The World Through Our Lens
Who can resist the endearing face of a chubby Canada Jay or Gray Jay as they are more familiarly known? In certain areas of Algonquin Provincial Park, one is almost guaranteed to sight these friendly birds that are always quick to come close as if in welcome to their territory, the boreal forest. Read more
For a number of years now, Bob and I have intended to go to the Sierra Madre Mountains in Mexico to witness the spectacle of the Monarch Butterflies that winter there. We realized our dream when we flew into Mexico City, and two days later found ourselves at El Rosario Monarch Butterfly Sanctuary in the State of Michoacán. The sight literally brought me to tears. Read more
Bob and I enjoy birdwatching through our patio door as we take our meals every day, but near the beginning of this past December, as we finished up our lunch, all the songbirds took flight in a rushed panic. Next thing we knew, this Juvenile Cooper’s Hawk assumed a stakeout from on top of my garden arbour. Read more
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
Late in the fall one year, Bob and I visited Algonquin Provincial Park, in Ontario, Canada, 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
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
Dun Aonghasa Fort was our first destination of the day when we awoke on Inishmore Island, one of the islands in the chain known as the Aran Islands in County Galway, Ireland. This prehistoric fort is the most famous of those found on the Aran Islands, and it is perched at the brink of a 100-metre (328 ft) precipice buffeted by the north Atlantic Ocean. Its location is spectacular. Read more
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
Bob and I had heard that, at a particular cemetery in Burlington, Ontario, there are no less than three Eastern Screech Owls that inhabit nest holes in a couple of different trees. On the morning of our most recent visit, we did find one of the Red Morph Screech Owls, but when directed to a second tree that a pair of Screech Owls calls home, the cavity showed no sign of its occupants. It wasn’t until much later in the afternoon that I spotted this Red Morph when it poked its head out of the dark hollow for a peak at the world. Read more
Bob and I could not believe our good fortune when we found a second Eastern Screech Owl on the same visit to Burlington, Ontario. This Eastern Screech Owl Grey Morph is quite different from the Red Morph Eastern Screech Owl we had just observed at a nearby Cemetery. Read more
