Tag: Frame To Frame – Bob and Jean

Raccoon Mother With Cubs Nesting In A Toronto Tree

Raccoon Mother With Cubs Nesting In A Toronto Tree

raccoon mother with cub in tree nest - toronto

Bob and I had taken a drive down to Queen Street East here in Toronto to check out the Cliff Swallows nesting at the Harris Water Treatment Plant.  On the way home, we decided to make a quick stop at a shoreline City Park where we caught up with some Baltimore Orioles and a number of Bank Swallows, but not much else was happening there that afternoon.  Then, another birdwatcher took us “under her wing” and escorted us to a tree where a family of Raccoons (Procyon lotor) was known to be nesting. Read more

Baltimore Orioles In My Toronto Backyard

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baltimore oriole, male, toronto, ontario

Bob and I have become somewhat more skilled at spotting songbirds owing to increased diligence, and marginally better at identifying those birds that we do see.  On one recent day, we made a field trip to Rosetta McClain Gardens in Scarborough where we saw a pair of Baltimore Orioles (Icterus galbula) as well as some other migrating birds.  Baltimore Orioles are very easy to spot and identify and always thrilling to observe.  Upon our return home, we were surprised to find a pair of these colourful birds in our own backyard. Read more

A Groundhog explores the marsh at Milliken Park

groundhog looks to camera in milliken park_toronto_ontario 1

On a spring day, Bob and I visited Milliken Park, in Toronto, to see what’s new.  In light of all the migrating birds returning from the south, we thought perhaps we might spot some warblers or sparrows.  Instead, Bob observed an Opossum scurrying for its den just as a heavy downpour descended upon us, while I was witness to a Groundhog (Marmota monax) dashing across an open expanse of grass and then taking cover in thick underbrush. Read more

A Hooded Merganser in Hendrie Valley Sanctuary

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Hooded Merganser, grindstone creek, hamilton, ontario

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

Cape May Warbler in bush - toronto 3

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

black-burman warbler in tree - toronto

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

The Victorian Walled Garden at Kylemore Abbey, Ireland

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An image of the Walled Victorian Gardens at Kylemore Abbey in County Galway, Ireland. Photography by Frame To Frame - Bob and Jean.

The grandeur of Kylemore Abbey extends well beyond the opulence of the original Castle to the expansive Victorian Walled Garden that rises from the heretofore boggy moorland in County Galway, Ireland.  It is a magnificent example of what can be achieved when creative engineering is combined with tenacity and inspiration. Read more

Skunk Cabbage at Dickson Wilderness Area

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skunk cabbage_dickson Conservation area_ontario

skunk cabbage, dickson Conservation area, cambridge, ontario

It is so much fun to go hiking and birdwatching in the springtime.  With all the migrating birds arriving daily in Ontario, we never know what surprises are in store for us at places like Dickson Wilderness Area, near Cambridge, Ontario.  The same can be said for all the tender new growth that is pushing its way up out of the cold soil.  With each passing day, new treasures are to be found amidst the bleached leaf litter on the forest floor.  Eastern Skunk Cabbage (Symplocarpus foetidus) is always one of the very first plants to emerge from the frozen earth because this plant is capable of generating its own heat and can even thaw its way through a thin veneer of ice. Read more

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