En route to a recent TDSB walk at Ashbridge’s Bay, I visited the area near the Unwin Avenue bridge.
The bridge is very near the entrance to Tommy Thompson Park – just west of Leslie Street.
This is a haven for Trumpeter Swans.
I also found Greater Scaup, some Lesser Scaup, Redheads, Common Goldeneye, Mute Swans, Mallards and American Coots.
There is a small bird feeding area which attracts American Tree Sparrows and Cardinals among others.
I was surprised to find a Rusty Blackbird feeding on the ground.
These Robin-sized blackbirds with a pale yellow eye are uncommon in our area. They are rusty only in the fall and winter. By spring and summer, they look like Red-winged Blackbirds without the red wings.
MAILBOX
Do you recognize this bird?
NATURE POETRY
The years have linings just as goblets do:
The old year is the lining of the new,
Filled with the wine of precious memories,
The golden was doth line the silver is. – Charlotte Fiske Bates (1838–1916)
Miles Hearn