The Flâneur Takes His Camera For A Stroll

I had some time on my hands yesterday (see definition of 'flâneur') so I decided to take my camera on a walkabout. Before I even left my condo I snapped the first picture you see. A worker was on the roof of 15 Maitland Place, the condo building where we rented a place for the past two years, and with the Scotiabank Tower in the background it made for a dramatic scene. 

I then left the relative safety and comfort of my condo and went out onto the street. I had set my goal for the day to get a photograph of a red-tailed hawk. I had seen them earlier patrolling Allan Gardens, looking for a Happy Meal (pigeon McNuggets).

I walked down Homewood Avenue, my condo's home street, in a southerly direction. I first crossed Wellesley Street, making my way to Carlton Street where  I jay-walked. Now I was in Allan Gardens, a multi acre city 'oasis'. Here's what Wikipedia says about the park: 

The trees in the park represent the northern tip of the Carolinian forest with species such as black cherry, American beech, red oak, sugar maple and sassafras. Most are over one hundred years old and a 2008 inventory showed 309 trees in the park.The park is home to three varieties of squirrel, the gray, the black, and, unique to this park, the red tailed black squirrel. The park is also home to the city's largest flock of pigeons, a roving peregrine falcon and a statue of Robert Burns.

It's also home to a dog playground

and I took the opportunity to photograph the giant green dog sculpture, slightly obscured by the giant blue dog sculpture. I kept my eyes to the sky but didn't spot a single red-tailed hawk while I was there. I decided to amble in the direction of downtown Toronto.

I wandered across Gerrard Street, past two panhandlers outside of the Harvey's restaurant. One was 'working' the cars at the intersection, looking for spare change. The other guy was working the sidewalk. I wasn't asked for change as I walked briskly past with my $2400 camera on my shoulder. Everyone knows professional photographers are poor and amateur photographers are rich. I must have fooled him!

I made my way to the Yonge Street sidewalk and took the image you see. The sidewalk was busy, for sure, but the compression effect of my 300mm lens exaggerated the effect rather effectively, I'd say. The scene was basically people dressed in black walking past sex shops. Same old, same old. Oh, how I tire of this town.

After circling around Aura, the new 78 storey condo tower, I decided to head home as my hands were getting chilled in the +3 degree weather. Holding a cold metal camera/lens exacerbates the sense of cold. I could have popped into a strip club to 'warm my digits' but that's not my style. My style, as you now know, is to stroll around, observe, philosophize, and write.

I watched for red-tailed hawks as I walked along the fringe of Allan Gardens but, again, nothing.

Don't you mean 'ruthin', Ian? You have to work more Moothaisms into your blog!

Indeed I do. "There was no ruthin." Just as I was approaching my building I saw something of interest overhead. I assumed it was a red-tailed hawk with lunch. Even better.....it was a peregrine falcon with lunch!  Squab!! In its talons was a pigeon that I assumed it nabbed in the Sherbourne/Wellesely neighbourhood, just to the east of my condo. The falcon was flying a very direct and purposeful path, headed west-southwest towards Bay Street. I watched it until it went out of sight. Of course I felt badly for the pigeon, but I suspect 'death-by-peregrine' was swift.

Seeing the peregrine falcon and the pigeon was the highlight of my day. I did go to the opera in the evening, making a Herculean ninety minute effort to stay engaged during the first act. There was some world class warbling, no question, but sadly I identified more with the pigeon than the songbirds.