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© Lora Denis
pectoral sandpiper © Peter Massas
One of the charms of birding is the amount of time one ends up spending at sewage lagoons. Peculiar, verging on toxic smells aside, sewage lagoons offer some of the best birding opportunities and luckily for us, southern Ontario boasts some fine sewage treatment plants! Part of the reason birds gravitate toward such manmade wetlands ...
When I think “bird-watching paradise,” Ontario isn’t exactly what comes to mind. I think more along the lines of Ecuador, Madagascar, Panama, Indonesia, South Africa or Texas. Perhaps I fantasize about those places because they’re so remote and I haven’t been to any of them. I wonder why we find it easier to dream of mythical ...
Audubon's warbler © Michael J Thompson, Audubon
Sometimes I worry about what it’s going to feel like to see the first warbler of the season. Will it be as exciting as last year? Will the colors be as bright as I remember them? Will the enterprise of trying to spot the flitting, anxious, tiny birds that refuse to sit still feel as ...
Male Wilson's warbler © Tim Zurowski
Next Saturday, May 11th is International Migratory Bird Day! This is a fantastic occasion to celebrate not only the stunning spring migrants making their way through our province, but also an occasion to celebrate all birds as well as conservation efforts. It’s a chance to marvel at the things we often take for granted and ...
Julia and her husband in Spain's Donana National Park
I like to think that birding has changed me for the better. I’ve become more attentive to detail, more attune to the natural world around me, more cognizant about conservation issues and the perils facing bird habitats. Birds have changed the landscape of Toronto for me; I now marvel at urban parks because of their ...
Laurel Creek Conservation Area © Carl Hiebert / Grand River Conservation Authority