Lovebirds in a concrete canyon

Keeping warm
Toronto, ON
January 2026
This photo originally shared on Instagram

It’s a cold, damp, grey afternoon, and something peculiar seems to be playing out on the shadowy edge of a dusty downtown sidewalk.

Either these two birds are engaged in the avian equivalent of a standoff, or they’re so deeply in love that all they can see is each other.

I want to imagine it’s the latter, because we all frankly need an excuse to be inspired. And as countless commuters shuffle past, their eyes so buried in screens they barely acknowledge what’s going on at ground level, they stand their ground, as if nothing else seems to matter.

Eventually I, too, have to rejoin the shuffling masses, and as I turn to go they remain motionless, locked in that endless stare I won’t soon forget.

I wish them safety and comfort. I wish the rest of us the ability to learn from their quiet example.

#toronto #canada #wildlifephotography #streetphotography #canonphotography