Tristan Ducharme

Defending a Bluegill nest isn't easy. The male below (Nest 305) is currently attempting to spawn with a female. Unfortunately for him, smaller "sneaker" males are trying to dart into his nest and fertilize her eggs before he can. 🌿🐟🧪 🧵

An elusive Sora moves through dense reeds along the swamp's edge. They're one of my favorite Ontario species but are often quite difficult to locate. This Sora was a late migrant, hanging around Ontario before continuing it's journey South. 🪶📷🌿

A posing pectoral sandpiper from one of my trips to the Toronto Islands 🪶🌿📷

A Rare Western Kingbird from Toronto a couple of weeks ago. 🌿🪶📷

Very excited to find a Nelson's sparrow hiding within reeds in a marsh. One of Ontario's rarer sparrows. 🪶🌿📷

Caught this Willet foraging in a small pond 🪶🌿📷

A Sanderling patrolling the beach early this morning 🪶🌿📷

A least sandpiper forages for food in a shallow puddle 🌿🪶📷

Fly appreciation post. For a long time my favourite taxon has been diptera or flies, mostly because of the immense variation. Here are 4 of my favourite recent fly shots. 1. Ringed Pixie 2. Antlered flutter fly 3. Eutreta noveboracensis 4. Hystricia abrupta 🌿📷🦋 #inverts #insects #wildlife

Awesome to find a photogenic Wilson's Phalarope in Ontario yesterday. This one was hidden among a large group of various shorebirds. 🪶🌿📷

Young Gray Treefrog hiding on a leaf 🐍🐸🌿📷

A rare Western Grebe spreads it's wings 📷🪶🌿

A few more inverts I found this year 🌿🦋 #inverts #insects #moths 1. Northern Black Widow 2. Orange-barred Carpet Moth 3. Spiny Oak Slug moth 4. Northern Apple Sphinx

Bank Swallows out on the waterfront today 🌿🪶📷

Mothing has quickly become one of my favourite hobbies. So many to see and so much variation. Here are a few of my favourites from my field season 🌿🦋 #inverts #insects #moths 1. Arched Hooktip 2. Elegant Prominent 3. Nais Tiger Moth 4. Promethea Silk moth

Some pretty amazing insects at the field research site this year! #insect 🦋🪲🪰 1. Oidematops ferrugineus 2. Elfin Skimmer 3. unidentified pygmy grasshopper 4. Antelope Beetle

I heard Blue jays calling and investigated to see what was bothering them. Turns out a Gray ratsnake had climbed their tree. Gray rats are shockingly adept climbers and can often be found in tree branches. 🐍📷🌿

Have you ever seen a Ruffed Grouse having a bath? I caught this Grouse, having a dust bath on the side of the road. 🪶🌿📷

A few highlights from my most recent lakewatch. Wilson's Phalarope and Hudsonian Whimbrels 🪶🌿📷

Nice to get a Lark Sparrow today in Ontario 🪶🌿📷

A piping plover foraging the beach from this morning 🪶🌿📷

An Eastern Garter Snake making a meal out of an American Toad. Found as part of the London City Nature Challenge for iNat 🐍🌿📷

Angry Merlin I found watching me on my way to work 🪶🌿📷

Killdeer flights this morning 🪶🌿📷

Red-necked Grebes have started mating! 🪶🌿📷

Had a nice American Wigeon out on the lake 🪶🌿📷

Uhhh Am I interrupting? Caught some Cooper's hawks mating today🪶🌿📷

The upside of flooding on campus, Beavers! 🦊🌿📷

Brown Creeper just outside my office this morning 🪶🌿📷

Had to make a quick roadside stop when I saw this distant Snowy Owl off the highway. 🪶🌿📷

Thanks @tisoffwork.bsky.social for taking me to this gem. Here’s my proof that I was there too haha

Always nice to see a surprise afternoon Rusty Blackbird 🪶🌿📷

A common bird here but I'm always happy to see a Bufflehead up close 🪶🌿📷

Canada's only marsupial, the Virginia Opossum just outside my office today. 🌿📷🦊

Very cool to see a Spotted Towhee in Ontario 🌿📷🪶

Caught this Swamp sparrow skulking around a frozen pond. Swamp sparrows tend to be an uncommon winter bird, but a few stick around in Ontario every year. 🌿📷🪶

If I had to pick a favourite bird group it would probably be gulls. And if I had to pick a favourite gull, it would be hard not to choose the Glaucous gull. I was lucky to run into this 1st year bird this morning 🪶🌿📷

Really excited to get my lifer Townsend's Solitaire in Ontario today. Usually the farthest east they'll come is Saskatchewan. 🌿📷🪶

It's been a pretty good bird year so far. Found this Rusty blackbird hiding amongst leaf litter 📷🪶🌿