The World Through Our Lens
At the height of the past spring’s migration, Bob and I made a plan to check out Ashbridge’s Bay Park at the shoreline of Lake Ontario in Toronto. Hundreds of sightings had been reported there the previous week, so we were up much earlier than usual and on site in the parking lot before the sun’s rays were much above the horizon. It was fairly late in the morning, however, when we discovered this female American Redstart (Setophaga ruticilla) in the middle of a dense thicket of trees. Read more
One summer, two Juvenile Least Bitterns spent their time hanging out at Colonel Samuel Smith Park on the lakeshore in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. During one of our hikes at the park we found the two Least Bitterns near Whimbrel Point. Read more
One summer, Bob and I made numerous trips to Tommy Thompson Park, in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. During one trip to the park, we were quite pleased to find an Osprey perched on a tree stump in the middle of the first large pond in the wetlands. Read more
Before departing Kylemore Abbey, Bob discovered that we were in need of some cash and videotapes for his camera. Our route was chosen for us. We had to drive along the coast towards Letterfrack and Clifden in search of a banking machine and some shops that might sell camera gear. Supplies in hand, all that was left to do was get to Rossaveal and hop on the ferry to the Aran Islands where we would spend the next couple of days. En route, a serendipitous decision by Bob had us veering off into the lonesome countryside towards several of the Twelve Bens Mountains. Read more
Bob and I decided to take a drive into Algonquin Park in Ontario, Canada, one summer, and at one of the beaver ponds along Highway 60 in the park we spotted this moose cow and calf beside the road. Read more
What a sad summer it was here in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, in 2014, because Monarch Butterflies were conspicuous by their absence. Bob and I had been monitoring sightings posted by nature lovers on Facebook, and websites such as The Insects and Arachnids of Ontario, and Butterflies and Moths of North America. We were not the only people discouraged by the poor showing of these beautiful insects so far that year. Read more
How beautiful is a sprawling drift of Sunchokes fading into the distance! That is just what we found when Bob and I visited Lower Reesor Pond in northeast Toronto. This native species of sunflower goes by many different names including Sunchokes, Sunroot or Earth Apple. Read more
Bob and I take regular walks in a local park in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, because we find that the variety of habitats found there encourages an assortment of birds and animals at any given time of the year. One walk we were stunned by the numbers of cedar waxwings we sighted. Read more
For the past several years, starting each spring and into the summer months, I have been pestered by Red Lily Beetles on my Tiger Lilies . These beetles stand out quite well on green plants, but they are a trick to catch and squash. I declare I think they see me coming because, often, as I move in on their position, they drop to the earth below and essentially disappear in the shadows.
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After a stretch of very rainy weather, we were happy to get out in the field, and we visited Lower Reesor Pond, a wetland in Rouge National Urban Park in Ontario, Canada. Our outing, as usual, was immensely rewarding. Along with birds and animals, we saw several Eastern Gray Tree Frogs. Read more
