The Aviary, The trail and the lovely park

What a beautiful day it was again today.  Too nice to stay indoors.  I decided to go to Westdale and see the birds in the Aviary as it is open from 1-4 p.m. on Sundays year round.

My friend Jeff said he might ride his bike over there as well so I kept my eyes open for him.  I arrived later than anticipated (about 2:30-3 p.m.) as the buses to Westdale are really slow on Sunday!  It seems he went shortly after 1 p.m. and left after 2 sometime.

When it finally came  (5C) it was packed like a sardine tin.  The 51 does not run on Sunday.

The above are signs in the Aviary which is in Westdale.  It is free to go into and if one wishes, one can donate money for the upkeep of the birds.

It is run by volunteers who are there on Sunday to answer questions.

On most of the cages, there is a sign nearbye saying what the bird is.  It really is quite interesting to see and the birds seem quite contented.

All of the birds have nick names which is rather cute. 

There were quite a few different types of birds and I took many pictures of them but not all will be shown here.

All the birds seemed to be well cared for and were not afraid of people.  There were signs around warning people not to put their hands inside the cages as the birds will bite.  Small children on Daddy's shoulders, toddlers excitedly looking at the different birds, elders with canes - all very impressed by the wonderful birds and the sounds they made.  It is well worth a visit from those who live in  or visit Hamilton.

I sat out side to just listen to the birds and read my books for quite some time than went on the trail.

By the time I got on the trail, the sun was in a different stage than the pictures the other day so there will a little difference.  As usual, I met lots of very friendly people.

Shots taken on the same trail, but around 5 p.m.  Last one is from the little bridge.

All beautiful spots, further on the trail.  There were lots of people on the trail today and the little children were having great fun running here and there.  Dogs aplenty and all friendly. I met a lovely lady with a large dog who has cancer.  We talked for quite awhile and while we were talking, a deer came down the hill.  We tried to get near to get a shot, but he was too quick for us.  This time it was only one deer alone.

I shall finish off this little blog with a picture of a beautiful pink bird and the vegetable garden that is planted at the Aviary for the birds to get their fresh foods.  Thanks for reading, hope you enjoyed your stay.

Oh, just another few shots after all, on the way back down Marion Street to get the bus back to downtown I took some shots.

A house I like - loved the blue door

Still blooming strong in spite of the date!

I have some friends living in here. 

The rooms are really large and I like it there very much plus there are balconies.

Thanks Boots for running out!

When I open the apartment door, Boots, the most adventurous cat makes his escape.  One would think that I am in the habit of beating him up!




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Tiger and Boots on the big chair

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Tiger and Boots on the big chair

  Boots is the grey and white cat.  Tiger is the more timid of the two cats.

I am very thankful that he did run out today as I forgot all about him and went on the computer until I heard a knock on the door.  It was my neighbour Lauren.  Boots used to visit Bailey the dog when Tom and Karina lived there.  Lauren has two wonderful cats so I guess he senses a kindred spirit behind the door.

In any event, I invited Lauren in for a little visit and we enjoyed a cup of coffee together and a muffin.  She mentioned that she was going to Westdale so I hitched a ride with her. 

It was such a great pleasure for me to show her the trail as she had never been there before.

Between the two of us, we got some really lovely shots.  She is far more agile than I am, so she was able to get some shots that I would not have been able to get.

At the beginning of the trail

As  you can see, I have added three beautiful shots of this lovely area.  What you may not be able to see is the carpet of fallen leaves, greens, reds, yellows and in between.  It is such a peaceful place, almost cathedral like.

Birds chirp, squirrels scurry around, and most wonderfully, we saw two deer further down the path.  We could not get close enough to them to take their pictures which is a great pity. At first we thought that they might be very large dogs, but as we got closer, we were able to see that they were deers.

 It is amazing that in such a large city as Hamilton, these nature spots are full of such life.  What a real blessing that people can get there easily, either by city bus or by car.  I continue to be so amazed at the beauty of Hamilton.


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Lauren took this gorgeous shot of the tree leaves turning

 Lauren and I had much to talk about on the trail and our tastes were very similar.  It was a wonderful time to spend in nature.

Here are some more shots for your enjoyment.

A Canadian Maple Leaf

Under the bridge before the trail gets more difficult to go on.

This is the same spot that I saw the young Chinese student taking pictures with a very fancy camera of something in the water the other time I went there.  It is a very tiny creek and quite nice indeed.

Me, enjoying nature


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This old tree was in the park.  I would have loved to perch on it!



best not to tangle with these burrs!

At the Aviary - some of the birds were outside due to the very fine weather.



Lauren sitting where once there may have been a campfire, as the logs were arranged as in an enclosure and there were some charred pieces of wood.

Further down the trail where we saw the deers.  We turned back as we both had places to go and also things to do, but perhaps another time, we may go further on.

After we parted, I still had time to go to my poetry group so I sat in the lovely park near where the Aviary is.  I don't know the name of the park but it was very quiet and peaceful as well.

These lovely old trees add so much to the green space of the park.  Each tree has a story, and it would be great fun to make up a story from the perspective of the tree!

This day has been a wonderful day to be outdoors in nature.  Our temperature is so fantastic for this time of year, and the leaves are just heavenly.  I  would love to go to The Bluegrass Festival tonight but don't want to go alone so will have to see if anybody I know is going.

A fabulous day!