Nesting In The North Beach

The noisy people had packed up and left before we got up in the morning. That was a small blessing. 
Now it was time for us to pack up and go too. We took our time and enjoyed the sunny morning. 

Everything was going well until we took down the tent. Inside each and every pole and nook and cranny we found a multitude of earwigs. So many earwigs. They were inside the poles and inside the seams that hold the poles. I had to painstakingly shake out and check everything. I did not want to bring even one of these little critters back home with me. Nor did I want them squished in my tent.  It was a time consuming job but by the time we had finished packing up, I was confident that we had no hitch hikers of the insect kind. 

Carsten and Penny wanted to get home but I had some time to kill before I had to go back to Toronto to pick up my kid from the airport. So, I decided to drive the 40 minute drive from Sandbanks Provincial Park to North Beach Provincial Park, which was mostly the direction I had to go in to get back anyways.  We said our good byes and parted ways and I headed off to see what North Beach was like. 

I arrived at North Beach Park at about 12:15 pm. I was surprised to find a gatehouse at the entrance to the park. All the other Day Use parks I had been to had never had a gatehouse. 

As I pulled up I noticed a sign saying "Advanced Registration Required". I wondered if I was going to be able to get in. The rules have always been that if you camp at another provincial park and still have a valid permit you could use it to get into the day facilities of any other park. But it was the "advanced" part of it that I was unsure of.  Well the only way to find out was to drive up. 

I presented my permit to one of the two people in the gatehouse. She was unsure about it so she turned to her co-worker who took a look at it and paused for a moment. Then he said "yes, it's valid." and I was cleared to enter. 

The next sign I encountered was one that warned of an undertow. Today it was considered to be a moderate threat. I was reminded of the conversation we had with the cashier at the Sandbanks Park Store who told us how one side of North Beach had dangerous under tows but the other side was calm and a safer place to swim.  I think that is part of what makes this park such an interesting place to visit. 

The park is long and narrow and the main road is paved and runs right down the middle of it. 

Almost immediately I could see the waves from Lake Ontario lapping up against the shore of a beautiful sandy beach. I hadn't even gotten out of the car yet and already I liked this park. 

It was easy to find the parking lots. The sign said that there was a park store and a pet area as well. 

​There was plenty of parking and on a very hot day like today, I was happy to see that there were still plenty of empty spaces. I parked the car and got out to walk around. 

On the ground near the parking lot I found an empty bird nest. 

I decided to start on the Lake Ontario side of the park which is on the left side. The waves were rolling in and the sea gulls were dotting the shore.  

It was not over crowded, nor even slightly crowded for that matter.  Such a beautiful beach. Truly a hidden gem.

I walked back towards the car but did not get in it. Instead, I crossed over tot he other side of the parking lot where a sand dune path led to the other beach on the right hand side of the park. 

A little house wren was perched in a tree watching me as I walked by. 

I came to a fenced off area that caught my curiosity. The sign on the fence said "Protected Nesting Area. Please Do Not Disturb". There was an opening at one end and the area inside seemed to be empty. 

Well, almost empty. There was one single egg in the middle. It looked like a Killdeer egg. No mamma appeared to be around anywhere. With no mamma to regulate the heat of this egg on this hot day, I assumed it was not a viable egg. But I was only guessing. 

Off to the right I spotted one of the bathrooms or change rooms. 

It was a typical non-flushing vault toilet that you see in most Ontario provincial parks.  It was in good repair but there was toilet paper all over the floor. 

There was a small sink with a soap dispenser and a paper towel dispenser.  A sign above the sink let you know that you can't drink the water from this faucet. 

Next I went to check out the beach on the North Bay side of the park. Just as the cashier at Sandbanks Provincial Park had said, the water was much calmer on this side of the park.  There were no waves but there were a few more people on this side.  Parents seemed to be more comfortable with letting their children swim on this side. 

Despite there being no waves and no dangerous undertow on this side, it does not mean that it doesn't come without it's own dangers. You still have to be cautious on this side. There is a sudden drop off here, much like the ones in Sandbanks Park. 

They do have markers out in the water showing where the drop off is though. 

There was a sign that indicated no fires, no alcohol, no pets and no BBQs allowed. 

It is a nice enough beach on this side but it had a bit more vegetation along the shoreline. It was not as purely sandy as the other side. 

But some of that vegetation had a beauty of its own. There were little yellow Silverweed flowers growing from the tendrils of its vines along the shore. 

Next I went to check out the designated pet area which was on this same beach, only a little further down towards the far end of the beach.  It had a nice sandy area, but the water was a little bit more marshy down here. Not the worst but definitely not as nice as where the humans get to swim. 

There were picnic tables in the pet designated area where you can sit and watch your pet. There is not a whole lot of shade though. So your pet would have a bit of trouble in the heat in that regard unless you brought a shade tent like some people have done. 

Across the bay, I could see a couple of swans swimming and fishing for their meal. 

After awhile I walked back to the parking lot and got into my car and drove further down the main road of the park to the other end. I found a new parking lot and parked closer to the park store. 

The park store is a little cantina with a patio. Not sure what the patio is for. Perhaps they have tables there at some point in the season? 

It could be that there is nothing there right now because I happened to come at a time when the store was closed. 

Disappointed that the store was closed, I instead explored the beach area near the store. They provided a beach access surface for wheelchairs and baby carriages. 

I followed the blue mat to the shoreline and to the picnic area. 

Ontario Ministry of Natural Resources Undertow Hazards flag system indicates a red flag warning is posted when waves are higher than two feet, (undertow) is strong, dragging and pulling off shore even for strong swimmers and swimming is not advised. Todays flags were flying yellow which indicates a moderate danger.  It is a good idea to not swim alone and to swim with a life jacket on here even if you are a good swimmer because the water conditions could change suddenly and without warning. 

I walked up the road to as far as it can take me. At the very end, if you keep going straight it will bring you onto private property. However, the park road curves to the right and changes from pavement to a dirt road that will bring you to the North Bay (the calmer beach). 

Up above me, in the tree branches, sat a Mourning Dove watching all the goings on down below. 

I came to an informational sign that talked about the ecosystem of the beach. 

The part I found interesting on this sign was the information about the Larval Antlion pits.  I had seen a whole bunch of these pits at Sandbanks Provincial Park but didn't know what they were until now. 

The larva stage of the Antlion is a little bug with pincers, while the adult is a fly that reminds me of a cross between a Crane fly and a Dragonfly. I searched and searched for the Antlion pits here in North Beach but I did not find any.  (Note: These pictures of the Antlion are not mine and were not taken in this park). 

Eventually I gave up looking because something else had caught my eye.  In an area off to the side and away from beach goers a Killdeer was making a bit of a ruckus. He was flailing around and making noises. 

I paused to pay more attention to him and to see if there was something wrong.  This was all part of his plan and I fell for it. 

You see, he was trying to get my attention on him in hopes that my attention would be diverted from the female who was a little further away. 

And this was important because along with the female were all of her little chicks. They were very well camouflaged in the sand and the gravel. . There were about 3 or 4 of them. It helped that they were not even as tall as the grass yet. To be honest, if the male had not drawn my attention to him, I might not have noticed these little guys at all. So his good intentions kind of backfired a little. But lucky for them I was not a predator. 

​  I wondered if the lone egg in the nest at the other end of the beach was one of hers that didn't make it.  

These little babies were just the cutest. They mimicked momma and were little mini versions of her.  Baby killdeer always come out running. They hatch with their eyes open, and as soon as their downy feathers dry, they start scurrying about, following their parents and searching the ground for something to eat.

These fluffy little chicks were doing just that. They ran around chasing bugs and momma and each other through their little sandy, grassy, jungle. I watched them for a few minutes before it was time for me to leave. I had a kid of my own that I had to go and pick up at the airport. 

Getting to see these little Killdeer chicks was the icing on the cake on this trip to North Beach Park.  Such a beautiful place and I highly recommend a visit if you are in the area.