Really nice to see reports of giant swallowtail sightings in the Toronto area! Keep those reports coming Big Frank 'cause I'm looking for an excuse to visit Rosetta MG for a butterfly shoot before the fall bird migration starts. It's been a really strange year; Edward gardens, that was teeming with red admirals, painted ladies, etc. this time last year, is really dead - a few monarchs but not much else (where have they gone??). We drove to the Niagara area last Tuesday and I spent about a hour in the outdoor butterfly garden at the Butterfly Conservatory; again, only a few monarchs but I managed to photograph several swallowtails (including my first Giant!) and a zebra longwing that must have escaped from the indoor garden!
I should probably start a separate thread for this, but since I'm lazy...a couple of weeks ago I spotted a pair of mourning doves hanging around the tree in front of my house. I checked the tree and it looks like the female(?) is sitting on a nest right above the sidewalk but I haven't seen the male for over a week. Do they normally nest so late in the summer and what is likely to happen if the male is gone for good? I know she's 'alive' since she changes her position a few times a day but I've haven't seen her leave the nest since last week!!
