Summer distractions

Last week was busy but lovely with many distractions. We walked the boardwalk, the Confederation Trail and enjoyed two provincial parks. Daisy was with us at Belmont Park and enjoyed playing in the water at high tide.

Most days were sunny with the wind blowing which made it perfect for picnics last week. The mosquitoes can’t compete with the wind which is always a bonus. 

Even when we don’t leave home for a picnic, we eat on our patio at every opportunity. We will have to move indoors soon enough when the temperature drops, the wind howls and the snow falls. Such is life in eastern Canada. For now though, meals are outside, under an umbrella or in a park under a tree. It is a beautiful time of year!

It was a great week in nature. Nearby a piece of land is for sale and the lot is covered in Queen Anne’s Lace. Walking past, with the breeze blowing the blooms, one is mesmerized by the white sea.

Along the boardwalk, in the salt marsh, Great Blue Herons drop by occasionally. This one looked to be laughing.

In Malpeque Bay later last week, this Great Blue had its mouth open too. Seeing two of these birds with open mouths was unusual, the second one looking as if it is in conversation.

Near the boardwalk is an Osprey nest which a pair of birds call home every summer. Early next month the birds will head south again, but for now they are raising their young which we expect to see any day. Meanwhile, the birds take turns watching the young ones and the mother had her eyes on something nearby as I took her photo from across the street. 

Twice last week we saw the same young fox on a lot between two houses across from the boardwalk. We wonder if people are feeding it.

The second time we saw it, two teeth were visible due to the way it was seated. We call it Boots because of its black legs.

One day, as I was stopped to talk to someone along the boardwalk, we watched as this adult Bald Eagle flew into an old snag it frequents. It flew off after a few minutes but not before I captured a photo.

One can see a tiny Black-capped Chickadee within minutes of seeing the huge Eagle. Birds are so varied, they make a wonderful study!

The island is alive with shorebirds now as numerous birds of various sizes stop on the island to feed in preparation for their journeys south. 

Yellowlegs are a common sight in the salt marsh and along the beach. They were joined this past week by Semipalmated Plovers, 

Black Bellied Plovers 

and Semipalmated Sandpipers. 

We will visit various beaches to see some of the avian visitors over the next month or more.

The scene at the wharf in Malpeque last week shows some boats still in the water although the lobster season is over in that area. Mussel boats are still active in the area.

We had a picnic at Cabot Beach and walked the shoreline as the tide went out. It is sad to see how much damage is done to the shoreline as the sand is washed away, leaving the vegetation to fall onto the beach. The rate of erosion is alarming.

I am happy to share some good news from the island too. Our daughter was Bass fishing last week and sent beautiful photos of the area on the north shore. She and her husband waited for low tide to walk to the sand bars. 

There were lots of migrating shorebirds there, including Piping Plovers. They are a threatened and endangered species which is increasing in numbers nesting on Prince Edward Island every year. 

I wish you a great week, filled with your favourite distractions.

The joy of summer

Prince Edward Island is a windy place though in the heat and humidity of summer, the island breeze makes it bearable. Two days this past week however, we had winds approaching 70 kilometres an hour. It was hard to keep a hat on unless it was tied down. We walked early those days, as usual, glad for the breeze in spite of its velocity.

It was interesting to watch the birds on such days. On the way to the boardwalk, one would know from the flock of landed gulls that the wind was high. They stand into the wind as did the two Black Ducks 

and two Yellowlegs in the salt marsh that day. One female Green-winged Teal was too hungry to care about the wind.

On a calmer day, a Great Blue Heron was feeding just outside the marsh in the bay, in the same area as in the first photo. 

Quite a difference in conditions those two days!

Later that same morning I saw five other Herons along the north shore of Bedeque Bay. One was particularly beautiful, 

standing on its own, watching for its breakfast to swim past. Two others were preening as a gull flew over.

While the Yellow-bellied Sapsucker chicks appear to have fledged this past week, squirrels have been entertaining us. I have watched them among the trees in the same area 

and have seen them carrying peanuts away from the nearby bridge where walkers leave them. One squirrel was barely visible along the forest floor, carrying a nutty treasure.

By the time I arrived at the bridge myself, a man was passing out peanuts to the Blue Jays and other birds in the area. I watched as a squirrel came along to take a peanut and head back to the same area I had come from. 

Our golden grand-dog has spent an extra long weekend with us this past week and will be leaving for home later today. We will miss her.

If a senior wants to stay active, a dog is one way to do it. Some days we did two walks, trying to use up some of that young dog energy. As I’ve written before, Daisy will keep retrieving a thrown ball, stick, or frisbee until your arm drops off. 

We always walk the Confederation Trail with Daisy, letting her off lead when we can.

The section of trail we frequent doesn’t have as many apple trees as other parts of the trail. However, this crabapple tree is loaded with apples already though we haven’t tried them.

The wildflowers along the trail always catch my eye.

Also, the buckwheat growing in several fields along the route is in full bloom 

and looks so beautiful through a hedge of wildflowers. 

The wheat, rich in colour now is easily recognizable from the trail.

Finally this week, after spending so much time with Daisy, I realize how much joy she finds in the simple things. 

I wish you such joy!

A week by Bedeque Bay

We walked in the rain this past weekend, such a lovely change after a week of blistering heat. Everything needed rain, including us. It cooled off yesterday and was much more comfortable.

The heat keeps my husband and me close to home but the boardwalk has been our refuge in the cooler early mornings. Sometimes the salt marsh looks deserted when we arrive at the gazebo but if you watch quietly, the marsh comes to life. 

One morning a few Black Ducks were feeding in the marsh but nothing else was obvious. 

Camera ready, I watched as a Great Blue Heron came out of the bulrushes 

and proceeded to fish in the marsh. I always enjoy those birds.

Nearby, a Yellowlegs had dropped by on its way south and bobbed around the marsh, feeding occasionally. 

A juvenile Robin fed in the sand along the perimeter of the marsh. 

A juvenile Starling did the same.

A Mourning Dove, calling from nearby was easy to spot. 

Not so the Sparrow because of its tiny size and colouring.

A Crow waded in the stream looking for morsels

while along the shoreline a young Herring Gull look pleased with itself for the discovery of the shell. 

I watched as the bird took flight and high above the beach, dropped the shell, breaking it.

The plants along the boardwalk are growing well and many are overhead, like this Queen Anne’s Lace which is about three metres high.

In another area of the boardwalk, the city installed three hammocks. 

These swingers are popular with residents and tourists alike, many stopping to relax and catch the view. The same area is a great place to meet friends for a chat too.

While we were there, one of the resident Great Blue Herons took flight from its fishing spot in Bedeque Bay. 

Another day, a Heron entertained some Gulls on a nearby sandbar.

I couldn’t check on the Sapsuckers this past week until Saturday. A day care program was using the area where the nest was located. By Saturday, when I could check, a young bird was calling and looking out of the nest. 

Finally this week, my husband and I have been free cycling some items through a local Facebook page. Canning jars, a bread-maker, a coffee pot and pods and a new cannister set all found new homes. They were picked up within minutes of posting about them. The gardening corner of the garage is next.