The World Through Our Lens
A little less than a year ago, Bob and I came across a mysterious message in a bottle at Milne Dam Conservation Area in Markham, Ontario. Languishing in the high-water debris of Milne Pond, the well-stoppered bottle with a remarkably in tact wax seal was just waiting for someone to rescue it from almost certain obscurity. Read more
Bob and I had planned our trip to the Grand Canyon so that our helicopter flight over the Grand Canyon was on the first morning after we arrived, hoping that it would give us a great overview of the landscape before we set off on foot to explore it. Read more
Bob and I have seen many Double crested Cormorants in the Georgian Bay area when canoeing the Beaver River and in the Minesing Swamp, not to mention right in the town of Thornbury, but we had never come across a member of the species at Lynde Shores Conservation Area in Whitby, Ontario, Canada, until on a visit there. Read more
Bob and I seem to have a fascination with Great Blue Herons. These stately birds always demand our attention as this one did on an outing to Lynde Shores Conservation Area in Whitby, Ontario. Read more
The Poison Garden at Blarney Castle is one of the featured gardens on the grounds that span some 1,000 acres, but it is but a tiny plot sheltered behind the Blarney Castle battlements. The Poison Garden contrasts sharply with the expansive green spaces and vibrant flowers found elsewhere on the estate property, but mystique pervades the small plot and has curious visitors anxious to investigate . Read more
One fall, Bob and I were so excited to see what we thought was a new bird sitting on our backyard arbour. Trouble was, we couldn’t find the bird in any of our bird books, so we turned to Toronto and Southern Ontario Birding for their input. It turns out that this beautiful bird is a juvenile Brown-headed Cowbird (Molothrus ater). Read more
Every spring and again in late summer, Bob and I are graced with the attentions of hummingbirds in our flower garden in Ontario, Canada. This Ruby-throated Hummingbird (Archilochus colubris) was seen visiting our Butterfly Bush repeatedly over the course of several days. Read more
It was rather late in the fall when Bob and I went for a walk at Lynde Shores Conservation Area in Whitby, but glorious sunshine made for an unseasonably warm day. It was no surprise, then, to find numerous butterflies visiting the remaining wildflowers in the meadows within sight of Lake Ontario, butterflies such as this Clouded Sulphur. Read more
After Bob and I were safely on shore following the boat tour of Cobh Harbour, the greater part of the afternoon was still available to us, so we drove up to Blarney Castle, in County Cork, to Kiss the Blarney Stone. Read more
When Bob and I decided to travel to the Grand Canyon, it was more about seeing the spectacular scenery than anything else, but on our first morning at Grand Canyon National Park, we had an early morning helicopter flight booked at the local heliport. When we emerged from our rental car to check in, our birding instincts took over when we spotted a Mountain Bluebird perched in one of the trees at the edge of the parking lot. Read more
