Birds Archives

A Hooded Merganser in Hendrie Valley Sanctuary

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

A Cape May Warbler visits our Toronto Backyard

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A Cape May Warbler visits our Toronto Backyard

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

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

Wood Ducks at Grindstone Marsh in Hamilton

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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

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.

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

Tree Swallows near Grass Lake in Ontario

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Tree Swallows near Grass Lake in Ontario

A sure harbinger of spring is the sight of Tree Swallows (Tachycineta bicolor) staking a claim on a chosen birdhouse, and that is exactly what Bob and I witnessed on a spring weekend near Cambridge, Ontario. A farmer had generously provided a small selection of nesting boxes at the edge of a field, and they were a hot commodity. Read more

Sandhill Crane At Grass Lake In Ontario

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A sudden change in plans had Bob and me with a free day in which to go birdwatching, an opportunity not to be missed. Recent reports had us setting our sights on an area just west of Toronto, an area to which we had never gone birdwatching before. It promised to be a fruitful day, and sure enough, amongst other species observed, we did sight one Sandhill Crane at Grass Lake near Cambridge, Ontario. Read more

Great Horned Owl Sitting In Thickson’s Woods

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On a lark, Bob and I thought we would revisit Thickson’s Woods in Whitby, Ontario, to see if we could find the Great Horned Owls that inhabit that forest. It had been about a year since we earnestly looked for the Owls, and sure enough, one of the beautiful birds was found perched in the top of a tall pine tree. Read more

Clark’s Nutcracker At Lake Louise In Banff

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On our first morning in Banff National Park, Alberta, Bob and I made a beeline for Lake Louise to take advantage of the morning sunshine for photographing that iconic location. When we returned to the parking lot at Chateau Lake Louise, Bob quickly pointed out an interesting bird loitering near the vehicles and seemingly unafraid of the humans coming and going about their business. The bird turned out to be a Clark’s Nutcracker.

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A Cape May Warbler visits our Toronto Backyard

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A Blackburnian Warbler in my Toronto garden

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Tree Swallows near Grass Lake in Ontario

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