An Osprey and Toy Turtle!!

I was able to locate an Osprey nest with a toy animal in the nest structure in Dundas. It would be interesting to know the sequence of events that led to the stuffed toy turtle ending up in the nest!! The smiling turtle and Osprey nest are visible from roadside near Cootes Paradise.

"Treasures can often be found in the neighbouring Desjardins Canal. The only Black-crowned Night Heron that I have seen this year was in the canal. The canal was originally dug to connect Dundas to Lake Ontario but the advance of the railway system, ended in the demise of the canal as a transportation system because farmers began to use the railway to move their wheat and other raw materials.

Interpretive Sign on the Desjardins Canal.

Restoration work in the canal included the construction of floating islands where the Double-crested Cormorants like to rest and dry their wings.

Female Hooded Merganser shaking off excess water on a constructed island.

The Urquhart Butterfly Garden at the west end of the Canal provides lots of food for visiting butterflies. Several Viceroy have been spotted in recent weeks.

Hummingbird Clearwing Moth 

Monarch on Butterfly Bush

Eastern Tiger Swallowtail

Western Honeybee on Zinnia. - Not all plants growing at the garden are native but they do provide a nectar source.

While lurking on the flowerhead, a Crab Spider was able to catch an unsuspecting Western Honey Bee for its next meal!

American Goldfinch eating Canada Thistle seeds.

Primrose Moth (pink) resting on an Evening Primrose Flowerhead.