The World Through Our Lens
Photography of birds, animals, landscape and places we have traveled to around the world.
Bob and I were so excited as we set off from the pier on our mangrove swamp tour. With Chencho at the helm of our substantial launch, we were confident that many tropical birds would not allude detection. One species that caught our eye on several occasions was a Green Kingfisher, seen here perching at the edge of the San Cristobal mangrove estuary. Read more
In our quest to see and photograph as many different species of tropical birds as possible while visiting San Blas, one of the best locations in all of Mexico for birding, a boat tour into the mangrove swamps was a must-do activity for Bob and me. And what could be more perfect than a languid birding boat trip through La Tovara National Park, a federally protected ecological preserve? Read more
On the afternoon that Bob and I landed in Rome, Italy, we were in dire need of a stretch given the long hours of travel time from Toronto. Our accommodation, Hotel Manfredi, was centrally located in the Old Quarter so The Spanish Steps were less than ten minutes by foot from the hotel lobby. It seemed a likely destination given its close proximity. Read more
What great fun to set off exploring the vicinity around San Blas, Mexico, in search of wildlife. The morning that Bob and I scoped out the shrimp ponds on the outskirts of this small fishing community, quite a variety of birds met our searching eyes, most of which we had never seen before. Among those plying the water for something to eat was this impressive White Ibis. Read more
Bob and I seemed to find ourselves drawn to Piazza del Popolo a few times during our stay in Rome. From our hotel, we could walk to this large pedestrian zone within minutes and always found something of interest to investigate. Read more
After spending the early part of an afternoon at Mesa Verde National Park where we were enthralled with the Puebloan cliff dwellings, Bob and I made plans to arrive back at Monument Valley in time for the sunset. Not a minute was wasted in order to achieve our goal. The time was tight, but traffic was light, road construction closed up for the night, and our gas tank was full. Monument Valley here we come! Read more
Of all the ancient ruins in Rome, Italy, for me it was The Colosseum that I most looked forward to seeing and exploring. We did not make straight there on our first full day in the city, but instead preferred to set the stage by checking out The Roman Forum just east of there which gave us a sneak peak of the iconic stadium from one vantage point. Read more
When Bob and I made the decision to spend a week in San Blas, in Mexico, it was not done lightly. Reports that listed the area as not the safest to travel to gave us pause for consideration, but the promise of seeing endless numbers of tropical birds had us braving the cross-country trip from Zitacuaro. We are forever grateful for having gone ahead with our plan. We saw loads of interesting birds not the least of which were numerous Black-necked Stilts. Read more
Our first destination in Italy was the capital city, Rome, where of course we spent several days touring all the ruins of the Old Quarter. While exploring Palatine Hill, I heard an unusual bird song and then spotted a pair of Rose-ringed Parakeets winging through the sky before landing in the top of a very tall tree. We were delighted! Read more