On Monday I took advantage of the beautiful weather and went for a walk at Second Marsh in Oshawa. As many of you know, this wetland sits between one of the busiest sections of one the busiest highways in North America, the 401, and Lake Ontario. It is behind the headquarters of General Motors and Minacs. A busy area to be sure, but a gem which is home to a great variety of wildlife. There are still goldeneye, mallard, northern shoveller, and bufflehead ducks around. There were many blue herons, and, as you can see, beavers. Talk about busy. There were seven working away in the light of day, a sure sign of late Fall. The urgency meant they were willing to swim quite close to where I was standing, hauling winter food to a large cache just off shore.
It is remarkable that so much wildlife thrives so close to a major highway and urban area. Monday an owl swept through the woods as I walked back to my car. I have seen coyotes, white-tail deer, mink, and otters (once.) In the right migratory seasons eagles, osprey, egrets, and many other birds make an appearance. The latest threat to this sanctuary will be the ethanol plant scheduled to be built just to the west. Do civic officials not have a brain? The noise level is already alarmingly high.
Do you have a favourite local spot to enjoy the beauty of creation? Is getting outside "soul food" for you? As urban pressure in Durham mounts, do we need to do more to protect these little "arks" of wild and wet?
We really like Long Sault Conservation Area, mainly because it is close and we can easily get there and take a hike before work. We also appreciate Bowmanville Creek, which we take Avery to almost daily.We try to take a walk through nature every day. We often take the camera and take photos of these "our everyday places" and find that this changes our perspective and allows us to see these places through a visitor's eyes. It's sort of interesting how these snap shots clearly frame up these ordinary places as paradisal. I post each day's photos on facebook and other's have commented on this surprising change of perspective as well.
ReplyDeleteGetting outside really is "soul food" for me. As a child I spent all my days outside; as a teen I worked all of my summer jobs outdoors. My summer home was a tent or canoe. Living in Kingston, we would go to Lemoine Point everyday. We had our wedding pictures taken there even. Such a shame that since moving to Bowmanville, I have yet to find a regular place of peace outdoors. My outdoor time now mostly involves scouting out new playgrounds to explore! Soul food in itself, but with different wildlife to watch! I think a trip to Second Marsh is in order, kids in tow.
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