A week with birds

Last week was a great week for photos. It started with the sighting of our first Great Blue Heron in the salt marsh. 

Such a welcome sight! I didn’t walk much that day, watching the bird instead as it stealthily captured tiny fish in the stream. 

Later, from the bridge nearby, the bird added lots of interest to a familiar scene.

As I proceeded along the boardwalk, I looked back to the stream and the same bird was along the shoreline of Bedeque Bay. 

Welcome back, Great Blues!

Another fascinating experience this past week involved Yellow-bellied Sapsuckers. Early last week, I heard tapping as I passed an area of woods along the boardwalk which I had never explored. I followed a path towards the tapping and discovered this male Yellow-bellied Sapsucker drilling a huge hole in a tree. 

The next day, a female Sapsucker worked on the same hole. 

I suspected they were drilling a cavity for a nest.

On the third day, the male was back and worked diligently, often its top half disappeared into the tree as below.

Since then, I haven’t seen the birds though I check every day. 

The stream through the salt marsh has male Mallards these days, as the females tend nests this time of year. This Mallard looks pleased with himself as he called out to someone.

One fine day last week, the sky was full of jets, many looking to have followed great circles across the Atlantic. I cannot determine if this is an Air Canada jet or one from another carrier.

Magnolia began to bloom last week in Summerside. One place we like to visit is the local homemade ice cream shop which has a lovely garden with Magnolia trees. One was in bloom and we enjoyed their ice cream and the tree while we sat in the garden.

There is another tree about to bloom there this week…

Saturday we packed a picnic and headed to Cavendish to see if the Bald Eagles were feeding on the fish migrating upstream to spawn. Clarkes Pond is one place in the National Park where one can see the Eagles resting among the trees after they’ve had their fill of fish from the pond.

We weren’t disappointed as this adult Eagle was resting in an old snag

and nearby, a younger Eagle with immature feathering, sat with its head on a swivel looking backwards as I photographed it. 

Great Blue Herons and Osprey flew overhead as well while along the sand on the far side of the pond, Double-crested Cormorants looked like they were satiated too.  

I also saw a Gray Catbird in Cavendish that day.  This is not a common bird on Prince Edward Island and it was the first time I saw one. It entertained me for several minutes with its beautiful song.

Our last stop on Saturday was at an Osprey nest we chanced upon another day we were out and about last week. This one is in the countryside, on a pole along a red dirt road, surrounded by fields. 

This nest is huge and well maintained compared to the smaller Osprey nest at Cavendish.

Finally on Sunday, we smiled at the sight of this Elbows Up sign placed on this birdhouse along the boardwalk. 

Birds, including migrants, are urged to be watchful during these uncertain times! 

Have a great week!

The joy of May

Last week was a busy one but my husband and I managed to a visit to the Dunk River Trail and Scales Pond where we enjoyed a picnic. 

Otherwise we walked the boardwalk during a week when temperatures fluctuated, the wind blew and we walked between the raindrops.

The Dunk River Trail is one of our favourites on the island and the trail is well groomed and ready for the season. Soon, as the trees erupt with leaves for another short growing season, the beauty of this trail will surround hikers. Meanwhile we enjoyed the sound of the river and everything around us.

There are dozens of fallen trees along the river and some show evidence of the Spruce Bark Beetle, which left a worm-like track in the wood.

Butterfly season has begun and this Mourning Cloak was flitting about as we followed along, 

attempting to capture it digitally.

The tapping of Woodpeckers accompanies the sound of the river. One Hairy Woodpecker appears to be accustomed to people on the trail and starts lower down on this favourite tree.

This time of year, male Mallards are on their own as females are nesting.

In Scales Pond, Double-crested Cormorants float by or dive for food. One jumped on some wood in the pond and spread its wings to dry.

A Canada Goose nearby doesn’t need to spread its wings however.

Meanwhile, on the boardwalk, a Snowshoe Hare hopped towards my husband one day. 

The Hare stopped and stared for a few minutes before moving along. We hope it avoided the Bald Eagles which hunt in the area.

The male Red-winged Blackbirds are in fine voice again as they overlook their domain.

On Mother’s Day every year, we enjoy the first lobsters of the season. Yesterday was no exception. They were so good!

Finally this week, I want to thank all the dance teachers who work so diligently and do such great work teaching our children the movement and joy of dance.

Last weekend we watched Ballet Jörgen perform in Summerside. Our eldest granddaughter was part of the production of Sleeping Beauty which included local dance students. The music, costumes and movement take one on a beautiful journey for a few hours. 

Our granddaughter was a two year old watching a video of the Nutcracker Ballet, exposed to it by her mother who always loved the story and watched the ballet too. However, her daughter wanted to dance and has taken lessons since she was three. At fourteen, she hopes to do point this year. Dance is in this young woman’s soul. A great dance teacher has trained and nurtured her love of dance. We thank her and all dance teachers for their great work.

April to May

Lobster season began recently and it draws us to the sea every spring. 

My husband and I went to the New London Lighthouse this year, 

one of our favourite places where boats are so close to land in the channel. 

One will always find Cormorants and Gulls in that area. One Cormorant flew off in front of a mussel boat which was headed to port.

We picnicked at Cavendish Grove that day, 

enjoying the beef stew I made for the occasion. Later we walked towards the coast, passing an Osprey nest which was occupied as its partner ate nearby.

Last week I saw my first Merlin, which was a thrill! However I have seen it since along the boardwalk and fear for the Song Sparrows in the area. Merlin’s can grab their prey right out of the sky.

One evening, my friend and I did another Owl Prowl without any luck. We did see lots of woodpeckers that evening near the Dunk River though. 

My friend and I will go another evening soon. The old dirt roads are waiting.

One morning, as my husband and I prepared for our walk, we saw a fox across the street. We don’t usually see them in the day, but this time of year, when foxes are feeding their young, we often see them hunting in the area in daylight. It was a foggy morning which affected the clarity of the photo but this fox has something in its mouth, probably food for its young.

Another day, when we arrived at the end of the boardwalk, two large hares were eating in the grass there. They were both brown except for their feet and lower legs which looked like white boots. Another walker with a dog scared them off before we could get better photos. 

It was a rainy day which required use of an iPhone for photos. Such circumstances almost guarantee we will see some interesting creature and struggle to take photos.

Finally today, I am struck with how adaptable seniors have to be to continue to have any quality of life. With diminishing senses and bodily functions, declining mental acuity and physical ability, life requires we adapt.

A friend told me recently she didn’t want to adapt. We talked about what she wanted for her life at this point in time. If she didn’t adapt, her life would get much smaller, confined to the house. By the next week, she had come to terms with the conditions she faces. She has adapted.

In some respects, we become invisible as we get older, an afterthought in society which bustles around us. However, we are here, adapting to life as it is for us at this stage. Just give us a few minutes!

Respite

This past week was a busy one. With appointments over several days and helping a friend another day, we weren’t able to manage a walk on two days and picnics were out. Maybe next week for a picnic. It was a good week though, with many animal friends keeping us entertained in spite of some miserable weather.

The week started out with the return of two Osprey to the second nesting area near the boardwalk. We saw the two migrants sat in a tree near their nest which obviously needed repairs. One wasn’t facing our direction but the second, a male, we could easily see on a lower branch.

No wonder these amazing birds can snatch a fish right out of the water with those claws.

Chipmunks are out of torpor now and are a welcome addition to the rodents living along the boardwalk.

In Bedeque Bay, it isn’t surprising to see some Red-breasted Mergansers diving for food. The ducks always look like they need their head feathers trimmed but they are easy to identify this way.

My husband and I heard Northern Flickers over several days along the boardwalk but hadn’t seen them. Finally, after lots of time looking, I spotted this beauty high above the boardwalk. 

That same day, in the salt marsh, I watched a pair of Mourning Doves, one chasing the other all around the seaweed. It is mating season after all.

Another day, we decided to walk in the rain which meant I left my camera at home. The iPhone would have to suffice if we saw anything interesting. Wouldn’t you know it, a Bald Eagle was perched in a tree above the boardwalk, in full view of all the walkers.

It was a mature eagle, scanning for movement out on the water and the area around the boardwalk. Of course, the sun tried to break through as we watched the majestic creature. And me without my camera!

The next day it was raining again, and again I left the camera home. Unbelievably, two mature Bald Eagles were in the same tree this time. 

We saw them for more than an hour in the same place and they were still there when we left. People were thrilled!

My husband and I each had an encounter this week which has given us pause.

There is a new homeless shelter is Summerside which is doing great work. However, there are some people who do not use the shelter though it is well attended. Some of the homeless live deep in the woods at the end of the boardwalk. We see them sometimes walking or riding bikes  when we are there.

My husband met a man with a bike, carrying a bag. He looked to be in distress so husband asked if he was okay, did he need help. My husband suggested an ambulance, which the man refused, saying he had broken a rib and couldn’t ride his bike. He would walk instead. My husband and another man who happened along, both felt helpless, not knowing how to do better for the man. The poor man was obviously drugged and two men from his community wanted to do something but felt helpless.

My encounter was with an elderly Asian woman, an immigrant whose English was poor. Her card wouldn’t work in the bank machine at the check-out. The cashier and I, behind her in line, offered help.

I expect this woman is a more recent immigrant to this island. I wonder what circumstances led this senior to leave her previous home and some family behind to come to a foreign land and start anew in another language. All I could think is how I would feel in the same circumstances? How would I want to be treated? I offered help.

The world can be a hard place and we often feel helpless to do much about it. However, we can offer a kind word and give of ourselves to those we meet in our daily lives. Nature will be our respite.