Every spring I review my birdsong recognition skills in time to run my route for the annual Breeding Bird Survey sometime around the summer solstice. One great tool for refreshing my memory is Dendroica, a program on NatureInstruct website. It … Continue reading
Opening the back door this morning, I heard a rose-breasted grosbeak squeak at me from the neighbour’s tree. He sat long enough for a nice look, then flew over our backyard and disappeared in the trees. He didn’t fly far … Continue reading
This summer I noticed some unexpected trees deep in the woods, high on a ridge near the cottage. Compound leaves like these are typical of ashes and walnuts, but I had never seen either in the area. To add to … Continue reading
Woollybear caterpillars are a common sight this time of year. Danny and I keep finding them on our walks, which we have been making a daily habit to fend off the fall doldrums. The old gravel roadway, which circles our … Continue reading
Most of the wildflowers are past. All but a few butterflies and dragonflies have disappeared. But as the softening golden light of September draws us to wander through meadow tapestries and glowing woodlands, as long as the weather stays mild, … Continue reading
On a Sunday morning photo ramble through the conservation area, I encountered this demure but lovely butterfly. It is Cercyonis pegala, the common wood nymph. Several of them fluttered around the meadow where the main wildflowers in bloom included Queen … Continue reading
Cypripedium acaule is one of the treasures of our cottage property. This not-so-discrete lady shows her stuff every spring, but usually in early June, a time I choose to stay away because the blackflies are so bad. This only increases … Continue reading
On Sunday morning I ran my annual route for the international Breeding Bird Survey. It is one of my favourite events of the year. The challenge of getting out of bed at 3:45 am, arriving at the beginning of the … Continue reading
The longest day of the year has inspired rituals and celebrations for as long as our ancestors turned their eyes to the sky in wonder. If you go outside at dawn on June 21 it is not hard to believe … Continue reading
This guest post by Mike Lepage is adapted by permission from a recent note to the Wellington County birding email hotline. I took the above photo yesterday. The Paisley Road/Elmira Road area of Guelph has been under progressive … Continue reading