The World Through Our Lens
A video is a recording of moving visual images made digitally or on videotape.
On a warm sunny spring day, Bob and I visited Thickson’s Woods Nature Reserve in Whitby, Ontario. We most often explore the trails of the forest, hoping to find some migrating birds, but on this visit, we opted for a walkabout the meadow adjacent to the woodlot. What a perfect habitat for the many species of songbirds that we saw that day, amongst them a beautiful Baltimore Oriole. Read more
It had been almost three weeks since Bob and I visited Thickson’s Woods Nature Reserve one spring in Whitby, Ontario. We were long overdue for monitoring the baby owls’ next stage of development. When last at the forest, the Great Horned Owl babies had remained safe in the nest, but on this visit, the nest sat empty. It took some serious searching in the canopy of pine trees before Bob’s keen eye detected 3 owls perched near the top of one of them…one adult and the two owlets. Read more
As Bob and I were driving along Highway 35 near Dorset, Ontario, Canada, one spring, I caught a glimpse of an interesting bird sitting on the power line that runs parallel to the road. At first, we thought we were seeing a Merlin, but the bird turned out to be a Broad-winged Hawk. Read more
After touring the ancient monastic retreat in Glendalough, Bob and I drove up towards Kilmacanogue to visit Powerscourt Estate, the home of Powerscourt House and Gardens in County Wicklow, Ireland. The Palladian mansion provides the perfect backdrop for the dramatic gardens and statuary that occupy the property. Read more
On a visit to the West Cranberry Tract at Lynde Shores Conservation Area in Whitby, Ontario, Canada, we were lucky enough to see some muskrats at the edge of the marsh foraging for food. Read more
A sure harbinger of spring is when the forest floor erupts into a brilliant carpet of Bloodroot (Sanguinaria canadensis). We came upon these fragile spring wildflowers which belong to the poppy family at the Beamer Memorial Conservation Area, near Grimsby, Ontario. Read more
In the spring of 2013, while communities floundered under the worst spring flooding ever, song birds were flocking to Oxtongue Lake as part of their seasonal migration. What a pleasure it was to see migrating birds such as Purple Finches visiting my dad’s bird feeder just outside the patio door. Read more
In the spring of 2013, it was evident that spring was upon us along the shores in Huntsville, Ontario. Not only had the heavy snows of winter 2013/14 all but melted away, but April showers were in full swing. For several days in a row, heavy rains had added to the runoff creating dangerous levels of water and flooding in all bodies of water. Huntsville was one of the worst hit areas when it came to the Flood of Spring 2013. Read more
In the spring of 2013, Bob and I happened to be at Oxtongue Lake, Ontario. It was far from a normal spring visit. With the recent warm temperatures, the abundance of late spring snow had all but melted away. This caused substantial and normal runoff conditions, but when combined with the heavy rainfalls, it resulted in volumes of water and Ragged Falls under major flooding on the Oxtongue River. 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
