A July Walk Above the Bluffs

East Point Park consists of 55 hectares of open undeveloped land wedged between a water treatment plant to the the west and a sewage treatment plant to the east.

Here is how it looked on this billowing cloudy day:

MYSTERY BIRD

I will identify it at the end of the post.

Other birds:

Mallards
Mallards
Mallard (female)
Mallards
Song Sparrow
Yellow Warbler (male)
Warbling Vireo

Some botany:

Monarch on Bird Vetch
Birdfoot Trefoil (Lotus corniculatis)
Poison Ivy (Toxicodendron rydbergii)
Indian-hemp (Apocynum cannabinum)
Common Buttercup (Ranunculus acris)
Orange Day-lily (Hemerocallis fulva)
Red Soldier Beetles on Queen Anne’s Lace
Silky Dogwood (Cornus amomum)
Red Clover (Trifolium pratense)
Timothy (Phleum pratense)
Wild-bergamot (Monarda fistulosa)
Missouri Willow gall
Dogwood (Lonicera)
Common Milkweed (Asclepias syriaca)
Choke Cherry (Prunus virginiana)
Curled Dock (Rumex crispus)
St. John’s-wort (Hypericum perforatum)
Early Goldenrod (Solidago juncea)
Black-eyed Susan (Rudbeckia hirta)
Wild-bergamot (Monarda fistulosa)
Buckthorn (Rhamnus cathartica)

MYSTERY BIRD

The yellowish bill and bronze colouring on the side identify this as a Starling.

European Starling

MAILBOX

Hi Miles,

I thought you might like this write up about the familiar rifle range we know from our walks in Marie Curtis Park. It has an even longer history than I had realised! I’ve been enjoying all the writeups from walks you’ve done this year.

Hope we can get back in the group soon! 

Long Branch Rifle Range | Hiking the GTA

NATURE POETRY

A moon-flooded prairie; a straying
Of leal-hearted lovers; a baying
Of far away watching dogs; a dreaming
Of brown-fisted farmers; a gleaming
Of fireflies eddying nigh, —
And that is July!                                                    – James N. Matthews (1852–1910)

Miles Hearn

1 thought on “A July Walk Above the Bluffs

  1. Lisa Volkov

    Gorgeous place. Beautiful details (including ones of nature in the Marie Curtis Park rifle area article). I also am really looking forward to resuming walks in the fall! Thanks, Miles!

    Reply

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