After visiting the mudflats at Rotary Park in Ajax, representing the flood plane for the mouth of Duffins Creek, I decided to drop by the mouth of the Rouge this morning (Rouge Beach Park) and check out those mudflats because mudflats are just so fascinating and because it doesn't take much to entertain me. Sure enough, there is lots of mud and all that mud is relatively flat and much of it is NOT IN USE. First of all, the gates to the parking lot are closed as of November 1st because the city's insurance doesn't extend that far. It also means hazardous weather up ahead and the lot is not maintained. It was cold this morning and it is still cold. I wore gloves despite bringing along my camera, whereby wearing gloves is not considered an adjunct of merit. My hands were cold and yet everyone else was holding a cellphone with bare hands because texting in the park seems to be all the rage, or the default behaviour. There were a few shorebirds way out on the flood plane, mostly killdeer, but there may have been a few Pectoral sandpipers as well. Ducks included Mallards, Gadwall and GW teal in the muck and puddles. Two Trumpeter swans were close to shore. A trio of RC enthusiasts were flying their drones, which seems to be the only thing that can compete with a cellphone for their attention. All in all, looking pretty desolate. I miss October already.
