The World Through Our Lens
Bob and I had a long list of sights to see in New Zealand and first up was the gannet colony at Muriwai Regional Park just outside of Auckland. Over 2,000 Australasian Gannets make up the colony at Muriwai, which is one of only three mainland gannet colonies in New Zealand. Read more
The first day of summer in Saskatchewan broke rainy and cool with the mercury sitting at 9° Celsius at 10 a.m. Despite the bleak morning, our spirits were lifted by a candlelit breakfast since the power had been knocked out in Val Marie. Although we were sad to leave Grasslands National Park, our next destination, Great Sand Hills Ecological Reserve, promised to deliver a unique experience. Read more
Bob and I had been told that the Green Gardens Trail was one of the most popular hikes in Gros Morne National Park largely because it highlights the contrasting landscapes of the Park. Although we had already hiked the Gros Morne Mountain Trail and explored the Tablelands, we were keen to see the “green gardens” that stretch to the coast of Newfoundland near Bonne Bay. Read more
The Great Horned Owlet that Bob and I had been observing in Markham, Ontario, Canada, during the month of May was nearing 6 weeks of age. We weren’t certain if it would still be in the woodlot where it hatched but figured it was worth a look. Read more
Northern Hawk Owls are denizens of boreal forests and rarely leave their breeding grounds. Some winters, however, for lack of food in their normal habitat, Northern Hawk Owls will venture into southern Canada and even the northern United States. In 2019, nature enthusiasts like ourselves were thrilled to have a Northern Hawk Owl show up in the village of Schomberg in southern Ontario, in Canada. Read more
Bob and I had been seeing reports of a Varied Thrush sighted in Central Ontario in early December 2019. A denizen of forests in the Pacific Northwest of Canada and continental U.S.A., the visitor was far from home and seemed to be enduring Ontario’s cold winter quite well. Read more
We are hoping that this bathing beauty brings a smile to your face during these Pandemic times, a Northern Flicker at our backyard water fountain.
Read more
We were really struck by the beauty of the Baltimore Checkerspot Butterflies that we observed in Toronto. This is a species that we had never seen before. Read more
After leaving Hluhluwe-Imfolozi Park on our way to the Oribi Gorge, Bob and I found that the rural landscape quickly reverted to hillsides covered in a patchwork of cultivated fields. On the outskirts of larger urban centres, small buildings clustered together in kraals were still common. Read more
