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Sunday 7 January 2024

Life in winter

January cold has set in and each day brings a challenge of wind and precipitation. We haven’t had any major storms yet and our snow is a result of on-shore squalls. As my husband and I walk the boardwalk daily, we are dressed for the windchill, recently in the minus teens Celsius.


The harbour is in the early days of freezing this season and milder weather later this week will probably have an effect on it. Sunday morning, the scene looked frigid and icy. 





Even the squirrels attempted to warm their paws. 





In the distance, atop a tree along the shoreline, a young Bald Eagle kept watch for anything moving in the area.





Eagles hunt along the shoreline by the boardwalk and in the bay, especially at low tide. Two weeks ago, on Christmas and Boxing Days, we saw an adult Bald Eagle atop trees along the boardwalk.





One day, a squirrel was climbing the same tree the eagle was in. We suspect the squirrel was after spruce cones in the tree top and unaware of the eagle watching the landscape.





We watched the scene play out, as the squirrel climbed and suddenly noticed the eagle. The squirrel turned tail and headed down the tree, 





at one point stopping to look at the eagle.





The bird kept an eye on the squirrel but didn’t bother with it. 





Lucky squirrel!


Closer to home, BB, the crow with the broken beak which we were feeding, has probably died. We haven’t seen it for three weeks and the last day we saw it, in spite of the chicken we had for it, it ate little. We feared it wouldn’t survive.


Meanwhile our son-in-law made a skating rink in the backyard for the kids to skate and play hockey this year. A fire pit is great for hot chocolate and s’mores too. The family enjoys winter outdoor activity. 





When we embrace winter, the season goes quickly.



 





40 comments:

Jim and Barb's Adventures said...

That is an awesome ice rink! I spent hours on one just like it as a kid playing hockey and broom ball. Your grandkids will really enjoy it.

Boud said...

I'm glad to see your pictures, but I wouldn't venture out in subzero to walk! And now I wonder if your reference is to Celsius, quite a bit warmer?

Debra She Who Seeks said...

Nice looking rink!

Debbie said...

what an awesome post, embracing winter, i love it!! even if you don't like winter it is coming/here anyway, so enjoy every minute in every way you can!!

the first image is so picturesque, a really beautiful scene!! the ice rink is awesome, my husbands father did that every winter and he learned to ice skate. but the show stopper is the bald eagle of course, your images of it are amazing!!

Anvilcloud said...

I am embracing the winter more now that we've had snow. At least we have it for now. It's much mor pleasant to look at white instead of brown or grey.

Maebeme said...

It's -23C with a windchill of -31C here today. On this day I will not embrace winter. :)

The skating rink looks terrific. I'm sure it will get much use this winter.

And the squirrel was very lucky indeed.

DUTA said...

Winter in your pictures is beautiful! However, I don't like the cold.
The scene between the eagle and the squirrel is fascinating!

Liz Hinds said...

Wow! Their own skating rink! Lucky children.

I'm glad the squirrel survived to tell his tale. How many layers do you have to wear to keep warm in those temperatures?!

Bill said...

The squirrel is a smart one, he knows when to turn around. :) The rink reminds me of one we had in our neighborhood growing up, it was lots of fun!

Hena Tayeb said...

That is a marvelous eagle shot! It looks far too cold for my liking.

photowannabe said...

That ice skating rink is amazing. How wonderful to have it right in the yard.
Brr, everything looks so cold but if one is dressed for it it probably isn't too bad.
Fantastic pictures of the eagle and his observation of the squirrel. Such drama captured.
Stay warm as you embrace the season.
Sue

Elephant's Child said...

Lucky squirrel indeed. Embracing winter sounds like a really positive move - and having an icerink in your yard would have to help.
Stay warm and safe.

Helen said...

I assume that being by the water makes the temperature chillier.This post is in sharp contrast to the family images sent. On the otherhand, beacause the Grandees were enjoying the snow, I inferred that all was pleasant.
So glad you are still able to make your walk along the boardwalk. I love the first image of the squirrel. The eagle is magnificent but so glad squirrel wasn't on his menu this day.
How excitng to have your own skating rink?
Wednesday's weather isn't looking great!

Aritha V. said...

Oh, what cool photos of the squirrel and the bird. But your text too, you know. I really enjoyed it. 📸🐿️😄

DJan said...

We have a nasty cold snap on the way, but for now it's just normal: chilly and rainy. By Friday we will have cooled off by twenty degrees or more. Love the story of the squirrel and the eagle.

MARY G said...

That is a fine rink. Lucky kids. We have luck here too, as we had so little snow that the beaver ponds are frozen clean and skatable. But, no boards and no nets. My kids used to use their boots for goal markers.
I love that first shot; it really captures the cold

Salty Pumpkin Studio said...

That is a nice backyard ice rink! Well done!
Great pictures of the eagle and the squirrel, one of those oops moments we all know. Stay warm!

John's Island said...

Hi Marie, You have done an excellent job to give us a winter look at PEI. Your eagle photos are amazing! I just kept going back to look again at image #4 of the eagle. So wonderfully clear and sharp. Isn’t it amazing that those tiny eyes let an eagle see so much! I got a kick out of the way the eagle keeps an eye on the squirrel … you are right … lucky squirrel 😊 Lastly, the skating rink looks great … right there in the back yard … perfect. Happy week ahead to you and yours! John

peppylady (Dora) said...

It been ages since I been on ice skates

Red said...

We have to get out and not wait for nice winter days.

Joanne Noragon said...

The eagle looking after the squirrel is a little story in itself.

Lorrie said...

Lovely winter scenes from PEI. The ice rink looks like it will be a lot of fun for the grandchildren. Great photos of the eagle. Lucky squirrel indeed!

At Home In New Zealand said...

I felt for that little squirrel trying to warm its paws. I imagine winter can be very tough for Little Creatures.
I can almost hear your grandchildren from here, enjoying that ice rink! What fun :)

Beatrice P. Boyd said...

What a wonderful series of images, Marie, especially the one with the squirrel seeming to warm its paws and such amazing photos of the eagle. Glad that it didn't fine a meal that day. Your grandchildren will certainly be having a lot of fun on their own skating rink and with warming up and enjoying treats too! The harbor did look beautiful as well.

eileeninmd said...

Hello,

Wonderful captures of the Eagles and the squirrel. What a lucky squirrel.
The ice skating rink is a great idea. Embracing winter makes the season go quickly, I should have that outlook too. Take care, have a great day!

Breathtaking said...

Hello Marie :=)
Embracing winter is the right attitude, it can be beautiful, and exciting as you have proved in this post. Your images of the Bald Eagle are quite exceptional, very sharply focused and nice compositions. The squirrel warming its paws is very endearing and the one that got away, will live to climb another tree. Your grand children will get a lot of fun from the ice rink. What an excellent idea to keep them fit, and occupied in the fresh air.
All the best.
Sonjia

Black Knight said...

Poor crow, I hope he survived.
Yes, lucky squirrel!!!
Many beautiful images. Winter always gives a touch of magic to the landscapes.

Pam said...

Oh how beautiful that eagle is. Great shots. I got lucky during the move process, weather was nice. No cold or rain, but last week things changed and my body is not happy. I still have some unpacking to do and put away but I will get it done. Its 45 at 12:30pm here, gray skies. Had some rain last night but the wind was terrible. I had to turn on the radio to drown out the noise last night to sleep.

margi said...

Amazing photos! And you have your own skating rink. It must be fun. I'm curious, what has the average temperature been in your area recently?

Marilyn @ MountainTopSpice said...

You captured some very interesting photos of the eagle and the squirrel! Such magnificent birds to watch! We've had a lot of rain here as well, but just yesterday finally got a significant amount of snow, and then more cold weather this weekend. I love the skating rink your son built - my dad always built us one when we were growing up. So many good memories in the winter months - it does help to stay busy with different things through the long winter days. Many blessings to you!

Granny Sue said...

That squirrel! Had me nervous for a minute there. And that poor cold squirrel just looks miserable, poor little guy. I love the ice rink!

Lea said...

Great photos!
I am always excited to see an Eagle, and the first squirrel photo is so cute!

Tabor said...

That is such a beautiful thought to embrace that challenge of weather...or whatever.

aurora said...

Fantastic eagle photos!! Not easy getting such good photos of the majestic serious faced guys.

They do an annual rehabilitated eagle release in our town. I will never forget having one stoically stare at me. Somehow I managed to get in the front row that year. Depending on the bird, the handler makes rounds so humans can see one up close. It was surreal! I am usually standing by the water trying to catch them fly away. Eagles fly fast when freedom is calling!

Awesome skating rink!! My hubby tried to build rinks in our yard back in the day for our hockey player. It was a lot of work and didn't set up well with our yo-yo weather. Fun to watch what we call "pond hockey".

Spare Parts and Pics said...

I'm impressed with the skating rink. When a squirrel tucks her feet under her body, you know it must be cold!!

baili said...

you are great at taking photos that tell the story so nicely dear Marie :)

the squirrel climb felt dramatic but gladly it got down swiftly .
the eagle images are awesome !!!!!!!!!!!
loved the last shot of eagle Majestic!
how nice you guys are still trying to take walks ,i find it inspiring .

your son in law is wise indeed :)
blessings and lots of warmth to you !

David M. Gascoigne, said...

Winter is a fact of life, Marie, and the only thing to do is to embrace it. All the whining and kvetching in the world is not going to make it go away. Great shots of the Bald Eagles; they are majestic birds.

Catarina said...

"When we embrace winter, the season goes quickly." You are so right!!
The eagle and the squirrel ... That sequence of photos told us a story, a story of survival. : ))

Danielle L Zecher said...

I'm sorry about the crow dying. That was so nice of you to feed it.

You're much tougher than I am to venture out in that kind of cold! I pretty much refuse to go outside any more than is absolutely necessary once we drop down to freezing.

Barbara said...

That eagle is incredible. I just want to reach out and touch him. Yeah. Not going to happen. I value my fingers.