I don’t camp as much as I once did, but it was nice to head north for a few days of peace and quiet. The chosen destination: Halfway Lake Provincial Park located about an hour north of Sudbury Ontario.
Shortly after arrival at the park, a few of the locals could be heard making noise. These locals turned out to be a group of juvenile Merlins. A Merlin is a small member of the falcon family. They were seen flying around and chasing each other, and appeared to be having a lot of fun doing this. When I realized the source of all the noise, I had to laugh. Everywhere I go there seem to be birds of prey.
Over the days to come, the Merlins would be seen at many spots around the small lake, and in particular in a specific tree near our camp site.
In addition to bird-watching, the park was explored, in between meals of homemade wine-basted meatballs, a menu item that lasted the whole trip.
One goal of the getaway was to disconnect from work and the web. That goal was achieved. Other goals included exploring, observing, and taking a few photos along the way.
I also managed to fly-fish. In a small boulder-bottomed river, I caught a nice Bass on one of my hand-tied sinking minnow imitations.
One of the amazing things I notice when up this far north is the unique and diverse varieties of plants you can find. In even a single square foot of forest floor, there are many types of organisms to be seen.
It took a few days to wind down from the stresses of city life, but in surroundings like this you?re bound to unwind at least a little.
Leave a Reply