Lagoon Report XXV

Tigger in winter sunbeam, Ward's Island, Toronto Islands

Sunbeam

Tigger, our wonderful, intelligent, empathetic friend, naps in a sunbeam during the dark depths of winter.

Trumpeter swan 24, Doughnut Island, Toronto Islands

Trumpeter Visitation

A pair of tagged Trumpeter swans is currently (as of May 2, 2012) hanging out around Doughnut Island. Trumpeters, tagged by the people managing the Wye Marsh, are making a comeback in Ontario after being extirpated almost 200 years ago. Trumpeter swans don’t normally stay very long here on the Island, we’ll see how long […]

Painted turtle riding on another turtle's back, Doughnut Island, Toronto Islands

Hitching a Ride

A young turtle improbably basks on the back of another turtle.  The large fellow here is also the largest turtle in this photograph.


Gnat swarm detail, Snake Island, Toronto Islands

Outside Interference

Left, a massive cloud of gnats obscures the life-saving equipment by Snake Island. Below, a detail of the cloud that’s the bane of cyclists.

Deer skull and remains, Centre Island, Toronto Islands

Final Resting Place

The unfortunate remains of an Island deer lie sun bleached in the field in front of the Island filtration plant. Discovered about two years ago by plant staff, the timing coincides with the deer’s disappearance. This deer was assumedly a coyote victim, nothing else on the Island would be large enough to take down something […]

Earth Hour 2012 Toronto Skyline Luminosity Comparison, Centre Island, Toronto Islands

Toronto Luminosity

Careful processing of Earth Hour 2012 photography yields a direct luminosity comparison of the Toronto skyline.  Taken at the same place at 8:45pm, the top image was photographed on March 29 and the bottom image during Earth Hour on March 31. Conspicuously absent are the Dome and CN Tower lights, and almost all corporate logos. […]


Mallard duck reflection, Doughnut Island, Toronto Islands

The Colours of Spring

A male mallard shines bright on water still reflecting the dull browns of early spring.

Northern pike underwater, Deep Pike Cut, Toronto Islands

Pikeflections

A mature northern pike swims in the shallows, reflected in the surface of water less than 6″ deep.

Garter snake portrait, Ward's Island, Toronto Islands

A Face A Mother Could Love

A garter snake emerges into the sunshine of an early spring day after a winter spent slumbering below ground.


Equinox bonfire, Ward's Island, Toronto Islands

Equinox Firelight 2012

A huge crowd assembles on Ward’s beach for the annual Equinox bonfire.  Thanks for the potatoes, Alice!

Venus and Jupiter conjunction with star and aircraft trails, Gibraltar Lighthouse, Toronto Islands

A Modern Classic

Venus and Jupiter swing together in conjunction past the Gibraltar Point lighthouse.  Together with star and aircraft trails, they form a unique ceiling of light over the oldest existing lighthouse on the Great Lakes.

Six painted turtles on a log, Doughnut Island, Toronto Islands

Bumps on a Log II

Six turtles take the Log Game up a notch, besting their previous record of five on a log last year.


Moonlit black-crowned night heron, Ward's Island, Toronto Islands

Moon Heron

A black-crowned night heron perches on a rock off of the boardwalk around 9:00PM, bathed in the dappled light of a rising full moon.

Northern pike underwater, Doughnut Island, Toronto Islands

A Day in the Life

A day in the life of an underwater camera as a young northern pike, muskrat, and painted turtle cruise past in the lagoon’s murky depths.

Traffic circle unforest, Ward's Island, Toronto Islands

The Unforest

Christmas trees haunt the traffic circle before the annual Equinox bonfire of 2012.


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