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 🪶🌿📷

Excited to run into an American Golden Plover resting during the migration 🌿📷🪶

Night heron looking for an early morning fish 🪶🌿📷

Swamp Sparrow investigating me while I waited for migratory shorebirds at a pond. 🌿🪶📷

I was noticing suspiciously few shorebirds when I saw a Peregrine Falcon perched over the shoreline. 🌿🪶📷

I was hunting for shorebirds when I saw a small bird moving in the grass. I decided to sit down and wait him out and was pleasantly surprised to see a rare Yellow-headed Blackbird. A west coast bird that rarely makes it to Ontario. 🌿🪶📷

Common Merganser I ran into this morning 🪶🌿📷

Very long unsuccessful Spruce Grouse hunt. Luckily I had this Yellow-rumped warbler hanging out to keep me company 🌿🪶📷

Some spectacular moths out tonight 1. Larch Tolype Moth 2. Boldly-marked Archips Moth 3. Maple Spanworm 4. Sweetfern Underwing Moth 🌿🦋 #inverts #insects

Very excited to see a Spotted Redshank in Ontario. The first confirmed on eBird in Canada since 1990. 🌿🪶📷

Ran into this Yellow-throated Vireo just outside my field site in June 🌿🪶📷

Purple finches caught in the field in June 🌿🪶📷

Ran into this Black Swallowtail investigating a thistle 🦋🌿📷 #butterflies #insects

Barn Swallow stretching early morning 🪶🌿📷

Ran into this Red-headed Woodpecker today. An uncommon sighting in Southern Ontario. 🪶🌿📷