Category Archives: Photography

Wildflowers make an appearance.

The ground has finally warmed and some spring wildflowers are making an appearance. A few years ago, some kind person planted a variety of wild flowers in the park and they have flourished.

Trout lily is a beautiful and fascinating plant because it relies on ants to pollinate its flowers as well as spread its seeds.

Trout Lily

These bluebells aren’t native but they add a vivid splash of colour.

Bluebells at the edge of the park.

Northern Blue Violets aren’t spectacular but are a welcome addition to the forest floor.

Northern Blue Violet

Not a trace of trilliums unfortunately. I suspect they were dug out long ago.

Finally, signs of spring.

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Finally, spring has arrived – only a few weeks late. The grass has turned green. People are out in force and the weather is quite pleasant.

Lilac is starting to bud.

It will be a while before trees come into leaf but non-native trees such as Norway Maple and this lilac get a head start on their native cousins. We’ll probably have to wait another month before sumac and black walnut have leaves.

A recumbent cyclist makes his way through newly greened grass.

The cyclists are back – some more aggressive than others. I hate the weekend Spandex warriors who sneak up on you and ring their bell when quite close. My language often becomes quite blasphemous on those occasions.

Ducks like their temporary pond.

These mallards are still occupying the small pond that forms in the spring. I just hope the water level stays high for them.

Winter storm

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Day lilies are shocked I tell you.

The park was cold and snowy today and a fresh covering made it look like January except for bright green new growth sticking out through the snow. These day lilies are probably remnants of gardens that belonged to homes destroyed during Hurricane Hazel.

A pair of Mallards swimming around a temporary pond were taking refuge from high water in the river. I was careful to stay well clear so that they weren’t disturbed.

Ice is forming in April!!

Couple of shots

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Spring has yet to impose itself on this part of the world although the ice left along the banks of the Humber has almost all melted. A sad testament to the nursery trees torn up by the ice is the spiral plastic protectors which somehow have remained.

Native trees were planted here two years ago – some didn’t make it through the winter.

This weather-beaten piece of driftwood was left behind by melting ice and has a nice texture.

Tons of material gets left behind when the ice melts.

Shadows on driftwood.

A good variety of birds was making the most of today’s strong sunshine. This robin posed nicely for me.

This one seems well fed!

Hidden worlds

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You’ve got to admire the resourcefulness of some people. This mini BMX circuit is well hidden and is the illegal labour of love of some parent. I remember seeing a man during the March Break who appeared to be clearing up litter in a wooded area. I should have known that few people actually pick up litter in Raymore Park. Instead of tidying up, he was labouring with at least one of his kids to produce this.

The hidden track.

Every one of the branches forming this raised track is nailed to the wood below so this has taken a lot of time (and nails).

It's a thing of beauty, bringing to mind a dinosaur skeleton.

It’s a thing of beauty in a primitive way, bringing to mind a dinosaur skeleton.

I’ve no idea how usable it is but it’s definitely an interesting structure to stumble across. You almost expect to see Robinson Crusoe coming through the woods.

There's an earth track between the yellow tapes.

There are dirt tracks between the yellow tapes.

The dirt tracks between the tapes will certainly form a channel during rain and will eventually erode the hillside. I suspect the course is a little too challenging as I’ve never seen anyone using it.

There’s no faulting the motivation of this parent. Unfortunately, he has scarred the ground and littered the park with a structure that could present a danger to humans and wildlife. While I assume that shrubs and trees weren’t chopped down for this, branches taken from the forest floor could well have been home to overwintering insects and small vertebrates. When this thing is abandoned and falls apart, the nails will be around for years.

It’s another example of someone feeling comfortable in creating a clearly illegal structure in Raymore Park and shows an astonishing lack of respect for public parkland.

It’s the canine cops…

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Dog tag please. Animal Services van by the Raymore Drive entrance to the park.

Today a lady from Animal Services was checking tags for a while. She walked from Raymore Park all the way along the path to Lions Park, checking tags along the way and extracting addresses from those unable to produce said tag.

According to the City Auditor, only about 30% of Toronto’s dogs are licensed. Actually, from what I have seen, the auditor’s estimate is quite high. Others put it closer to 10%. This is the first evidence I have seen of Animal Services in a long time. A few years ago they used to have quite a strong presence and an A.S. employee used to watch dog owners through binoculars, checking for by-law infringements. This was around the time that A.S. hired students to go knocking on doors and peering in windows, looking for evidence of dogs and cats. There was a bit of a public outcry against such draconian measures and Mayor Rob Ford mused that license fees should perhaps be abolished since they bring in very little money.

Apparently abolition must have been taken off the table – in addition to the ‘stick’ of fines for unlicensed dogs, A.S. is looking at the ‘carrot’ of discounts for doggy products and services if dog owners can prove their pet is licensed.

If they really want to enforce the tags, A.S. should enlist the help of vets throughout the city and allow them to issue tags – the vets would get a piece of the action and could offer a discount on some services. They could perhaps pay for or subsidize a pup’s tag on its first check-up. Once a dog is in the system, it’s likely to stay and the renewal fees would roll in for years.

Meanwhile, in the park, birds are frantically mating and nesting and taking advantage of the mild temperatures before the mini cold-snap that is expected this week.

Lots of activity by the river.

Dreamy water.

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Dreamy water

I continue to be fascinated by the sheen of the water as it slides over the weir and have stylized this image with the help of a Topaz filter or two.

The water is higher today as a result of melting snow further north.

Students from a nearby school help give some scale to the weir.

There was a coyote making its way upstream, probably getting out of the way of the students below the weir who were well, being kids. Snow has melted from all but the shadiest parts of the park and spring is off to a slow but long awaited start.

Winter drags on.

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More snow today on the edge of a major winter storm that luckily just missed us. Another day of winter is disappointing to humans but wildlife is really feeling the pinch. There were redwing blackbirds in the park a few days ago but there’s no trace of them now. Nothing has budged from its winter state so spring is still some time away. Because of thick cloud cover, the more powerful March sunshine is neutralized.

On days like these, I usually have the park to myself.

A Grey Jay looks for food.

Fresh snow covers the ground and the temperature barely cracked 0°C today.

Looking north along the path by the weir.

Looking north to the path by the weir.

At the weir the water had an interesting oily look that the camera was able to capture quite nicely.

Snow flakes and an oily texture you can almost touch.

On the beach.

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As the water and ice recede, a few interesting items are left along the small sand beach that is the shore of the Humber.

A toy figure seems to have thrown himself down in despair.

A toy figure seems to have thrown itself on a twig in despair.

Some clam shells and part of a coconut.

Having seen coconut shells scattered along the Humber for years, the source was a puzzle. Visions of coconut groves further upriver were easily but reluctantly dismissed. The mystery wasn’t solved until a few years ago when I witnessed an East Indian gentleman throw a something into the river and discovered that it’s customary for Hindus to make sacrifices to the river gods in this way. The following photograph may be of another such item.

A carved bangle illustrating a couple of voluptuous ladies.

I brought the bangle home to examine it but not wishing for bad karma will return it tomorrow. It seems to have been hand carved from bone or horn. As long as it’s biodegradable along with the coconut, it shouldn’t be a problem.

After all, India is the home of the Kama Sutra...

Cleaned up a little. India is the home of the Kama Sutra…

Bitter cold; shy ducks are named.

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The sun is almost at 45° in the sky at noon and yet the cold persists. I discovered this phenomenon along the banks of the Humber where some branches dangling in the (receding yet rough) water have picked up ice in the same way that candlemakers make candles.

There’s got to be a name for these – dingicles?

Beautiful specimens on the old bridge abutment.

I managed to get my closest yet to the mystery ducks and have finally recognized them thanks to Professor Google.

Two males and a female (not so) Common Mergansers.

They are Common Mergansers – a name that I don’t remember hearing before – but that could be me.

These shy ducks didn’t like my presence and moved upriver.

Nesting in tree cavities, Common Mergansers, found all over North America dive to feed on fish and other aquatic animals. They make a nice change from the usual Mallard ducks who are considerably tamer.