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Monday 14 February 2022

February 14/22

Who knew that starlings doubled as love birds?





Happy Valentine’s Day!


P. S.


I hope you can see the hearts on the starling’s feathers. They were a surprise to me.


It’s stormy and schools are closed, the second storm day since school opened two weeks ago. We had three mild days last week but it’s too early for spring.


There are currently eight people in hospital with Covid and 13 deaths, all from Omicron. Presently there isn’t anyone in ICU from the virus. There are only 20 ICU beds on the entire island. Thankfully, the measures taken by the province and the co-operation of islanders kept the infection numbers low until this latest Omicron wave. The infection rate looks to be on the decline now.


Since my husband and I had the booster shot, I don’t feel quite as nervous about shopping etc. However, I expect I will be wearing a mask whilst shopping after the mask mandate is dropped finally. We’ll see how it goes.

49 comments:

Rose said...

Happy Valentine's Day!

Black Knight said...

Glad to read that the infection rate looks to be on the decline; luckily here it's the same!
I also keep on wearing the mask when I go to do shopping.
Happy Valentine's Day!

eileeninmd said...

Hello,
I see the Starling's pretty hearts. Happy Valentine's Day!
Take care, enjoy your day and the week ahead.

Debra She Who Seeks said...

Oh, they DO have little feather hearts! Happy Valentines Day!

The Padre said...

Big Hugs You Two Love Birds

Cheers

Beside a babbling brook... said...

What a precious picture!!!!

❓📕❓📕❓📕❓

NGS said...

I never knew that heart-shape was a feature of starlings!!

MARY G said...

Yes, I can see them. Delightful.
I hope this thing eases up in the spring. The restriction is getting more difficult to bear, but necessary for the hospitals and medical staff to keep up. The wave has crested here as well, but the mess in Ottawa is not helping the hospitals there.

Boud said...

Happy Valentine's day! I plan to mask indefinitely no matter what the recommendation. It's saved me from my usual several viruses a year, aside from Covid.

Elephant's Child said...

Those hearts are very clear - and lovely.
Our current covid case numbers are dropping too. We are still masked, and will be for some time yet.

gluten Free A_Z Blog said...

I thought they were dots until you pointed out that they are hearts. Spectacular especially for Valentines day.

Hena Tayeb said...

We don't have any mask mandates anymore and school mask mandates end in March but we have never stopped wearing our masks.
What a lovely shot.. I hadn't know idea they had little hearts on their feathers.. so beautiful.

margi said...

Happy Valentines Day! What a beautiful picture!

photowannabe said...

Wow, the feathers of the Starling are quite amazing to me too.
Hearts all over great capture.
Happy Valentines Day to you and yours.
Satay safe.
Sue

Ginnie Hart said...

Yes, I see the hearts, Marie!! Who would have known...and how appropriate for this day. Happy Valentine's Day to you, too.

I hate hearing about how Omicron is still wreaking havoc! Astrid, totally out of the blue, got a very mild case of it 2 weeks ago (sick for only one day), even after always wearing a mask and totally vaccinated, with booster. There was no way we could distance ourselves from each other, so we didn't even try, and I tested negative twice. It doesn't begin to make sense. We will continue to mask, as you. God have mercy.

Margaret said...

I've always thought of starlings as nuisance birds and didn't realize that they were so beautiful. We've been told that Omicron is milder so many assume that it won't kill you. Sadly, that isn't true. Glad that cases are dropping at least; it's the same here. I'm not ready to drop the masks yet.

Bill said...

Great observation on seeing those little hearts. Starting on Wednesday we have Storm Dudley and then Storm Eunice comes for a visit on Friday. Hope you are having a Lovely day!

David M. Gascoigne, said...

I am sure that many of us will be wearing a mask in public long after the requirement to do so is lifted.

Ruth Hiebert said...

I have never noticed that the spots were heart shaped. I know that the Northern Flicker has heart shaped spots on it. Stay safe. I am a. little uncertain about dropping the mask too soon.

Linda said...

Perfect little white hearts. Lovely!

Take care, my friend. So many people around here not being at all careful or considerate. Sounds like the island is doing better than that.

William Kendall said...

A beautiful bird.

Helen said...

What a beautiful discovery Marie!
On waking this morning, I watched [webcam] the snow falling heavily in downtown Charlottetown and spotted a horse drawn dray with tourists moving along the street. Beautiful! [?]
Our Covid numbers are also dropping, but the facemask will stay with me for sometime to come.

The Furry Gnome said...

Oh for heaven's sake! Hearts on a Starling!

Joanne Noragon said...

Yes, keep wearing that maks!

Goldendaze-Ginnie said...

Happy Valentine's day Marie. Only you would see the array of hears on the starling. Definitely a love bird !

Catarina said...

Now that you pointed out the hearts to us, yes I see them.
Hope you had a pleasant day.
I intend to wear masks in public places for a while.

Debbie said...

hearts or not, i am not showing my starlings any love as they wipe out one suet per day!! it is a great image and i do see the hearts!!

be safe and stay well, our covid numbers have been on the decline for the last few days!!

peppylady (Dora) said...

I sure can't say that about my county since covid we had 1,976 cases and 59 death. Out of population of about 12,000 people.
Coffee is on and stay safe.

Sherry's Pickings said...

I am new to your blog so am curious as to where your island is? i love the photo on your banner.

At Home In New Zealand said...

Haha, now I am going to have to find a starling and look closely at its feathers! :)

John "By Stargoose And Hanglands" said...

I've seen thousands of Starlings in my time, but never thought of them as Lovebirds.

Marie Smith said...

Hi Sherry,

We live on the east coast of Canada, on Prince Edward Island, in the Gulf of St Lawrence.

Thank you for reading my blog.

Marie

Sherry's Pickings said...

Hi marie
ooh i've always wanted to visit PEI! One day ...

Anvilcloud said...

Well spotted … er … spots 👍

Rose said...

I meant to tell you I had not noticed the hearts on the starling!

Susan Zarzycki said...

How interesting that the dots on a Staring are actually hearts. Despite their aggressive nature and un-harmonious voices, I have always admired their beauty. Yes, Covid is still rearing it's ugly head. Not having the booster, and Roger not wanting me to have one, (Roger goes about like Covid doesn't exist) I am very hesitant to expose myself to unnecessary illness so I stay put. I love looking at your ocean and shore scenes. I hope your back issues are improving. We're on the downhill stretch now soon those fancy bikes will be carrying you to new adventures!💖

Brenda Kay Ledford said...

What an awesome photo. The heart-shapes on the bird is just marvelous. Hope you had a happy Valentine's Day.

Lorrie said...

The hearts on the starling are such a lovely detail. Thank you for pointing them out!
Covid rules are relaxing here in BC. Masks are still required in indoor public settings and I don't think that's going away any time soon. Teaching in a mask is a bit of a challenge, but it's not too bad.

baili said...

fabulous image !

Happy valentines day dear Marie !
may sun of love always shine upon you !

i either bird with such pattern first time ,gorgeous fellow indeed .

people on your island seem very nice and insightful to me as they cooperate with authorities to keep things on right track which is great .
hugs and blessings!

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The Liberty Belle said...

Such a cute bird. I went to the market today and there was a guy there coughing and sneezing all over the store without a mask on.

Malindha Erba said...

Very nice bird ^^

John's Island said...

Hi Marie, What a delight to discover the tiny hearts on the Starling, especially on Valentine's Day. And that’s a sweet photo too. I am so with you on the mask situation. Since March of 2020 I have had zero respiratory illness. That is the longest time I can recall going without illness in the last couple of decades. I’ve been vaxxed and boosted, and followed the other rules, but I believe the mask gets most of the credit for keeping me well. I’ve been religious about wearing the mask whenever I’m indoors in a public place, like the grocery store. I have wondered about when I will feel comfortable to go into stores again without wearing a mask. I think you said it precisely … We’ll see how it goes. Take care and stay safe. John

Liz Hinds said...

I have never noticed the starling's hearts! I've always thought they're quite ugly. I shall look on them afresh now.
Like you I'm keeping my mask on for the foreseeable future.

Pam said...

Had my booster also. Now wondering if I need to start over like a flu shot. Is that a thing we have to do?

Marie Smith said...

Pam,

I figure we’ll be offered Covid shots year,y, like the flu shots.

Marie

HWIT BLOGG said...

Great picture and I love all those small hearts!
Titti

Diane said...

They really are pretty birds when seen close. Cheers Diane

Barbara said...

I love that picture. 20 ICU beds? I'm glad the island did take it serious.