Full disclosure here- wildlife photography is not all solitude and beauty. Sometimes it can seem more like trophy hunt. And when the trophies are easy to get, word spreads. Then I am one of the crowd at the zoo. Such was the case at Amherst Island last…
Sure, we’re in the dead of winter. But don’t stay home sleeping. Take a winter walk. And if you’re anywhere near Presqu’ile Park in Brighton, so much the better. Take a late afternoon walk or a drive around the loop or near the beach, and you stand a good chance…
I’m outside a lot. Sometimes I take my camera, sometimes I don’t. Sometimes I am just hiking with my dog, or tending the garden. But some days, I will get my camera battery fully charged up, my car full of gas, snacks, binoculars, layers of clothing and a…
After many years of trying, we finally attracted a pair of Eastern Bluebirds to one of our nest boxes, and I have spent the spring and summer awakening to their soft gentle songs. So far, they have successfully raised two broods of little ones in the nest box we…
We just spent a couple of days on Booth Lake, in the southeast corner of Algonquin Provincial Park. As we paddled and hiked into the lake, we realized we have been going to Algonquin every summer for the past 25 years. Never have we had such amazing experiences…
When I used to teach elementary school, one of my favourite principals used to say May and June went by so fast we might as well call them “Mayjune” – all one month. Well yes. Here we are at the beginning of July and life is bursting out all around…
Wild things You’re under my skin Calling me back To your island convention I’m a spy, an outsider Armed with telephoto capability Uninvited I stare Insulated, from my car A nine dollar ferry crossing- cash only Brings me to you Your all-you-can-eat buffet And a taste of your wildness Your…
This summer I received an education. A random purchase of a praying mantis egg case at our local garden centre led to a fascinating summer sharing my garden with a family of praying mantids. When these little predators emerged by the dozens from their egg case in early summer, they…
These are my Snowy Owl mittens. Aren’t they the cutest? They even have different personalities. With two layers of warm wool, my hands have never been warmer when I’m out and about. I have had chronically frozen fingers in winter ever since I can remember. Thank goodness these mitts came…
It has been cold here! Really cold! The term the weather forecasters are using for this extended period of chilly weather is “polar vortex.” Whatever it’s called, it does not compel me to go outside for long periods of time. What to do? What about…
