Since the start of the Covid restrictions far away in early 2020, Bird Protection Quebec have had to replace the regular weekly, guided field trips at weekends with a series of innovative and interesting “virtual” field trips. This weekend past participant birders were invited to do a Big Sit. In a Big [...]
Warbler Soup! The waterfall earned its keep today with six species of migrating warblers plus a warbling vireo. Shortly after luncheon there was a terrific commotion on the header pool of the waterfall with between 15 and 20 small birds frantically competing for the chance to splash in the water. They splashed around [...]
The local teenage Robin gang met at the swimming pool after lunch but being teenagers couldn't help squabbling :)
Sometimes a parent never gets a break. Two juvenile American Goldfinch were looking confused sitting on the stem of sunflower wondering where seeds were. Still in the "learning to be a bird" stage of life they had yet to work out that they needed to be on the face of the flower. [...]
Sometimes, the colours of flowers, especially yellows and golds, really "pop" after sunset but before it is fully dark. There are creatures out there in the garden still quietly going about their business.
Snowberry Clearwing (Hummingbird) Moth Today is impossibly hot with blazing sun and a humidex of >40C ... on the other hand, these conditions brought this wonderful moth out to play amongst our phlox flowers. Hemaris diffinis The moth is not quite as large as a Hummingbird but easy to confuse at a [...]
I am not a person who appreciates, or usually understands, poetry beyond Ogden Nash and the Horatio on the Bridge sort of thing. But there are exceptions. Many friends and readers of this journal will have noted that I enjoy wildlifing on my "patch", which is to say I like to go [...]
This bird was easy to find - I was aware of some movement in a Viburnum bush in the garden and assumed it was a squirrel but then this lovely Warbling Vireo stuck its head out and actually stayed around long enough to get a few pictures. It was busily scouring the branches [...]
A garden for children of all ages. Since, some three or four years ago we decided to stop mowing our lawn but create a native flower “mead” in its place, we have been fascinated by how much more interesting our garden has become - and also by the fascination this style of [...]
We have a much loved etching by the English artist Graham Clarke hanging in our dining room ... admire it every day. This is another of his works that pretty well sums up life for us these days - apart from the thatched roof. No complaints.