The Rouge is a general term for a large piece of real estate and therefore there is notjust one location for birding but I can perhaps suggest a view spots to investigate.The mouth of the Rouge is where the river drains into the lake, also called Rouge BeachPark. Follow Lawrence Avenue East as far as it goes to the Rouge Go Stn. and then justkeep going until the road end. There is a short boardwalk overlooking the flood plainand a bridge to the side of the river where it narrows to drain into the lake.Another spot is the Beare Hill wetland. It's a man-made set of ponds at the westernfoot of the Beare Landfill (now a grassy hill). Access is from Meadowvale Rd. northof Sheppard Avenue taking the east side off-ramp that leads to the Zoo's overflowparking. Another spot is Amos ponds skirting Old Finch Avenue west of Altona Rd.There is also a swampy area across the Scarborough/Pickering town line that runsnorth from Old Finch at the west end of Amos Pond. Another spot north of Finchand west of Meadowvale Rd. is Reesor pond South located on the east side of ReesorRd. a few hundred meters north of Finch. These are the sites I visit most often whichis not really that often because of other obligations. When I get up in the morning Inever really know ahead of time if there will be a chance to bird. My life is executedin extemporaneous fashion ... no firm plans. Birding is something I do alone, withoutactually being alone. No matter where I go there is already someone there, or at leastsoon will be. I don't bird in committee ... it doesn't work. If group birding were the onlyoption I wouldn't be birding. It's my camera, my mind and mother nature. My camera stillworks, mother nature is unpredictable and my mind is a wild card. Some times good stuffhappens and sometimes other sibilants happen. At the end of May the shorebirds pass throughand Ashbridges is not flooded so Colonel Sam smith might offer some sightings. I may makeit out there, or not. The trip is brutal (a bus, LRT, subway and another bus ... repeat on theway back). I'm too old for that marathon travel, especially when there is no assurance of actually seeing anything. Sometimes it all happens in just one day ... but which day? Who knows?I've been wanting to see the cherry blossoms at High Pk for years now. The last time I saw themwas either 2011, or 2012. It just never happens ... no time and too far. I make it up as I go along.
