27th Street

I was reflecting this evening on how much I’ve learned about the natural world around me here in the Toronto area, during 3 seasons of nature walks with Miles Hearn. We started in April with the spring session, did 4 July summer walks, then a full slate of fall walks. We visited three spots close to home – Sam Smith Park, just down the street, Marie Curtis Park, and Humber Bay. We explored the top and bottom of the Scarborough Bluffs, and visited our urban national Park, Rouge National Urban Park. We walked two connected parks, Wilket Creek and Sunnybrook, visited Crother’s Woods in the Don Valley, and Cedarvale Park uptown.

We’ve observed plants in early, mid and late season, and saw both migrating and resident birds. I’m happy to have helped out with some mushroom identification, with the assistance of my brother. Miles has given us so much information on everything from bird calls to buds, it’s hard to take it all in. I don’t remember everything, but now when I walk on my own I realize just how much I’ve learned.

Next week I’m going to go on my first nature walk with the Toronto Field Naturalists group. The have an extensive schedule of walks, all of which are included in the modest cost of membership. Then in January, Miles is doing 7 winter walks, which I’ve also signed up for.

I took a lot of pictures on these walks, and in spite of not being outfitted with fancy equipment, I snapped what I consider some pretty good pictures. I took advantage of a “Black Friday” sale and ordered a new camera, a significant upgrade from the one I’ve been using. It’s a mirrorless bridge camera with a 1″ sensor and a zoom equivalent to 400mm. Hopefully it will be in next week.

Here are some highlights of 3 seasons of walks in pictures.