© Lora Denis
During a visit to a Norfolk County farm last spring, I was reminded how the Alternative Land Use Services (ALUS) program helps to bring the farming and conservation communities together to work towards a shared vision: a healthy and productive countryside in Ontario. On a former tobacco farm in Norfolk County, Bryan and Cathy Gilvesy ...
Rouge Park Christmas Bird Count © Noah Cole
This year, one of my new year’s resolutions was to take the true birding plunge and start keeping a list. Apart from choosing a new notebook, this also entailed a slew of other decisions. What constitutes a list? Will I keep a life list? A year list? A seasonal list? Will I subdivide my list ...
Last Saturday, I almost missed my birding outing. When my alarm woke me up, it was still dark outside. The weather report promised severe fog east of Toronto and it was drizzling. Hardly ideal weather conditions for spotting a grayish, drab-looking bird called the Townsend’s solitaire.
The night before my very first birding trip, I was nervous. Not only was I entirely new to birds and the natural world, I didn’t even know how to use binoculars. By “entirely new” I mean I couldn’t even identify a robin. And, since I’m being honest here, I showed up for my first outing ...
Laurel Creek Conservation Area © Carl Hiebert / Grand River Conservation Authority