Humber Bay Park

A little slice of urban nature

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One of my favourite places to walk in Toronto is Humber Bay Park, located at the western edge of the city on the lakeshore. The park was created from landfill many years ago and over time it has naturalized into a habitat for wildlife and plants. For the past few years, some of the park has been closed to the public for construction to improve the wetland system, shoreline, beach areas and pathways. Recently, sections of the park have been reopened although more work is still to be completed and isn’t expected to be finished until early 2028.

On my most recent visit, a couple of days ago, it was just after a thunderstorm had passed through. The pathways were wet and the clouds were grey but the park didn’t disappoint and it wasn’t too long before the sun finally broke through and the clouds moved on. Despite its proximity to civilization, it’s a very peaceful place to be. There is a slight drone from the traffic on the nearby Gardiner Expressway and the occasional roar of a Seadoo or speedboat but, other than that, the only noise comes from the songs of the many birds that live here (that will likely change when the construction ramps up again).

As you enter the park, on the righthand side are some manmade ponds that were built for water management. Beavers have set up home here and floating platforms have been added for water fowl to make their nests.

The water management ponds

A Trumpeter swan and goslings taking a rest on the beaver lodge

A juvenile female Red-winged Blackbird looking for a handout

A Great Blue Heron

A Great Egret

Red-necked Grebes fixing up their nest. They have already reared one chick this season so they appear to be getting ready for some more eggs

An American Toad

The bridge from the ponds to the main part of the park.

Signs that construction hasn’t finished yet

The backdrop of condos. Where they now stand used to be a strip of cheap motels

An acknowledgement that reconciliation with our First Nations people is an ongoing process

One of newly transformed beach areas

The clouds still hanging around after the storm

Shouldn’t it be the other way around?

One of the interior pathways as the sun was starting to break through

I’m not sure what this is. Washroom facilities for the sailboat crowd maybe?

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