Sat, Jun 9 2007 - Mountsberg Conservation Area (View Original Event Details)
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We had a beautiful day for the trip to Mountsberg Conservation Area, and the Raptor Centre. We ended up with 16 people coming out, so rather than moving around as a large pack, we divided into two smaller groups. I took one group on the forest walk, while Saif led the second along the lake walk, agreeing to meet back at the Visitor Centre for the afternoon raptor lecture.
Because it was a lovely June day, Canada’s national bird (AKA the mosquito) was out in force, so we slathered on the repellent and hoped for the best – citronella lotion does actually seem to work. Supposedly a day to see what birdlife hangs around in June, we actually heard and saw very little – possibly because of the time of day; early afternoon is usually snoozing time in the Wild Kingdom. On the forest walk, we did see a variety of frogs, including a very large, handsome emerald and chocolate brown specimen.
As we headed back for the raptor session, Cynthia asked to stay back on her own to wander at her own pace and take photographs. I thought about it for a moment, and then said sure – after all, she’s a responsible, experienced walker and what could happen in a Conservation Area? Never again! She showed up half way through the lecture, with a bloody knee. She’d managed to trip and fall (preserving her very expensive camera in the process, thankfully) and had a nice selection of gravel in said knee...
The raptor lecture was highly entertaining and informative. There was an initial suspicion that it would be quite basic, as much of the audience was clearly under 10 however, the two staff members kept the content very much at a level suitable for adult consumption. They introduced turkey vultures, a red-tailed hawk, two charming little kestrels, a barn-owl who stayed in the distance, and a very snooty long-eared owl. After pointing out the various attributes of the different hunters – who knew that for vultures, peeing down your leg keeps your feet clean? – to the delight of both the audience and, apparently, the birds, the staff turned a hose on and proceeded to give the birds a shower! A wet long-eared owl looks very much like a wet cat – not much there under all those feathers.
A bonus was a short presentation of photos of nesting ospreys, of which there is now a resident pair at Mountsberg. We took a walk around the short path to the bird hide on the lake to look at an abandoned nest, and then wandered back to the car-park, next to which the nesting couple are in residence.
We ended the day with ice-creams in Campbellville, before heading back to the big city. A lovely day, out in the country, without being hours from Toronto. 5 * rating for anyone who wants a quiet, country day without travelling too far.
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