Rotary Park, Ajax

I will state, right here, right now that the Lake Ontario shoreline in the GTA ( Greater Toronto Area for non-locals ) is extremely underrated for both nature and birding. Yes, the natural bits are isolated islands in a sea of roads, industry and subdivisions, but they are wonderful in their accessibility. And for birders, these areas are migrant traps for many species. Fans of Point Pelee, Rondeau and the north shore of Lake Erie may snicker but believe it, friends...birding lives in the GTA.

Whitby waterfront

A nice walk along the waterfront today. Lots of spring-like stuff of note. RED-WINGED BLACKBIRDS calling, BUFFLEHEADS diving, COMMON GOLDENEYES displaying...Spring may be here !



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A Weekend in Windsor

A trip to Windsor is usually an opportunity to hit the nearby parks and look for birds. Point Pelee, Ojibway, Lake St. Clair et al are among the hotspots for migrant birds, as well as resident birds that are difficult to find in Canada; mostly southern species that are at the extreme north of their range in the southernmost area of Canada. This weekend, however, was more social than bird-related...I ( and the rest of the family ) will be back in the area later in the spring when migration really kicks into gear.

However, the early signs of spring were noticeable. RED-WINGED BLACKBIRDS were singing. THE SON was amused by three vocal KILLDEER. RED-TAILED HAWKS were everywhere along the 401 and I have my first COOPER'S HAWK sighting of the year.

Can't wait to go back !

Barred Owl - Hall's Road, Whitby

A few pictures of the Barred Owl on Hall's Road

Ralph the Pelican...

Here's a funny story my brother told me about a while ago. Ralph the pelican is heading back to the U.S.

A Day at the Museum

What to do when it's raining in March ? Go to the museum, of course. Some highlights from the Royal Ontario Museum...

THE DAUGHTER with T-Rex in the background

Honduras - Rio Amarillo and Home - Part 3 of 3

Ready for a hike ?

My Fourth and Fifth Day in Honduras - Rio Amarillo Nature Reserve and Bird # 500 ?

Honduras - Copan and Macaw Mountain - Part 2 of 3

Looking over the ruins at Copan

My Third day in Honduras - Copan Ruins and Macaw Mountain

Honduras - La Chorcha Lodge - La Laguna-San Francisco Rd.- Part 1 of 3

Welcome to Honduras !!!!

My First two days in Honduras - La Chorcha Lodge and the La Laguna-San Francisco Rd.

THE SON and the Owl

My son is an interesting character. He is a nice, cute boy who is very empathetic, crying whenever his sister cries or if there some other "distress" occurring around him. However, he is also temperamental...very temperamental.
Anyways, I took THE SON out for a little expedition after picking him up from daycare. The subject of our expedition: A BARRED OWL that has been hanging around Cranberry Marsh this winter ( see my post from Feb. 26th ).
The owl was easy to find, as it decided to sit out in the open and attracted several photographers. I carried my son down the icy trail to join this group. The owl was clearly unfazed by the attention, turning it's head now and then but doing nothing else ( To their credit, the photographers were keeping their distance ). I tried to point the owl out to my son but, between the owl staying so still and the distraction of the photographers clicking away, I'm not sure my son even saw the owl.
So after a few minutes, I'm ready to leave and I precede our leaving by saying "Bye-bye Owl". To which my son responds with a hell-hath-no-fury scream. At this point, I'm walking up the trail as fast as I can to get him away from the photographers and all the way my son is bawling out the words "NOOOOOOOoooooooo, OOOOOWWWWWLLLLLL". Even when we got to the car, his crying continued and the only way I could bring him back was to ask him what noise the owl made ( to which he responded with the saddest hooting noise possible ). I think I have an owl fan on my hands...