Traffic Signal Box - Spring Birds

 

Location: Denton and Pharmacy

Date photo taken: 15 March 2025

Image #20 in the Traffic Signal Box Series

While the temperatures may have dipped again, spring is definitely in the air. The birds are once again making themselves heard and I've seen more than one flying with a twig or a bit of fluff in their beak. So as a nod to all the busy avians out there, here's a pretty signal box painted by Sam Roe. 

Pigeon tracks

 

Location: Front Street East

Date photo taken: 28 November 2013

This week, a bit of unpremeditated street art. It may be hard to make out in this photo, but this section of freshly poured sidewalk features the meandering tracks of one or more pigeons. Curious as to how quickly a pigeon would have to arrive on scene to leave its mark like this, I was surprised to be told it would have to be within a few hours at most. Depending on conditions, a full-grown person can walk on concrete poured as little as 24 hours ago and not leave a mark. 

Beware: red-winged blackbirds

 

Location: Corktown Common

Date photo taken: 12 October 2021

Living in Toronto, most of us have been conditioned to recognize robins as one of the early signs of spring. In terms of feathered harbingers of nicer weather to come, I would also put forward the red-winged blackbird. While perhaps less evenly distributed across the city than robins, they are very common in Southern Ontario and just as distinctive. If you spend any time in parklands that are near water, you have likely seen them. Their bright red epaulets make them highly visible, and they're pretty loud as well. If you hear one in the spring, I advise you to not to stare. As the sign above notes, "Birds may exhibit aggressive behaviour protecting their young." Showing too much interest may lead to a close encounter. As someone who has experienced this first hand, it's not an experience I care to repeat. If you hear a red-winged blackbird, especially in the spring, I suggest you try to remain as non-threatening as possible: stick to the path, keep moving and do not stare or actively search out the nest.  

Eagle V.1

 

Location: The Esplanade at Yonge

Date photo taken: 12 May 2021

Through the Percent for Public Art Program, the City of Toronto encourages the inclusion of art in new developments across the city. Sometimes these art works are placed inside or add subtle interest to courtyards or passageways. That can be nice but I really love it when a work makes its presence felt. Eagle V.1 by sculptor Dean Drever definitely falls into this latter category. It's huge and it graces a thin portion of wall adjacent to Yonge Street. That means that there are great sightlines, but it also means that you can appreciate this piece from a variety of angles and distances (here it is seen from further away). I find that its character, or the effect on the viewer, changes depending on where you are. The eagle may be a protector of peace but it's also a mighty predator and standing this close, you can't help but feel a bit like prey.

Fabricated by Lafontaine Iron Werks Inc. from designs by Drever, the giant bird is made of aluminum, fibreglass, polyurea/polyurethane hybrid and lacquer, and painted to match the stonework of the building. It was installed in 2018. The artist's statement can be read here.

Trumpeter Swan

 

Location: Humber Valley Pond in Summerlea Park

Date photo taken: 22 May 2015

Last weekend I found myself on the waterfront down by Tommy Thompson Park and I'm pretty sure there was a family of 5 trumpeter swans hanging out in the bay. They were a little too far out to say for sure, but I checked the park's website and the 2019 Bird Nesting Report confirms that there were two active nests located that year. This is pretty exciting because until relatively recently, these swans were extinct in Eastern Canada. Native to Ontario, hunting and habitat loss led to their disappearance in the wild about 200 years ago, but in the 1980s efforts were undertaken to reintroduce them. While their numbers are still dwarfed by the more common mute swan, which is an invasive species, it's nice to see that they are successfully breeding, even in the city.