All Archived Reports

Late December brought heavy rain and warmer temperatures. The snow melt and rainfall swelled the Thames. On a mild December day, we traveled the path along the Thames at Greenway Park. There we found a few wintering ducks on the far side of the fast-flowing river – Common Mergansers, Hooded Mergansers and a few Green-winged…

Our December snow stayed for a while before being washed away by mild temperatures and rain this week. A flock of Ring-billed Gulls arrived a while ago with the colder weather. They seem to have taken up residence here. This week there were about 100 circling over the river. We didn’t have time to catch…

Late November brought dwindling colour to the landscape. November 23, 2024 There were just a few remnants of colour. Then came the first snow of the season on November 29th and 30th. It was just a dusting, but enough to remove the remaining leaves from the trees. November 30 December 1 Since December 2nd, there…

The view from our balcony is becoming increasingly grey as the trees lose their leaves. October 31, 2024 November 6, 2024 November 12, 2024 Sunsets have been less colourful, but still dramatic. Although it looks more and more like November, the weather has been exceptionally warm with intermittent clouds and rain. We’ve had frequent mist…

When we are “confined to barracks” in the coming days, we will have time to enjoy the skies and changing colours from our balcony. The October morning skies are often clear. Temperatures overnight are approaching 0C. Clouds often roll in during the day providing colour at sunset. Colours changing along the Avon River in Stratford,…

The correct name of the hank-watching location is Hawk Cliff. Hawk Hill is in Toronto. Hawk Cliff is south of London on the shore of Lake Erie. To get there, we pass through farm country where major crops include corn and soybeans. After nesting in Ontario, raptors (birds of prey) migrate to Central and South…

The first few weeks of September brought clear skies and warm temperatures without much humidity. The nights were cool causing morning mist to form. With the end of summer on the calendar, the weather changed, bringing clouds and rain. The best part about clouds are the sunsets. This one evolved into a Rita Letendre print.…

Here are some of the short videos Susan took at the Butterfly Conservatory. They are combined into a single video. Floral Showhouse Because Susan’s grandparents lived for some time in Niagara Falls, her family often visited the floral displays at the Niagara Parks greenhouse, now apparently called the Floral Showhouse. https://www.niagaraparks.com/visit/nature-garden/floral-showhouse/ The greenhouse is still…

We didn’t have time to fully explore all that the Botanical Gardens have to offer https://www.niagaraparks.com/visit/nature-garden/botanical-gardens-2/ We went to spend time in the Butterfly Conservatory, but first, we explored the tallgrass prairie around the conservatory. The prairie features a variety of wildflowers and grasses, including ironweed, Tall Coreopsis, New England Aster, Smooth Blue Aster, Stiff-leaved…

Before we took a break, we walked the circular trail past the far ponds. This starts as a wooded trail along one of the ponds and then moves through an open meadow that is full of goldenrod at this time of year. In the pond, we found two Great Egrets and three Great Blue Herons.…

After a few days of relief from the sweltering heat, the humidity began to climb. On Tuesday, a thunderstorm rolled in just before sunset. You can see in the photos above, and the one below, that some trees have already started to fade from green to yellow and others are turning red. We are told…

After the rain on Sunday cleared the heat and humidity, we’ve had cooler weather with temperatures as low as 8 degrees C at night. Good weather for sleeping. A few early migrating warblers had been reported at Kilally Meadows Environmentally Significant Area. There is always much to see there, whether we spotted any warblers or…

Our weather has been warm, but less humid. An evening stroll along the river is even more welcome as the day cools. Constructed wetlands are now a common feature of new housing developments in London. These act as stormwater retention ponds to temporarily store rainfall and surface runoff. They are meant to allow sediment and…

The rain and hot, humid weather continued throughout the week, but started to clear on Tuesday evening. On holiday Monday, August 5th, we headed to Western University in the morning to walk before the heat and humidity became unbearable. It was already too late for that, but we persevered. First we tried a shady wooded…

We’ve had a few sunny days with little humidity. Perfect summer weather! Now the heat and humidity have built up and thunderstorms have arrived. On a clear, hot, sunny day last week, we went to Hawk Cliff where we thought we might find some butterflies and other pollinators in the open field and the wildflower…

In July, 2022, we helped organize a hike at Wardsville Woods, one of the properties managed by Thames Talbot Land Trust. There are open fields, a community wildflower garden, a ravine forest with a mix of deciduous trees and a wetland associated with the creek that runs through the property. Here we were happy to…

After the rain from Hurricane Beryl came much more rain. There has been widespread flooding across London and beyond. The Thames overflowed its banks. Before the river flooded, warm rocks were available for basking turtles. From left to right, the first two turtles are Northern Map turtles (so called because there are lines on the…

Today, July 10, we are sheltering from the rain in the aftermath of Hurricane Beryl. Much rain, but little or no wind. We are fortunate. Despite the downpour, fans of Nickelback stood for hours in the mud to hear them play at the music festival in the park (aka “Rock the Park” – not to…

We like to revisit Sifton Bog throughout the year. Each season brings something new to see in this environmentally significant area (ESA). In early summer, a variety of ferns, rushes and sedges are growing in the floating acid peat bog. Very small orchids are in bloom. We both took lots of photos! Tuberous Grasspink Another…

The area around Holiday Beach Conservation Area at the western end of Lake Erie is a birding hotspot, especially during the fall migration. We spent two sweltering days nearby in comfortable (air conditioned!) accommodations when the daytime temperature was well above 30C. We managed the excessive heat and humidity by going out first thing in…

Kilally Meadows Environmentally Significant Area (ESA) is located in the floodplains of the North Thames River. It encompasses open meadows, riverside woods and swamps. We went to Kilally on a sunny afternoon in early June. Wildflowers were in bloom: Oxeye Daisy, Red Raspberry, Woodland Anemone, Black Medic, Bladder Campion. Some non-native and invasive plants are…

Lately, we have had more spring-like weather, cooler temperatures, rain and overcast skies. Next, we are expecting hot and humid weather with more rain. This is a good time to look back on sunnier days. The Erieau Marsh Trail runs along an old railway corridor, a narrow path bordered by trees, vines and shrubs on…

Woodland wildflowers adorned the shady paths at Rondeau. Below: False Soloman’s Seal, Baneberry, Cypress Spurge, Blue Phlox, Virginia Waterleaf, Wild Geranium, Red Columbine. A carpet of Mayapples was in bloom. Some plants grew in sunnier places. The first two, Tartarian Honeysuckle and Jetbead are introduced shrubs that have become invasive and displace native plants. Riverbank…

The photo on the left below was taken on April 28 when the foliage on the trees was just emerging. In early May, after several days of rain and well-above-average temperatures, the canopy was already in full leaf. Although Rondeau is closer to Lake Erie and experiences slightly cooler temperatures than London, the trees in…

From our balcony overlooking Harris Park in London, we hear a variety of bird songs and calls. These are usually common birds nesting or passing through – Northern Cardinals, Blue Jays, American Crows, Carolina Wrens, Red-winged Blackbirds, Red-eyed Vireos, Chimney Swifts, American Robins, Canada Geese and others. On a recent walk through our neighbourhood and…

We are just back home and still sorting through our photos. Before we left for our stay in Shrewsbury near Rondeau Provincial Park, we wanted to go back to Solitude Nature Reserve to see the array of early spring wildflowers we had seen there a year ago. As it turned out, spring is more advanced…

We continue to have warmer than usual weather for late April and early May with an abundance of rain. There is already a green haze of new leaves in the tree canopy. We took advantage of a sunny day to make an early spring visit to Rondeau Provincial Park with some friends. All four of…

Against the odds, the Ospreys have chosen the new stadium lights at Labatt Park for their nest. Tuesday, April 23rd, the female was at the stadium nest almost continually, not always sitting down, until it was too dark to see. Early Wednesday morning, both male and female were adding sticks to the nest on the…

What better way to spend time on Earth Day than a stroll along the boardwalk at Sifton Bog Environmentally Significant Area (ESA)? The boardwalk leads through a deciduous swamp to a floating acid peat bog. Many Common Grackles flew from tree to tree in the deciduous woods and dipped into the water. A pair of…

Magnolias seem to thrive in London. Different varieties have been in bloom since early April. Now, the magnificent magnolia tree at Eldon House is in bloom. We can see it from our balcony and visit it when the gardens are open. Monday and Tuesday were both sunny with temperatures in the high teens. There were…

Last Friday, we had a brief snowfall that featured pea-sized pellets of snow. Today we are in the midst of a three-day rainfall that has triggered a Special Weather Statement from Environment Canada about the potential for flooding and high winds. Sunday, April 7, was warm and sunny. We walked the riverside path near the…

12:22- 12:29, April 5, 2024 As the Osprey pair spend more and more time on the low platform, we hope they will adopt it as a replacement location for the nest that is gone. Some nesting material was added this morning. We still need to see more sticks for a nest.

Today, is a quintessential April day, cold and blustery. We’re looking forward to warmer weather on the weekend and hoping for clear skies on Monday for the solar eclipse. April 1st was a sunny day without too much wind and the temperature in the single digits. We went with friends, all hoping to see some…

Last week’s snow has melted and the daytime temperatures have remained in the expected range of about 7C with a mix of sun and cloud and rain. On March 25th, we went to the ponds at the Strathroy Wastewater Treatment Facility to see some migrating waterfowl. The mix and number of birds changes from day…

After weeks of spring weather, spring officially arrived early this year – around 11 pm on March 18th. This week, the weather has been anything but springlike. There have been snow squalls every day and we now have more snow than we’ve had all winter. I suppose this gives some credence to the adage about…

SPIDER ALERT! There are two small photos of spiders in a gallery that follows the Cedar Waxwing gallery. On Wednesday, March 13th, it was 18C and sunny. Not at all typical mid-March weather. The forecast for the rest of the week is for overcast skies, rain and temperatures falling to within a more normal range…

We have had a lot of foggy days and much higher than normal temperatures, but still it snowed on February 28th. The skies cleared on the 29th and the snow disappeared. On March 1st, we headed to Gibbons Park. The warmer weather has brought the early arrival of some migrating birds. As we walked the…

Despite our unseasonably warm weather, there are no new sightings to report, apart from some lovely sunsets. On Wednesday, we set out for a walk, but the wind soon blew us back inside. The incoming front dropped the temperature from 12C to below zero in a few short hours and then delivered snow. We have…

We’ve had another cycle of cold and snow followed by unseasonably mild weather. On Wednesday, it reached 9C. We heard House Finches and Northern Cardinals singing. The House Finches appeared to be building a nest on one of the downtown buildings. On Tuesday, the sky was clear and we were hopeful of seeing birds at…

Last week, we finally had some sun. The temperature remained above freezing during the day. On February 6, we headed to Pinafore Park in St. Thomas to a forested trail where we expected to see some birds. It was sunny when we left home, but had clouded over by the time we reached the park.…

There have been a few mild, sunny days this week. We’ve been out and have seen a few birds, but our post isn’t ready yet. Here is another look back on recent years’ observations. Since our January 2024 weather didn’t offer many opportunities to see and photograph birds, we decided to review the birds we’ve…

After days of frigid weather, temperatures have risen to well above freezing. There have been much fog and so much rain that the snow has disappeared and the river has flood to higher levels that we’ve seen before. On a crisp day before the rain, we spent a sunny afternoon at The Coves. Except those…

We were fascinated by the prehistoric look of iguanas. They were a common sight around the grounds of the resort as they basked on a sunny tree limb or lawn. There was an abandoned property next to the resort. The beach there was frequented by Laughing Gulls and a few shorebirds. In the scrubby growth…

Winter recently arrived with a vengeance, complete with blowing snow and a polar vortex that has brought arctic air south. Here is this week’s forecast. The colder weather has brought glimpses of the sun and blue sky. It has also produced frost patterns on our windows that resemble feathers and down. Our orchids have agreed…

Just as we were escaping winter in Canada for a week, we saw many familiar birds who were also enjoying the milder temperatures in South Carolina. These included Ruby-crowned Kinglet, Song Sparrow, Northern Flicker, American Robin, Red-winged Blackbird, Belted Kingfisher, House Finch, Hermit Thrush, Rusty Blackbird, European Starlings, and Common Grackle among others. Some were…

Since our weather has been so constantly overcast and gloomy, we are craving some sun. The best way to find sun without travelling is to revisit our time in sunnier destinations. Thanks to friends, we spent a week on Hilton Head Island in February 2018. This was a chance for us to learn about some…

We had a white Christmas only because of the fog. All week, the temperature remained steadfastly above freezing. There was so much rain that the river overflowed its banks and then receded gradually over the past few days. Apparently, our mild winter so far is due to an El Niño weather pattern. We signed up…

Dear Friends, since this will be our last post until the new year, we thought we’d look back over 2023. JANUARY FEBRUARY MARCH APRIL MAY JUNE JULY AUGUST SEPTEMBER OCTOBER NOVEMBER DECEMBER Thank you for your feedback through the year. As always, please let us know if you would like us to remove your name…

We have had relentlessly gloomy weather recently, including several foggy days. On one such day, we could not see anything beyond the river. A week ago, the skies started to clear at the end of the day to great effect. We have been feeling nostalgic about the number of birds we could see, even in…

Our mid-November week of warm weather continued before plunging into sub-zero temperatures. Sunset on November 15th promised good weather on the 16th. We decided to attempt the 3.3 km loop of the Dorchester Mill Pond Ecotrail. The elongated pond is located on Dorchester Creek in the Village of Dorchester. The trail offered different terrains and…

Last week, when the weather brought sunshine and temperatures into the teens, we made time every afternoon to walk in a different local park. The Coves in November was very quiet. We heard few birds and saw none until we visited the bird feeders on a property adjacent to the trail. Here we found a…

Early November still holds patches of life and colour. November 6th November 10th and 12th A few wildflowers were still in bloom and had some insect visitors. Most plants had gone to seed: Virgin’s-Bower, New England Aster, Common Milkweed, goldenrod with flea beetle. Apart from Mallards and Canada Geese, there are many fewer birds present…

Sifton Bog Environmentally Significant Area (ESA) is a floating acid peat bog surrounded by deciduous swamp and upland forest. A boardwalk leads through the woods to Redmond’s Pond. This pond in the midst of the bog is slowly decreasing in size as it fills with sediment and peat formed by the Sphagnum moss that carpets…

The canopy in vivid colour, October 25th. Rain and cold temperatures on October 30th took down many of the leaves. The canopy has lost much of its colour and will soon have the monochrome palette of November. You can also see in the photo below, taken October 31, that the city is in the process…

We’ve continued to have overcast skies and rain much of the time. The skies were clear on the morning of October 23rd. The air was chilly from the first overnight frost we’ve had this fall. With the promise of sun, we couldn’t resist a trip to check out the migrating waterfowl at the Strathroy settlement…

We got a notice that the Ecology Department at the City of London was conducting a BioBlitz between October 16 to 22 at four of the environmentally significant areas (ESAs) in the city. A bioblitz is defined on the iNaturalist website as “a communal citizen-science effort to record as many species within a designated location…

September 1st was a fine sunny day to visit Hawk Cliff. Hawk Cliff Woods is one of the nature reserves stewarded by the Thames Talbot Land Trust. It is a 230-acre property overlooking Lake Erie near Port Stanley. The reserve comprises a significant area of Carolinian forest, a wildflower meadow, and the Auzins Community Wildflower…

We’ve had exceptionally warm, humid fall weather, more than 10C above the expected temperature of 16C. As the air cools overnight, mist forms as the moisture in the air condenses. The colour of the leaves is now changing rapidly as the hours of daylight wane. Greenway Park borders the Thames River. As we got out…

We were delighted to spend a day birding with a friend from California who was in Toronto for only one day. It was sunny and mild, the perfect fall weather for walking the trails at Colonel Samual Smith and Humber Bay East. A Red-tailed Hawk greeted us at Colonel Sam, landing high in a tree…

Medway Gravel Pit Pond The pond is on the property of an active quarry, but the area surrounding the pond is no longer being excavated. The pond and surrounding field attract a few migrating birds and create habitat for various plants and insects. Despite our attempts to approach the pond quietly and cautiously, we managed…