The World Through Our Lens
The swallows are passerine birds that are characterised by their adaptation to aerial feeding.
Bob and I were pleasantly surprised to find a colony of bank swallows that inhabit a section of the Scarborough Bluffs, in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. These bank swallows nest just below the rim of the high, steep banks of the escarpment that stretches along Lake Ontario’s shoreline in the vicinity of Rosetta McClain Gardens. Read more
But for a fellow birdwatcher posting a photo to Facebook of the Cliff Swallows (Petrochelidon pyrrhonota) nesting at the Harris Water Treatment Plant in Toronto, neither Bob nor I would ever have known such a colony existed. It was the structural intricacy of their nests that had us making a beeline to treatment plant for a look. Read more
A sure harbinger of spring is the sight of Tree Swallows (Tachycineta bicolor) staking a claim on a chosen birdhouse, and that is exactly what Bob and I witnessed on a spring weekend near Cambridge, Ontario. A farmer had generously provided a small selection of nesting boxes at the edge of a field, and they were a hot commodity. Read more
Our visit to Second Marsh Wildlife Area in Oshawa, Ontario, Canada, was very rewarding. Not only is that area of land very interesting and beautiful to walk, but the myriad habitats attract many different bird species, so it is a birdwatcher’s delight. Bob and I were all set for a leisurely stroll as we patrolled the hiking trails in search of wildlife, and some of the first birds we saw were Tree Swallows. Read more
One spring, in the meadow that is part of Thickson’s Woods Land Trust in Whitby, Ontario, many species of birds were making their homes. The proliferation of long grass, low shrubs, dense thickets, evergreen trees and the remains of an old orchard made it the perfect habitat for many different songbirds. On our visit, Bob and I saw numerous Tree Swallows. Read more