A portrait of wild Cottontail Rabbit in spring munching on some new grass shoots in Toronto, Ontario, Canada.

A playful Humpback Whale was obliging enough to breach out of the water in front of a picturesque lighthouse on one of the Wolf Islands in the Bay of Fundy, province of New Brunswick, Canada.

Virginia Opossums are relative newcomers to Canada where they have expanded their range northwards. Although common now in Toronto they’re quite secretive so I was delighted to find one snacking on invasive fire ants in a local park during the late afternoon. Opossums are North America’s only marsupial, and carry their new babies in a pouch like kangaroos.

A beautiful, healthy Eastern Coyote looks up at me from behind the bars of a cemetery fence, licking off the snow that was covering his nose after he was sniffing around for a meal or scent. Coyotes are often feared and reviles but they hold a unique and admirable place in our ecosystem, seeking out an existence in the urban human landscape, a hostile environment for most other wildlife.

A wild Ermine, or Short-tailed Weasel, checks me out as I was photographing an old covered bridge in Fundy National Park, New Brunswick, Canada. The textures of the weathered wood contrasts well with the soft fur of the little weasel.

A cute-as-a-button baby Red Squirrel sits atop a tree stump and quietly watches me as I walk by him, on a trail in Oastler Lake Provincial Park near Parry Sound, Ontario, Canada.

A beautiful spotted deer fawn lifts her head and points her big ears towards me. The deer in St. Andrews, New Brunswick, Canada are quite accustomed to humans and walk about the town freely.

An Eastern Coyote suffering with a severe case of sarcoptic mange hides deep in a thicket, scratching itself constantly, and occasionally pausing to listen for threats or signs of food.

A glimmering, golden Chinook Salmon fights its way upstream to spawn in a tributary on Manitoulin Island, Ontario, Canada. This Pacific species was introduced into the Great Lakes to enhance the sport fishing industry as the native Atlantic Salmon has all but disappeared.

A beautiful blond male Eastern Coyote with a severe case of sarcoptic mange begins to walk up the path after marking his territory in an urban park in Toronto, Canada. This animal was eventually caught by volunteers of a local wildlife rehabilitation centre, where he was treated and successfully released several weeks later.

The spotted dorsal fin of a Chinook Salmon, one of the tools these powerful fish use to bash their way upstream to their spawning grounds on Manitoulin Island, Canada. Chinook are a Pacific species of salmon, introduced into the Great Lakes as a sport fish to replace the endangered Atlantic Salmon.

A young “2 pointed” White-tailed Deer buck pauses from eating to scan the beautiful golden autumn forest for potential threats.

A large, beautiful 12 Spotted Skimmer dragonfly clings to Pickerel Weed at the edge of a backcountry lake in Grundy Lake Provincial Park in Ontario, Canada.

The beauty of our native Midland Painted Turtles is apparent in this image, with their beautiful namesake streaks of red and yellow that decorate their heads, legs and shell. All of Ontario’s turtle species, including the Midland Painted Turtle, are considered threatened or at risk of extinction.

A Humpback Whale breaches in front of an Island on the Bay of Fundy, while we were whale watching on a beautiful calm night in New Brunswick, Canada.

A very large and very old Common Snapping Turtle surfaces in a backcountry lake while we were camping in a Provincial park in Ontario, Canada. This turtle was very curious about us and came right up on the shore close by to bask.

A golden-coloured dragonfly clings to a tiny branch with the forest fading to a soft bokeh behind it.

A large American Alligator walks upright towards the cooler waters of an inland lake in Myakka River State Park in south central Florida.

An Eastern Grey Squirrel regards me quietly from his perch in a small soft-lit forest in a park in Toronto, Ontario, Canada.