The World Through Our Lens
With an afternoon forecast for rain, Bob and I made plans to get the first scheduled gondola ride up the mountain in La Fortuna, Costa Rica. Spectacular views from the Sky Tram were promised, but the big surprise was being startled by a snake on the Sky Walk. Read more
Seeking a different experience from one we had a couple of days prior, Bob and I opted to revisit a small patch of rainforest on the outskirts of La Fortuna. It was late afternoon when we signed up for a guided walk on the Bogarin Trail. Read more
Pandemic birding and nature hikes have kept us close to home since March of 2020, and one of our favorite places to get outdoors is in Rouge National Urban Park. On an early June day, we were very fortunate to see an Eastern Milksnake in Bob Hunter Memorial Conservation Area. Read more
Owing to the covid-19 pandemic, Markham Fair, like so many other events, was canceled for 2020. We thought it fitting, then, to look back in time at Markham Fair as we have experienced it with our family over the past 40 years. Read more
After several hours of bird watching at Long Point Bird Observatory in Ontario, Canada, Bob and I decided to check out another location, Crown Marsh, before heading off for dinner. A lengthy walk there on Long Point Trail 6 had us coming across this substantial Melanistic Eastern Garter Snake. Read more
Bob and I spend a lot of time at my childhood home at Oxtongue Lake, in Ontario, because my parents still occupy the same house all these 65 years later. That is where I had my first encounter with a Garter Snake (Thamnophis sirtalis sirtalis) when I was knee high to a grasshopper. Seldom since then have we seen any snakes on their property, but this beauty slithered across the beach property recently, and I was so pleased to become reacquainted. Read more
Bob and I went to Thickson’s Woods Nature Reserve, in Whitby, Ontario, one spring, to check on the growth of the Great Horned Owl chicks, but we were treated to wildlife observations of quite a different kind. As Ontario’s spring weather finally started to include warmer days, it was no surprise to discover a number of Eastern Garter Snakes taking advantage of the warmth where direct sunlight penetrated to the forest floor. Read more
