Brand-new old favourite

Beach and jetty, at Iona Beach.

Iona Beach Regional Park. Marsh, logjams, quiet ponds, sandy beach, muddy river banks, dune meadows, concrete jetties. And sewage lagoons; what more could anyone want?

We've been intending to visit for a long time. Yesterday, we finally made it. And I'm stuck for words to describe it; maybe just a hearty "Wow!" will have to do.

A few bird shots, for starters:

One of the ponds, with goose. We saw buffleheads, mergansers, shovellers, as well as the usual mallards and geese on the water.


Three ducks over the river. North Shore mountains in the background.


Canada goose.


Beside the sewage lagoon, a pair of sleepy geese.


Rufous hummingbird.


Same hummingbird. Because I couldn't decide which photo to use.

In this area, between the sewage lagoons and the park proper, a narrow trail leads through and around deciduous forest, blackberry thickets, patches of Scotch broom, banks of purple-pink flowers. The grass is studded with pinpricks of white; two different miniature white flowers. And everywhere, small birds were singing. Redwing blackbirds called in the dried grasses, robins provided rhythm with their repeated "Cheer-ups", birds I couldn't recognize trilled, chirped, whistled. Chickadees, of course, were dee-dee-deeing in the background. Laurie saw a bright yellow bird, unidentifiable. Overhead, tree swallows did acrobatics.

Something about it all seemed so familiar, so right, like a fleeting memory of paradise. I got shivers down my spine.

Tree swallows, by the river bank.


The pilings along the bank are outfitted with swallow nest boxes. One had a long line stretched to a post on the dunes.


Swallow, wings akimbo


Nesting mallards.

Back at the parking lot, there have to be crows.

More Iona photos (I've still got oodles to sort), tomorrow.

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