I was often taken to the High Park Zoo as a child and still enjoyed visiting it on this -10 degree overcast morning.

Here is this morning’s warmly dressed group:

I always arrive early on walk days in order to try and get some good photos. As soon as I stepped out of the car, I had a visitor:

Other birds that I was able to photograph:

Species list: Canada goose, mallard, American black duck, red-tailed hawk, ring-billed gull, rock pigeon, downy woodpecker, blue jay, common raven, black-capped chickadee, white-breasted nuthatch, house sparrow. (12 species)

Some of the plants:

With Grenadier Pond being frozen, many ducks are congregating in a stream area and keeping it free of ice. I estimated over 500 Mallards and a few Black Ducks:

NATURE POETRY

The icicles now fringe the trees
That swayed in summer’s gentle breeze,
When summer days were fair.                  

 – Dora Read Goodale (1866–1915)

Miles Hearn