Royal Botanical Gardens: Nov. 16th.

I love hand feeding the birds! As soon as we entered the trail head at Cherry Hill Gate into the Hendrie Valley Sanctuary, we were surrounded by birds. Chickadees have a reputation for being friendly. They are social birds in the forest who can learn to associate humans with food. Black-capped Chickadees love sunflower seeds and I try to carry a few seeds in my pocket during the colder months.

Downy Woodpeckers will also hand feed. I was able to take these photos of my own hand with my macro lens. This male Downy Woodpecker paused to assess the situation when he first perched.

Once he decided I was safe, he grabbed a seed. I have fed many woodpeckers over the years and have never been poked by their strong beaks. They are always very gentle when taking seeds.

A nearby White-breasted Nuthatch grabbed a seed wedged in the tree bark. This species is known for stealing seeds cached by other birds. I have also witnessed this behaviour at other locations.

The trail system was well maintained and included an extensive board walk.

View from the boardwalk: I was glad to see an abundance of cattails with no phragmites nearby!

The valley is a popular location for artists. An unexpected gust of wind carried this beautiful painting from an artist's easel, into the marsh 10 feet below. There was no access to the water from the boardwalk and she realized it was unfortunately irretrievable.

Some well camouflaged Great Blue Herons hunted for food in the marsh during our visit.