-
Uplands North Wetland – August 12, 2024
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…
-
Western University – August 5, 2024
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…
-
Hawk Cliff – July 26, 2024
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…
-
July 14 & 16, 2022 – Wardsville Woods
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…
-
In the Neighbourhood – July 2 – 17, 2024
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…
-
St. Thomas Elevated Park – June 26, 2024
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…
-
Sifton Bog – June 24, 2024
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…
-
Lake Erie at the Detroit River – June 20-22, 2024
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 ESA – June 3, 2024
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…
-
Erieau Marsh Trail – May 12 & 13, 2024
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…
-
Rondeau Provincial Park – Part 2 & McGeachy Pond Conservation Area West,
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…
-
Rondeau Provincial Park – Part 1: Birds May 10 & 14, 2024
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…
-
Shrewsbury – May 2024
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…
-
Solitude Nature Reserve – May 6, 2024
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…
-
Rondeau Provincial Park – April 26, 2024
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…
-
Osprey Nest with Eggs
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…
-
Sifton Bog – April 22, 2024
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…
-
Week of April 15, 2024 – Magnolias and more
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…
-
April 7 & 8, 2024 – The Eclipse and More
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…
-
Labatt Ospreys
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.
-
Komoka PP – The Ponds April 1, 2024
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…
-
Late March 2024
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…
-
Early April 2021 – 2023
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…
-
March 13, 2024
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…
-
March 1-7, 2023
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…
-
Hilton Head – January 17th to 23rd, 2020
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…
-
It’s still February…
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…
-
February 2024, so far…
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.…
-
January Birds 2021-22
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…
-
January 2024
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…
-
More Cozumel – December 2016
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…
-
Cozumel December 2016
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…
-
More Hilton Head Birds – February 2018
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…
-
Hilton Head Shorebirds and Gulls – February 2018
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…
-
Our First New Year’s Day Bird Walk
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…
-
Year in Review: 2023
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…
-
November 2018
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…
-
Two More Local Parks in November
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…
-
Local parks in November, 2023
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…
-
Neighbourhood Walks – November, 2023
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 ESA, October 31, 2023
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…
-
Neighbourhood Walks – September/October 2023
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…
-
Strathroy Lagoons – October 23, 2023
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…
-
BioBlitz at Warbler Woods: 18 October 2023
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…
-
Hawk Cliff, September 1, 2023
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…
-
Greenway Park – Oct 2/23
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…
-
Two Parks with a Special Visitor – Sept 23, 2023
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…
-
Two Ponds – Sept 10/23
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…
-
Neighbourhood Walks 2 – July & August, 2023
Birds aren’t the only creatures that we encounter on our neighbourhood walks. Here’s a selection of what we have seen. Names available on request! Thanks to friends, we knew to watch for turtles basking on the river rocks on sunny days. We were fortunate to see both northern map turtles and spiny softshell turtles one…
-
Neighbourhood Walks – July & August, 2023
There are several parks along the Thames River in our neighbourhood: Harris Park, Ann Street Park, Gibbons Park, Blackfriars Park North. These are most often our destinations on neighbourhood walks. Over the summer, we hear resident birds from our balcony – Red-eyed Vireo, Carolina Wren, American Robins, Bluejays, American Crows, American Goldfinch, and, almost always,…
-
Blackfriars Community Garden – August 1, 2023
Our neighbourhood walks sometimes take us to Blackfriars Community Garden. On our way along the river, we keep our eyes out for birds. This handsome American Robin greeted us at the garden. On August 1st, the gardens were in full bloom. Someone had even planted a fig tree. They told us that they store it…
-
More PEC – July 2023
Here are some more photos of our time in Prince Edward County. These were taken in a few different places. Prince Edward Point National Wildlife Area: We did make it briefly to Prince Edward Point and managed to see a few birds there. The birds were far away and the light was harsh – not…
-
The Coves August 11, 2023
We’ve had a lot of rain recently. We can often see the rain before it arrives. Over the past month, we had heard that there were Black-billed Magpies on a rural road next to a farm in the St. Thomas area. This is considered a rare bird in our area since the normal range for…
-
Toyota Wetland – 23/08/06
One of the many stormwater holding areas in London is on the edge of town, soon to be surrounded by development. But for now, this large area has a few ponds and large puddles that support a lot of wildlife. Being close to Fanshawe Lake (man-made by the construction of Fanshawe Dam) there are several…
-
Clear Creek Butterfly Count
After the other North American Butterfly Association (NABA) count in the area was rained out, I was especially interested in participating in this count on July 30, 2023. My fellow counters, Ric and Sandy Symmes, and I preferred to skip the morning part of the count and arrive for lunch at the rendezvous point. That…
-
Bradley Crossroad 2023-07-15
On our (scenic) way back to Picton for dinner, we took a one-track dirt road with water-filled potholes from the recent rain. As we drove, we saw clouds of yellow butterflies lift off and decided to stop and wait for them to settle back down. There were a number of species puddling (or mud-puddling) together…
-
PEPtBO 2023-07-15
We managed to get to the observatory for a short walk before lunch. We were able to park in front of the familiar buildings, the house and the old bird-banding shack. Now there is a much larger building on the property for reception and banding. The first thing we looked for was Cliff Swallow nests.…
-
Little Bluff 2023-07-14
Yesterday afternoon, London had a fierce thunderstorms with hail and torrential rain. By evening, the storm had moved on and the skies had cleared. This is the first report of our long weekend in Prince Edward County. We were eager to visit the Prince Edward Point Bird Observatory to see all the changes since we…
-
Nature in the City
Last week, we drove to Toronto to see the newly-choreographed production of Romeo and Juliet performed by the National Ballet of Canada. The dancing, the music, the sets and costumes were all exquisite and well worth the pain of driving to downtown Toronto. We went early to ensure we were downtown in good time. That…
-
Sinclair’s Bush May 21/23
Sinclair’s Bush is a 46 hectare forest. It includes an undisturbed, original forest that is an Area of Natural and Scientific Interest with seven provincially rare species within its boundaries. We were alerted to the woods as a possible birding hotspot, but on the afternoon we were there, we detected few birds. Instead, we found…