- HikeType Rainbow Hike
- HikeIcon https://hikes.brucetrail.org/wp-content/uploads/formidable/7/image.png
- PaceTypes Leisurely - 3km/hr or less
- TerrainTypes ,Easy - Mostly flat and usually good footing,Moderate - Some hills and/or some poor footing
- PaidOuting No
Hosting Club: Iroquoia
Category: Rainbow Hike
Location (Google Maps): Meet at the start of the Spencer Creek Trail (Dundas St/Cootes Dr (HWY 8))
Hike Leader(s): Shayne Ward Click here to contact Hike Leader(s)
Pace: Leisurely - 3km/hr or less
Terrain: Easy - Mostly flat and usually good footing, Moderate - Some hills and/or some poor footing
Distance: 5KM
Description
Join us on World Migratory Bird Day for a pre-AGM Rainbow Hike! 🦅 🦉 🦆
This gentle early-morning outing will explore the trails around Spencer Creek and Cootes Paradise, one of the region's most important bird migration areas. We will start at the trailhead parking lot on the southeast corner of Dundas Street and Cootes Drive (HWY 8) and hike along the creek, under the HWY 8 (under the bridge does involve some moderate stepping and slight 'duck'ing for us tall folks).
Plan to arrive for 745AM and we'll have a small crash course on downloading and using two popular birding apps, Merlin Bird ID and eBird recording our sightings as part of World Migratory Bird Day! We'll depart by 8-810AM. Hoping to catch some Blue Herons, Black-crowned Night Herons, and if we're lucky, a sighting of the RBG resident Bald Eagles!
🌈 This is a queer-led, 2SLGBTQIA+ inclusive Rainbow Hike, welcoming LGBTQ+ hikers, allies, birders, photographers, and anyone interested in connecting with nature and community before the AGM. This is a short, relaxed hike (approx. 5 km) designed to get everyone back in time for the AGM Meet-and-Greet at 10:30 AM at the Westdale Theatre.
What to Bring
• Water and light snacks
• Weather-appropriate clothing and sturdy footwear
• Binoculars or camera if you have them (optional but fun! And a cell phone counts!)
After the hike, we encourage participants to join fellow members at the Iroquoia Bruce Trail Club AGM just a short walk away at the Westdale Theatre. Not a Bruce Trail member yet?! Sign up here!
https://brucetrail.org/become-a-member/
Come enjoy a spring morning on the trail, celebrate migratory birds, and connect with your Bruce Trail community!
🐾 Please leave pets at home for this hike! It’s peak migration season and we’ll be passing through an important bird migration and nesting area, so we want to keep disturbance to our feathered friends to a minimum! 🐦
🚗 🚌 This outing is accessible by car or public transit.
Planning to drive?
Parking is free but limited at the trailhead. We also ask for some assistance with shuttling folks back to the Westdale Theatre afterward for the Iroquoia Bruce Trail AGM.
Taking the Bus?
HSR #5 (Delaware) stops near the trailhead entrance! Map of the bus and it's schedule can be found here.
https://www.hamilton.ca/sites/default/files/2024-04/5-Delaware-apr24.pdf
Free Bruce Trail Rainbow badges and stickers for all participants!
Questions? Simply click "Contact Hike Leader" on the registration form.