© Lora Denis
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 ...
I had no idea what to expect from my first Christmas Bird Count this weekend. I was nervous about meeting a group of unknown, yet likely much more experienced birders for the first time, and slightly terrified that under pressure to impress strangers, the only bird I’d be able to identify would be a robin. ...
This female Baltimore Oriole (Icterus galbula) is sitting on a tree branch beside the nest she is building in Presqu’ile Provincial Park, Ontario. Orioles weave intricate hanging pocket-shaped nests out of long strips of dried plant fibres and bark. This nest even includes a strip of colorful blue plastic. The nests are easier to see ...
Laurel Creek Conservation Area © Carl Hiebert / Grand River Conservation Authority