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We found this guy having a good feed as we rounded a corner. |
Rob and I recently purchased memberships to the
Royal Botanical Gardens in Burlington. We've been going there yearly for the last 6 years, as that is where the annual general meeting for the
Ontario Eastern Bluebird Society is held. We live in the West end of Toronto, so it's just a quick 45 minute drive east on the QEW.
After looking into memberships and learning more about the area, I thought we'd make pretty good use of a membership. Rob tells me we explored a couple of their trails many years back, but I don't remember much of it. It is a large area with many trails. The main building has a restaurant, gift shop, meeting rooms, and places for exhibits, which they hold regularly.
Our first official visit was last Saturday, March 24th. We didn't really have a plan, we just wanted to get out and go for a nature walk. We knew a pair of Bald Eagles had built a nest again this year, so we decided to do a part of that trail.
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Marsh Area |
We didn't see the Eagles, but we easily spotted their nest once we got in the right area. We did see lots of songbirds on our travels, including a singing Carolina Wren. The White-breasted Nuthatches were quite friendly, as were the Chickadees. I had a "Hat Trick" hand feeding day with Chickadees, White-breasted Nuthatches and a Downy Woodpecker coming to my hand for some seed.
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White-breasted Nuthatch in Rob's hand. |
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We saw many friendly Chickadees on our walk. |
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"Bottoms Up!" A pair of feeding Mallards. |
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It was nice to see a few Red-bellied Woodpeckers. |
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One of the many White-breasted Nuthatches we saw. |
After we finished our walk we enjoyed a delicious lunch in one of their restaurants, The Greenhouse Cafe, and took in the Frog Exhibit that is going on until April 15th.
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Small but mighty poisonous Dart Frog. (Pic from RBG Facebook page) |
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Waxy Monkey Frog. (Pic from RBG Facebook page) |
I think our first visit was a grand success, and I look forward to many more visits. So many trails yet to explore!