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Kristen Martyn- Eastern Tailed Blue

Kristen Martyn- Eastern Tailed Blue

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Latest from the blog

Kristen Martyn- Regent Bowerbird

Welcome!

Kristen

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December 1, 2017

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Birding, Wildlife

Hello Nature Lovers, After several enjoyable years on Blogger with the Nature Notes Blog, I’ve …

kristenmartyn

Unexpected backyard guest 💛🖤❤️ A young Yellow-bel

Unexpected backyard guest 💛🖤❤️

A young Yellow-bellied Sapsucker has been visiting the yard regularly over the past few weeks. Since their diet contains mainly of sap they aren't a common sight at feeders. However, this bird has been enjoying our suet.

It’s also a bit unusual to see one lingering this time of year, as most Yellow-bellied Sapsuckers migrate out of Ontario for the winter. Whether it sticks around a little longer or eventually heads south, we’ve been enjoying every visit.
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#YellowBelliedSapsucker #Sapsucker #BackyardBirding #BirdsOfOntario #OntarioBirds #BirdWatching #BackyardWildlife #BirdEducation #NatureInTheYard #JuvenileBird #UnexpectedVisitor #NativeWildlife #Woodpecker #BirdsOfInstagram #WildBirdsUnlimited

Slowly becoming addicted to needle felting 🪡 My se

Slowly becoming addicted to needle felting 🪡 My second felted bird turned out so cute. He has a new home on our Christmas Tree 🎄 There’s something fun about turning a wool blob into something recognizable. Already thinking up my third project… 🤔 Highly recommend needle felting a try! Would make a lovely handmade gift 🎁 for someone!
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#NeedleFelting #WoolArt #CraftReel #FibreArts #CardinalArt #HandmadeOrnaments #WildBirdsUnlimited #CreativeWorkshops #CanadianMakers #birdart #naturecrafts

The junco complex definitely keeps things interest

The junco complex definitely keeps things interesting!🤔 I usually spot a Cassiar’s Junco every couple of years, but this one has me taking a closer look — the subtle colouring, hood contrast, and overall tone look a bit more (female) Oregon-leaning. Either way, this beauty has been hanging around with a group of normie juncos (Slate-coloured) in our yard for the last couple of weeks 🐦✨ 🩶

What subspecies of junco do you get in your yard??
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#DarkEyedJunco #JuncoComplex #CassiarJunco #OregonJunco #BackyardBirding #OntarioBirds #FeederWatch #BirdNerd #BirdingCanada #WinterBirds #BirdIdentification #BirdWatchingDaily #WildBirdsUnlimited

It doesn’t get any better, than this! A gorgeous m

It doesn’t get any better, than this! A gorgeous male Evening Grosbeak stopped in today on our live Feeder Cam (link in bio). We got to watch him for quite a while! Hope he stays and invites all his buddies! No redpolls yet but we also have Siskins. What winter finches are you seeing?? ❄️ 💛
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#EveningGrosbeak #WinterFinches #FeederCam #OntarioBirds #BackyardBirding #BirdWatchingCanada #WildBirdsUnlimited #WinterBirding #PineSiskin #BirdLovers

Had a wonderful time this week in beautiful Magnet

Had a wonderful time this week in beautiful Magnetawan, ON speaking to the Entente Retired Educators about the discovering the hidden lives of our backyard birds! 🐦🌿

It was such a lovely day filled with sunshine, great conversations, delicious food, and a truly welcoming group of people.

Thank you to everyone who came out! 💛

#BirdingOntario #WildBirdsUnlimited #BirdEducation #BirdLovers #NatureTalk #CommunityConnections #CanadianBirds #BirdConservation #GetOutside

Watching the salmon run has become our Thanksgivin

Watching the salmon run has become our Thanksgiving tradition — a reminder of nature’s incredible cycles 🐟🍂
Happy Thanksgiving! 🧡

#ThanksgivingTradition #SalmonRun #CanadianNature #FallInOntario #gratefulfornature #Thanksgiving #SalmonRun #OntarioOutdoors #Gratitude #NatureLovers

✨ Fall is blooming beautifully in my native plant

✨ Fall is blooming beautifully in my native plant garden 🌿🍂 Here are some late-season stars:

🌸 Tennessee Coneflower (Echinacea tennesseensis) — first blooms after starting them from seed last year. A proud native plant gardener moment! 🤓
🌼 Blanketflower (Gaillardia aristata) — bold colour that keeps shining late into the season.
🤍 Wild Quinine (Parthenium integrifolium) — new for 2025 and already my new favourite, with its cloud-like clusters of blooms.
🌿 Spotted Beebalm (Monarda punctata) — loved by pollinators and such a unique form.
💜 Missouri Ironweed (Vernonia missurica) — deep purple drama for fall.
🌾 Purple Love Grass (Eragrostis spectabilis) — a soft, airy haze that ties it all together. Attempting to use it as green mulch. #L

Every season brings new joy, but fall flowers have a way of stealing the spotlight. Fall is the new Spring🍁

#fallisthenewspring #NativePlantGarden #FallBlooms #PollinatorGarden #WildflowersOfOntario #GardenInspiration #GrowNative #BackyardHabitat #Biodiversity #GardeningCanada #EchinaceaTennesseensis #GaillardiaAristata #PartheniumIntegrifolium #MonardaPunctata #VernoniaMissurica #EragrostisSpectabilis

I was recently interviewed by the Canadian Franchi

I was recently interviewed by the Canadian Franchise Association for their Franchise Canada article “Multi-Gen Magic: Birding as a Business.” 🐦🌿

It’s an honour to talk about the journey with Wild Birds Unlimited, my passion for birds and small business along with the communities that have made it possible. @wbubarrie @wbu.newmarket @cfafranchise

#FranchiseCanada #CanadianFranchiseAssociation #WildBirdsUnlimited #wbubarrie #wbunewmarket #BirdingBusiness #SmallBusiness #EntrepreneurLife #Community

Every year Merlin’s nest � around our cottage. Thi

Every year Merlin’s nest � around our cottage. This year they are nesting behind the cottage and dive bomb � every large bird that gets too close to their nest including Turkey Vultures, Osprey and this Raven. It’s nice to have them but they are a little on the LOUD side!
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#merlin #merlinfalcon #birdsofprey #nestingbirds #ontariobirds #falconbird #northernontariolife #backyardbirds

July 5-6 is World Firefly Day! These awesome insec

July 5-6 is World Firefly Day! These awesome insects are declining in many places due to the lack of suitable habitat, light pollution and pesticide use. While light pollution is hard to escape, we are thankful to have less of it where we live. We’ve also worked to garden using firefly friendly practices which include creating habitat with native plants, leaving decaying logs 🪵 and leaf litter in the garden and not using pesticides. We are so fortunate to enjoy quite a few fireflies in the summer. I regularly find them in the garden including the larvae (which look very funky and glow as well) and our kids have also found enough of them to ID them. I never get tired of hearing “Mom I found a firefly come see!”

So far we’ve identified 4 species with the Spring Treetop Flashers (Pyractomena borealis) being our most commonly found visitor, however we also have a good number of Winter Fireflies (Ellychnia corrusca)- a lantern-less species. In 2025 our yard became certified Firefly Habitat.

To help fireflies in your area: turn off your lights at night or use motion sensor lights, garden with native plants, create habitat with decaying wood and leaf litter, preserve soil moisture and avoid using pesticides.
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#FireflyMagic #NatureGlow #SummerNights #BioluminescentBeauty #fireflies #worldfireflyday #bioluminescence

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