The World Through Our Lens
One of the highlights of our January visit to Algonquin Park was seeing a small flock of Evening Grosbeaks. What a marvelous way to spend my birthday, trekking about the trails in the Provincial Park. Our winter weather had been so fickle…fluctuating between spring-like temperatures and those more typical of the Canadian Arctic…that we had no idea what was in store for us when we booked our stay in Whitney. Read more
Our winter here in southern Ontario has been a real mixed bag to say the least. Yoyoing between a series of very warm spells and frigid Arctic air has left us, here in Toronto, with no snow to speak of, and it is now the end of February. What a surprise then, when Bob and I walked along the shore of Lake Ontario in Whitby, to find the water thick with slab ice and the most fanciful ice formations decorating the shoreline. Read more
There is something really satisfying about observing a wild animal such as this Red Fox in its natural habitat. Read more
Bob and I had not entertained our youngest son and his wife for quite some time, so in early August, we got together to catch up on all the news. Not being ones to sit around and visit ad infinitum, after passing a couple of hours on our backyard deck, I suggested a bit of a walk to work up an appetite for dinner. Cedar Trail at Rouge National Urban Park is close by, and we promised that we would not stand around for hours photographing birds, but the chance sighting of a Question Mark Butterfly did hold us up for several minutes with no complaints from our company. Read more
On any given trip into Algonquin Provincial Park, Bob and I are on the lookout for wildlife. Who goes to the Park and doesn’t hope to see an animal in its natural habitat? One of the purposes of the Park is to provide a safe natural habitat for all the creatures that live within its boundaries. On this visit to the Park in early October, an Eastern Wolf gave Bob a rare opportunity to see and observe its movements. Read more
Upon learning of a family of Pied-billed Grebes at South Reesor Pond in northeast Toronto, Bob and I made it our destination for a late afternoon outing in hopes of getting a look at them. What we found were two immature Grebes with a mother whose vocalizations kept the pair in check. Read more
Late last summer, based on reports of a Yellow-crowned Night Heron being seen at Colonel Samuel Smith Park in Etobicoke, Bob and I finally found the time to take a spin down to that waterfront park to see if we would be lucky enough to find it. Amongst other things, I found this gorgeous Shamrock Orbweaver Spider. Read more
This past summer found Bob and me in Algonquin Provincial Park in Ontario in search of Black Bears. The blueberry patch at the old airstrip near Mew Lake Campground was a magnet for two families of Black Bears a year ago, so we were hoping that some of them might have returned in search of this year’s crop. Instead, the only visitors to the blueberry patch were countless Atlantis Fritillary Butterflies. Read more
Tommy Thompson Park in Toronto is recognized worldwide as a significant habitat for breeding waterbirds, and during the summer months, when fewer songbirds make the Leslie Street Spit their home, birdwatchers will still be rewarded with glimpses into the lives of the colonial species, one of which includes the Black-crowned Night Heron. Read more