting to come across not one but two Red Foxes separate and distinct from the other well known foxes. This vixen was spotted near Lake of Two Rivers. Read more