Lagoon Report XXII

Sleeping mallard ducklings, Snug Harbour, Toronto Islands

Sleepytime

Mallard ducklings sleep on a log in Snug Harbour, oblivious to the world around them.

Mink, Centre Island, Toronto Islands

Mink Angles

A mink poses on the broken cement that lines the lagoon around Far Enough Farm.

Great blue heron, Snug Harbour, Toronto Islands

Great Blue

A great blue heron stands on a submerged log in Snug Harbour, keeping a wary eye on the photographer.


Muskrat swimming with lunch, Snug Harbour, Toronto Islands

Salad Bar

A muskrat swims by with lunch, after visiting the salad bar near the RCYC’s north island.

Mossy painted turtle, Snug Harbour, Toronto Islands

Painted Moss

Covered in weeds and moss, a painted turtle basks on a log near Snug Harbour.

Black-crowned night heron tongue, Doughnut Island, Toronto Islands

Dr. Tongue

A mature black-crowned night heron licks its bill after successfully spearing a fish for lunch.  Click image to view larger.


Napping mallard ducklings, Snug Harbour, Toronto Islands

Gimme Shelter

A mallard duck naps on a log with her three young ducklings.

Adolescent black-crowned night heron reflection, Snug Harbour, Toronto Islands

Night Reflections

An adolescent black-crowned night heron hunts for fish, reflected perfectly in the calm waters of the lagoon at almost 10:00pm.

Hunting adolescent night heron, Snug Harbour, Toronto Islands

Heron Pose

The camera turns night into day as an adolescent black-crowned night heron hunts on a log at almost 10:00pm, head down, standing motionless for minutes at a time waiting for fish to swim by.


Raccoon in kitchen, Ward's Island, Toronto Islands

Kitchen Coon

From the it-always-pays-to-have-a-camera-around department, a film oldie but a goodie.  During foundation replacement, this fellow managed to find a way in.  Finding the cat food bowl, he proceeded to hoover back as much as fast as possible, waking me up at about 2:00 in the morning.  Turning on the kitchen light, he jumped eight feet […]

Old control tower, Toronto Island Airport, Toronto Islands

Ye Olde Control Tower

Another panorama pulled from the archives, as the original Island Airport building faces an uncertain future.  This is a full panorama of the old control tower back in the winter of 2004, shot while waiting for the bus to Ward’s to arrive.  Click image to view larger.

William Inglis Sunset

Ah, the good old days: the sun sets in July 2005, back when we could actually sit at the bow and stern on the upper deck of the William Inglis.  Hopefully the Coast Guard restrictions will be dealt with soon, and the current cattle barriers can be removed post haste. (Click image to view larger.)


Blackbird eggs in nest, Trout Pond, Toronto Islands

Quadruplets

The nest of a red-winged blackbird reveals four unhatched eggs, suspended among the reeds in the Trout Pond.

Common carp, Pike Cut, Toronto Islands

Carp of Happiness

A common carp stares at the camera through the underwater gloom, looking like something out of Asian legends.

Sunfish, Hanlan's Point, Toronto Islands

Island Iridescence

Glowing like a pet store tropical fish, a sunfish swims past an underwater remote near Pike Cut. Clarity of the lagoons is already dropping as the water temperature rises.  This b-roll image looks mottled due to air bubble contamination on the lens port, a common problem in summertime.


Beaver, Algonquin Island, Toronto Islands

Waterline

A beaver swims past the shores of Algonquin, its face perfectly reflected in the calm waters of May.

Hissing Canada Goose, Snake Island, Toronto Islands

Taming The Dragon

A Canada goose warns unwary adventurers of impending doom if they stray too close to a well guarded nest.

Black-crowned night heron, Ward's Island, Toronto Islands

Herons For Jimmy

Recently reminiscing of the days of his youth (which were, when, last week?), Jimmy Jones recently commented that he was seeing fewer black-crowned night herons gracing our local lagoons (read:  between Ward’s and Snake).  Their numbers are certainly traditionally higher down Doughnut-way, but as if on cue several herons came out today just to remind […]


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