The World Through Our Lens
Our winter here in southern Ontario has been a real mixed bag to say the least. Yoyoing between a series of very warm spells and frigid Arctic air has left us, here in Toronto, with no snow to speak of, and it is now the end of February. What a surprise then, when Bob and I walked along the shore of Lake Ontario in Whitby, to find the water thick with slab ice and the most fanciful ice formations decorating the shoreline. Read more
At the end of a very rewarding afternoon that had Bob and I enthralled with the cave dwellings at Mesa Verde National Park in Colorado, we had to return to our base lodgings at Grand Canyon National Park in Arizona. The drive took us right past Monument Valley on the border of Utah and Arizona, so we couldn’t pass up seeing the famous landmarks located there. That is where we came upon this female Desert Spiny Lizard. Read more
Like in our own cities, conservation areas and parks here in Canada, squirrels are a common sight if not a nuisance at times, but we still love having them around. The same can be said for the Rock Squirrels at Grand Canyon National Park. The rodents are so plentiful and fun to see but still the Park’s staff warn visitors to be on the lookout for their bold behaviour! Read more
Blue Jays are a fairly common bird seen here in Ontario, in Canada, during the winter months, Read more
There is something really satisfying about observing a wild animal such as this Red Fox in its natural habitat. Read more
On our first day in Grand Canyon National Park, after gaining a bird’s eye view of the spectacular world-famous canyon from a helicopter, we set off to explore the South Rim trails. In the afternoon, we caught a shuttle bus to the extreme western end of the trail at Hermit’s Rest. An impromptu exploration below Hermit’s Rest Lookout turned up a fleeting glimpse of this Rock Wren. Read more
During our stay at Grand Canyon National Park, Bob and I explored many sections of the South Rim Trail since we were supremely situated with our room at Maswik Lodge. After completing a guided Fossil Walk one morning, we continued along the Rim Trail towards Maricopa Point. In addition to providing excellent views of Bright Angel Trail from Lookout Point, the trail also affords suitable habitat for numerous birds in the Pinyon Pines and other shrubbery that grow tenuously at the edge of the Canyon. That is where we found this Mountain Chickadee. 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
As Bob and I arranged our winter vacation in Mexico, we made a change to the plans that would allow time for birdwatching in San Blas on the Pacific Coast. That decision had us discovering myriad species of birds in that coastal area including some Roseate Spoonbills at the local Shrimp Ponds one morning. We were delighted! Read more
