Enjoying summer weekends in parks around the Greater #Toronto Area is a pleasant way to get close to nature and get some exercise. The lure of raptors from the Birds of Prey centre brought me to
Mountsberg Conservation Area in Halton Region.
You can actually go into the flight enclosure where handlers work with the birds to inform and bring a personal connection to the beautiful creatures that you see up close in the centre with their cousins in the wild. In the enclosure the birds fly right over the crowd and in one case they even touched my head as they passed by. Mountsberg is home to three species at risk in Ontario - the Bald Eagle, the Barn Owl and the Peregrine Falcon.
"Tucked within Mountsberg Conservation Area, the Mountsberg Raptor Centre is currently home to 15 different species of native birds of prey. Many of the Raptor Centre's resident birds of prey have permanent injuries that have left them incapable of surviving on their own in the wild. In many cases, these injuries were caused by human activity. With the help of these feathered ambassadors, the Mountsberg Raptor Centre teaches the community about the native birds of prey that share our environment and how to reduce the negative impact we can have on them."
The conservation area is also very popular in winter with 'Christmas Town' and in the spring with the 'Mountsberg Sugar Bush' and maple syrup festival. You can see the draft horses that pull the wagons at these events munching on the grass during the summer months. These horses are very friendly and they come up to the holes in the fences so you can pet them.
The 472 hectare site includes a reservoir and dam that regulates water flow and protects against floods. Right now the lack of water has depleted the water in the reservoir and the wetlands have shrunk considerably. An Osprey nest rests high on a pole out in the reservoir - you can see one of the adults perched above the nest.
A small herd of bison join goats and bunny rabbits that can be found in the park. In the barn, which you can explore and play in, some baby chicks gobble up food under a heat lamp and wild barn swallows nest in the rafters of the barn, continuously flying in and out of the barn with food for their babies.
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