the Way of the Turtle

BRRR...
1 Mile Walk at Turning Point Park & on the Genesee Riverway Trail
A Short Drive Along the Ontario Lakefront
Sunday, March 4, 2012

Lazy day today, windy with snow flurries, but after lunch Ann and I headed over to Turning Point Park and took the Genessee Riverway Trail down to the boardwalk and out onto the river basin. Lots of gulls squawking on the river, as well as a pair of swans drifting around (one was fast asleep, head tucked under wing) and a heron hanging out on the far side of the turning basin. Not many folks out and about, but that was no great surprise, because it was pretty cold, with a fairly vicious, damp wind blasting down the river. We didn't even walk to the far end of the boardwalk, only about halfway.

After that we went to Ontario Beach Park and drove through the parking lots to see if the snowy owl was in sight. No luck, but we could see the waves hammering the beach - if it hadn't been so cold, it would have been a fun day to walk out on the pier. From there I decided to explore a bit, so we headed west on Beach Ave along the lakeshore, until we reached a point where the road was closed due to bridge construction. On the way back we spotted a sharp-shinned hawk in a tree alongside the road and a raft of long-tailed ducks (ie. the "barking ducks" we first saw at Ontario Beach back in March 2009) so it was definitely worth the time spent exploring.

JMH