The ice didn’t melt the day after the ice storm that hit us before Christmas. Rain didn’t wash away the snow that came the ice after, as it typically does. And while we’ve had a few thaws, winter has unabashedly made its presence felt this year, and with it has come a lot of beauty. I love the squeak of snow beneath my feet, I love the transformation that ice and snow bring. It’s a Canadian season that too often overlooks this area, but not this year!
This is the surface of an inlet along the Leslie Spit, facing the Toronto Islands. Wind has been blowing the powdery newer snow away, leaving beautiful patterns and contrast with the hard surface of the snow underneath. A dog of some sort walked over the water. Where its paws made tracks, the snow compressed, allowing the softer powder to blow away around it, leaving the raised footprints. Dog or coyote…
A Common Goldeneye flies over a manmade inlet — an inlet that a week later would be completely frozen over.
Wind has chiseled a cat emerging from this snow bank.
A female Merganser runs across the water and ice to launch herself into flight.
A funnier caption provided by a friend: ‘The duck is saying, “cold feet, cold feet, cold feet, cold… AAAH… flying now.”‘
Greater Scaup take advantage of quieter inlets.
Ordinary steps turn into interesting art as the background disappears from view.
This snowman is cheering for the Canadian Winter Olympic teams!
A sparrow is light enough to sit on top of the fresh snow covering its perch.
A freezing bay turns into a work of art, a flock of seagulls clustering along a narrow part as of yet unfrozen.
A fellow with binoculars is checking out the variety of ducks and other water birds in the area…and is probably trying to see if there is any sign of a Snowy Owl that has been frequenting the area.
There isn’t a better time of year to see signs of various animals. This was only one type of track along this area of the spit. There were smaller tracks and larger tracks. Some places looked like little highways. These tracks seemed fitting for the Valentine’s Day weekend.
Not everyone is complaining about the weather! In city parks, many are taking advantage of being able to use their cross country skis. The frozen ice between the spit and the mainland and islands are giving added places to trek.
This was along the Lake Ontario facing side of a far finger of the Leslie Spit. A small section of beach made a wonderful place to soak up some peaceful moments of nature, the waves lapping against the stones, while other stones being held prisoner by ice overhanging the beach fell back to the beach as sun caused melting.
This photographer is taking advantage of the one ice-free spot on this pond to get shots of winter ducks feeding. There is an advantage to locating oneself in a quiet position. Shortly after I left, I noticed that a Snowy Owl had landed in the middle of the pond, on the ice, staring towards the activity on the free water. This photographer was in a great position to catch a Snowy Owl hunting. He was also in an amazing spot for lighting.
This is a male Red-breasted Merganser. They come down south for breeding then head back up north while the females raise the chicks.
In another few months, this scene will transform as the vegetation comes alive and those nests in the trees begin to fill with Black-crowned Night Herons and Cormorants.
These people are taking a rare shortcut from Leslie Spit to either the Toronto Islands, Cherry Beach, or, if they are particularly daring, the Toronto shoreline as the sun sets on another winter’s day.