Ducks All in a Row – I’m a Fan of Ducklings

Posted on June 17, 2022 by Mama Cormier

….thanks to Jez for hosting A Fan of…..https://jezbraithwaite.blog/2022/06/13/speugies-fan-of-160/

I always feel blessed when I get to see baby birds, goslings and ducklings. They grow up so quickly and they usually go through an ugly duckling stage. The ducklings that I saw along Meade Creek in Peterborough were not quite at the ‘ugly’ stage but they were no longer the cute fuzzy babies that they once were.

I was surprised how close the mother let me go up to her brood. The geese on the other hand were much more protective and cut me off when I tried to get closer.

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I’m a Fan of …….Spring Blossoms

Posted on May 10, 2022 by Mama Cormier

….thanks Jez for hosting I’m a fan of…..https://jezbraithwaite.blog/2022/05/09/coots-fan-of-155/

This year I experienced three spring seasons. The first was in France where the blooms were out in early April, then in London where the trees were flowering in mid to late April and now in Toronto in early May.

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I’m a Fan of Duck(s)

Posted on May 3, 2022 by Mama Cormier

…thanks to Jez for hosting I’m a fan of…..https://jezbraithwaite.blog/2022/05/02/ducks-fan-of-154/

Ducks are everywhere and I can’t help but take photos when I see them.

In France, Duck is a very popular food item and at Easter we treated ourselves to a roast of duck stuffed with prunes. I couldn’t bring myself to buying the whole bird at the market. The heads were still attached.

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In London we went Clissold Park, in the Highbury Islington area. Here we saw ducks in the pond.

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On my first walk when we arrived back in Toronto I walked to the Rotary Peace Park and found this lovely female Mallard who had absolutely no fear of me.

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Water, Water Everywhere…..To Call or not to Call?

Posted on January 11, 2022 by Mama Cormier

…..I live next to Lake Ontario and on the weekend I saw this

Last weekend I went for a walk along Lakeshore Drive and I noticed that there was a person on the lake on a sail board. It was well below freezing and the wind was quite brisk. When I got to Rotary Peace Park I noticed that the surfer was still on the water but he seemed to be in the water more than on the board. He was clearly having trouble navigating the board to shore.

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I started to get anxious because every time he fell he seemed to go further out into the lake. There was no boat near by and there were no supporters on the beach in case he ran into trouble. I watched for a long time, worrying that the longer he spent in the water the greater the risk of hypothermia kicking in. I was seconds away from dialling 911 when all of a sudden the surfer got back on the board and finally navigated his way back to shore.

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What would you have done if you saw someone struggling in an icy cold lake in January?

Thanks to Jez for hosting Water, Water Everywhere https://jezbraithwaite.blog/2022/01/10/raindrops-on-a-leaf-water-water-everywhere-109/

Water, Water Everywhere – September 20, 2021

Posted on September 20, 2021 by Mama Cormier

…thanks to Jez for hosting Water, Water Everywhere https://jezbraithwaite.blog/2021/09/20/raindrops-water-water-everywhere-95-and-macro-monday-sep-20/

I was just commenting to a friend the other day that it was a shame how early the pools and splash pads close here in the city. The day after Labour Day all the outdoor pools close for the season. I’m sure one of the reasons has to do with the fact that most of their staff consist of students who have to go back to school.

Well colour me surprised today when I found out that the splash pad at Marie Curtis Park still has its water feature working. Just hit the button and all the fountains and water sprayers start to flow. What a great find, especially on a warm day like today.

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Water, Water Everywhere ….#72 …The Etobicoke Creek

Posted on April 5, 2021 by Mama Cormier

….thanks to Jez for hosting Water, Water Everywhere https://jezbraithwaite.blog/2021/04/05/the-tall-ship-water-water-everywhere-72/

Our weekly walk took us on a path along the Etobicoke Creek close to our home. The mouth of the creek opens up to Lake Ontario and we started our walk from there. We drove to Marie Curtis Park and headed up along the paved path. We had no idea how far we were going to go but after 2.7 k we were forced to turn around because the path was closed for repairs.

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As you can see from the sign we have a lot more exploring to do when the trail opens up again. Looking forward to a much longer hike next time.

A Bird’s Paradise – Water, Water Everywhere #70

Posted on March 22, 2021 by Mama Cormier

….thanks to Jez for hosting Water, Water Everywhere https://jezbraithwaite.blog/2021/03/22/small-waterfall-water-water-everywhere-70/

The Dufferin Islands are just up the road from the Horseshoe Falls in Niagara Falls. It is a sanctuary for walkers and birds alike and is probably largely unknown to most tourists. The walk takes you over a series of bridges and ponds where marsh birds love to hang out. It is truly a hidden gem that is right under your nose if you take the time to look and explore.

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Water, Water Everywhere – Ball’s Falls

Posted on January 27, 2021 by Mama Cormier

…thanks to Jez for hosting Water, Water Everywhere #61, https://jezbraithwaite.blog/2021/01/25/koi-pond-water-water-everywhere-61/

On the weekend my husband and I took a drive to Ball’s Falls in the Jordon Valley. It was a perfect day, brisk and sunny. I met Kevin 48 years ago and I’m pretty sure he’s been telling about Ball’s Falls for the same length of time. Well he finally took me there and I wasn’t disappointed. I love most waterfalls and in the winter I particularly like them because of the ice that forms from the spray.

Ball’s Falls is situated on the Ball’s Falls Conservation Area and is named after the family that lived there in the 1800s. In an earlier post I wrote about the heritage site that is connected to this area. The falls helped generate enough energy for the the grist mill to make flour until the water flow diminished to the point where it wasn’t feasible to stay in production. Today the mill operates on day a year, using electricity to mill flour for a festival.

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Water, Water Everywhere – #58

Posted on January 5, 2021 by Mama Cormier

…thanks to Jez for hosting Water Water Everywhere https://jezbraithwaite.blog/2021/01/04/frozen-lochan-water-water-everywhere-58/

On our daily walk today it was a bit drizzly but mild. Most of the snow has melted leaving lots of icy patches and puddles. Not only were we surrounded by the waters of Lake Ontario but we had to step carefully around and over these wet patches on the path.

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Water, Water Everywhere – November 27, 2020

Posted on November 27, 2020 by Mama Cormier

…thanks to Jez for hosting Water, Water Everywhere https://jezbraithwaite.blog/2020/11/23/water-water-everywhere-52-fan-of-85/

The Pond in Col. Sam Smith Park

On our walk today I noticed that the water levels in Lake Ontario and the pond that feeds into the lake are considerably lower than what we’ve begun to consider normal. My husband and I were discussing the theories as to why this happens. With the polar ice cap melting we would expect it to rise so a lot of strange conspiratorial theories were being thrown about to our amusement.