Most people who feed birds in the winter in this area will be familiar with the Evening Grosbeak. It has a body about the size of a robin but with a short tail and an enormous beak. The male birds are beautifully marked in yellow, black, and white while the […]
Al Lowe – Nature Science and You
Redpolls are sort of dumpy, little sparrow-like birds. They’re brownish, streaked on the sides, have fluffy feathers, and are distinguished by red caps (“poll” is an old English word for the top of the head). Quite a few of the male birds also have pink breasts. There actually are two […]
If one part of your body could be said to be the centre of life, it would have to be your heart.This organ works steadily all of your life, pumping blood through your whole system. All parts of your body live because your heart keeps working. Your heart is a […]
How many birds could you possibly see in Northwestern Ontario? Well, it takes quite a bit of looking to find a sensible answer to this question but here goes my estimate. According to “Birds of Canada” (Godfrey), about 518 species of birds have been seen in Canada. This includes a […]
Esox lucius. The pike family is made up of various pikes, the muskellunge, and the true pickerels (not the walleye though). The Northern Pike is, by far, the best known of the pike family. All true pikes have the same general shape. The body is long and straight, and there […]
Ontario has 15 species of snakes–more than any other province–but of these only one is poisonous. That is the Massasauga Rattler, which lives around Lake Huron and Georgian Bay so it is no threat to us at all. Here in the north, we have, for all practical purposes, only one […]
Cooling water temperatures in the fall send monster walleyes on a devouring fever. Whether the lure is a minnow imitation crankbait, leech, or red tail chub on a jig, live bait rules in fall. This is a time anglers definitely should not overlook because walleyes turn on as if old […]
I suppose the Mallard is the most familiar duck in the northern hemisphere. That grey body, brilliant green head, and substantial size are its distinguishing marks. If you need more, the red breast, the white collar, and the orange feet and legs will give you some more confirmation. The female […]
The key to finding Lake of the Woods walleyes is to locate one of the many various-sized reefs, or mid-lake humps. Many reefs are not even marked on the map but still can be found by using my Pinpoint 7520. They all seem to attract walleyes, with the larger reefs […]
The largemouth bass is a good-sized fish. It makes fine eating, it puts up a good fight when caught, and it is very prolific. Not much wonder it is the most popular game fish in the U.S. The largemouth is bigger than its close relative, the smallmouth bass. In fact, […]
There are many beautiful flowers in the spring. Some are brilliant and flamboyant, some are soft and delicate, and some have special meanings in our lives. We all love to see flowers blooming in the spring. In this part of the world, it means we can put away the snow […]
When we think of warblers, we usually have a mental picture of green or yellowish birds. Well, here are two which are out of the ordinary. The males are black and white–with no yellowy green at all. The Blackpoll Warbler (Dendroica striata) has a generally striped body, black and brownish […]
