FERAL!!!

Somehow the title of this post doesn't come off as scary as I thought it would, nevertheless there really are feral animals all over Toronto. That is, formerly domesticated animals which have become wild once again.

The feral kitty above is part of a large colony of feral cats in Scarborough Bluffs Park. Like this intent hunter, they often seem to believe they've got a shot at catching one of the nearby Canada Geese. I've never seen them succeed, but they're alive so they much catch something.

At various times and places around the city I've also seen wild budgies and parakeets (which probably will not last long), rabbits that are so friendly they are almost certainly released animals, and such rare critters as a Eurasian Widgeon. These sometimes stray into North America from wild populations in Europe, however I would guess it's more likely that such a bird escaped from a private collection or sanctuary.

And more than once I've seen the Muscovy Duck below. These ducks are a fully-domesticated breed so this guy must have escaped from a farm where, obviously, he received several years of classical dance training and maybe one of tap.

Click to enlarge.

Emergency Ditch

Yes, I'm behind a little. Here's a Common Goldeneye found off the Leslie Street Spit in April, almost certainly on his way farther north.

I have lots of images of these guys and when they land they always look like they're crashing. It must be the big eye. A lesson for all you budding animators out there.

Let me also emphasize (as I have before), if you're using a tripod the chances of getting a flight shot will be greatly reduced. You just can't react quickly enough. If you have a 500mm or 600mm lens then of course you need a tripod. But if not, try to leave that sucker at home.