This morning was the first walk that I have led at Downsview Park though I have visited the park frequently in order to learn where the various trails are.
Long-eared, Short-eared, Barred and Saw-whet Owls are reported here fairly frequently so we were hoping to find one of these.
For a considerable length of time, we were unsuccessful although we saw Red-tailed Hawks several times.
Other birds:
Just as we were entering the parking lot at the conclusion of our walk, a kind passer-by informed us of the exact location of a Long-eared Owl. These birds roost in the inner areas of conifers and can be difficult to spot so we were grateful for this information.
Some botany:
This morning’s group:
MAILBOX
Snowy Owls Aren’t Starving: Two Canadian Farmers Help Bust a Pervasive Myth
NATURE POETRY
A cold coming we had of it
Just the worst time of the year
For a journey, and such a journey:
The ways deep and the weather sharp,
The very dead of winter. – T.S. Eliot (1888–1965)
Miles Hearn