Discover Southern Ontario Blog
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Due to our recent visit to Iceland, England & Ireland in May 2017, there may be a delay in seeing your submissions published, but I will be hard at work, now we are back!
Which is this bird?
Hi everyone, May 16, 2017 I would like to know the name of this bird I keep seeing every morning. Basically black in colour. Angry looking. So God decided
Evening Grosbeak
What became of them? I used to get all kinds of them (when living at the house a concession over as I am now in a seniors apartment) and they would
Our Visit to Iceland - Day 5
Our fifth day in Iceland - an Icelandic lesson, boiling pools of mud, the town of Akureyri, expensive knitwear, a Troll and ...
The Owls in the Maple tree
My husband sits most mornings with a cup of coffee and the dog by his side in our back yard. The other morning he heard something unfamiliar in our
Osprey on the Maitland
There are 2 young (?) Osprey building a nest near my house. This one was giving me a look as it flew over me. Thank you for sending us your great
Our Visit to Iceland - Day 4
We travelled from the charming town of Höfn today, stopping at Breiðdalsvík for lunch then pressing on to Egilsstaðir where we did a little sight-seeing and stayed in great accommodation at the ...
Wolves near Brechin, Ontario
V Griffiths from England wrote to tell us about their Canadian childhood sighting of Wolves ...
Wild Turkeys
The Wild Turkey is native to North America and is common in this area of Southern Ontario. In the past few weeks I have observed groups of these birds in the fields with their young.
The community of Leamington, Ontario
The town of Leamington, located on the north shore of Lake Erie, was first settled in the mid-1800's and now has a population of 28,000 people. Leamington was, for many years, the home of the H J Heinz factory, however, now the tomatoes from this area are made into delicious French's Ketchup.
Southern Ontario Golf
As hubby and I newly retired, Golf is one of the activities that we are looking forward to. Fortunately, we live in an area of the country where there are courses in abundance, as Southern Ontario, and the London and St Thomas area, has many Public and Semi-Private Clubs.
Damselflies
Damselflies are smaller than Dragonflies, and the ones in the pictures were a beautiful Azure blue.
The Monarch Butterfly
The pretty Monarch Butterfly is well known and easily recognized in this part of the country, as they spend the summer here. Sometimes known as the Milkweed Butterfly, this is probably the best known butterfly in North America.
Our Visit to Iceland - Day 3
Wow! Day three had the most amazing scenery - follow our trip and see what we did on day three ...
Two Unusual Types of Birds in One Day
First one: looked like a Sparrow (there were 2 of them), except when I looked closer in binocular, they had chipmunk stripes on their heads and a penny-size
More Wood Duck eggs were laid yesterday
More eggs were laid yesterday, April 28, 2016. Mom has not been seen since. Please keep us updated. Did the mother return? Did the eggs hatch?
Springwater Conservation Area, Orwell, Ontario
If you love camping or hiking, you may enjoy our favourite local place to enjoy the outdoors - Springwater Conservation Area, which is between St Thomas and Aylmer, Ontario ...
Continue reading "Springwater Conservation Area, Orwell, Ontario"
Hanna's Irish Farm Vacation House
This completely renovated 1920's farmhouse is a comfortable home away from home for those looking for accommodation for a family vacation, either close to the Niagara area or for a rural farm holiday.
Lakebreeze Niagara Studio Suites in Port Colborne
Martina from Amherstburg wrote to tell us of her favourite place to stay ...
Continue reading "Lakebreeze Niagara Studio Suites in Port Colborne"
Iceland trip - day 2
I think Iceland is the only place I love as much as southern Ontario! Follow our trip and see what we did on day two ...
Bald Eagle reports from our readers
Bald Eagle sightings from Oil Springs, Sparrow Lake, Mississauga, London, Mount Brydges, Strathroy, Dorchester, Hamilton, Merlin, Hillsburgh, St Thomas, Haliburton ...
Dresden, Ontario - the underground railroad & slavery
When I had only been in Canada for a couple of years, I went to visit Uncle Tom’s Cabin in Dresden with my hubby and young children – what an eye opener it was for me!
Continue reading "Dresden, Ontario - the underground railroad & slavery"
Young Owl at Wheatley Provincial Park
Jamie Stickney sent us this adorable picture of a young Owl ...
Our visit to Iceland
If anyone is interested in reading about our recent trip to Iceland, take a look at what we did on our first day in the country - what an amazingly beautiful place Iceland is ...
The Beavers have taken over!
Rod S from Brampton, Ontario, wrote to tell us about active Beavers in his community ...
Wolf, Coyote or Coy-Wolf - you decide
One of our readers wrote ... My mom just went to take my dog out in London, Ontario, tonight near Woodland Cemetery. She came in screaming that a giant white ...
Cottages in Southern Ontario
Have you found the perfect get away for your summer vacation? If not, check out Sunnybrook Garden-level Guest Suite, Oma's Loft in Delaware, Hanna's Irish Farmhouse Vacation House in Port Maitland and the Cottage at Crystal Beach ...
The Groundhog
When I first arrived here in Ontario from England, a neighbour of mine told me that she had Groundhogs in her vegetable garden. I had never seen one and envisioned a huge, pig-like animal roaming through the neighbourhood gardens, snorting and eating everything in sight! Imagine my delight when I saw my first Groundhog! They are cute herbivores who look a little like a beaver without the flat tail.
Sunday Drives in Southern Ontario
Our family has some favourite Sunday drives, and I bet your family does too - tell us where you like to go when you're out and about, where your favourite restaurants or tea-rooms are, your favourite country drives ...
Wild Peacocks in Ontario
One of our readers from Amherstburg sent us this report of her bird sighting - Every day on my way to work I am seeing 5-7 wild Peacocks grazing on the side of the road - can this be true? I didn't really believe it but I stopped yesterday and it was true - Peacocks!
Baby Bird - can you identify?
Marinus Pater, one of our regular contributors, sent us this picture of a young bird ...
Summer in Southern Ontario
Most people know that Canada has really cold, snowy winters, but many do not realize that we also enjoy long hot summers too! The climate here means that Canadians and holidaymakers can enjoy all that Southern Ontario has to offer including Summer Festivals and Fairs, wonderful beaches, cottage holidays and much, much more!
My Passion ... for building this website!
When my husband first saw the SBI advert online, he thought there should be a website full of information about where we live in Southern Ontario, I thought it was a good idea too - I just didn’t know that he wanted ME to be the one writing it!
Continue reading "My Passion ... for building this website!"
Bees
These flying insects are valuable to the farmer, orchard owner, and home gardener, as they pollinate many of the crops in this area and without them there would be no corn crop, tobacco, tomatoes, cucumbers, squash and melons, nor would there be any delicious strawberries each June!
William Shatner - from Montreal, Quebec
Back in England during the early 1970's I tuned in to "Star Trek" to hear William Shatner say "This is Captain James T Kirk, Commander of the Starship Enterprise" - those were the words which opened the program, which is now a cult classic.
Grand Bend Ontario
The water here is clean and the sandy beach stretches out into the shallow water, children can safely wade and swim in the water - under their parent's watchful eyes of course!
Chipmunks!
One day while feeding the Chipmunks, I forgot to close the screen door. Next thing I knew, there was a chippy in the house. I never really knew how smart they were until that day!
White Squirrel in Belle River
I'm attaching the picture I took. It's eating bread the neighbour left out.
Pittock Conservation Area
Pittock Conservation Area is located near Woodstock, Ontario, and is administered by the Upper Thames River Conservation Authority. This Conservation Area has 820 hectares of land, and around 70,000 people enjoy visiting there annually. Their operating season starts on April 21st, 2017.
Deer in London, Ontario
One of our young readers is an avid photographer and took some great pictures of deer in London ...
Canadian actor Paul Gross from Calgary
Born in Calgary, Alberta, in 1959, he is best known for his portrayal of Constable Benton Fraser in the TV series "Due South" and another Canadian TV show, "Slings and Arrows". After studying acting at the University of Alberta in Edmonton, he left during the third year of his study, but went back later ...
Stratford Ontario - famous for Shakespeare Festival
*OPENING TODAY* Starting with "Romeo & Juliet" on May 3rd 2017, the Stratford Festival will be off to a great start! "Timon of Athens" opens on May 8th and "Twelfth Night" on May 13th and several dramas and comedies are also in the 2017 Stratford line up!
Continue reading "Stratford Ontario - famous for Shakespeare Festival"
The Loon
The Loon, sometimes called the Great Northern Diver, is found in Ontario, and is the size of a large duck. These waterbirds, however, are actually members of a different and distinct species of waterfowl and are not related to Ducks, Coots or Cormorants.
The Canadian Beaver
One of the reasons that North America was first colonized by Europeans was the abundance of natural resources, such as whales and fish off the shores of the Maritimes, huge pine trees for use as the masts of ships and rich, warm furs.
Baby Owls
Here are a couple of pictures of Great Horned Owl babies, and a couple of not so great pics of what we are very certain were Golden Eagles.
The town of Aylmer, Ontario
Aylmer is the home of the Ontario Police College and is a great place for bird watching, and to view the annual Spring Tundra Swan migration at the Wildlife Management Area on Hacienda Road.
Woodpecker outside my window
Jean from Brantford said ... I just saw this one outside my window really busy with it's beak pecking at an evergreen tree. Would like someone to identify it for me.
Bald Eagles in Brantford
I have noticed that Bald Eagles are becoming more accustomed to humans moving along the river as several fishermen did not seemed to bother them as I watched on from the other side of the river!
Genealogical and Family research
Have you thought about Genealogical and Family research to find out about your ancestors? Would you love to find those ancestors, but don't have the time to work at it? I have experience researching family trees, especially in England, Ireland, Scotland and Wales, and my rates are reasonable.
