Snowy Day At The Leslie Spit

Location: Toronto, Ontario, Canada
Address:  1 Leslie Street
Date: April 2018
Website: www.tommythompsonpark.ca

  Snowy Owls are large white owls that spend most of their lives up in the Arctic.  They are usually found in Alaska and the territories of Canada.  We traveled to Churchill, Manitoba which is almost as far north as Nunavut and hoped that we might see one there.  We were not so lucky.  They breed even further north still, even as far as the top of Greenland.  In the winter they do come south and this is when you might see them in southern Ontario.  We had heard that some owls were out on the Leslie Spit in Tommy Thompson Park so we went to try and spot one.

  It gets very cold out on the spit which juts out into Lake Ontario so most people don't get too far in the winter.  Snowy owls like the terrain out there as it reminds them of the Arctic tundra they usually call home.  Since snowy owls are almost completely white it is very hard to spot them in the snow.  It is still a difficult task even when the snow has gone.  This photo could have contained an owl but it is just a tree stump.

  Owls do like to perch on something where they can survey their territory.  In the photo above a seagull is doing the exact same thing an owl might do.  Sorry seagulls, but we already see you everywhere we go by the lake.

  On our first very cold outing we didn't see any owls.  We did see a poor duck who had possibly fallen prey to an owl, or one of the other raptors like a hawk or falcon that frequent the spit.

  On our second attempt we came across a photographer who had seen an owl up near the end of the spit.  We decided it was worth braving the cold to catch a glimpse of these beautiful birds.  It takes up to an hour to walk to the end of the spit and then the same time to get back again.  We made it all the way to the end but we didn't see any owls.  We suspect that the owls saw us.

  While we didn't get to see owls we did get a different view of Toronto.  At this point we were further into Lake Ontario than the Toronto Islands.   In this photo above you can see the Toronto skyline behind the Island trees.

  The third time is the charm.  Once again we saw a photographer with a large, zoom camera.  We asked if they had seen anything exciting.  "There was a snowy owl" they said.   They kindly told us that they had seen it just beyond the floating bridge.  The floating bridge is usually a good spot to see swans, geese and ducks.

Sorry swans, geese and ducks but today it is all about the owls.

  Luck was with us as not too far past the bridge on a long, curved branch sat a female snowy owl.  Adult females have the dark barred pattern, while the adult males are almost completely white.

 

  We spent a good deal of time watching the owl watching out across the spit.  Unfortunately, we are not designed to sit happily in the cold winds that blow across the lake and decided we must head back.

  We took one more look back at the owl.  You might be able to spot it in the two curved branches on the left of the tree above.

  We were headed back to the warmth of the city.  Soon spring will be here and the owls will leave and head back to the cold of the Arctic.  Thanks for spending some time down here with us.

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Map of Our World
Leslie Spit

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Post # 213

Witless Bay (Birds, Whales & Ice)

Location: Bay Bulls, Newfoundland, Canada
Address:  90 Northside Rd
Date: June 2017
Website: gatheralls.com

  People go to Newfoundland for many reasons.  Three popular reasons are puffins, whales and icebergs.  If your timing is right you can arrive in Newfoundland right when all three seasons cross.  Iceberg season usually peaks in May.  The birds returning from the sea reach their peak in July and the whale population peaks just after that.   Between June and July if you are lucky you can catch the triple play.

  We took a boat tour with Gatherall's based out of Bay Bulls, Newfoundland.  Bay Bulls is the closest port to Witless Bay.  We had hoped to see the triple play while in Newfoundland and we hit a home run on our first outing.  The first thing you will see along the coast is the huge cliffs and rocks revealing their layers of history as they jut out into the sea.

THE BIRDS

  We spent a great deal of time admiring the cliffs, but what we came for was the wildlife.

  Before our boat tour had even begun we were treated to northern gannets flying by.  These birds have a long sleek body that changes from white to yellow near their head.  They have bright blue eyes.

  Gannets will fly high over the water and when they spot a fish they will dive bomb straight down and capture their prey.  In order to do this they have special adaptations so that they do not get a concussion when entering the water.  Their nostrils are located inside their beak instead of on the exterior and more importantly, they have special air pockets in their heads and chest which reduce the impact as they hit the surface of the water.

  As the boat moved further along the coast, we were treated to a bald eagle soaring overhead.  Our guide also pointed out some black guillemot and we managed to catch a glimpse as they hurried past.  Black guillemot are black birds with red legs and a white patch on their wings.

  The Witless Bay Ecological Reserve is made up of four islands.  They are Gull, Great, Green and Pee Pee.  During breeding season there could be well over a million birds in the area. We were headed to Gull Island and as we drew closer the birds made their presence known.  Soon the sky was filled with little black dots as if a swarm of bugs surrounded us.  Everywhere you looked birds were landing in the water or flying back and forth from the island they call home.

  On Gull Island the birds crowd in for space.  The common murre (above) were packed very tight for space and breeding season had not yet reached its peak.  As one may expect from so many birds in such a tight space there is a lot of waste and yes we could smell it.  They don't waste space but waste in their space.  The murre lay eggs which are very pointy as this allows the bulkier end of the egg to stay up and out the build-up on the cliff face.

  There are over 260,000 puffins that spend almost their entire year at sea and only return here for overcrowded breeding.

  Immature puffins will not return for several years after birth until they are able to breed themselves.  The puffin has a distinctive colourful beak and puffy cheeks which make it the favourite bird on the tour.

  Other birds included the black-legged kittiwake which looks very similar to a regular seagull.  Seagulls normally have pink or yellow legs so if you see a seagull with black ones, it is probably a kittiwake.

  Common murre are also know as common guillemot.  The breeding plumage around their eyes makes it look as if they are wearing glasses.  One would image that with thousands of almost identical birds on the cliffs, the process of finding your mate when you return would require all of your senses.

  Razorbills are also black and white, but have a white line along their beak. The razorbills seemed to be far out numbered by the puffins and murres of Gull Island.

 THE WHALES
   

  As we spent our time watching little birds fly over our heads, the whales did not want to be forgotten.  A white shadow beneath the surface passed under the boat.

  A humpback whale took a breath and then dove back down below the surface.

  As the boat headed into the bay a smaller minke whale also made a brief appearance.

 THE ICE

  While ducking the little birds of Gull Island we saw something floating in the distance.

   This was an iceberg that had likely travelled from Greenland to wind its way around Newfoundland.   It has been slowly melting the whole time as it made its journey.

  The blue veins would be filled with pure glacial water and made a beautiful pattern across the berg.  Now we had seen it all.  After enjoying the natural beauty, the only thing left to do was be screeched in.  A soggy foot, a wet puffin doll in the face and a mouth full of rum later and we were now true Newfoundlanders.

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Map of Our World
Gatherall's Puffin & Whale Watch , Witless Bay

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Post # 207

The Freshman At Woodbine Centre

Location: Toronto, Ontario, Canada
Address:  500 Rexdale Blvd.
Date: Nov 2014
Website: www.woodbinecentre.ca

  In the movie The Freshman, Matthew Broderick plays Clark Kellog (like the cereal) a college student who ends up working for a local mobster.  Marlon Brando plays almost the exact same role he played in The Godfather, but this time for comedic effect.  The first job for Clark is to pick up a package from the airport.  He brings his roommate (Frank Whaley) to help him out.

  It turns out that the package is actually an endangered komodo dragon.  The komodo dragon is the largest lizard in the world and is known for its strength and saliva.  The dragon in the picture (bottom above) is from the Toronto Zoo.  The other lizard above is a Malayan water monitor also from the Toronto Zoo.  As everything in Hollywood is not as it seems, this is the lizard type that played the role of the komodo dragon.  It is smaller and safer for actors and crew to handle, but according to interviews it was still a handful.  Actually it took several monitors to play the role.

  After securing the lizard in the car, it throws up and the smell is so bad that they decide to stop at a gas station to clean up.  The filming location is a gas station at the corner of the Woodbine Centre parking lot in Toronto.

  The mall is located across the street from Woodbine race track which is a popular location for its casino and horse races.

  The lizard gets out of the car and runs from the gas station and into the parking lot.  Clark and his roommate are in hot pursuit as they look for the lizard under the parked cars.

  The lizard makes its way into the mall and causes a panic.  The mall entrance is easily identifiable by its curved design with circles that still remains today.

The reptile gets itself into the elevator and goes up to the second level.  By this point crowds are running around in a panic.

  Clark and his roommate see the panicked people fleeing the mall and realize where their komodo has gone.  Woodbine Centre has an amusement park inside it called Fantasy Fair.  They enter the mall near the ferris wheel.

  They also run right over the Woodbine Centre logo making it fairly obvious where these scenes were filmed.

  The lizard meanwhile has taken a swim near the bumper boats as terrified parents grab their children.  Clark and his roommate finally recapture the lizard right next to the "Big Chute" sign hanging from the train tracks.  They manage to sneak it back out of the mall and continue with their delivery.
  You can visit Woodbine Centre and Fantasy Fair and have a fun afternoon.  While you are there remember that once upon a time Ferris Bueller ran around the mall with a monitor lizard pretending it was a komodo dragon.

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Map of Our World
Woodbine Centre , Fantasy Fair

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Post # 206

Wiarton Willie

Location: Wiarton, Ontario, Canada
Address:  402 William St.
Date: Aug 2017
Website: www.southbrucepeninsula.com

  On February 2nd there will be a lot of rodents predicting the weather.  One of the best known is Punxsutawney Phil.  Even Bill Murray spent the day over and over again with him in the movie Groundhog Day.  In Ontario, the most famous groundhog is Wiarton Willie.  If the groundhog sees its shadow and retreats back into its den then we will get 6 more weeks of winter.  If the groundhog does not go back into its den then it will be an early spring.

  We visited Wiarton on our way to Tobermory.  We made sure we visited the monuments placed around town as well as the actual Willie.  As you enter the town on Highway 6 you will see the town Welcome sign.

  The sign says Wiarton and has a big, plump, cartoon groundhog standing next to it waving.  Yes the groundhog (above) is white because Willie is an albino.  The part of Wiarton Willie has been played by many groundhogs throughout the years, but to our knowledge they have always been white.

  Another Wiarton Willie statue is located further into town in Bluewater Park next to Georgian Bay.  It is called "Willie Emerges".

This statue is carved out of stone and shows Willie standing up and alert keeping a lookout.

  There is also a memorial to all the Willies that have come and gone.  Sadly, the Willie we visited died the next month at 13 years old.  That is quite old for a groundhog and the town of Wiarton also has younger backup Willies just in case.  Willie's understudies if you will.

  In the park next to the Dockside Willie's restaurant we saw none other than Wiarton Willie himself.  He lives in a special enclosure that was designed with the help of the Toronto Zoo.  He digs holes, eats his vegetables and sunbathes all year until it is time to head inside for winter.  He then emerges to make his special prognostication on February 2nd.  While his predictions may not always be right, we know Willie will be part of a good bit of fun at the beginning of February.

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Map of Our World
Wiarton Welcome Sign , Wiarton Willie Statue
Wiarton Willie

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Post # 205