I heard Blue jays calling and investigated to see what was bothering them. Turns out a Gray ratsnake had climbed their tree. Gray rats are shockingly adept climbers and can often be found in tree branches. 🐍📷🌿

Have you ever seen a Ruffed Grouse having a bath? I caught this Grouse, having a dust bath on the side of the road. 🪶🌿📷

A few highlights from my most recent lakewatch. Wilson's Phalarope and Hudsonian Whimbrels 🪶🌿📷

Nice to get a Lark Sparrow today in Ontario 🪶🌿📷

A piping plover foraging the beach from this morning 🪶🌿📷

I had an incredible once in a lifetime experience when a Willow Ptarmigan came walking up to me. I hid behind a tree about 50 feet away to keep some distance and then it ran up to me. Never been so scared I'd flush a bird. I stood still as a statue until he left. 📷🪶🌿

An Eastern Garter Snake making a meal out of an American Toad. Found as part of the London City Nature Challenge for iNat 🐍🌿📷

Angry Merlin I found watching me on my way to work 🪶🌿📷

Black-bellied Whistling ducks out in Ontario today! 🪶🌿📷

Killdeer flights this morning 🪶🌿📷

Nice to get my first Eastern Towhee of the year last weekend. The birds return!🪶🌿📷

Red-necked Grebes have started mating! 🪶🌿📷

Had a nice American Wigeon out on the lake 🪶🌿📷

Uhhh Am I interrupting? Caught some Cooper's hawks mating today🪶🌿📷

The upside of flooding on campus, Beavers! 🦊🌿📷

Brown Creeper just outside my office this morning 🪶🌿📷

Had to make a quick roadside stop when I saw this distant Snowy Owl off the highway. 🪶🌿📷

Thanks @tisoffwork.bsky.social for taking me to this gem. Here’s my proof that I was there too haha

Always nice to see a surprise afternoon Rusty Blackbird 🪶🌿📷

A common bird here but I'm always happy to see a Bufflehead up close 🪶🌿📷

Did some long weekend birding and watched this White-winged scoter foraging for zebra mussels. 🌿📷🪶

A collection of Evening Grosbeaks from this morning, one of Ontario's Northern residents. 🪶📷🌿

Canada's only marsupial, the Virginia Opossum just outside my office today. 🌿📷🦊

Very cool to see a Spotted Towhee in Ontario 🌿📷🪶

Caught this Swamp sparrow skulking around a frozen pond. Swamp sparrows tend to be an uncommon winter bird, but a few stick around in Ontario every year. 🌿📷🪶

If I had to pick a favourite bird group it would probably be gulls. And if I had to pick a favourite gull, it would be hard not to choose the Glaucous gull. I was lucky to run into this 1st year bird this morning 🪶🌿📷

Really excited to get my lifer Townsend's Solitaire in Ontario today. Usually the farthest east they'll come is Saskatchewan. 🌿📷🪶

It's been a pretty good bird year so far. Found this Rusty blackbird hiding amongst leaf litter 📷🪶🌿

My first Ross's Goose, an uncommon Ontario species that sometimes flocks with Canada Geese. 🪶🌿📷

Caught this beaver working his way through some branches 🪶🌿📷

With the year coming to an end, here are my top movies of the year. 📽️🎥🎬 For album of the year I have 🎶🎵: 1. Lonely people with power by Deafheaven 2. Let God sort them out by Clipse 3. Private Music by Deftones

A Long-eared owl I spotted while on my finch hunt. I find Long-eared owls tend to rest too close to trails, so when I see them I try to leave the area so as not to disturb them. This owl was being mobbed by smaller birds which explains why he was awake and alert during the day. 🌿🪶📷

I was hunting for finches when I noticed something else was watching me, a Barred Owl. 🪶📷🌿

Ran into a Redpoll hiding among a group of American Tree Sparrows 🌿🪶📷

Another Horned lark 🪶🌿📷

I was sitting around in a field waiting for raptors when a group of Horned Larks wandered close to me 🌿🪶📷

Not every day you run into a King Eider. This male is about a year out from his full adult plumage. Next year his bill will protrude to give a square headed look and he'll start to get green coloration around the eye. 🌿🪶📷

Northern Harrier in flight 🪶🌿📷

One of the worst parts of winter is not having a lot of daylight, this means I sometimes have to do my nature watching in my office. Last week I found this Western conifer seed bug with Tachinid fly eggs (likely from the genus Phasiinae). #insects 🌿🪰

Cooper's Hawk from this morning 🪶🌿📷

One of my favourite underrated Ontario birds is the Swamp Sparrow. They can be difficult to pick out until you learn to recognize their call. I was happy to spot a late one yesterday morning attempting to overwinter. 🌿🪶📷

I've been doing some seining as part of a new research project looking at the biodiversity of a local river. Some of our fish finds so far. 🐟 #fish 1. greenside Darter

It's easy to test out new camera settings when a Red Squirrel decides to pose for you. 🦊🌿📷

Went back to see the Razorbill again today and found it surprisingly close to shore! Was very excited to get a few pictures 🪶🌿📷

Lifer Razorbill in Toronto today! 🌿🪶📷

Cedar Waxwing eating a berry in 4 parts 🌿🪶📷

Stilt Sandpipers take flight 🪶🌿📷

Black-throated blue warbler from a quick morning bird today 🌿🪶📷

A Black-bellied Plover takes flight 🪶🌿📷

Contemplative Lesser Yellowlegs I ran into while hunting for Shorebirds 🪶🌿📷