Notes from the Wild

Herons, egrets and bitterns are long-legged freshwater and coastal birds in the family Ardeidae.

To an entomologist, “true bugs” are insects that suck. No insult intended – they really do suck.

Next time you stumble across a spider try not to scream or reach for a shoe.

On a Bruce Trail hike I came across a small mound of freshly deposited fox scat.

French artist Hubert Duprat capitalized on this in the 1980s by supplying caddisflies with flecks of gold and tiny precious stones.

Five ways butterflies survive the winter.

Muskrats are largely herbivorous – chomping cattail roots and shoots is a favourite pastime.

The bird feeder was now far enough from trees to thwart my backyard community of furry filchers.

Not only do these woodpeckers have remarkable adaptations for excavating wood, they also have acute hearing that allows them to pick up the telltale sounds of ants scurrying within trees.

A red-tailed hawk’s vision can be 10 times more acute than ours.

How good is your eye? Take our camouflage challenge and test your knowledge.

Turkeys – especially rival tom turkeys can be highly entertaining to watch at this time of year.