The World Through Our Lens
Bob and I enjoy making annual trips to Fernwood Farms in Stayner, Ontario, for that is where we pick the biggest, juiciest blueberries that one can imagine. There had been a deluge of rain the day before we visited the farm, and a Solitary Sandpiper was making use of an impromptu pond that had formed at the edge of the cornfield. Read more
My husband, Bob, while in the process of putting bird food into the feeders, happened to notice a new visitor to our backyard…a Black-and-White Warbler (Mniotilta varia), a type of Wood Warbler. Read more
One summer, Bob and I drove to Montreal in Quebec, Canada, to take in the Mosaiculture competition underway at Montreal Botanical Gardens. The Garden had so much more to offer, including 31 specialized gardens. When we hit upon the Daylily Garden, I could not believe the number and varieties of daylilies covering endless flowerbeds…daylilies such as this ruby red beauty. Read more
As Bob and I were about to leave Montreal’s Botanical Gardens, after a day-long tour of the wonderful Mosaicultures garden exhibit, we came upon a Red Fox sniffing around the various plants in one specialized garden. What a surprise to find this wild creature quite at home in urban Montreal, Quebec, Canada. Read more
Recently, Bob and I took the opportunity of a break in the rain for a hike along the Seaton Hiking Trail, near Whitevale, Ontario. How apt that we spotted a Green Frog (Lithobates clamitans) resting at the side of the swiftly moving water on a damp rock. Now, you are probably thinking, “aren’t all frogs green?”, but the Green Frog is one of Ontario’s 13 recognized frog species. Read more
Bob and I were delighted when we spotted a Willow Flycatcher (Empidonax traillii) sitting below the nesting hole of two woodpeckers at Second Marsh, near Oshawa, Ontario, Canada. Read more
Our visit to Second Marsh Wildlife Area in Oshawa, Ontario, Canada, was very rewarding. Not only is that area of land very interesting and beautiful to walk, but the myriad habitats attract many different bird species, so it is a birdwatcher’s delight. Bob and I were all set for a leisurely stroll as we patrolled the hiking trails in search of wildlife, and some of the first birds we saw were Tree Swallows. Read more
On a rather damp Sunday afternoon, Bob and I seized a reprieve from the rain for a hike along the Seaton Hiking Trail north of Whitevale, in Ontario. From the lookout at the dam, we observed numerous Barn Swallows darting about the surface of the water, but also watched as a pair of Eastern Phoebes (Sayornis phoebe) made repeated forays into the bulrushes where the water was calm. Read more
Second Marsh Wildlife Reserve provides wonderful opportunities for birdwatching, and on a visit to that extensive wetland in Oshawa, Ontario, Canada, Bob and I were lucky to see an Eastern Kingbird (Tyrranus tyrannus). Read more
On a warm, sunny June morning, Bob and I set off to explore Forks of the Credit Provincial Park near Caledon, in Ontario, Canada. We were excited to see what species we might discover. As we followed the movements of an Eastern Towhee, lo and behold, we caught sight of a Black-billed Cuckoo. Read more