Taylor Creek Park

It's a nature park along the Taylor-Massey Creek that is great for hiking or bike rides for the most part of the year. High trees on both sides of the trail make you forget that you are in the middle of the city.

Taylor-Massey Creek can swell rapidly during rains thus lifebuoys and related equipment is available at regular intervals.

There are several ponds along the creek that offers excellent viewing spots for bird watchers. In summer one can find Red-winged Balck birds, Grackles, Robins, and Ducks in abundance. 

Mallard Ducks

A sunbathing Robin

Horse Chestnut Flowers

You would never realize how exquisite and intricate these flowers are until you take a closer look. But what this tree has to do with horses anyway. Well, in old days, people thought that the fruits of this tree were beneficial in curing horse ailments. Its seeds were also similar to that of the Sweet Chestnut tree, so it came to be known as the Horse Chestnut tree. However, it is actually quite poisonous in raw form and should be avoided by both people and horses. 

Nesting atop a Muskrat lodge

 

Muskrats look like beavers but are much smaller in size. Unlike beavers, they are not into felling trees and building dam business. However, they do like to build their homes somewhat similar to the beaver lodges in or around water bodies. When Canadian Geese return from their winter vacations from the south, they prefer to nest near water with a good view of surroundings. Thus, Muskrat lodges in small ponds are one of their favorites. 

This goose nest is in the center of a little pond at Tyler Creek Park near Dawes Road. The geese will stay here till hatchings occur. Muskrats won’t bother them at all.

The other partner was grazing around the pond and keeping an eye on the surroundings.

This seems like a one-sided symbiotic relationship heavily in favor of the geese. So why do Muskrats tolerate such an intrusion into their homes? I would like to think that they are gracious hosts and like the occasional company.

By the Pond

It is so peaceful here by the pond at Taylor Creek Park. There are sounds of birds coming from all sides. The sharp calls of Red-winged Blackbird, the melodic songs of Robins, finches, and starlings with some occasional quakes of ducks make it seem like a place far away from the city life. There is a constant drone of nearby traffic in the background, but the road is out of sight, and after a while, your mind starts to filter out that low hum. Then a state of serenity envelops you all around.

Partying Blackbirds

Every single Red-winged Blackbird that I encountered today in the park, was having fresh grubs for lunch. It seems that some sort of party was going on for these birds (at the expense of poor grubs of course).

Mallard Ducks

Mallard Ducks are migratory birds for most parts of Canada. Although they stay yearlong in the southern parts of Ontario. Males can be identified easily by the shining dark green color around their heads whereas females have a speckled brown plumage.

Mallards eat a variety of food including roots and stems of plants.  

After feeding, they can be seen resting around ponds and streams. 

They are quite friendly and are not bothered by close human presence. In fact, they happily accept handouts from people. I think this friendly nature led to their easy domestication. Thus Mallards are the ancestor of almost all breeds of domestic ducks.

Where do the ducks go during winter?

There are murals and then there is actual graffiti where people write remarks or draw doddles at public places. Sometimes, it turns into an exchange and becomes a kind of local message board. Here is such an exchange about ducks and their winter hideouts at Dawes Road underpass in the Taylor Creek Park.

Yes, Mallard ducks do migrate to the south during winter and come back in spring.

Turtle on a log

One can always find a few turtles enjoying sunbath on logs in the various ponds of Taylor Creek Park during warm months. They don't move much but are still fun to watch in their zen state.

 

Here is some graffiti under a bridge in the park that attests to the fact.

Grackle Blackbirds

Grackle Blackbirds are native to North America. They look like small crows with blue iridescence around their heads that shine well in the direct sunlight. Grackles are also a bit notorious for being a threat to the crops and attacking other birds.

This one seems ruffled and a bit bewildered at first glance but it is actually a mating display behavior.

Land Back

Land Back Camp at Taylor Creek Park, East York.

Land Back is a political movement that advocates indigenous people's political and economic control over lands that historically belonged to them before the colonial period.

Little Bangladesh

'Little Bangladesh' themed mural at Crescent Town, East York. 

Artist: Mahjabeen Kabir.

Created: August 2017 under Bell Box Murals project.

Graffiti under the culvert bridge

Why would anybody create art at such an inaccessible and rather an unsafe place? 

It is a small culvert bridge under Victoria Park Avenue at Taylor Creek Park. The place is obscured by trees and undergrowth. I was following a Cardinal bird and came across this unusual sight. For me, there was no easy way to go down in the creek and take a closer look. Maybe, it is more accessible from the Golf course side. Still, it is not a place where an artist would get a lot of viewers to admire the artwork.

Perhaps the artist wanted to put his/her mark where no one has gone before.

Red flower in a stream

Water was flowing in a low melodic hum, 
Washing gently over grey stones. 

A red flower came drifting with the current and got tangled with something. 
It lingered there for a moment and was then swept away. 
There was just enough time to commit it to the memory.

Who sent it on this perilous journey? I haven’t got a clue. 

Is there some story behind its casting?
Was it a random act of some absent-minded fellow? It is difficult to discern.

Is there some significance to this chance encounter? Who am I to tell? 

Will it survive its long, winding journey?
Will it join the deep great lake? I can only hope.

But this is a familiar story for all living things. Is it not?

A case of a mistaken identity

This French Beauceron came galloping towards me on the trail. There was nothing aggressive in its demeanor so I just stood there and took a snap. Then it stopped at close quarters and looked very confused. It was like trying to recognize an old friend or acquaintance. There was an awkward moment of silence before it heard its owner’s command at a distance and sprinted towards him. This fellow certainly needs glasses.

Mr. and Mrs. Blackbird

Like many bird species, males and females of the Red-winged Blackbird clan are dimorphic in appearance. So much so that they seem to belong to completely different species. To me, males appear to be into the Goth culture, while females get their inspiration from the Victorian era.

Below is another pair from the Taylor Creek Park area.

Here is a Red-winged blackbird announcing its presence in the vicinity.

Enter at your own peril

An armed knight statue at a store entrance on Danforth Avenue, seemingly there to ensure compliance to Corona SOPs.