Coyotes are not uncommon in the Toronto area but I rarely see them. I suspected that one might be about when we saw a lady carrying her little dog on this -8 degree, cloudy, sometimes sunny morning.

Some people call these animals “coywolves” but, in fact a coywolf is not a real thing. The Eastern Coyotes in our area are hybrids of coyote, wolf and dog.

Here is the animal that crossed our paths twice this morning:

Another very interesting observation was a SINGING Song Sparrow. Though this is a common sound from about the middle of March on, February 19 is a very early date.

Other birds that I was able to photograph:

It is risky identifying Lesser and Greater Scaup in the field and is mainly a question of the location of the peak of the head. Further forward giving a rounded look on Greater and further back on Lesser.

Species list: mute swan, Canada goose, mallard, gadwall, lesser scaup, redhead, greater scaup, long-tailed duck, common goldeneye, white-winged scoter, red-breasted merganser, hooded merganser, great black-backed gull,  ring-billed gull, rock pigeon, black-capped chickadee, downy woodpecker, American robin, house sparrow, northern cardinal, song sparrow.  (21 species)

One of the most common shrubs here is Autumn Olive:

Other sights from the park:

Today’s group:

NATURE POETRY

Late lies the wintry sun a-bed,
A frosty, fiery sleepy-head;
Blinks but an hour or two; and then,
A blood-red orange, sets again.        – Robert Louis Stevenson (1850–94)

Miles Hearn