1 September 2021 Birds and a Birthday

 

Birds and a Birthday

 

The August 31st fixture featured birds and a birthday on a meandering 59-km cycle from NDG to Pointe-Claire and Saint-Laurent.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

We made our way to Falaise St-Jacques after a relaxed start at Shaika. 'Sauvons la falaise' has fought to protect this green space that is home to many birds. A.T. Lane led us on a tour by foot of the volunteer-installed bird feeders in Bird Valley and the nesting boxes at the bottom of the falaise. There are signs of progress but more work to do.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

We cycled toward U-Haul Self-Storage and the new Angrignon cycle path route to the Lachine Canal and made our way west through Lachine and along the Lac St-Louis lakeshore. We stopped for a picnic lunch in Pointe-Claire before heading north.

After a very convenient walk under Hwy 20 and the train tracks in Exo's Cedar Park station, A.T. turned his attention to starting a batch of wine at Microvin in Pointe-Claire.

 

We returned to our cycles in search of the vanishing birds and water of the Heron Pond in the Technoparc in St-Laurent. We found promising signs of wildlife protection at the Sources Ecological Park; federal land administered by YUL. But no birds nor water.

We cycled on and came across the tragedy of the Heron Pond. No water and no birds.

We met wildlife photographers there who said the water should be a foot deep, even at this time of year. Environmentalists point the blame at the REM rapid transit line tunnelling directly under the pond. Despite freezing the soil with liquid nitrogen where the tunnel is being bored, the REM work has coincided with a complete draining of the pond.

It was getting late and we turned our cycles home. A.T. displayed his knack for route finding by cycling further north so we could go south. We had a good ride and sobering reminders to protect our natural spaces.

And we had a birthday. Happy Birthday Louis Rubenstein. Despite his 1861 birth year, our Louis doesn't look a day over 75. Happy 3/4 Century!!

Respectfully submitted, Birdie Munger