The World Through Our Lens
One spring, in the meadow that is part of Thickson’s Woods Land Trust in Whitby, Ontario, many species of birds were making their homes. The proliferation of long grass, low shrubs, dense thickets, evergreen trees and the remains of an old orchard made it the perfect habitat for many different songbirds. On our visit, Bob and I saw numerous Tree Swallows. Read more
On a visit to the unique woodlot known as Thickson’s Woods Nature Reserve in Whitby, Ontario, we changed things up a bit, and crossed over the adjacent walkway to the protected habitat of the meadow that borders the forest. With its abundance of long grasses, bushes, shrubs, evergreens, and the remains of an old orchard, it was teeming with birds of all species. One type of bird that caught my eye were a group of Brown-headed Cowbirds, at rest on a branch right beside the path. Read more
As Bob and I were driving along Highway 35 near Dorset, Ontario one spring, I caught a glimpse of an interesting bird sitting on the power line that runs parallel to the road. At first, we thought we were seeing a Merlin, but the bird turned out to be a Broad-winged Hawk. Read more
At Beamer Memorial Conservation Area on the Niagara Escarpment in Grimsby, Ontario, we happened upon an Eastern Towhee at the edge of an open area. Read more
On a visit to Cootes Paradise Marsh in Hamilton, Ontario we sighted two Great Blue Herons out in the water, obviously on the lookout for a fish to catch. Read more
In the spring of 2013, while communities floundered under the worst spring flooding ever, song birds were flocking to Oxtongue Lake as part of their seasonal migration. What a pleasure it was to see migrating birds such as Purple Finches visiting my dad’s bird feeder just outside the patio door. Read more
Only a week after first photographing the Great Horned owlets in Whitby, Ontario, Bob and I returned to catch up on their progress and development. When we first spotted the mother Owl, she was taking a break from her nesting responsibilities perched at the end of the same branch as that holding the nest. Read more
In the spring of 2013, the Osprey had been sighted at Youngs Point, on the Trent-Severn Waterway at Lock 27, a small village just north of Peterborough, Ontario. They had returned to their nesting grounds for the season. On a trip up that way, Bob photographed and filmed the pair perched on their nest. Read more
You know that spring has sprung when you see birds building their nests. One spring, at Thickson’s Woods Nature Reserve in Whitby, Ontario, a pair of Black-capped Chickadees (Poecile atricapilla) worked industriously to hollow out a cavity in a dead tree trunk, preparing to lay their eggs. Read more