Glen Eagles Vista (Rouge Park)

Well I didn't spot any eagles to photograph at the Glen Eagles Vista but was able to rouse some pretty common robins...but wait, it isn't spring?

Actually I was surprised to see them at all in the dead of winter. Some of them were actually quite hearty!!

One was as fat as any robin I'd ever seen.  They were roosting in groups on branches of ornamental crabapple trees eating to their hearts content.

Here's the male I was telling you about

The Glen Eagles Vista is a short .5 km trail with beautiful views in the Rouge Valley all year round, although obviously more so in the summer and fall.  When there isn't snow to step through, you'll find a bedrock of gravel stones underneath making it an easy path to view some river valleys and geologic features just off Twyn Rivers Drive in Toronto.

As for my flocking feathery friends, it turns out robins form flocks.  They can and do live in sheltered areas in and around Toronto's ravines.  They like fruit trees so forget about feeding them the little black oil seeds that their chickadee cousins prefer because they won't come anywhere near it.   You'll also find them close to rowan or mountain ash trees from which to feed. 


As for the rotund robin, turns out he's a valiant male who will stay on territory all winter long.  He will sit alone in his ornamental crab tree and live off the fruit and will try and drive away any flocks who try and eat from his tree (although he won't bother with any of the fallen fruit).

All in all, the Glen Eagles Vista is a small but pretty addition to many trails explored in the Rouge Valley.

Cold Port in Toronto

Winter, snow and ice never stop the Ships in the Port of Toronto from connecting the city to every continent on earth!  In fact this has been a system of a seamless network of inter modal links to road, rail and air transportation for over 100 years in the downtown core.

On average there are over two million tonnes of cargo that pass through this Port relieving our already congested highways of over tens of thousands of truck off the roads.

The Port also does warehousing and staging.  As well, there are cruise ships and passengers from around the world who pass through the International Marine Passenger Terminal.

The picture below of the pipe converging in the centre is the location of the now de-commissioned Richard L. Hearn Generating Station on January 3, 2012.  This turned out to be one of my favorite pictures I've taken, only because of the nostalgia to me.

The steam you see in the foreground drifting past the old stack is from the Portland Energy Centre.  the Portland Plant uses natural gas to produce electricity and the old Hearn plant originally used coal but was using natural gas as well prior to being shut down in 1983.

There is also a nice view off of the Outer Harbour Marina on Unwin Avenue looking across the Lake Ontario.  Not much activity these days, that'll all change soon though.

Finally, another picture of the iconic Life Guard House, which does stand out on Cherry Beach now that the swimmers and sunbathers are gone and there is nothing but snow and ice.  The house has been here since the 1930's and other than the occasional wood treatment or paint job, it remains exactly as it has always been.