Chutes park has a high concentration of a variety birds all in one small area. This is plainly evident when you are lying in your sleeping bag and listening to them in the morning. I tried to identify each bird by it's sound. I have come to the conclusion that I don't know my bird calls all that well. Nonetheless, this little Chipping Sparrow was singing a sweet song, loudly and proudly.
I emerged from my tent and found this tiny little honey bee visitor sitting on my roof.
One of the first things most people have to do when they get up in the morning is to go to the bathroom. I was dismayed to find that every one of the bathrooms were being cleaned at exactly the same time that morning. I tried 3 including the comfort station (they are all within walking distance of each other) and each time I arrived I was greeted with a "Could you come back in a little bit?" . I am sure if it were an emergency they would have let me in but I figured that I could hold it so I waited. At least they were doing a good job in cleaning the washrooms inside and out.
Since I had to wait for the bathrooms to be free I decided to take that moment to fill in the feedback survey that you get when you register at the gate. I mentioned in the feedback that they might consider staggering the bathroom cleaning times so that they aren't all being cleaned at once.
I finally was able to get to a bathroom. I noticed a little Mud Dauber Wasp on my way back to the site. I was stung by one of these when I was a kid so I know how painful they can be. I definitely did not want to disturb it, so I stayed clear of it.
Since I was going home today I wanted to explore the beach area before I had to pack up. The covered picnic area down by the beach is fairly large.
And then right beside it was a single small picnic table with it's own tiny roof over it. I am not clear on the purpose of this one. Perhaps it is the kids table? Perhaps it is for someone with a dog?
On the way to the beach I passed by the pet exercise area. They have a wonderful set up here. There is a nice, large shady, fenced in area with a picnic table or two. There is plenty of space for dogs to run around in.
And there is even a bench if you want to just sit an watch your dog run around.
The dog beach is not within the confines of the fence. You have to leave the fenced area and walk to the back section of the human's beach area. There are no dogs allowed on the side where people swim, but the dog swim area is far enough away from the people side.
The dog swim area is shallow enough for the dogs to safely play in. Since the body of water is a moving river, it is wise not to let your dog go too far out.
Between the dog beach and the people beach I spotted a White Admiral Butterfly on the ground. The under part of it's wings are a rusty brown colour.
But when it opens it's wings the top is black and white.
The White Admiral butterfly was enjoying all the White Meadowsweet flowers that dotted the shoreline.
The beach is a decent size but the shore is mainly pebbles instead of sand.
You can see the falls from the beach.
Swimmers can enjoy the water at the sandy beach located below the falls. There are no lifeguards, and water safety is your responsibility. They do have a Life Jacket Lending Program available to visitors.
There are also no buoy lines at this beach so you have to be careful not to go out too far or you could get pulled in by the moving water. There is plenty of space to swim safely before you have to worry about that.
They do provide a life ring and rescue equipment located on the beach.
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I noticed a large number of what looked like nests in the trees. They seemed to be made of mainly pine needles and twigs. It almost looked like a bunch of debris had gotten caught in the branches during a wind storm or something. There were no birds in them. I imagine they are left over from a spring breeding session. I wonder what kind of bird they belong to.
Perhaps they belonged to the Yellow Rumped Warbler that I spotted near by. It had something in it's beak. It was probably having a shadfly for breakfast.
A River Jewelwing Damselfly was hanging out on a leaf and enjoying the morning sun.
I could hear the Blue Jays taunting me from the trees. They seem to know always know that I am trying to get a picture of them and they always make it difficult to do so.
But the little Red Squirrel didn't seem to mind being on camera.
After exploring the beach I had to go back to my site to take down the tent. It was almost time to go home.
I made a last stop at the park office to see if they had any souvenirs that I might like. I was thrilled to find out that they were selling Ontario Park Passports. I picked this one up for $10.98 (I have later found out that they sell as much as $16.98 in other parks!)
I made a last stop at the park office to see if they had any souvenirs that I might like. I was thrilled to find out that they were selling Ontario Park Passports. I picked this one up for $10.98 (I have later found out that they sell as much as $16.98 in other parks!)
Inside the passport book there is a place to put a sticker (which you can buy at the park stores for $1.25 each) for each of the parks that you visit. This is so much easier than trying to buy a T-shirt from each of the parks. Not only can you buy the sticker, but if you want, you can buy a matching crest (which I did) for about $3.98. I read that eventually they will be selling the stickers online, which I am happy for because going back to get the stickers for each of the almost 30 parks I have been to already could be a little problematic.
After packing up I went to say my good byes to Jayson and Cindy and the family. I had a fabulous time at Chutes Park and I will not hesitate to come back to camp here again. I adore this park and the next time I go to Canuckapalooza, I will be sure to come back.
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