On Saturday we wanted to go out for the day but could not decide where. Then suddenly we thought of the zoo and off we went. On the way there we saw there had been an accident on the 401 on the other side of the road (eastbound) and the traffic was backed up. Little did we know that the traffic was backed up for 34 km’s. We felt really sorry for all the thousands of people who were caught up in it.

The zoo is easy to find from the 401 and cost us $23 each entrance fee as well as $10 for parking. When we got there I realized I had forgotten to put on sun lotion and it was baking hot, so I bought some there, just to be on the safe side. We also bought a hat each – another $50 spent!

Here are a few of he photos we took – more can be found in the photo album.

Emu

Flamingo

Zebra

Hippo

Tiger

I cannot make up my mind whether I agree with zoos. They do a great job in trying to protect animals and especially endangered species, but some of the areas they live in are small and you have to feel sorry for them. Toronto Zoo has loads of space, but unfortunately not all of it is allocated to the animal habitats. Tigers and polar bears are kept in very small areas for example and when you see how much space is available it is a shame they cannot allocate more space for them.

More photos can be found in the photo album

This time of year is certainly busy for our feathered and furry friends. The killdeer are screaming and shouting in the front garden trying to keep their four babies in line. Still haven’t managed to get any decent photos of the babies yet, but did catch mum rushing across the drive – hence the blurriness.

These photos are of a toad who decided to sun himself on our deck this morning.

Eye eye!

After a week of glorious sunshine and temps in the high teens today it is cold and wet with promise of more to come. Because of the wetter weather we had a visit from a rather pretty frog this morning.

This is a Leopard Frog and isn’t he handsome – well as handsome as a frog can be!

Tonight we happened to look out the window and saw a turtle crossing the front garden. We went out to have a look and it was a Blandings turtle. We saw a couple of these last year too. This one was smaller than last years, about the size of a dinner plate. Here are some photos of him.

After taking his photo we fed chip the chipmunk and then spotted another turtle in the bushes, this one very much smaller, probably only 4 inches long. He was asleep in the bushes with his head tucked in.

Then as if that wasn’t enough we spotted a toad.

Also, here is a starling feeding young. She looks harassed and they look bigger than her!

I know we love our wildlife but this Whip-Poor-Will bird is now being referred to by us as a car alarm. You know how car alarms go off and then go on forever, well that is what this birds does. Whip-Poor-will, whip-poor-will all night long. Bless!

Last night we also had a frog outside and Chris got these pics of him. We think it is a grey tree frog, but stand to be corrected if anyone else knows better.

The killdeer is still out the front, so hopefully we will have more babies this year. We also have lots of robins so again we are hoping they nest nearby or even under the deck like last year. The lone young deer keeps popping up in the garden every now and again. He looks so lost and nervous. I suspect his mother has kicked him out so she can have this years youngster to herself.

Last night we were watching TV and could hear a strange noise from outside. We went out onto the deck and could hear a strange call coming out from the wooded area round our house. It was extremely loud and very unusual, so much so I recored the sound so that I could try to find out what it was.

At first we thought it might be a frog or toad as we have lots of them about, but after sitting at the computer for a while listening to examples of toad calls across Ontario it became apparent we either had a very rare one or it was not a toad. Next I looked for birds, but as it was late at night and very dark we could not see the bird, so only had the sound to go by.

More time on the internet came up with nothing, then I had a brainwave and searched for nocturnal birds in Ontario. One of the first I found was something called the Whip-Poor-Will and when I found an example of its call, that was it. So, we have a Whip-poor-Will nearby. Apparently they are nocturnal and eat insects and moths on the wing. They nest on the ground in woodland, so hopefully we have a pair and will continue to hear this strange bird call which sounds just like the name suggests.

If you go to this webpage you can click on the link to hear the sound – really unusual!

http://www.kwic.com/~pagodavista/schoolhouse/species/birds/wiporwil.htm