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Sunday 7 July 2024

Early July on the island

Every summer we hope to spend a day with our daughter and grandchildren at Canoe Cove. It isn’t always an easy day to plan because of the month of vacation out of the province the family has every year. Then dance camps fit around those plans. Besides, you have to plan a Canoe Cove visit around the tide schedule.


The Cove is an indentation in the coastline along the south shore of Prince Edward island on the Northumberland Strait. We arrived just after high tide and in time for a picnic lunch in the park. By the time we’d finished lunch and the youngest two had enjoyed the playground, patches of sand were appearing in the Cove from the falling tide. A small flock of Great Blue Herons had settled into the inner part of the Cove below the fields.





The girls and I watched Cabbage White Butterflies as they flitted from flower to flower along the perimeter of the park. I took numerous photos and eventually managed this one which shows an eye and its proboscis, a straw-like tube which a butterfly uses to extract nectar from blossoms.





We established ourselves on the sand and before long the falling tide exposed sand patches and tidal pools around the cove. 





Off shore, one could walk out a great distance and still be knee deep in the water.





While the others enjoyed the water, I followed the shoreline to where I had previously seen Bank Swallows. Before long, I came upon the bank area where part of the flock is nesting this year. 





I watched silently from a distance as bird after bird entered and exited the holes. I captured several with the camera and while they aren’t great shots, I was pleased to have any photo of these great birds.





Daisy, the golden grand-dog was with us on the beach and she loves time in the water. 




The water in Canoe Cove is as warm as bath water so everyone enjoys going for a dip there.


Meanwhile, we walked between the raindrops several days last week. Early morning was a good way to avoid the worst of the humidity. It will be brutal the early part of this week as well.





And as always, the succession of wildflowers continues as we make our way through nature’s beauty.






  






44 comments:

Debra She Who Seeks said...

Sounds like a glorious day!

DJan said...

Wonderful shots, especially that heron. Thank you for the tour!

Anvilcloud said...

You have described a beautiful day and more too.

Pam said...

COOL....I have never seen holes in the bank like that and birds living in them. That is really neat. Would love to have a small little boat to just go up and down the shore.

Liz Hinds said...

I think I remember your photos from last year of the family day at the beach. Lovely photos of the butterfly and the bank swallow, and, of course, Daisy, the star.

Boud said...

What marvelous pictures. Thank you especially for the shot of the bank swallow habitat.

eileeninmd said...

Wonderful photos from your family outing.
I love the views of the beach, the butterfly, bank swallows and herons.
Daisy is a favorite too, she reminds me of my old Daisy girl.

Take care, have a great day and a wonderful week!

Billie Jo said...

Wow! So many amazing things to see here, my friend. The birds nesting is so fascinating!

baili said...

I see blue herons at other places but your clicks are exceptionally stunning dear Marie
Sorry about humidity
Glad you could spent some lovely family time together.
I can write pages how these spectacular images uplift my heart!!!!!!
More blessings upon you and family ❤

photowannabe said...

Oh, what a wonderful day you and your family had, including that precious goldendoodle.
Amazing photos and such an ideal place to have a picnic and playtime in the sand.
Magical as always,
Sue

Elephant's Child said...

It looks beautiful and a wonderful day. Thank you for sharing some of the wonders. Stay as cool as you can.

Bill said...

Beautiful captures, Marie. Thanks for sharing.

At Home In New Zealand said...

Love your butterfly photo (well, actually I love all your photos!). Great to have a family tradition like that, as well as having fun at the same time. Water that warm must be amazing in the sea :)

Helen said...

So glad your family visit to Canoe Cove came together so perfectly. it is such a beautiful spot to picnic, explore, relax and refresh. Daisy is certainly enjoying chilling out. Gorgeous image!

How beautiful is the view and Blue Crane along the Boardwalk. It is just lovely to join you virtually. I hope the humidity doesn't linger.

Lorrie said...

Your day at Canoe Cove sounds just lovely. Glad it worked out with your family. The retreating tide makes wonderful patterns on the beach.

Maebeme said...

It looks like a lovely day for family time, and I'm glad the schedule worked out for all.

I remember walking out on the ocean floor when the tides were out on Vancouver Island. It was a unique experience for this flatlander!

Debbie said...

this sounds like a lovely day with your daughter and the grandchildren. your water is warm, our ocean is still pretty cold...the low 70's, which is actually fine with me. you got a great picture of daisy and the bird!! the wildflowers look just like wildflowers!!

Red said...

Everybody should get to spend a day at the beach. You had fun.

Romance Reader said...

Looks so amazing! Glorious day indeed.

MFH said...

Marie,

In looking at the low-tide pictures, I don't see any shells, crabs or other forms of life. Is that typical of a cove...*that* cove?

When in Oregon last summer I was surprised by the few shells and only occasional bits of seaweed. On the other hand, there were microclimates where starfish and/or anemones were thriving.

Have you noticed a depletion (increase?) over the years?

Mike

Barwitzki said...

I love the swallows.
It's wonderful that you had a wonderful time with your daughter and grandchildren.
Thanks for the great photos.

margi said...

It's wonderful to spend some time with the family! Love your butterfly photo.

Danielle L Zecher said...

That cove looks like a wonderful place to visit. I can see why you try to go every year. The tide pools look awesome. I love exploring tide pools like that when the tide goes out. And Daisy looks so happy. :-)

Marie Smith said...

Hi Mike,

When we first started going to Canoe Cove, the tidal pools were full of starfish and other sea life. When we were there recently, as the tide receded, people found starfish etc further out in the cove. Closer to shore, all we found were jellyfish and seaweed.

Marie

Rose said...

That looks like a great place to spend this day...I would sure have enjoyed it.

peppylady (Dora) said...

Pretty yellow 💐

Salty Pumpkin Studio said...

beautiful photos
It is good to read there is a warn water beach on the Atlantic Ocean!

Ash said...

Wow! This looks like somewhere I'd love to live, it's so beautiful. I love that bird too.

Ash @ Essentially Ash
Want to follow me on Bookstagram, booktok, add my snapchat or check out my photography?

Debbie Nolan said...

Marie - this looks like such a lovely place to visit. What a special photo of the bank swallows. Amazing how they make their home in the banks. So glad you shared your beautiful photos of what appears to have been a peaceful day. Take care and have a great weekend. Hugs!

Helen said...

A very special time, in a very special place with your wonderful grandchildren and a vey special grand-dog! I love this image of Daisy.I am so missing the island but not your extreme heat and humidity.

DUTA said...

Never seen a white cabbage butterfly, only colorful ones. How interesting!
I got captivated by your "tide" photos, and the one with the holes where the swallows were nesting. Great photography, Marie!

Lea said...

Beautiful!

Marilyn @ MountainTopSpice said...

I remember Canoe Cove well! So wonderful to go there with your family, and what a great sighting of the birds nesting! Summer is so wonderful, and you have to be intentional to make the most of it, as it is quite fleeting! Our heat has arrived here...

Stewart M said...

Canoe Cove sounds and looks inviting. The braided hair effect on the ears of the dog made me smile!

Stewart M - Auckland, NZ

Spare Parts and Pics said...

What a wonderful day! Cool to see the Bank Swallows. Love the wildflowers too. Daisey looks so happy!

Pattie @ Olla-Podrida said...

Another wonderful assortment. I must confess that my favorite was the photo of the dog. I do love the doggies.

Beatrice P. Boyd said...

The bank swallows really interested me, Marie, as I had nit heard of them before. It looks like you and your family had a great time, even Daisy.

John's Island said...

Hi Marie, As I was scrolling through this post, I asked myself, why do I enjoy Island Musings so much? The answer came back: Marie is an excellent photographer and she has an uncanny ability to snap a scene exactly as I would want to, if I was there. 😊 And, of course, I love Prince Edward Island. I don’t think I will ever get tired of your photos of nature on PEI. Thanks for sharing. John

Chris said...

The water looked very inviting and those wild flowers are gorgeous, such colours.

HWIT BLOGG said...

Oh so beautiful! What a wonderful day :)
Love from Titti

gluten Free A_Z Blog said...

So nice that you were able to coordinate this day with the family. I get how hard it is to fit everyone's schedules with camp! Lovely photos and looks like a lovely day. Wonderful wildflowers too.

tz_garden said...

What a great family day, and Daisy is adorable!

Sherry's Pickings said...

those birds' nests are amazing. love the heron!

Glenda Beall said...

I needed the beauty and peace you gave me today with this post. Having moved and put my house on the market, my life has been too stressful. I have not kept up my blogs because of my busy life. Once again, thank you for bringing sanity back into my life.