I lived at the top of the Beechwood hill for over ten years. Needless to say, I spent countless hours exploring the valley either on my own or with my children.
Towards the end of the long winters, I would come down each day and hopefully search for the first arriving song sparrow of spring. It was always a thrill when I found it.
I thought of this today as both morning and afternoon groups saw song sparrows.
Here is a photo of an early arriver this spring:
Other birds:
Species list: great blue heron, wood duck, turkey vulture, red-tailed hawk, ring-billed gull, belted kingfisher, northern flicker, hairy woodpecker, downy woodpecker, white-breasted nuthatch, eastern phoebe, blue jay, black-capped chickadee, American robin, gray catbird, ruby-crowned kinglet, northern cardinal, American goldfinch, white-throated sparrow, song sparrow. (20 species)
10 am group:
1 pm group:
Don Valley views:
Some botany:
NATURE POETRY
Just a friendly sunbeam’s flutter
Wishing all a night’s repose,
Ere the stars swing back the curtain
Bringing twilight’s dewy close. – Joshua Henry Jones, Jr. (1872–1906)
Miles Hearn