The word nature comes from the Latin word natura, which means "essential qualities, innate disposition". But if we delve a little further into ancient times, it literally meant "birth". This reinforces the idea that without nature, without birth, there would be no life. Nature sustains us and we, as human beings, are innately connected to it. With that said, it is up to us to help nature thrive, whether it be through planting native plants, cleaning up the neighbourhood park or promoting green practices at work. This is why I am happy to report that Tide purclean and WWF-Canada are working together in support of the Count For Nature movement, inspiring Canadians to take action and do something meaningful to help the environment. 

As a result of Tide's commitment to developing detergents that provide environmental benefits like energy and water savings, we no longer need to compromise green for clean. New Tide purclean is the first bio-based detergent with the cleaning power of Tide. It is hypoallergenic, free of dyes, chlorine and phosphates, and is also available in an unscented version. To celebrate this step in the right direction, Tide is teaming up with Grammy® Award-winning, Canadian singer-songwriter, and advocate for the environment, Nelly Furtado, to introduce the brand’s new partnership with WWF-Canada. Together they are encouraging Canadians to help wildlife thrive by joining the Count For Nature movement and taking action to benefit nature. Plus, from now until November 30, 2016 11:59PM EST, Tide will donate $1 to WWF-Canada's Count for Nature Campaign every time someone tweets to @Tide sharing an action they take to help nature using both #purclean and #CountForNature hashtags.

For ideas on how you can help nature in your community and “count yourself in” with the growing number of Canadians taking action to protect and restore nature, visit wwf.ca/countfornature. There you can pledge your support for protecting our oceans, apply for a Go Wild School Grant, or find out how to participate in the Great Canadian Shoreline Cleanup. You can even register for the super cool CN Tower Climb for Nature. Whatever steps you choose to take, be sure to share them on Twitter. To learn more about why I made the switch to Tide purclean, click here. For a Tide purclean coupon code, head on over to amazon.ca.

WWF-Canada thanks Tide for its generous support. Acceptance of this support does not constitute an endorsement by WWF-Canada of Tide or its individual products.

Now that "busy season" at my office has reached its conclusion, I thought I would take this opportunity to share with you one of my favourite subjects to photograph: birds.

Living in the Hamilton area, there are many excellent places to go birding. These include:

While Hamilton is easily dismissed as an industrial town, there are many green spaces to enjoy with your family. On a suggestion from a friend, I moved slightly out of the boundaries of Hamilton to attend a "Raptors in Focus" event at the Mountsberg Conservation Area.

The Mountsberg Conservation Area is located in Campbellville and is easily accessible from Highway 401 (if you are coming from the GTA) or Highway 6. One of the main features of Mountsberg is the Raptor Centre. At the Raptor Centre, employees and volunteers of the Halton Conservation Authority care for various raptors that are no longer able to be released back into the wild. Many raptors are in care at the Centre and include owls, hawks, eagles, and falcons.

One of the more frequently appearing raptors, is a Great Horned Owl named Octavius.

The Raptor Centre holds various events to promote awareness and education of various birds of prey. Available with general admission to the park is access to the Birds of Prey shows. These occur regularly on the weekends at 12 p.m. and 2 p.m. and at varying times during the week (depending on whether school is in session).

For those that are a bit more brave and have a few extra bucks, you can have a more private show by booking a Raptor Encounter. The Raptor Encounter allows you to have a personal introduction to some of the birds at the Centre. You may be able to experience some training or even hold one of the raptors!

On a monthly basis, the Centre holds a Raptors in Focus event. For a small fee, up to fifteen photographers can engage in a private photo shoot. During the hour-long event, four raptors are brought out and perched in a easy to photograph position. I attended two of these events this year. The first on March 29 and the second on May 31. It was a great experience and I believe that the results speak for themselves.

While it was quite cool (okay, freezing) in March, the surroundings were quite picturesque and allowed for great contrast between the bird and the background. The weather was much more friendly on May 31 and allowed for some more exploration of the park after the event concluded.

If you ever wish to attend a Raptors in Focus event, I recommend bringing a DSLR camera with a telephoto lens of around 200mm or more. A tripod is not necessary but may be advisable if you use a heavier lens. A shameless plug, but you can see more of my Mountsberg photos on my Flickr page.

There are plenty of other activities to enjoy at Mountsberg which include observing the bison, watching the nesting birds from the blind at the reservoir, attending the maple syrup event, enjoying the surroundings, etc.

I hope that in reading this post, you feel a bit more inclined go out and enjoy more of what nature has to offer. Don't forget to share some of your photos, too! Feel free to use the linky below.

After an amazing first day at Blue Mountain where we had checked in at the luxurious Westin Trillium House, my family and I joined fellow bloggers and their families on a trip to the highest point on the Niagara Escarpment located on the grounds of Scenic Caves Nature Adventures. My family and I have been to Blue Mountain several times and Scenic Caves is one place we had yet to visit. Many times I thought of exploring the caves on my own thinking that my kids would be too young to go. Boy, was I wrong!

Upon our arrival, it was clear to see that the Scenic Caves adventure park is very kid-friendly. From a children's playground where kids are greeted by Shrek to a brightly coloured train that takes you on a little tour of the grounds, kids will delight in spending a day at the park. There are plenty of picnic tables and Muskoka chairs to lounge in as you soak up the scenery or enjoy a family picnic, as well as an 18-hole mini golf course and Gemstone Mining.

We were very eager to check out the 420' suspension bridge so we made that our first stop. I'd say it's roughly a 10-15 minute walk from the main entrance and there are some steep inclines and stairs. Running or hiking shoes are definitely required. While it was a little intimidating for me at first, my kids had no problem running across it.

It was really neat to take in the view of the Georgian Bay from 300 metres above and to be greeted at the other end by a lovely water feature but that's where it ends. You have to make your way back across the bridge and back to the main entrance. Had I known that after taking the zip line you would have to eventually cross the bridge from the farthest end, I might have skipped this initial visit.

With our kids in tow, we trekked up several flights of stairs and made our way to the first cave known as the Natural Refrigerator.

Continuing on our hike, we enjoyed beautiful views, earthy smells and the sweet sounds of nature.