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Partial Solar Eclipse
Even a partial solar eclipse is a pretty unique experience; we got a reasonably good view in Oakville too – the cloudy weather chose just the right time to break. The timing was especially good in another respect as well: right at the moment the Sun has the most spectacular sunspot too, rejoicing in the…
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Motherhood
Visiting Toronto Zoo during the Thanksgiving weekend was perhaps not the brightest idea I’ve ever had – the place was uncomfortably busy, with rather a preponderance of morons banging on the glass to try and get the animals to do something (what kind of idiot does that anyway?). However, in amongst all this was the…
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Bloody Taxonomists!
I was reminded earlier today that it was twenty-five years ago that I started my university degree; a whole quarter of a century ago! Back then, the science of taxonomy was pretty well established and one got the impression that the times of great swathes of change were largely over; needless to say, this impression…
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Fool Hen
I had no idea Canada had things like this; I’m more used to the idea of grouse living in the highlands of Scotland or similar, being shot at by inbred members of the aristocracy… This splendid chap is a Spruce Grouse (Falcipennis canadensis); according to my bird book, it is also known as the Fool…
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Alces alces. The Moose.
Alces alces, the moose, is the largest of the deer family (that hasn’t gone extinct). Seeing a wild one was very high on my list of things to do in Canada; after two and a half years, I was still failing miserably. This all changed on a visit to Algonquin Park, as the winter snow…
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Niagara Falls – not blasé yet
When one lives about an hour’s drive from Niagara Falls, one tends to end up visiting the place quite a lot, with extra visits whenever one has guests from out of town. The first time I saw the falls with adult eyes, I was expecting to be a bit underwhelmed: as has been frequently observed…
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Groundhog
I think groundhogs (Marmota monax) are brilliant! If you’re from North America, these things are relatively unremarkable, apart from their alleged weather-predicting abilities (!); not having anything like this back home, they’re rather more impressive to a Brit. Groundhogs are essentially enormous squirrels (Sciuridae); Europeans will be familiar with their more extreme relations that live…
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Turkey Vulture
The Turkey Vulture (Cathartes aura) is a frequent sight over Ontario in the warmer months; soaring with their characteristic tipping motion as they look for lunch. Whilst not exactly beautiful birds, in a conventional sense, they are still impressive: their olfactory sense especially, which is primarily how they find food. According to my bird book,…
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Toronto Skyline At Night
This was taken from Hanlan’s Point on the Toronto Islands, utilising an ND filter to allow a longer exposure; Toronto at night is almost verging on pretty… Unfortunately, I’d missed that last ferry back from this end of the islands and had to walk back to Centre Island to catch a later ferry, with a…
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Mink
The Toronto Islands are a short ferry ride from downtown Toronto and are usually a pleasure to visit – the little cafe at the eastern end of the islands is a fine spot for a bite to eat or a drink. On this occasion, I was on the islands with a view to getting some…