Winter Fun for Free

This past Saturday was one of the beautiful winter days that we often enjoy in January. The sun was bright in the cloudless sky and a light north wind kept the air dry and the temperatures to a cool high of -5c. With the sun stronger than the wind, it was most comfortable to loosen your scarf, remove your gloves and to be outdoors for an extended period of time.

Getting ready for "curling"

My husband and I drove to the Hamilton area which is about forty minutes from our home. Hamilton is built on the north shore of Lake Ontario and the Niagara Escarpment divides the city into upper and lower areas. There are many beautiful parks and green spaces in Hamilton and neighbouring Burlington. We went to the Royal Botanical Gardens' Laking Garden area where a large marsh is an important birding area especially during migration times. The shallow water has frozen into a smooth surface and several groups of people had come with shovels and gear to enjoy outdoor winter sports.

Pick up hockey

There were at least three pick up hockey games in progress, free of referees, fans or protective gear. The young men were practicing their stick handling and passing skills with none of the goon antics of the professional sport.

A group of middle aged men and women cleared a long rectangle on the ice and set up to play a modified game of curling. They had stones with extra long handles but no brooms were apparent. Young children skated around frozen reeds and chased a large exercise ball across the frozen surface. Grindstone Creek runs on one side of the marsh and the running water was open. While signs were up warning people to stay off the ice surface, the water here is barely more than ankle deep.

Overlooking Burlington Bay

A little further along the shore, we walked a short trail overlooking Burlington Bay. People were sitting out on the benches soaking in the sun's rays as if it were a midsummer day. The Chickadees here expect handouts and my husband was happy to indulge them. He spent his time breaking peanuts into Chickadee-sized handouts because they appeared to be their favourite treat.

Black-capped Chickadee

As for me, there were plenty of birds to see including the well cared for group of Trumpeter Swans who are fed through the winter by volunteers. The January bird list on my sidebar has grown to 35 birds. Many other birders and photographers were about with cameras and binoculars.

Two Trumpeter Swans do synchronized grooming

The steel town has done an excellent job of shoreline restoration and has largely reversed its reputation as a dirty, polluting industrial centre. I went to university here in the mid 1970s and it was never a place I would have wanted to live. We drove by a number of (expensive) homes for sale along the bay and passed a large hospital overlooking Lake Ontario where I could find work while my husband made a living by fishing. ;-)
Maybe...
...maybe not
In the meantime it is a lovely place to visit.