Hitching a Ride
A young turtle improbably basks on the back of another turtle. The large fellow here is also the largest turtle in this photograph.
Outside Interference
Left, a massive cloud of gnats obscures the life-saving equipment by Snake Island. Below, a detail of the cloud that’s the bane of cyclists.
Final Resting Place
The unfortunate remains of an Island deer lie sun bleached in the field in front of the Island filtration plant. Discovered about two years ago by plant staff, the timing coincides with the deer’s disappearance. This deer was assumedly a coyote victim, nothing else on the Island would be large enough to take down something […]
The Colours of Spring
A male mallard shines bright on water still reflecting the dull browns of early spring.
A Face A Mother Could Love
A garter snake emerges into the sunshine of an early spring day after a winter spent slumbering below ground.
Pikeflections
A mature northern pike swims in the shallows, reflected in the surface of water less than 6″ deep.
Bumps on a Log II
Six turtles take the Log Game up a notch, besting their previous record of five on a log last year.
Moon Heron
A black-crowned night heron perches on a rock off of the boardwalk around 9:00PM, bathed in the dappled light of a rising full moon.
A Day in the Life
A day in the life of an underwater camera as a young northern pike, muskrat, and painted turtle cruise past in the lagoon’s murky depths.
Muskrat Mountain
A muskrat, looking for all the world like a small mountain of fur, sits in the waters off of Doughnut Island.
Staredown on Brown
A coyote, blending in perfectly with the browns of early Spring, stares down the camera by the filtration plant.
Numero Uno
The first black-crowned night heron to return to the Islands in 2012, two days earlier than the first arrivals in 2011.
Hibernation Solidification
A painted turtle basks on a log, still covered in mud and algae from its long winter slumber at the bottom of the lagoon.
Translucent Airlines
Light shines through the flight feathers of a long-tailed duck, taking flight near Hanlan’s Point.
Icy Whiskers
A mink, whiskers sporting ice in the -11°C air, surveys its surroundings on fresh ice formed by a sudden March cold snap.
Hidden Cooper
A Cooper’s Hawk sits hidden in the branches west of Snake Island. A Cooper’s couple raised a family in the area in 2011, it’s nice to see them back again.
The Coyote Times
A fleeting glimpse into the mysterious world of Toronto Island coyotoes: a remote camera catches a coyote pair hunting on the ice near Doughnut Island. Note: this is a compilation of several frames, showing them as the camera sees them. It is not a pack, it’s only one pair of coyotes imaged several times. Click […]
Thoroughly Jones
Obviously unsure of the concept, the inestimable Jimmy Jones can’t decide which tool to use after a heavy Ward’s Island snowfall.
Wingtip Flight
A great blue heron takes flight near Doughnut Island, wingtip feathers outstretched mere inches from the surface of the water.
Rebirth
A monarch butterfly stretches its wings for the very first time, mere hours after emerging from its chrysalis.
Crayfish Delight
In our continuing series of Wildlife Sticking Their Tongues Out, a Centre Island mink crunches through a crayfish, consuming it entirely shell and all.