I had heard that a long eared owl had taken up residence at Colonel Sam Smith Park in Etobicoke so Nigel Banks and I went to see if we could spot it. Once at the park we started wandering down the path but we really didn’t know where to look. Bumping into a birder he was kind enough to let us know the owl was hiding in the sumac bushes. The owl had gone deep into the sumac and it was difficult to get a shot but we made do. Staying a safe distance away so as not to startle the bird.
He seemed pretty bored with us checking him out. Guess he was used to being a celebrity 😉
From there Nigel and I decided to go to Humber Bay Park in the north end of town. We knew we could find some little chickadees to feed and we hoped to spot a deer or two in the meantime. On the path along the Humber river we stopped to feed the birds, taking turns so each of us could get a shot. Normally, its just the chickadees who are brave enough to eat out our hands but this time we were surprised when a white-breasted nuthatch decided to try as well.
There was also a woodpecker around but he was only brave enough to get as close as Nigel’s feet. No photograph of him though. Still! It was a great experience. Humber river is a great place to feed the birds in winter.