Cow Moose And Calf Ready For Winter In Algonquin

photograph of a moose cow and calf in the winter in Algonquin Provincial Park in Ontario.

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When we drive through Algonquin Provincial Park or take the time to hike one of the many trails through the forest there, we never know what marvelous birds or animals may cross our paths.  Many times, it is only the superb scenery that is to be enjoyed, and the peace and solitude of the Park’s backwoods.  Other times, wildlife, such as this Cow Moose and Calf, will come right out to the highway corridor where it is far easier to browse than among the tangle of fallen trees in the dense forest. Read more

Red Foxes Wintering In Snowy Algonquin Provincial Park

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Late in the fall one year, Bob and I visited Algonquin Provincial Park, in Ontario, and with the early snowfall received in the area, the Park was totally transformed from even a couple of weeks before.  As we made our way around the Park in search of wildlife, we could not resist the temptation to revisit the home range of a couple of Red Foxes known to many people.  The resident Foxes were out and about and seemed all that much more beautiful given the white canvas that accentuated their rich red coat of winter fur. Read more

An Eastern Coyote hunting prey in a farm field in Ontario

An Eastern Coyote hunting prey in a farm field in Ontario

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On a drive north of Whitby, Ontario, Bob happened to glance into a farm field adjacent to the highway where he spotted a Coyote (Canis latrans) sauntering along.  It is quite common to see Coyotes in and around rural farm properties in Ontario, as well as right in the heart of cities like Toronto, where they share our green spaces and waterways. Read more

Common Snapping Turtle hatchlings on the Nokiidaa Trail in Ontario

Common Snapping Turtle hatchlings on the Nokiidaa Trail in Ontario

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Early last fall, Bob and I wanted to introduce my sister and brother-in-law to a new trail system that we discovered earlier this year.  It is called the Nokiidaa Trail, which in Ojibwa means “walking together”.  The trail which links between the towns of Aurora, Newmarket, and East Gwillimbury is used by cyclists as well as walkers, and we were on wheels on this particular day.  Well into our ride, I spotted something round and dark on the crushed rock surface of the bicycle trail, and nearly ran over what turned out to be a baby Common Snapping Turtle (Chelydra serpentina).  In the immediate vicinity, we discovered four others lingering on the path. Read more

Great Black Digger Wasp At McKenzie Marsh In Aurora

Great Black Digger Wasp At McKenzie Marsh In Aurora

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When Bob and I set off to explore the Atkinson Park Wetlands found at St. John’s Sideroad and Yonge Street in Aurora, Ontario, we expected to find ducks and herons, frogs and toads, but had not anticipated or planned on focusing on a number of interesting insects.  As I studied the frogs in the pond, Bob was absorbed in observing a curious black bug that turned out to be a Great Black Digger Wasp (Sphex pensylvanicus). Read more

A Northern Pearly-Eye Butterfly In Algonquin Provincial Park, Ontario

A Northern Pearly-Eye Butterfly In Algonquin Provincial Park, Ontario

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This past summer, Bob and I undertook to hike the Mizzy Lake Trail in Algonquin Provincial Park in Ontario.  For a summer’s day, the temperature was not all that hot, but we were blessed with wonderful sunshine and a gentle breeze to cool us over the course of the 7 hours that it took to complete our hike.  Along about mid-morning, amidst the flickering shadows cast by millions of green leaves, a Northern Pearly-Eye Butterfly (Lethe anthedon) settled its dainty body on some foliage at the edge of the thick forest. Read more

Our Close Encounter with Red Foxes In Algonquin Provincial Park

photograph of a red fox in the fall in Algonquin Provincial Park, in Ontario, Canada.

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Earlier one fall, Bob and I set off for a three-day visit to Algonquin Provincial Park in Ontario.  We were on a mission to find and photograph a Bull Moose.  Given the time of year, the odds were pretty good that we might come across one.  Instead, we were rewarded with the opportunity to observe and photograph not one, but two, Red Foxes (Vulpes vulpes).  I was ecstatic! Read more

A Lance-tipped Darner Dragonfly Along Algonquin Park’s Mizzy Lake Trail



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A Lance-tipped Darner Dragonfly Along Algonquin Park’s Mizzy Lake Trail

lance-tipped darner dragonfly along mizzy lake trail - algonquin park - ontario pic 4

When hiking the Mizzy Lake Trail in Algonquin Provincial Park, we took a lunch break near the top of the loop a short distance beyond Wolf Howl Pond.  Two small ponds made an inviting place to have our picnic lunch, and there was so much activity around the water that we were fully entertained while we ate.  One Lance-tipped Darner Dragonfly (Aeshna constricta) repeatedly landed on a submerged log directly in front of our picnic spot. Read more

Eastern Gray Treefrog At The Atkinson Park Wetlands

Eastern Gray Treefrog At The Atkinson Park Wetlands

Eastern grey treefrog sitting on a plant leaf at Atkinson Park Wetlands, Aurora, Ontario

Along about mid-summer, Bob and I were interested in exploring some new wetlands that we had come to know about, and one of them was Atkinson Park Wetlands or McKenzie Marsh in Aurora.  It is located near St. John’s Sideroad and Yonge Street.  Bob and I were delighted to find a series of boardwalks that traversed a good-sized pond and wetland, and these conducted us to a paved trail adjacent to another smaller pond.  It is there that we came upon a Gray Treefrog (Hyla versicolor) sitting discreetly on a milkweed leaf. Read more

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