The World Through Our Lens
But for a fellow birdwatcher posting a photo to Facebook of the Cliff Swallows (Petrochelidon pyrrhonota) nesting at the Harris Water Treatment Plant in Toronto, neither Bob nor I would ever have known such a colony existed. It was the structural intricacy of their nests that had us making a beeline to The Beach for a look. Read more
In years past, on a couple of rare occasions, we have had a male Rose-breasted Grosbeak drop by our backyard during spring migration. This past spring, a pair of males spent several days around our property enjoying the bird food and water fountain before moving on. Bob and I were pleasantly surprised late one afternoon to see that a female Rose- breasted Grosbeak had come to join in the free-for-all. Read more
One of the first migrating warblers to drop by our backyard one spring was a Pine Warbler. It hung about our property for a good week and a half. Pine Warblers are one of the earliest spring migrants having departed their wintering grounds in late February. It was such a pleasure to see its little burst of colour amid all the bare branches of our trees and shrubs. Read more
For some reason, this past spring resulted in way more migrating birds visiting our backyard than usual. Either that or Bob and I have just become much more observant. One day, as I scoured the birch tree in search of the House Wren that was building its nest, I spotted a flash of yellow then saw that this Magnolia Warbler had alighted on one of the branches. Read more
Bob and I had taken a drive down to Queen Street East here in Toronto to check out the Cliff Swallows nesting at the Harris Water Treatment Plant. On the way home, we decided to make a quick stop at a shoreline City Park where we caught up with some Baltimore Orioles and a number of Bank Swallows, but not much else was happening there that afternoon. Then, another birdwatcher took us “under her wing” and escorted us to a tree where a family of Raccoons (Procyon lotor) was known to be nesting. Read more
I was over the moon one day when I looked out the kitchen window and saw this Rose-breasted Grosbeak hanging off the suet feeder in my backyard, in Toronto, Ontario. All that I could discern was the striking white patches on the jet black back and wings. Read more
Bob and I have become somewhat more skilled at spotting songbirds owing to increased diligence, and marginally better at identifying those birds that we do see. On one recent day, we made a field trip to Rosetta McClain Gardens in Scarborough where we saw a pair of Baltimore Orioles (Icterus galbula) as well as some other migrating birds. Baltimore Orioles are very easy to spot and identify and always thrilling to observe. Upon our return home, we were surprised to find a pair of these colourful birds in our own backyard. Read more
On a spring day, Bob and I visited Milliken Park, in Toronto, to see what’s new. In light of all the migrating birds returning from the south, we thought perhaps we might spot some warblers or sparrows. Instead, Bob observed an Opossum scurrying for its den just as a heavy downpour descended upon us, while I was witness to a Groundhog (Marmota monax) dashing across an open expanse of grass and then taking cover in thick underbrush. Read more
Bob and I drove out to Hamilton, Ontario, on a recent spring day, and opted to hike a trail system near the Royal Botanical Gardens rather than revisit Cootes Paradise, one of our favorite places to go birdwatching. The Hendrie Valley Sanctuary encompasses a variety of habitats including marshlands, forested slopes, floodplain wetlands and four creeks. It was there, as we walked along a section of Grindstone Creek, that we came upon this Hooded Merganser (Lophodytes cucullatus) paddling its way upstream. Read more