© Lora Denis
The first time I saw a male bobolink, I was stuck by the bird’s coloring: a sleek black face and shiny bill with a lemony yellow nape and a glistening white back. A rock star of a bird. I watched its undulating flight pattern and delighted every time the bobolink landed on the top of ...
Seagulls, Leslie Street Spit © Dave Pijuan-Nomura
One of the things I love most about birding is that it has given me the chance to rediscover Ontario. I’ve lived in the province for a large chunk of my adult life, and yet it wasn’t until I donned my binoculars that I appreciated how much surprisingly wonderful nature exists in the southwest corner ...
Tundra swans and red-winged blackbirds © Noah Cole
I never imagined that I could happily spend six hours in a car on a Saturday in search of migrating tundra swans. Among birders, there’s a palpable excitement that comes with the advent of spring even when it isn’t quite here. This weekend, my bird group was so desperate for the first signs of spring, ...
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 ...
Short-eared owl © Peter Ferguson
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.
Laurel Creek Conservation Area © Carl Hiebert / Grand River Conservation Authority