This week is March Break in Ontario. It’s also nearly spring. What a great time to get outdoors with the kids and enjoy nature! Many migratory birds are on the move. We only get to see them as they pass through on migration – which is this time of year and in the late fall, when they’re on their way to warmer climes. On the waterfront, many birds will be mating and starting the search for a nesting site. Bird calls and songs are back. See if you identify them by their sound. There’s still snow on the ground right now and when it melts things will get muddy. That makes it easy to see animal tracks. Can you tell duck “footprints” from Canada Geese? Can you follow the trail of rabbits or raccoons?
It can be tempting to head to zoos where we can see animals that don’t typically live among us, like lions and elephants. But the death this week at Marineland of Kiska, labelled the loneliest Orca in the world because she lived the last 10 years of her life all alone, should remind us that there is a dark side to keeping animals in captivity.
Instead, why not go to the Toronto Wildlife Centre “Kids Go Wild” Open House on March 13 and 14, where you can see some of the sick and injured animals recovering in their care and get your wildlife questions answered. Get tickets through https://www.eventbrite.ca/e/kids-go-wild-march-break-at-toronto-wildlife-centre-tickets-576264802537
Best of all, why not explore all the beauty of nature at our doorstep this week just by getting outside!