“Did you see all the warblers?” shouted the cyclist pedaling toward us. As my daughter and I hiked further along the Walker Woods trail, the enthusiastic fellow started listing off the numerous varieties he’d spotted; his voice trailed away before the list ended. Alison and I, amateur birdwatchers at best, hadn’t seen any warblers. We [...]

Bring a net, pack a lunch and you’re good for the day at Greenwood Conservation Area in Ajax. On a splendid, sunny Saturday in late May, we even wished we’d brought swimsuits along! Greenwood Conservation Area may have kilometres of trails that thread through meadows, manicured parklands and woodland forest, but it’s Duffins Creek that’s [...]

The Brooklin Lions Wilderness Trail is short but sweet. Just 1.6 kilometres of paved path – with plenty of sidetracks to pique the interest – it’s level enough for strollers and wheelchairs and short enough for little legs. Last month when we hiked the trail, my kids and I trudged through knee-deep snow, with little [...]

“What do you call those tennis racket things that you put on your feet?” Alison asked. “Snowshoes?” “Yeah, snowshoes. They’d sure come in handy today.” The snow was knee-deep at Purple Woods Conservation Area on this blue-sky, cottonball-cloud February afternoon. When we’d arrived at Purple Woods, my daughter immediately ran to the viewing platform just [...]

The first snow of the year had fallen in Whitby. Not enough to take seriously; it barely covered the ground. We hoped we’d find more snow at Long Sault, where we planned to hike. Once we’re north of Highway 7, the weather changed, as if someone drew an imaginary line. The fields and trees have [...]

“Note to self: bring LOTS of sunflower seeds next time.” The birds swoop around us so closely that we feel their wings beat, as they compete for the seeds my daughter holds out on her open hand. If only we’d known they’d be so hungry! The chickadees had started to gather as soon as we’d [...]

On a Sunday far too balmy for late October, my daughter and I bundled our bikes into the van and headed for the Whitby Waterfront Trail. The parking lot at Lion’s Promenade was packed – lots of people in shirtsleeves and shorts here to enjoy summer’s last hurrah. Paved trails, no cars, no hills — [...]