Our past week started with a picnic in the community of Cape Egmont. We had driven along the Evangeline shoreline of Prince Edward Island, and stopped at the Cap Egmont lighthouse. The sea stack there is another favourite of my husband and I and we like to observe it seasonally.
This year, the size of both openings in the stack continues to grow and the first part of the stack visible from shore has two faces.
Can you see them? We will be interested to see how they change this coming winter.
The Double-crested Cormorants have enjoyed the stack this year if the guano is any indication.
The birds perch on the stack between their fishing flights along the shoreline.
This nearby cove, accessible via a narrow path and chain to hold was beyond the risk we would take, though I wanted to try it.
The shoreline has Goldenrod and Asters in abundance and the lighthouse is a wonderful backdrop.
At Cape Egmont, Arsenault Pond is a beautiful setting for a picnic.
A trail around the pond goes through the wildflowers such as Fireweed and Joe Pye Weed all gone to seed.
A fish ladder on the pond was busy that day as little fish were on their way down stream.
Just below the ladder, a Great Blue Heron knew of the fish too. You can bet it wasn’t his first day in this location.
We walked the boardwalk this past week as well. One location along the boardwalk is frequented by a flock of European Starlings. The chatty birds sometimes hang out in the trees in that area or among the seaweed along the shoreline below.
Later this past week we cared for the golden grand-dog, Daisy again. She keeps us on our toes! It is cooler weather now so we didn’t take Daisy to the beach. Instead all of our walks were on the Confederation Trail, where we saw a few interesting things.
We expect this bird, probably a duck, fell prey to a raptor.
Of course Daisy discovered it along the way. Only feathers remained around a headless body cavity. That predator was efficient! The tail feathers on this bird were beautifully coloured.
Also along the trail we discovered two tiny garter snakes. It looked like they had been run over by bikes. The tiny creatures would have been difficult to see as one rode along. We had never seen such small Garter Snakes.
The fields along the trail are near harvest time, potatoes having been sprayed, waiting for harvesting. Corn fields are tall and provide beautiful texture to the wildflowers bordering the fields.
Meanwhile, this young dog, along for a walk to use up some of the energy she has in abundance, can run free on the trail when no other walkers or bikers are around. The faithful creature, runs ahead as fast as she can, stops suddenly and looks around, checking on the two seniors walking along behind her.
We smile and walk on…
39 comments:
Eventful walks! Beautiful sea stacks!
Daisy is beautiful! And I see the faces in the sea stacks indeed. Wonderful walk you took and I'm glad I could go along with you.
Oh, that last photo of your Daisy is adorable. She's so beautiful and I love the description of her "walking" with you.
Gorgeous photos as always. I love how you capture the textures and variety of colors that you see.
Yes I did find the faces. It will be interesting to see how they fare this winter.
Sue
What a beautiful area to be out in the fall.
The sea stack faces are an amazing sight to see. Daisy is a cutie and she has patience waiting for you. Thanks for the nice photos and have a great week.
autumn is looking very fine in your neck of the woods. i saw the 2 faces on the sea stack right away, they look to me like smaller children. the double-crested cormorants and the heron are both beautiful!!
and the picnic, i forgot about that. we need to go for one very soon!!
What wonderful outings you took Daisy (and us) on. Many, many thanks.
I bet Daisy loves going for a walk.
Thanks for the heron. I was going to comment on the iridescence of that downed bird's tail feathers.
I love the places you show...I did see the faces. And what a wonderful photo of the Great Blue Heron.
I liked all the pictures and what they represent... except one! : )
I certainly see the faces in the sea stacks and enjoyed seeing the Double-Crested Cormorants - a species we don't see here, though we definitely have plenty of Starlings at present! Glad to hear that you have such an attentive canine companion taking care of you on your walks!
I can see one face - but not two. And I like the micro-snake! Cheers - Stewart M - Melbourne
I did see the faces in the stacks! That pye weed is awesome, love it this time of year, but your picture of the lighthouse takes the prize this week!
1965-66 we read a long poem in school, so long that it came in its own booklet. It was called Tuscan Villa. What I remember is a little phrase, "the guano stare of vacuity." That's the memory that your description evoked.
rocks visible in the water look interesting dear Marie ,i figured one wit human face from the side :)
heartfelt thanks for magnificent shots ,they make my day always!
trails look so gorgeous and birds are delight to look at !
your pet is super cute :)
holding snake seems brave as here people (including us) fear from them even they are babies honestly
best wishes!
You picture paint an idyllic picture. So beautiful.
How beautiful is Daisy and this time of year on the island? Lust perfect. So wonderful to be seeing it in real life at the moment.
What a beautiful week you had exploring Cape Egmont! It sounds like the picnic by the pond was delightful, and I love how you observe the seasonal changes in the sea stack. The wildlife, especially the Great Blue Heron and the Double-crested Cormorants, adds such richness to your experiences. Caring for Daisy must be a fun adventure too! Thanks for sharing your lovely journey through nature; it’s so inspiring. Check out my latest blog post.
That’s a great shot of the heron, Marie. Those stacks are emblematic of PEI, but you wonder how many will be left a few years from now. The stone is pretty soft and erodes quickly and given the increased ferocity of storms, you have to wonder how long they can withstand the constant assault of wind and waves.
Sorry - Just perfect!
I think I have a photo of that lighthouse from a long ago trip. In print photos, it was that far back.
I love the stack photos. And the cormorants. Gartersnake newly hatched and not good at evading bikes?
Daisy has certainly grown quickly this summer. She's no longer a pup, but a young dog.
Love photos (I know I say that every time but it's the truth). The photos of the heron and the starlings are very nice, but I'll admit my favorites are of the sea stacks and the fish ladder pond. Though those cormorants are sure messy critters!
Your walk today was quite interesting. Ive never seen such a small snake either. I don't think I would pick it up. Do they bite? Beautiful photos
Like Daisy, George used to stop and check on us; Harvey didn't. He just kept going!
It's guano?! Wow! I thought it was snow.
Love the stacks.
And Daisy is so beautiful and slim. You can see she is well looked after with plenty of exercise.
Nice walks. Wonderful photos, thank you very much. It gives me great pleasure to see.
And finally I was on the coast...
and we spent a lot of time there... it was fantastic.
A hug goes to you.
Gorgeous walk! Daisy is joyful, so cute. Nice closeup on the cormorants. You live in an incredibly beautiful area.
Unusual and interesting rock formations. And the cormorants seem to love it! Must be fun to watch Daisy speed back and forth on the trail.
I feel bad for the headless one. My gosh though, this walk looks peaceful. Hoping to get out this weekend for some of that.
Hello Marie,
What a great post, beautiful photos. I love seeing the sea stacks and all the Cormorants. Pretty scenery with the pond and the GB Heron. The snake is a tiny one, great sighting. Daisy is a favorite, she reminds me of my Goldie Girl. Take care, enjoy your day and happy weekend.
Hello Marie
Lovely photo of the Heron, Cormorants, tiny snake and Daisy
What a lovely walk, just beautiful!
Love from Titti
Marie, a first glance at the sea stacks reminded me of our visit to Hopewell Rocks a few months ago. The lighthouse walk looked inviting too. Sad about the casualties you found on the walk.
Those sea stacks really are interesting. I could see the faces. You certainly see and do a lot of interesting things. As far as your dog, she is a real beauty. I miss being a dog owner.
Your shoreline is breathtaking
I so enjoy all your images. I have never seen a cormorant but they remind my of a book I first read probably almost 40 years ago where the main character makes a cormorant feather skirt.
Thanks for introducing me to the cormorant. I have never seen one, but the blue heron is plentiful on our farm in south Georgia. I wish I was proficient with a camera. A large dead tree fell in the small lake behind my apartment when the hurricane blew through. We had no damage, but the tree is interesting. Today I noticed it is a very popular place for turtles to sun themselves. I could not get a close enough photo to share the picture with you.
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