Tommy Thompson Park in Toronto

Last May - 2012 - was my first ever visit to Tommy Thompson Park down the bottom of Leslie St. What a Sin having grown up in Thorncliffe Park my first 4 years of life, then a short stint in new Newmarket in the early 70s, then back to Parkway Forest across from a baby Fairview Mall, and entering my 20s higher up Don Mills near the Peanut Plaza - what a shame that the first time I ever visited this cool and unique area of Toronto was at age 46. Well, I have now been 2 times, last May and this May. Last May, I visited it the day I got my 70-300 mm lens. What an amazing place to try it out!

Last year, it was much warmer there. Unfortunately, we didn't realize how Long we'd be there and took no water. Doh. Well, this year, we brought water. However, I did a different dopey move and I did Not apply sun screen well. My lips burnt. They seemed ok and then 3 days later, they became blistered. For 1 week they have been very sore and infected and do not seem to be healing well. Never again - it was such a stupid thing to do. Sunscreen, I emphasize, is Extremely important and that includes on the lips as well.

 Last Year's Tommy Thompson Entry

This year, it was so much cooler, and I had to bring a sweater even. We walked the whole length of the park, right to the end, past the lighthouse. We also took 2 weather worn bricks back with us, in order to eventually use them as little decorative wall shelves. I bought some cool industrial chic brackets for them.

We saw lots of cool sights! Turtles were out, there were tons of swallows, both barn and tree as well as rough winged.

We spotted a house wren, warblers, gold finches, tons and tons of white throated sparrows eating out of the blossom trees, gnat catchers, a wood thrush, cardinals and more. We also laughed at the long tailed ducks playing and making their really funny sound.

The most cool thing we ran across was half way through the walk, there was a look out over a narrow area where terns were all occupying a floating dock like thing. Terns were diving and grabbing fish and bringing them back. We didn't see nests but there probably soon will be. The cormorants were just as funny to watch, going and coming, from quite a distance, back to their row of trees which were literally filled with hundreds of their nests. On their way back, many had sticks in their beaks, some quite large branches.

We stood and listened to an amazing Mocking bird for about 20 mins. It made hundreds of sounds, one sounding very much like a ringing phone!

Last year, we ran into a group of elderly people, and one woman said "everyone says Point Pelee is the place to go for seeing birds but I think this place rivals there." It was kind of funny and stuck with us. We did run into a lot of binocular clad hat wearing persons walking the less travelled path that begins at the parking lot. We did take that first too but it was quite flooded and I was eager to get on the main path as it is a very long walk to the end. We spent in total, 6 1/2 hours that day, walking.

First Time Seeing a Wood Duck!

Gorgeous creatures. We were lucky to see one at Cranberry Marsh, off Halls Rd. in Whitby, in the marsh near the shore edge of Lake Ontario, on the last weekend in April. One single lone wood duck. I wish he was closer but just to see him was exciting. Luckily it was sunny out too.

Apparently, they are like Mallards at High Park - coming right up to people's feet in order to beg for food. Since I'd love to really see one close up and personal, we'll plan to hit that park area in the next little while.

Dancing Swans and Other Birds Mixing It Up

We've seen it 2 times now, a display by 2 what we assume are male swans. They turn opposite to each other, in circles, meeting face to face and round and round. Other choice is it could be a mating thing. In any case, it appears almost like a dance or Olympic synchronized water activity. In the most recent performance we were privy to, at Cranberry Marsh, the 2 swans jumped at each other before breaking up and one flying off. This is what leads us to the conclusion that it is 2 males trying to show dominance and drive the loser away. I'd have to Google it though, to be sure I guess.......which I haven't lol!

Not only were the Swans at it, we had the privilege of watching not to mention hearing Terns fighting and chasing each other, often when one has food and the others don't. Then there were the gulls, doing the same thing but less relentlessly. Swallows were also at it, presumably telling each other off lol! Spring is always a great time for funny animal and bird behaviour.

Cool Spring Sightings: Mink and Baby Owl

If you can call it Spring, really. Still pretty cold temps on the weekends. Weekdays, of course, not so much.

Had some really neat experiences on ventures out the last little while. For some time, I had hoped to get to see and take a photo of the elusive Mink. Learning a year or so ago that we actually Have minks in Ontario was a surprise enough. They are creatures I always have associated with Siberia or some such northern exotic land. A year or so ago, one ran across the path in front of us pretty early in the morning during an early Spring walk in 2012. It was very dark, long, and Not a squirrel for sure, and Very fast. I barely had time to see it never mind get a photo of it. Second spotting was quickly again, at Frenchman's Bay in Pickering.

Lots of signs of Spring despite the pretty cold weekend temps and even snow pellets off and on 2 weekends back! Saw the first female Red-winged Black Bird, saw the Cedar Wax Wings, Warblers, an Oven Bird, a Winter Wren, the Ruby Crowned and Golden Crowned Kinglets, got a good look at the Muskrats in the marsh - one eating a tuberous plant, lots of bunnies, ducks acting all frisky in the water, geese and swans going at each other for territory, and of course Gnats galore in the air!

One real wonderful experience was to run across a baby Great Horned Owl which was rescued by a birder watcher/photographer and is managing to be safe in its tree and is being well looked after by one of the parent owls.

In the next couple of weekends, we hope to get to the Niagara Region to see the blossoming cherry and other fruit trees. I wished last year, on a trip we made down there, that I had stopped on the road to take some photos of the gorgeously back lit orchards full of pink blossoming trees - but I didn't and I regretted it and began immediately waiting on next Spring to be able to get there again. Trouble is, we don't know exactly when they will be in the same blooming condition again. Everything is behind this year as well. Hopefully, we'll hit the right weekend.