NEW MEMBERS - RBG

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.

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.

White-breasted Nuthatch in Rob's hand.

We saw many friendly Chickadees on our walk.

"Bottoms Up!" A pair of feeding Mallards. 

It was nice to see a few Red-bellied Woodpeckers.

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.

Small but mighty poisonous Dart Frog. (Pic from RBG Facebook page)

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!