The blog took a little break over the month of August, but things are starting to ramp back up again...
The first half of August saw Lillian and I spend at her family's cottage just outside of Tobermory. We had a great two weeks, and were able to have a good mix of relax time and checking out local hiking spots.
I was able to add in some herping and botanizing through the area, as this is a great area for both.
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Got to be one of my favourites, Cardinal Flower (Lobelia cardinalis) |
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I know...it's a crappy photo, but one of the few we saw, an Alaska Rein Orchid (Piperia unalascensis) |
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Highly recommended...we took an evening sunset cruise out of Tobermory on a pleasant evening and even had an adult Peregrine Falcon come and roost, close to Halfway Log Dump -- they must be breeding nearby?! |
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What trip to Tobermory would be complete without seeing Flowerpot Island -- be aware of the crowds! |
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I think this was my favourtie plant from the trip: North Wind Bog Orchid (Platanthera aquilonis) |
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Full view of it, on Flowerpot Island. |
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We made it to Singing Sands (two bays south of us) and had some nice Fen Grass of Parnassus (Parnassia glauca) |
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Halfway through our time at the cottage I left for the day...and got my Ontario lifer (long overdue!) Little Blue Heron! |
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I was able to do some birding too, and had a large flock of Common Nighthawks at the Tobermory Sewage Lagoons and even managed a few pics of it with my phone through my bins! |
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Likely the coolest birds I saw up there was this adult Red-headed Woodpecker beside Hwy. 6, just south of Tobermory feeding its young! |
It's already been two weeks since we were up (couldn't go this past weekend), but we'll be back fro Thanksgiving!