Tag Archives: photography

Hidden worlds

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.

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…

Tag, you're it!

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.

Lots of activity by the river.

Dreamy water.

Dreamy water

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.

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.

Bitter cold; shy ducks are named.

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?

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

Beautiful specimens on the old bridge abutment.

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.

Common Mergansers.

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 don't like humans.

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.

A Powerful Force

Flood waters are peaking and the Humber is sending billions of litres along with much flotsam and jetsam to Lake Ontario. Today’s photographs don’t do the event justice so here is a short movie together with some views of the raging torrent.

Let’s start with some wildlife – these ducks (in the centre of the image) are conserving energy by resting in a quiet eddy away from the maelstrom.

Ducks find refuge in calm waters.

Ducks find refuge in calm waters.

The amount of lumber going downriver is quite remarkable.

Huge amounts of lumber are being transported - a log is just about to go over the weir.

Huge amounts of lumber are being transported – a log is just about to go over the weir.

Standing close to the weir is quite the sensory experience with the thundering of the water (now much closer to bystanders) punctuated by the thumping of logs and ice blocks.

It's a very intense experience to stand close to the water.

It’s a very intense experience to stand close to the water.

Chunks of ice are carried over the weir.

The twin carbuncles bear witness as chunks of ice and other debris are carried over the weir.

In a few days, water levels will be back to normal but for now, the power of nature is a reminder of how puny we are.

Humber footbridge – alternate view

The Humber footbridge looks good from just about any direction but this view looking north features the old suspension footbridge abutment in the foreground.

The old abutment captures driftwood from upriver.

The Humber footbridge and the old bridge abutment on a late winter’s day.

The footbridge was installed in 1995 (after an absence of 41 years) with provincial help, as part of the goal to have a waters’ edge trail from Lake Ontario right up to the Humber’s source on the Oak Ridges Moraine. As part of this goal, this summer, a 600m extension will move the end of the trail from its current location in Cruickshank Park to a set of steps by Weston and St Philips Roads. At the moment there are negotiations around land ownership issues further along the riverbank – hopefully these will be resolved soon.

Impressions

Snow is a wonderful medium for creating impressions through the tracks of animals or humans or the melting that happens around objects as the sun shines on them.

Goose tracks beside part of a tree branch.

Goose tracks beside part of a tree branch.

A recently fallen oak leaf 'burns' its way into the snow.

A recently fallen oak leaf ‘burns’ its way into the snow.

At this time of year the sun is much stronger and anything that falls onto the snow reflects less of the sun’s infra-red radiation and so will melt the snow underneath it while the surrounding snow stays frozen.

A human has walked on tire tracks.

A human has walked in slushy tire tracks.

 

 

Weir curtain

On some days, there’s a combination of ice and water that creates a curtain effect by the weir. The curtain is framed by spray and ice and calls out to the camera because it is so well defined. To make sure the curtain was photographed as it appeared, the camera was set to shutter priority and captured at 1/1600 second. I’m not a fan of those dreamy waterfall shots taken at a slow shutter speed but prefer a more realistic look.DSC00998

Stark beauty

There’s something sad yet majestic about a dead tree. To look at the living organism that once was evokes sadness. Trees along this stretch of the Humber are constantly being damaged by ice stripping away their bark. I liked the way light from the snow is reflecting onto the branches.

These trees are stark reminders of the power of ice.

These trees are stark reminders of the power of ice along low-lying stretches  of the Humber.

Ice comes in a huge number of forms.

River ice comes in a huge number of forms.

This large pile-up of ice is crowned by a beautiful clear chunk which caught my eye.

A couple of views…

Here are a couple of shots taken today. The first is a log in the snow that had a surprising amount of colour in it. The snow is granular now and adds a nice contrast in texture.

DSC00925

The next shot is pretty desolate – the old bleachers set against some ominous clouds, the trees of the park and the patterns of foot traffic in the snow

DSC00938.