The World Through Our Lens
Ontario is one of the ten provinces of Canada, located in east-central Canada.
On one of our spring birdwatching excursions, Bob and I dropped by Colonel Samuel Smith Park in Etobicoke. The favorable habitat of this urban park attracts many species of migrating warblers, and it often rewards us with sightings of shorebirds. On this particular day, it was a nesting pair of Red-necked Grebes (Podiceps grisegena) that stole our hearts. Read more
For a change of scenery at the end of a week of birdwatching in parks around Toronto, Bob and I decided to pay a visit to Oshawa. Our goal was to seek some of the migrating waterfowl that were moving through this area of southern Ontario. It came as a surprise to come upon a Great Horned Owl and two Great Horned Owlets in the same neck of the woods. Read more
Imagine Bob’s and my surprise when we got wind of a Glossy Ibis hanging around in Whitby, Ontario, one spring. The bird’s presence here in Canada is very unusual, and it had birders’ tongues flapping. Word spread quickly as to its location, and people flocked to see the Ibis, in some cases driving long distances for a look at this beautiful wading bird. Read more
Our backyard was a beehive of activity all spring long with many migrating birds choosing to stop by for refreshment and food. Several pairs of White-throated Sparrows (Zonotrichia albicollis) seemed to find our property quite attractive for they stayed around for almost three weeks. Read more
Bob and I had the opportunity to drive to the town of Haliburton one spring weekend. With a set time required for our arrival, nothing much was going to get in our way of arriving on schedule. As we drove along Highway 35, Bob drew my attention to a black blob on the ice of Cedar Lake, and I recognized it immediately as a River Otter. Read more
It isn’t as if Bob and I have never seen Long-tailed Ducks before, previously known as Oldsquaws, but on one spring visit to Tommy Thompson Park, in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, we noticed something quite unusual about this female as it swam near the lift bridge on the Leslie Street Spit. Read more
Pine Martens seem to be regular visitors to certain spots in Algonquin Provincial Park in Ontario at least during late winter. Whether seen frequenting the bird-feeding station along the Spruce Bog Trail or those feeders set below the deck of the Visitor Centre, these small furry mammals delight observers, young and old. Read more
Bob and I could think of no better way to shed the winter blahs than to go for a hike at Tommy Thompson Park, on the Leslie Street Spit here in Toronto, Ontario. That is where we came across a raft of Redhead Ducks. Read more
It always amazes me the different species of ducks that one can find right in your own backyard. Such was the case when Bob and I visited Tommy Thompson Park in Toronto where we came across numerous Greater Scaups. Read more