Early morning along the boardwalk

The golden grand-dog is visiting again this summer and midday heat has necessitated early morning walks. Georgie loves the boardwalk with its smells known only to canines. She eagerly sniffs her way along as my husband and I take photos. This location works well for all of us.

One morning, as Georgie sniffed around, we encountered a number of animals, though not those we normally see, such as chipmunks, squirrels and blue jays. This day, there were goldfinches among the thistles, singing their hearts out.

In the stream, a muskrat was busy collecting grass to bring to its push-up or nest. While I did manage a photo, it is less that ideal.

On the boardwalk itself, this red-legged grasshopper posed as we walked by. These creatures can cause a great deal of damage to crops this time of year. We hear them in the field near our home every day now. 

Bonaparte’s gulls, an unusual sight, floated in the harbour. The flock of small, black headed gulls, was just off-shore. Like so many birds, the closer I went, the farther away they moved.

Starlings are common around the city but I have not seen them along the boardwalk until recently. They perched in the trees, as if to have a look at these unusual gull visitors.

Osprey, in a platform nest near the boardwalk, were busy. The parents watched as two fledglings tentatively tried out their wings. One of the birds stood atop the nest,  the northerly wind ruffling her feathers. We called her Einstein.

My favourite photo from this walk was of a Greater Yellowlegs in the stream where it empties into the harbour. Five of the birds hunted for breakfast in the shallow water.

The boardwalk is always an interesting place!