A Bird Sanctuary as Well as a Healthy Getaway for City Dwellers
 |
| Tommy Thompson Park offers a healthy alternative for wildlife and urbanites alike |
Have you ever walked just outside a city's perimeter where the air is so fresh that you feel dizzy? At Leslie Spit/ Tommy Thompson Park on the waters of Lake Ontario, it is possible to completely escape the air pollution of 3-million strong Toronto just a short distance away. You are literally on the water looking into the city from across a lake. The fresh breeze that blows across the lake feels fresh and
pollution-free.
Tommy Thompson Park is a former dump site that grew into a wildlife bird sanctuary on an isthmus in Toronto. It is entirely human-made.
As described in its
history, "the natural processes that evolved during the long construction and planning of the site had shaped [the park] into a truly "accidental wilderness". A map from toronto-wildlife.com shows where the park is situated in relation to the City of Toronto.
 |
| A map from toronto-wildlife.com shows where Leslie Spit/ Tommy Thompson Park is situated |
Leave It For The Birds
 |
| Eventually it was decided to leave the park for the birds. Visits to the wildlife sanctuary are allowed during restricted hours. |
If you walk the 2+ hours to the end of the Spit, you end up in what feels like the middle of Lake Ontario. Now a popular destination for bird watchers, cyclists and conservationists, the only sounds you can hear as you walk are the chirps and songs of numerous species of birds rarely seen elsewhere.
