This week…
… we’ve had some snow and quite a lot of rain.
We’ve been keeping a close watch for the return of the Ospreys. For some time, we’ve seen only a pair of Red-tailed Hawks that perch from time to time on the old nest or one of the stadium lights. Yesterday, we were delighted to see two Osprey perched on the low platform. They sat for a while before taking off.
Since they showed no interest in the high nest and haven’t returned this morning, we assume that this is not the pair that usually nests at the ballpark. An April Fool for us.
Hamilton
We took ourselves to Hamilton on March 18th for a change of scene and to look for migrating ducks in the bay.
Hamilton is located on the westernmost tip of Lake Ontario. The Niagara Escarpment runs through Hamilton where it is known as “the Mountain. The escarpment continues north through the Bruce Peninsula to Tobermory. Hamilton Harbour, formerly Burlington Bay, is sheltered by a sand bar.
The Parks
We visited two parks on the bay, Bayfront Park and Princess Point Lookout. They are on the south shore of Hamilton Harbour, on opposite sides of the 403.
Trails lead along the shore at Princess Point Lookout. There was still ice on the bay and the birds were far out on the open water.
There were Mute Swans and a variety of ducks stopping off on their migration north.
Redheads and Ring-necked Ducks (male and female). We also spotted pairs of Greater Scaup and Hooded Merganser in the flock.
Bayfront Park is a groomed park with a small marina. There was a greater variety of birds, but most of them kept their distance.
In addition to these Redheads, Red-breasted Merganser and Greater Scaup, we spotted a Horned Grebe, a number of Goldeneyes and a huge flock of American Coots.
Of course, the typical park birds did not keep their distance!
Americal Robin, Herring Gull, Ring-billed Gull (two photos), Canada Goose, bib duck. Bib ducks are usually crosses between a Mallard duck and a white domestic duck.
The Royal Botanical Gardens (RBG)
The RBG, located in Hamilton and nearby Burlington, include five garden areas and environmentally protected areas that host some of the most significant wildlife and native plants in Canada.
On this visit, we took a short walk through the Rock Garden, the oldest of the gardens. It was built between 1929 and 1931 in a 5.5-acre abondoned gravel pit. About 10,000 tons of Niagara Escarpment limestone was used in the garden’s construction.
Although the garden didn’t have its usual vibrant colour, there was still much of visual interest.
There were also early spring blossoms making an appearance!
Floral Showcase at the RBG Centre
The RBG Centre is an indoor garden that is open year round. Our time in Hamilton coincided with this year’s floral showcase. More colour for these dreary days!
Covers of Joni Mitchell Songs
