© Lora Denis
Monarch butterfly © Lisa Richardson
Seven Biodiversity Highlights from the Environmental Commissioner’s 2014/2015 Annual Report The Environmental Commissioner’s Office released its annual report on November 2, summarizing the provincial government’s performance on environmental matters. Here’s a bird’s-eye view of action taken to conserve biodiversity.
Juvenile Cooper's hawk © Dawn Huczek CC BY 2.0
Eastern Ontario is famous for wildlife viewing – especially birdwatching – in autumn. Not only do enthusiasts enjoy inspiring fall colours, there are plenty of places to see birds heading south. Shorebirds, songbirds and raptors are on the wing, and many species have already been spotted migrating. Even on casual tours, visitors can see dozens ...
Eastern meadowlark © Enid Mallory
Bobolinks don’t wait to land on a fence post to sing; they sing as they fly, pouring music over the green fields. There is a road near Peterborough with grassy fields on both sides where bobolinks nest. It’s a quiet road where I can sit and watch them fluttering over the grass and listen to their ...
The brutal winter weather in 2014 and 2015 has taken a toll on overwintering waterfowl along Lake Ontario. Cold temperature records were set in southern Ontario in February 2015 and there was a significant freeze-over of the lake, making it very difficult for birds to find food.
Snowy owl © Ashley Hockenberry
Winter and birding seem like an unlikely pair. “What is there to see in the winter?” people often ask. The truth is that winter in southern Ontario offers some extravagant avian rewards. What better remedy is there for the winter blues than the sight of a bufflehead gliding across frigid Lake Ontario and flaunting his ...
Laurel Creek Conservation Area © Carl Hiebert / Grand River Conservation Authority