Today in Nature: The Fall Salmon Run up the Humber River

October 27th: After voting today, I went to the Humber River, where much to my surprise the salmon are still migrating up stream . It is a victory to have fish spawning again, since in the 19th century, industry set up mills on the rivers, bringing fish runs to an end for a long time. Once the mills were gone and the water was cleaned up some, B.C. salmon (introduced) started swimming up stream, and now Atlantic salmon are being reintroduced. And the candidates think running for office is tough....

Today in Nature: Fall Colours on Fire on the Humber River

October 22nd: A beautiful, calm day on the Humber River in Toronto. Herons fishing, robins and sparrows enjoying a less crowded forest now that many of the migrating birds have left. 

Today in Nature: Deer in Toronto

A White-Tailed Deer near the Humber River in Toronto

Deer can still be found in Toronto, and today I got more proof. I had been walking around a march near the Humber River, north of the Queensway, when I walked up to a meadow on my way back to my bike. But as I looked up, there was a pair of eyes looking at me. I tried to stay as still as I could while still taking pictures. I thought it had been a great day already, having seen a Great Egret in a tree, and a raccoon trying to have a nap. But the deer was definitely the prize of the day. It is awesome that these lovely creatures can still find places to live in a crowded city.

A drowsy raccoon

A Great Egret perching in a tree high above a pond.

Today in Nature: Ospreys

August 28th: What a nice present for the end of summer - another encounter with the Osprey that has taken up residence along the Humber River.  Ospreys are one of the great comeback stories of the last 50 years. They almost disappeared during the DDT  decades, but when that pesticide was banned, they started to return, thanks to environmentalists in southern Ontario who built platforms for their nests. Their return also means the fish are worth eating. Things *can* get better.

Finding Ancient Wisdom in a River

The Tao of Rivers

August 15th: This scene from Toronto's Humber River reminded me of a quote by the ancient Chinese philosopher, Lao Tzu: "Nothing in the world is more flexible and yielding than water. Yet when it attacks the firm and the strong, none can withstand it, because they have no way to change it. So the flexible overcome the adamant, the yielding overcome the forceful."

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Deer in Toronto: An August Trip down the Humber River

Every summer, I look forward to a chance to take a kayak down the Humber River, south of Bloor Street in Toronto. The Humber is the city's best wildlife corridor, and never fails to reveal an amazing array of animals and birds. 

This year, as soon as I headed out from the Old Mill launch , I spotted an Osprey fishing in the river, easily seen from the subway line. The Osprey hovered, then dove down to catch a fish, and even floated on the water for a while. Of course, all of this occurred before I could get my camera out. Later on, I found the Osprey again in one of the lower marshes. This is the second time I have seen an Osprey along the Humber this year, so it appears one has made this area its home.

My favourite spots along the river are the marshes that have formed on the eastern side. The first of these marshes has a narrow opening that curves northward to reveal a lagoon filled with lily pads. A Great Blue Heron was fishing in one the open breaks among the plants. 

As I drifted away from the heron, I was hoping to see a turtle somewhere. However, I caught some movement on shore, and found myself looking into the eyes of a white-tailed deer. I have seen deer along the river before, and it never ceases to amaze me that a city as big and busy as Toronto still has a few deer living along this thin green corridor. I only wish we had left more of the city green so there could be more room for them to roam.

Later on, I went down to the second, larger marsh, where I came across what's left of a cormorant rookery. In years past, this nesting area was much bigger and busier. This is where the cormorants raise their young earlier in the summer. The trees are dead due to the toxic effect of the birds' feces. Further north, I spotted a few new trees that had been taken over by the birds. They, too, will end up dead, the price trees pay for being good places to nest.

All in all, it was a wonderful morning on the water. If you are interesting in renting a kayak to go down the Humber, I used The Toronto Adventures Company, whose prices are quite reasonable. I highly recommend taking the time to do a trip.I have found with lots of stops, I can get down to the lake and back in two hours.  It is a wonderful way to see Toronto's wildlife up close. 

- Stephen Milton, of www.torontonature.com.

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Hawks in the Woods

On my way home today, I walked through the woods of Etienne Brule Park, which borders the Humber River in Toronto. It was a rainy day, so I didn't expect to get much. But as I was taking some pictures of rain drops on leaves, I heard a loud screeching in the woods. It was coming from several different directions. I have learnt through experience that only one type of bird will dare to make that much noise - a predator. So I started looking around, and sure enough, I caught sight of a hawk flying through the woods.

A pair of Cooper's Hawks

After some searching, I located the source of some of screeching - a very tall, old tree at the edge of the hill that leads to the top of the ravine. High up in the branches, I spotted two hawks. It took some fiddling with the long lens on the camera to get a shot of them. They look to me like a pair of Cooper's Hawks. The hawk on the right is the mature one, with a red eye. The one on the left is immature, and smaller. There was a third hawk in the woods who looked the same and had the same call, but I couldn't get a good picture.

At the time, I assumed they were Red-Tailed Hawks, simply because those hawks are very common in these parts. But the tip of the tail of these birds was definitely white or yellow. Also, these guys were feeding in the forest, picking apart some carcasses. Red-tailed hawks are larger, and prefer to hunt in wide open spaces, like the sides of highways and open fields. These hawks are smaller, so they can fly through the dense foliage of the forest.

I spotted the hawks in an important spot, in terms of Toronto's history. They were very close to what is now called Baby Point, but in the 17th century, this was the site of a Seneca village of about 1000 people. The Iroquois from the south has pushed out the Hurons, and established a village at the point where a long portage began to  what is now called Lake Simcoe. These hawks were hunting just below the plateau where the Seneca lived. Back then, the area was surrounded by agricultural fields where the Seneca grew their crops. I don't know if there was forest down below, as there is now. In any case, before Europeans arrived, there would have been lots of forest nearby where hawks like these could hunt.

Written by Stephen Milton, of www.torontonature.com. If you would like to get a daily nature picture via Facebook, join my Toronto Nature Diary. Also, visit the website if you want more information on the best places in Toronto to find wildlife, and information about specific species.