A Wild World

Almost everyone who sees my photos for the first time says “Where on earth do you find these creatures?”. They think I live in some enchanted Disney-like place where animals nicely pose, just hoping a photographer will appear to take their picture.. The truth is that wildlife is absolutely everywhere in the city and suburbs - you just have to look.

There isn’t a park in the city that doesn’t have at least one raccoon (and likely several) peering down at joggers and picnickers from a tree as they have a mid-day rest.

Ashbridges Bay

Rosetta McClain Gardens

Owls are also common city residents, particularly Eastern Screech Owls, but they are tricky to spot because of their great camouflage.



Both Red and Grey Morph Eastern Screech Owls blend in with tree bark and are difficult to see.



Fox, Deer and Coyotes are also abundant throughout the city’s parks and ravines, and even in industrial areas where fields have been left to go natural. Sadly these mammals are losing more and more habitat as each day goes by.

Red Fox, Ajax Waterfront

White-Tailed Deer, South Whitby

Of course, waterfowl can be found at any marina or pond but there was a time when I used to think we only had a single species of duck (called "ducks"!) on Lake Ontario.  In recent years I've learned just how many unique and amazing duck species we have around us every day.

Long-Tailed Duck, Ashbridges Bay

On most Autumn days when you look up you will see migrating raptors - Hawks, Falcons and even the occasional Eagle - drifting through, especially along the waterfront. On a good day you can see hundreds or even thousands of these magnificent birds.  Learn more about hawk watching hot spots in Ontario:  http://www.ofo.ca/reportsandarticles/hawkwatching.php.

Most of my wildlife friends and I spend more time looking in the clouds and scanning tree lines than we do looking straight ahead (we try not to do this while driving!). Click on a few of the links on my Blog Roll to see some of their great wildlife sightings and photos, most of which aren’t taken too far from home.