Tony Ward, @phelge123 on Instagram

I want to acknowledge the area discussed and covered in this interview, on the North Shore of Lake Huron, is the traditional land of the Métis Nation and the Anishinabewaki. Robinson Huron Treaty territory. I am grateful to the Thessalon First Nation for the privilege of sharing this land.

I had a real good sense of Tony Ward long before I actually met him. He was a familiar and regular figure on my early wanderings around the Northern Ontario town of Thessalon. Part ghost, part Zen master. I’d see him from a distance, riding his bike with no attempt at speed, seemingly aimless in his direction. It was only with time and closer observation I noticed he carried a camera looped around his neck. His eyes more on the trees and underbrush than on the road ahead of him.

In 2017, my wife and I bought a small 130-year-old house beside the Thessalon River in preparation for eventual retirement from big city living. We used the place for occasional vacations, and I took the odd solitary retreat time there to renew my love of woodworking and gardening. I built a few bedframes and birdhouses, pruned and planted trees and hedges, and then designed and installed a rough pergola that now graces the back deck, and acts as a hanging-frame for quite a few bird feeding stations.

March 2020 saw my family and I arrive north for what we thought was going to be a short lockdown. With hastily installed high-speed Wi-Fi, we sat and watched the world change on our phones. I remember one of my sons showing me a video of Toronto’s King Street, a block from my downtown office, recorded by drone — utterly, eerily empty and silent in the middle of a workday. It was a surreal and shocking sight. And while Thessalon was no escape from the anxiety of those early pandemic days, it offered fresh air, sunshine, plenty of room for daily walks, and a ready exposure to nature unlike anything we’d experienced before. That first March I watched the river out our front window change a little bit each day, from a frozen highway for snow-machines to a playground for otters and ducks. If we’d lost a lifestyle down south, we may just have gained a better one up north. We were in Thessalon off and on (mostly on) for two years, working and schooling remotely.

In those days, for me, Tony Ward didn’t have a name. Instead, he was Bicycle Guy. My kids would come back into the house after a few hours wandering Thessalon, and give some version of the same daily report.

“We saw Bicycle Guy by the highway… at the end of Lighthouse Point… over by the marsh… stopped beside the beach.”

Tony, in his high-visibility reflective vest, pedaling slowly from place to place, stopping regularly to snap a photo or peer through binoculars, was a reassuring touchstone for all of us. A bit of a mystery (what is he looking at?); definitely an inspiration (that guy covers a LOT of ground). Bicycle Guy taught us the pace and priorities of our new life. Go slow, pay attention to the little things, notice the natural cycles, enjoy the air.

Birders talk about their spark bird, the avian sighting that inspired them to take up a lifelong pursuit of, and appreciation for, birds and nature. Tony was a spark human for our transplanted urban family. He got our eyes off our phones, and prompted us to look instead at all the life that was continuing around us despite a global health emergency.

So, Tony, thanks for agreeing to chat. First off, can you tell me your connection to Thessalon and Huron’s north shore. You seemed pretty established by the time I got here. Are you a lifer?

My partner’s parents lived up here. We came up from Oshawa (2018) after we sold our house, to help them remain independent, with us basically retiring here. 

Did you bring your birding habit here with you, or did it develop here?

No, like for most people who live in the busy cities (I lived in Scarborough in my early life) they were just birds… and I had no interest in them. It had always been a romantic notion for me though, to be “up north,” living in the woods, surrounded by nature. And I certainly found that here in Thessalon! The birding just happened to be part of my awakening, as I rode around the area and discovered in many ways what I had romanticized about.

After a bit more than a year of real concentration on the birds around here, I’m impressed by the variety (I have 81 species on my Algoma list, and eBird notes 159 for Lighthouse Point in Thessalon alone!). Did you have any idea when you first got to Thessalon just how diverse and accessible the wildlife was? 

Well, I knew I’d be in an area with a lot of wildlife, but my education on the large number of species of birds, and being able to understand everything about them is an on-going challenge I enjoy. It sharpens the senses — sight, hearing, etc. — and gives your brain new information to keep it working. Minus the stress, of course, of the working-world kind of information (ha ha).

Okay sir, tell me about the bike. How many kilometers have you logged on that thing? I’m guessing the advantage of it is relative quiet in approaching wildlife? Disadvantage… the cold?

Well, I began this journey in 2018 so maybe average 10k a day for most likely 325 days a year, and that would give you the answer. Been through my share of bikes doing it (ha!). Big advantage yes, being on a bike. Besides the fresh air and, yes, sometimes very cold and challenging conditions. But if you want to see an owl!? I must admit I’ve cut back on my winter excursions; too slippery and cold, and I want to be able to continue being active and not injured at my age. I’ve joined our town gym for the badder-than-bad weather.

I just did that calculation. We’re talking about approximately 20,000 kilometres. That’s like riding your bike from the North Pole all the way to the South Pole!

You’ve posted photos of bobcats and bears. I know there are moose and wolves about, and there’s a persistent rumour about a cougar. Have you ever felt nervous when you’re far out and isolated on a back road?

My first couple of years I was nervous about bears — my favourite animal — but after the first few encounters, I realized I had nothing to worry about. It was another learning experience, getting to understand everything about them. You still have to use common sense, of course, be bear-wise, so to speak. It’s certainly an adrenaline rush when you encounter one, or a bobcat, etc., and that’s part of the motivation. You never know what you’re going to see out there. I’ve heard the cougar stories, and have a pretty good idea of where to find them, but you have to be very lucky. I almost rode into a Grey Wolf a couple of years ago, that was exciting, to say the least!

You just posted a photo of a Ross’s Goose, and I understand it was right at the mouth of our river. I’m kicking myself for being south right now. That bird’s not supposed to be in Thessalon… not now or ever really. Have you seen a lot of rarities around the area?

Yes, I’ve had some good fortune with rarities. Sabine’s Gull (Xema sabini), Tropical Kingbird (Tyrannus melancholicus), Boreal Owl (Aegolius funereus) to name a few. Right now, I have a sub-species of a Dark-eyed Junco (Junco hyemalis) in my yard, all the way from the Pacific Northwest! Again…motivation to keep going, something new for the old noggin to digest.

Thanks so much, Tony, for this chat, and for all the help you’ve offered me in my own wanderings. I would not know where to look for eagles or our local heron without you. I’ll leave the bears and bobcats to you, though.

Bonus photos from Bicycle Guy.