By ANN BROKELMAN With winter just around the corner, the ducks, grebes and loons will begin heading to their wintering grounds. Common Loons, which are usually heard, if not always seen, further north when people go camping or visit the cottage, are currently being spotted down by Lake Ontario. In October at the hawk watch […]
This is going to be a fun article for me. Many of you know that I love my raptor watching, and over the years I have seen hawks, eagles and osprey, among other birds, in some pretty strange places. I love raptors, and I have been lucky to help rescue a few and also release them […]
While I’ve written stories about Monarch butterflies before, and I’m sure you’ve read or watched something about their amazing migration to Mexico, this story will touch on a much darker aspect of their lives: their uncontrollable aggression. As I lounged on my friend Dianne’s front yard watching the beautiful Monarch butterflies flying around, their orange […]
Is it fair for me to say that I have a favourite bird? I feel that every second article I write says some variation of “this is my favourite bird because of X,Y,Z.” Well, not this time. This week I’ll tell you about one of the most frustrating birds to take pictures of: the swallow. […]
Does this classic kid’s song ring a bell? “Five little ducks went out to play, over the hill and far away, momma duck says, ‘quack quack quack’, but only four little ducks came back” In reality, at this point in the song momma duck is thinking about where her duckling went? While this song ends […]
Over the last year I’ve been trying to figure out where my love of nature will take me in the years to come. I still haven’t figured it out, but I have narrowed down a common point of interest: wildlife behaviour. The best part of this new focus is that it has renewed my interest […]
SPRING IS here. Sure, we can feel the warmer weather, but can you hear the spring, too? If you listen closely, you might catch the tune of the first songbirds coming home (not to mention the “melodious” honk of the Canadian geese). In addition to the longer daylight hours and green shoots coming up in […]
Like many of you, on many of these cold winter days I like nothing more than to sit indoors, under a blanket, reading a book, with a hot drink and my warm pup curled up next to me. I also love going outside and taking pictures in -15 degree, or even colder, weather. Few settings […]
I love going to the lake to see the ice forming on the water. There’s something about how the water methodically freezes over and cuts us off from the world below that creates an air of mystery. What is happening in this aquatic world we can no longer see? What I might love even more […]
Many birders have stood with me at the hawk watch, staring into the sky with hopes of seeing a hawk, falcon, or eagle. While these birds make regular appearances, there is one bird that you can always depend on: turkey vultures. On a recent day, the sky was full of them — more than usual. […]
