Shamrock Orbweaver Spider at Col. Samuel Smith Park

Shamrock Orbweaver Spider at Col. Samuel Smith Park

Shamrock orbweaver spider at Colonel Samuel Smith Park in Etobicoke, Ontario, Canada

Late last summer, based on reports of a Yellow-crowned Night Heron being seen at Colonel Samuel Smith Park in Etobicoke, Bob and I finally found the time to take a spin down to that waterfront park to see if we would be lucky enough to find it.  Amongst other things, I found this gorgeous Shamrock Orbweaver Spider. Read more

Red-necked Grebes at Colonel Samuel Smith Park

red-necked grebe, with egg on the nest, colonel samuel smith park, etobicoke, ontario

On one of our spring birdwatching excursions, Bob and I dropped by Colonel Samuel Smith Park in Etobicoke.  The favorable habitat of this urban park attracts many species of migrating warblers, and it often rewards us with sightings of shorebirds.  On this particular day, it was a nesting pair of Red-necked Grebes (Podiceps grisegena) that stole our hearts. Read more

Belted Kingfisher At Colonel Samuel Smith Park



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Belted Kingfisher At Colonel Samuel Smith Park

belted kingfisher at colonel sam smith park, etobicoke, ontario

What a challenge to capture any Belted Kingfisher (Megaceryle alcyon) in a photograph!  Over the years, as Bob and I have canoed on various lakes and rivers, we have observed countless Kingfishers taunting us with their perpetual cat and mouse routine.  Always just one step ahead of us, it seems that these birds are playful at best, and always wait until we are in sight before taking flight for another tree a couple of hundred feet further down the shoreline.  This handsome female took no notice of our presence on the observation deck at Colonel Samuel Smith Park in Toronto. Read more

Yellow-Crowned Night Heron At Colonel Samuel Smith Park

Yellow-Crowned Night Heron At Colonel Samuel Smith Park

yellow crowned night heron - juvenile - col sam smith park - etobicoke pic 7

For weeks, Bob and I had been hearing about a Yellow-crowned Night Heron  making a stay at Colonel Samuel Smith Park on Toronto’s lakeshore.  When finally we had a chance to pop down there for a look, it was quite late in the afternoon so we did not hold out much hope of seeing it since other people had been numerous times without success.  Lo and behold, after we circled the main pond on an obscure trail through the woodlot, we came out to a clearing and found the Night Heron perched nonchalantly on a rock. Read more

Juvenile Least Bittern At Colonel Samuel Smith Park

least bittern at colonel sam smith park - etobicoke - toronto - ontario 8

One summer, people had been reporting sightings of one, if not two, Juvenile Least Bitterns that have been hanging out at Colonel Samuel Smith Park at the lakeshore in Toronto.  Bob and I went to the Park to look for a flutter of Monarch Butterflies one morning, but coming up empty-handed, we turned our attentions to birdwatching.  It wasn’t too far from our location on Whimbrel Point that we found one of the Least Bitterns.  The bird was much smaller than expected. Read more

A Flutter of Monarch Butterflies At Toronto Shoreline

monarch butterflies - tree 3 - at colonel sam smith park - etobicoke - ontario 19

One fall, Bob and I ended up spending most of the day at Colonel Samuel Smith Park at the edge of Lake Ontario in Toronto.  Our mission to locate a flutter of Monarch Butterflies started early in the morning, but it was not until late in the afternoon that we finally knew success.  There was no mistaking the chosen tree for its branches hung with hundreds and hundreds of these beautiful butterflies, come together to rest for the night. Read more