The World Through Our Lens
The day in June that we chose for our visit to the Carden Alvar, in Ontario, Canada, was a steamy one. Our first stop was at Cameron Ranch, where friends had photographed beautiful expanses of Indian Paintbrush wildflowers only a couple of days earlier. The flowers were past their prime, but we came face-to-face with this brown thrasher as it sat on a fence post with freshly caught insects. Read more
Patience is a virtue, and often when Bob and I are birdwatching, time is of the essence so patience goes out the window. On one “quick” visit to Milliken Park in Toronto, to check the progress of the recently-hatched Trumpeter Swan cygnets, what actually stole my attention was this Great Blue Heron. Bob left me to my stakeout while he enjoyed the company of the 2-week old cygnets. Read more
Bob and I have learned so much through different groups on Facebook, and one of the areas that was brought to our attention was the Carden Alvar here in Ontario. Our second visit in mid-June was a bit late and too hot for much activity where migrating birds were concerned, but our list of sightings was still long and included this female Black Bear and her three cubs. Read more
On a sultry summer day here in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, I went out to the garden to tend to some chores. Imagine my surprise, as I bent to the task of deadheading my Gaillardia, when something clipped the side of my head. Seconds later, I noticed a pair of Dog-Day Cicadas mating where they lay on the pavement of the street. Read more
For the second year in a row, the mated pair of Trumpeter Swans that have taken up residence at Milliken Park in Toronto gave birth to a new set of cygnets…7 in all this past spring! Within a couple of days, Ashton and Tango, as they are fondly known, lost one cygnet to unknown causes, but the other six are thriving. Read more
Along the back half of the Mizzy Lake Trail in Algonquin Provincial Park, if you hike in a counterclockwise direction as suggested, you will eventually arrive at Dizzy Lake. That is where Bob and I found dozens of frogs including several Mink Frogs. It was late in the afternoon when we crossed that particular section of wetland adjacent to the lake, and a good many frogs seemed to be contentedly basking in the sunshine while soaking in the water. Read more
What a thrill to learn that, this year, not one but two pairs of Piping Plovers have nested on the beach at Darlington Provincial Park here in Ontario. This is really noteworthy for three reasons. Read more
After spending all day at the Carden Alvar in Ontario, basically patrolling along Wylie Road north to the T intersection and back again to McNamee Road, Bob decided that we should continue to check out some other areas of that protected habitat before we made for home. Cameron Ranch and Canal Lake both deserved a short visit, and near the causeway that crosses the lake we discovered one pair of Osprey already occupying a nesting platform. Read more
It was almost exactly a year earlier that Bob and I had occasion to observe a family of Red Foxes in Algonquin Provincial Park, and here we were, once again, in the company of the same vixen with a brand new litter of kits. Read more
If ever you have seen a Hummingbird Clearwing Moth, you were probably mesmerized as we were by the sheer look of its see-through wings and the way it hovers like a hummingbird. Read more
