By James Rayner
I have already mentioned in my last post, how lucky we are in Etobicoke to be living near one of Canada’s most historic rivers, the Humber. As a final autumn walk, the Walking Club visited this river once more before the snow flies. Our route was from Albion Road to Albion Road, starting at Summerlea Park just north of the Humber Valley Golf Course. Because of the twisting nature of Albion Road, both ends of the walk touched on that street.
Starting at Summerlea Park, walk north and east until you see a bridge off to the right.
Cross this bridge over the Humber and follow the path which will take you to lower Albion Road and even under Hwy. 401 to Weston Road if you have the time.
Along the way, there is a large pond that is a favourite hangout for geese and ducks. We saw lots of Canada Geese and the usual mallards. But there were also some unrecognizable ducks that were later identified.
The duck on the right has been identified as a Green-Winged Teal, our smallest wild duck.
Here is a pair of Gadwalls sitting on a log.
We have found that on these walks, no matter how well planned they are, there are often some unexpected bonuses such as seeing these rare birds.
Beside the pond were some ancient willow trees that had not yet dropped their leaves.
We were fortunate that there was still some autumn colour remaining to be appreciated
We are now turning to city walks during the colder weather. That means walking around neighbourhoods, where the sidewalks should be clear of the ice and snow, that we might encounter on the nature trails.
Probus Club of Kingsway-Islington 