On The Wild Side: Ice, ducks and swans in Tommy Thompson Park

By ANN BROKELMAN

Amidst the crisp winter weather of a few weeks ago, I took off on a journey to one of my favourite cold-weather birding locales: Tommy Thompson Park.

Clad in my warmest jacket, mittens and hat, and armed with a thermos of steaming coffee, I was eager to witness the ducks that call this place home.

This really hasn’t been much of a chilly winter so far, as I’m sure many of you have noticed. While I don’t really mind the lack of cold, the corresponding lack of sun has been keeping me down.

After the struggle of finding a legal parking spot, I strolled along the quiet paths of the park and the first spectacle that greeted me was not the ducks, but the artistic designs crafted by nature itself. The rocks along the shoreline were covered with intricate ice designs, the beautiful result of the mid-January deep freeze.

The true highlight of my excursion, however, was just off Unwin Avenue, where an avian ballet unfolded. The area was host to an array of ducks, swans, and even a few harriers, all dancing through the air and across the water as if performing just for me.

As I sipped my coffee and watched, a stunning picture opportunity caught my eye. A mute swan, accompanied by three unbanded trumpeter swans, glided gracefully across the water, right in front of one of the more interesting looking ice designs.

In a flurry of excitement, and reluctance to spill my drink, I used my teeth to rip off my right glove, freeing my trigger finger, and snapped a few pictures as the swans paraded around as if they were waterfront royalty.

As I continued to look around, a little bit of blue sky appeared, as did two of my favourite types of ducks: the red-headed duck and the red-breasted merganser.

A red-headed duck during a January visit to Tommy Thompson Park. Photo by Ann Brokelman.

My day was just getting better and better! These ducks usually only appear here in the cold months, and I’m wondering if climate change and the increase of warm weather will eventually have them wintering further north.

I think I’d been so distracted by the ice, and then the swans, that I never realized how many ducks were around! There were so many red-heads, mergansers, green-winged teals, gadwalls, buffleheads, greater scaups, golden-eyes, and more.

The visual differences in the male and female ducks are distinct enough that it seemed like there were twice as many species present.

A female red-breasted merganser at Tommy Thompson Park. Photo by Ann Brokelman.

As I continued my walk, I found that the chill of winter is softened by the warmth of nature’s wonders. Each step brings me new discoveries, and the park, with its variety of feathered friends and icy artistry, always gives me another reason to come back.

If you decide to make a trip of your own to the park, take some time to learn the differences between the species. Maybe save some pictures on your phone so you can scroll through them quickly and see which ones you spot. In addition to the ones listed above, the waterfront is also home to wood ducks, harlequins, canvasback ducks, and of course our year-round green-headed mallards.

I have a lot of birding books by now, but it was Chris G. Earley’s Waterfowl of Eastern North America that really helped me with the different ducks around Toronto. Back in the winter of 2007, my friend Carol and I explored the waterfront at Ashbridges Bay, armed with that book, to see which ducks we could find. Since then, I’ve always made the effort to head to the Lakeshore, at least once per season, so I can visit the ducks.

If you decide to drive down, you can usually find space to park your car in the Tommy Thompson Park parking lot. There is a particularly good path to the bridge where the ducks are usually hanging around.

As there tends to be a fair bit of ice on the walkways whenever I go there, I always recommend wearing boots with a good tread, or even cleats, though I think I was born without a sense of balance.

Dress warmly, maybe bring an extra blanket, and go sit on a rock and enjoy the view. If possible, go on a sunny day so you can see the ducks’ fluorescent colours, especially in their head feathers.

Have you been down there lately? What did you see on your trip?

Please feel free to reach out and share your stories, as I’m always excited to hear from another nature lover. But maybe don’t share your favourite recipes for roasted duck.