Rosedale Park
<p>On December 29, 2024, Bhavna and I headed out for a late afternoon walk at Rosedale Park. The weather was crisp but not unbearably cold, hovering around 7°C to 8°C (44.6°F to 46.4°F), with a clear blue sky and good visibility—perfect conditions for birdwatching and photography. I brought my Fujifilm X-T3 paired with the XF150-600mmF5.6-8 R LM OIS WR lens, hoping to spot some wildlife.</p>
<p>This was Bhavna’s first visit to <a href="https://islandinthenet.com/rosedale-park/">Rosedale Park</a>, but I’ve been here a few times before. We arrived around 3:15 PM. As soon as we parked, I was drawn to a small dock near the lake. Bhavna lingered behind as I set up my camera and walked toward the water. The first thing that caught my eye was a Ring-billed Gull seemingly walking on the icy surface of the lake. It stepped cautiously, its webbed feet barely pressing into the thin layer of ice. The scene was tranquil yet captivating, as the gull's graceful steps contrasted with the textured water shimmering around it.</p>
<figure aria-describedby="caption-attachment-123523" class="wp-caption aligncenter" id="attachment_123523" style="width: 1200px"><img alt="A person and a golden retriever standing on a dock by a lake, fishing rod propped up nearby, with a serene marshland in the background." class="size-full wp-image-123523" decoding="async" height="800" sizes="(max-width: 1200px) 100vw, 1200px" src="https://islandinthenet.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/01/Fujifilm_X-T3_20241229__DSF1120-Enhanced-RD.jpg" srcset="https://islandinthenet.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/01/Fujifilm_X-T3_20241229__DSF1120-Enhanced-RD.jpg 1200w, https://islandinthenet.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/01/Fujifilm_X-T3_20241229__DSF1120-Enhanced-RD-960x640.jpg 960w, https://islandinthenet.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/01/Fujifilm_X-T3_20241229__DSF1120-Enhanced-RD-256x171.jpg 256w, https://islandinthenet.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/01/Fujifilm_X-T3_20241229__DSF1120-Enhanced-RD-300x200.jpg 300w, https://islandinthenet.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/01/Fujifilm_X-T3_20241229__DSF1120-Enhanced-RD-850x567.jpg 850w" width="1200"/><figcaption class="wp-caption-text" id="caption-attachment-123523">Rosedale Park · 29 December 2024 · FujiFilm X-T3 · XF150-600mmF5.6-8 R LM OIS WR</figcaption></figure>
<p>While focusing on the gull, I spotted something even more exciting: a Bald Eagle standing on the ice. I stood there for a while, wondering what it was up to—perhaps scouting for a meal or simply resting before its next flight. Eventually, the eagle spread its wings and took off, and I managed to capture a few shots of it soaring against the backdrop of bare winter trees.</p>
<figure aria-describedby="caption-attachment-123521" class="wp-caption aligncenter" id="attachment_123521" style="width: 1200px"><img alt="A solitary Ring-billed Gull (Larus delawarensis) walking on a frozen surface, surrounded by the textured, icy expanse of a serene winter landscape." class="size-full wp-image-123521" decoding="async" height="800" sizes="(max-width: 1200px) 100vw, 1200px" src="https://islandinthenet.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/01/Fujifilm_X-T3_20241229__DSF1033-Enhanced-RD.jpg" srcset="https://islandinthenet.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/01/Fujifilm_X-T3_20241229__DSF1033-Enhanced-RD.jpg 1200w, https://islandinthenet.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/01/Fujifilm_X-T3_20241229__DSF1033-Enhanced-RD-960x640.jpg 960w, https://islandinthenet.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/01/Fujifilm_X-T3_20241229__DSF1033-Enhanced-RD-256x171.jpg 256w, https://islandinthenet.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/01/Fujifilm_X-T3_20241229__DSF1033-Enhanced-RD-300x200.jpg 300w, https://islandinthenet.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/01/Fujifilm_X-T3_20241229__DSF1033-Enhanced-RD-850x567.jpg 850w" width="1200"/><figcaption class="wp-caption-text" id="caption-attachment-123521">Ring-billed Gull (Larus delawarensis) · 29 December 2024 · FujiFilm X-T3 · XF150-600mmF5.6-8 R LM OIS WR</figcaption></figure>
<p>I panned my camera around and noticed some distant ducks that I initially thought were Ruddy Ducks. However, even at the 600mm end of my lens, which provides a full-frame equivalent focal length of 900mm when used with the APS-C sensor on the X-T3, they were still too far away to photograph with any meaningful detail. This limitation of range left me disappointed as I had hoped for clearer shots of the Ruddy Ducks. Accepting the limitations of my gear, particularly the lack of sufficient range to capture the distant Ruddy Ducks with the clarity I wanted, I decided to join Bhavna, and we set off along the Lawrence-Hopewell Trail. The trail winds around the northern edge of Rosedale Park Lake, offering views of the water and surrounding reeds. Here’s a link to the path we took on AllTrails: <a href="https://www.alltrails.com/explore/recording/evening-hike-3a37abd-244?u=m\&sh=i6seyu">Evening Hike Recording</a>.</p>
<p>We walked almost all the way to Blackwell Road before Bhavna’s feet began to ache. She’s not a fan of long walks, so we turned back. On the way, we took an unmarked trail that meandered around the reedy edge of the lake. I hoped to see more birds or wildlife, but the area seemed unusually quiet. With no luck, we returned to the car.</p>
<figure aria-describedby="caption-attachment-123525" class="wp-caption aligncenter" id="attachment_123525" style="width: 1200px"><img alt="A Great Blue Heron in mid-flight over a wetland, with tall grasses and saplings wrapped in white protective tubes in the background." class="size-full wp-image-123525" decoding="async" height="800" loading="lazy" sizes="auto, (max-width: 1200px) 100vw, 1200px" src="https://islandinthenet.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/01/Fujifilm_X-T3_20241229__DSF1127-Enhanced-RD-2.jpg" srcset="https://islandinthenet.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/01/Fujifilm_X-T3_20241229__DSF1127-Enhanced-RD-2.jpg 1200w, https://islandinthenet.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/01/Fujifilm_X-T3_20241229__DSF1127-Enhanced-RD-2-960x640.jpg 960w, https://islandinthenet.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/01/Fujifilm_X-T3_20241229__DSF1127-Enhanced-RD-2-256x171.jpg 256w, https://islandinthenet.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/01/Fujifilm_X-T3_20241229__DSF1127-Enhanced-RD-2-300x200.jpg 300w, https://islandinthenet.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/01/Fujifilm_X-T3_20241229__DSF1127-Enhanced-RD-2-850x567.jpg 850w" width="1200"/><figcaption class="wp-caption-text" id="caption-attachment-123525">Great Blue Heron (Ardea herodias) · 29 December 2024 · FujiFilm X-T3 · XF150-600mmF5.6-8 R LM OIS WR</figcaption></figure>
<p>Before we left, I asked Bhavna for a few more minutes. She returned to the car to rest her feet after our walk. I, however, wasn’t quite ready to call it a day and wanted to check if the Ruddy Ducks had moved closer to the dock. The thought of capturing them in better detail kept me motivated. To my disappointment, they hadn’t. But just as I was about to call it a day, a Great Blue Heron flew out from the reeds. Its blue-gray plumage stood out against the golden backdrop of dry cattails. I quickly aimed my camera and captured the heron mid-flight.</p>
<figure aria-describedby="caption-attachment-123524" class="wp-caption aligncenter" id="attachment_123524" style="width: 1200px"><img alt="A person wearing waders and gloves fishing along a reed-lined riverbank, surrounded by saplings with protective tree guards." class="size-full wp-image-123524" decoding="async" height="800" loading="lazy" sizes="auto, (max-width: 1200px) 100vw, 1200px" src="https://islandinthenet.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/01/Fujifilm_X-T3_20241229__DSF1125-Enhanced-RD.jpg" srcset="https://islandinthenet.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/01/Fujifilm_X-T3_20241229__DSF1125-Enhanced-RD.jpg 1200w, https://islandinthenet.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/01/Fujifilm_X-T3_20241229__DSF1125-Enhanced-RD-960x640.jpg 960w, https://islandinthenet.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/01/Fujifilm_X-T3_20241229__DSF1125-Enhanced-RD-256x171.jpg 256w, https://islandinthenet.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/01/Fujifilm_X-T3_20241229__DSF1125-Enhanced-RD-300x200.jpg 300w, https://islandinthenet.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/01/Fujifilm_X-T3_20241229__DSF1125-Enhanced-RD-850x567.jpg 850w" width="1200"/><figcaption class="wp-caption-text" id="caption-attachment-123524">Rosedale Park · 29 December 2024 · FujiFilm X-T3 · XF150-600mmF5.6-8 R LM OIS WR</figcaption></figure>
<p>As I scanned the lake one last time, I noticed an angler across the water, distinguishable by his bright green gloves. I wondered what he might be fishing and how he felt at competing with the Bald Eagle and Ring-billed Gulls for a meal. He stood among a forested area dotted with tree guards—a sign of environmental restoration efforts.</p>
<p>Before heading back to the car, near the reeds just a few metres away from the angler, I saw a pair of Canada Geese gliding gracefully on the water, their reflections shimmering in the late afternoon light. <em>It was getting dark. Clouds have</em> moved in reducing what little light there was. The tall reeds behind them created a natural frame.</p>
<figure aria-describedby="caption-attachment-123526" class="wp-caption aligncenter" id="attachment_123526" style="width: 1200px"><img alt="Two Canada Geese swimming in a pond with a backdrop of tall, dry reeds." class="size-full wp-image-123526" decoding="async" height="800" loading="lazy" sizes="auto, (max-width: 1200px) 100vw, 1200px" src="https://islandinthenet.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/01/Fujifilm_X-T3_20241229__DSF1146-Enhanced-RD-SR.jpg" srcset="https://islandinthenet.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/01/Fujifilm_X-T3_20241229__DSF1146-Enhanced-RD-SR.jpg 1200w, https://islandinthenet.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/01/Fujifilm_X-T3_20241229__DSF1146-Enhanced-RD-SR-960x640.jpg 960w, https://islandinthenet.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/01/Fujifilm_X-T3_20241229__DSF1146-Enhanced-RD-SR-256x171.jpg 256w, https://islandinthenet.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/01/Fujifilm_X-T3_20241229__DSF1146-Enhanced-RD-SR-300x200.jpg 300w, https://islandinthenet.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/01/Fujifilm_X-T3_20241229__DSF1146-Enhanced-RD-SR-850x567.jpg 850w" width="1200"/><figcaption class="wp-caption-text" id="caption-attachment-123526">Canada Goose (Branta canadensis) · 29 December 2024 · FujiFilm X-T3 · XF150-600mmF5.6-8 R LM OIS WR</figcaption></figure>
<p>Bhavna waited patiently in the car while I wrapped up. She’s used to my habit of lingering for just one more shot. As we drove home, I reflected on the day. Despite the occasional disappointment—like the distant ducks, the limitations of my gear's range, and the fact that most of the photos weren’t as clear as I’d hoped—it had been a fulfilling outing.</p>
<p>For those interested, here’s my <a href="https://ebird.org/checklist/S207097909">eBird checklist</a> from the day.</p>
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