A Cape May Warbler visits our Toronto Backyard



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A Cape May Warbler visits our Toronto Backyard

Cape May Warbler in bush - toronto 3

What a delight when a new species of bird decides to visit our backyard oasis.  This spring, we have had several different warblers stop to enjoy the water fountain and feeding stations, among them a Cape May Warbler.  For some reason, looking south at my Highbush Cranberry where it stands guard over the corner of the garage, is where I seem to discover many of the birds opting to perch before they remove themselves to the privacy of our back garden. Read more

A Blackburnian Warbler in my Toronto garden



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A Blackburnian Warbler in my Toronto garden

black-burman warbler in tree - toronto

How exciting it was to see so many new bird visitors to our backyard.  With bird migration in full swing, Bob and I kept a keen eye out our windows hoping to glimpse new species that happened to drop by.  First thing, one morning, as I sat at my computer desk looking out on the streetscape, I saw a flash of orange land in my Highbush Cranberry.  That bird turned out to be a Blackburnian Warbler. Read more

The Victorian Walled Garden at Kylemore Abbey, Ireland

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An image of the Walled Victorian Gardens at Kylemore Abbey in County Galway, Ireland. Photography by Frame To Frame - Bob and Jean.

The grandeur of Kylemore Abbey extends well beyond the opulence of the original Castle to the expansive Victorian Walled Garden that rises from the heretofore boggy moorland in County Galway, Ireland.  It is a magnificent example of what can be achieved when creative engineering is combined with tenacity and inspiration. Read more

Skunk Cabbage at Dickson Wilderness Area

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skunk cabbage, dickson Conservation area, cambridge, ontario

It is so much fun to go hiking and birdwatching in the springtime.  With all the migrating birds arriving daily in Ontario, we never know what surprises are in store for us at places like Dickson Wilderness Area, near Cambridge, Ontario.  The same can be said for all the tender new growth that is pushing its way up out of the cold soil.  With each passing day, new treasures are to be found amidst the bleached leaf litter on the forest floor.  Eastern Skunk Cabbage (Symplocarpus foetidus) is always one of the very first plants to emerge from the frozen earth because this plant is capable of generating its own heat and can even thaw its way through a thin veneer of ice. Read more

Wood Ducks at Grindstone Marsh in Hamilton

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wood duck - grindstone marsh - hamilton

One spring, on the only clear day in a week of rainy weather, Bob and I seized the opportunity to go birdwatching.  A return trip was in order to the area of the Royal Botanical Gardens in Hamilton.  Not since the previous spring had we visited the protected areas in the Gardens’ vicinity, all of which make for great hiking and birdwatching.  It was in the Grindstone Marsh that Bob and I came upon two pairs of Wood Ducks (Aix sponsa) idling in the backwaters of one of the marshes. Read more

Moose enjoys spring sunshine in Algonquin Provincial Park

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moose in algonquin park_ontario_spring2014 - 2

On a visit to Algonquin Provincial Park in Ontario, Bob and I were thrilled to discover a Moose (Alces alces) in a boggy area just to the side of the highway.  It was a nice spring day, so the Moose was encouraged to leave the protection of the forest and soak up the warmth of the bright sunshine. Read more

Eastern Bluebirds Near Cambridge In Ontario

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photograph of a male and female Eastern Bluebird along the Brant Waterloo Road near Cambridge, Ontario.

An image of an eastern bluebird male along brant waterloo road near Cambridge, Ontario. Photography by Frame To Frame - Bob and Jean.

Bob and I took a drive down towards Cambridge to see if we could locate any of the Sandhill Cranes reported to be nesting in the area of Grass Lake.  Our first observation over the marshy lake revealed nothing to us of the Cranes’ whereabouts, but a fellow birdwatcher pointed us a little further down the dirt road where Eastern Bluebirds were preparing to nest.   They were going to have to stand in for the Cranes until a little while later. Read more

Kylemore Abbey in Connemara, Ireland

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An image of Kylemore Abbey on Pollacapall Lough in County Galway, Ireland. Photography by Frame To Frame - Bob and Jean.

An image of Kylemore Abbey in County Galway, Ireland. Photography by Frame To Frame - Bob and Jean.

A slow tour of the Connemara region in County Galway was our aim after leaving County Mayo.  Its mix of blanket bogs, lakes, mountains and moorlands is reputed to be awe-inspiring and unspoilt, a perfect example of natural beauty.  Bob and I were off the sheets early to an already wet morning, and rain was expected to settle in for the day.  Our route to Ros an Mhil (Rossaveal) was undecided, but we intended to catch a ferryboat at noon, that is until we rounded a corner and were brought up short by the jaw-dropping beauty of Kylemore Abbey. Read more

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