It has 3 names: The Outer Harbour East Headland (I’ve never heard anyone call it that), The Leslie St. Spit, or Tommy Thompson Park. The place is entirely man-made. Construction started on it in 1959. The purpose of the spit was for “port-related facilities”, but by the 70s it was no longer necessary for that use. By this time, though the landfill was becoming an urban wilderness.

It has become a great place for a walk, for birding, for cycling and other recreational uses. 316 species of birds have been recorded on the spit. How fantastic is that? It is one of the major rest-stops for birds migrating in either direction over Lake Ontario and as a result has become very popular among birders.

The spit goes way out into the lake, something like 5km. I believe there are over 18km of trails.

I drove across the city this morning and enjoyed a good walk in the park. Here’s some photos I snapped while I was there.