Ontario Nature Blog

International Women’s Day, last Friday, presents an ideal opportunity to celebrate illustrious women birders. The remarkable Phoebe Snetsinger comes to mind immediately,  she was the first person to acquire a life list with more than 8,000 birds. Snetsinger’s story is documented in her autobiography, Birding on Borrowed Time, whose title refers to an incurable cancer ...

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On a stormy midwinter morning, conservation staff Laura Robson, Megan Anevich, James Paterson and I piled into a car and set out on a road trip to visit the Altberg Wildlife Sanctuary Nature Reserve. This trip wasn’t just a joyride. We headed out with a clear purpose in mind: to find the elusive short-eared owl.

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This weekend, I saw a new side to nature. On Saturday, I joined the welcoming and highly knowledgeable birders of the Toronto Ornithological Club on an outing to Humber Bay and Colonel Samuel Smith Parks. There were reports of a western grebe in the vicinity, and all of us were giddy at the possible sighting, ...

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Now that February is nearly over, I have excitedly started planning for spring migration. Don’t get me wrong, I’ve loved winter birding, and this winter has felt particularly rich and rewarding on the life bird front. The ducks have never been more wondrous, I’m thinking of you, wood duck! And I’ve enjoyed seeing American coots, ...

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What often starts out as a lackluster birding day frequently yields amazing finds. But the best days happen when you arrive with few expectations and simply let the day unfold. I’ll never forget the day when we heard that there was a red-headed woodpecker near the Hamilton airport. I have a thing for woodpeckers and ...

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