The World Through Our Lens
A pair of Bald Eagles have made their nest in a tall pine tree at Cootes Paradise, part of the Royal Botanical Gardens, in Hamilton, Ontario. Although they have nested in the same area for a number of years, 2013 was the first time that the pair laid eggs, and two eaglets hatched. Read more
There is nothing like strutting your stuff, and that is just what several Trumpeter Swans (Cygnus buccinator) were doing when we showed up on the beach at LaSalle Park in Burlington, Ontario, in the spring of 2013. Read more
Bob and I had not gone out to Thickson’s Woods Nature Reserve, in Whitby, Ontario, for about 5 weeks in the spring of 2013. Nor had we heard if the babies had hatched, so a visit was in order to check on the status of things. What a thrill when we sighted two Great Horned Owlets in their nest. Read more
On a visit to the West Cranberry Tract at Lynde Shores Conservation Area in Whitby, in Ontario, another keen birder pointed out to Bob and me this Barred Owl (Strix varia) perched high in a tree. Completely at ease, it was wiling away the day quite oblivious of the interested observers nearby. Read more
Bob and I had never gone snowshoeing before, so when the chance to try out a pair presented itself, we seized it! After skiing the Leaf Lake Trail in Algonquin Provincial Park, in Ontario, in the morning, we ventured over to the Spruce Bog Boardwalk Trail where we knew we could walk out on the bog and really give the snowshoes a workout. Read more
Bob and I do not profess to be expert bird watchers, but when we sighted our first ever owl, a Northern Saw-Whet Owl, a fire was lit within us. To learn more about raptors in general, we decided to take a drive out to Campbellville, to the Mountsberg Raptor Centre, in Ontario. Read more
Early one spring, on the shores of Lake Couchiching, Bob and I caught up with two members of the trumpeter swan family as they began their migration back to their breeding grounds in central Ontario.
Trumpeter Swans (Cygnus buccinator) at one time were familiar sights in southern Ontario during periods of migration, but due to over hunting in the 18th and 19th centuries, for their feathers and their skins, as of 1886, they had vanished from the region. That year, a hunter at Long Point on Lake Erie shot the last known trumpeter swan that was migrating from the west.
There are many things one can see while walking on the streets of Toronto, in Ontario, but in this guest post, Michelle and Arthur share their pictures and their story about a Red-Tailed Hawk (Buteo jamaicensis) that they recently sighted sitting on a city lamp post while holding a rat in its claws. Read more
Bob and I spent three days skiing and hiking on various trails in Algonquin Provincial Park, in Ontario, trying to make the most of the last weeks of winter here in Ontario. We love to go looking for birds and animals, but in this case, on the Opeongo Road, the Gray Jay came looking for us. Read more