Joy of early morning

We always start a walk at the gazebo. It overlooks the saltwater marsh and the stream which empties into the Summerside Harbour. There are usually ducks in the stream or hidden among the reeds and wheatgrass. 

However, other feathered friends often drop by the area and spotting and observing them are always pleasant for my husband and I. Our early morning outings now, ahead of the heat later in the day, always start off with avian-induced smiles.

The chattering male Red-winged Blackbirds are always about,

flying amongst the reeds and trees. Occasionally, a female leaves her nesting duty and feeds in an area where she is visible. 

European Starlings congregate in the part of the stream which empties into the Summerside Harbour.

We see them later on the bridge overlooking the area.

Most of the time, Common Grackles dart around too quickly for me to photograph. This one was the exception 

and later it met up with some friends for a chat in a nearby tree.

Over a period of two weeks, I tried unsuccessfully to take a good photo of a Sora. Then early one clear morning, after numerous attempts, my husband took some great photos of the fast moving bird. I finally took a photo which shows its white crinoline.

That same morning, I saw a Killdeer for the first time. We see plovers on the beach every year but the Killdeer has always escaped us. It was camouflaged amongst the straw and other plant material in the stream but I managed a digital capture.

The ducks always interest us as well. There are Mallards and American Black Ducks living in the saltwater marsh these days. One morning, we could hear a duck among the reeds and wheatgrass long before we saw it. When the ducks appeared, one Black Duck was the source of the quacking but others weren’t thrilled with it and several chased after it. It persisted. You can hear that persistent duck here. 

“Don’t let anyone keep you from uttering your truth Ducky, “ I said as we turned to leave.

Watching birds is a great way to begin any day.

P.S.

In my last post, David at  https://travelswithbirds.blogspot.com/  asked about Piping Plovers at Cabot Beach.

On Prince Edward Island, there is a concerted effort to encourage nesting of Piping Plovers. Where the birds are known to nest, areas on the beaches are cordoned off to allow the birds to nest without interference. To my knowledge, Cabot Beach has never been such an area.