It was a mild, late winter day, three days before the Vernal Equinox, when day and night are equal. Ice in Bedeque Bay was turning slushy. Carl Sandburg’s poem came to mind as we watched fog creep onto the shoreline on “little cat feet.” Sea and sky blended into one as the ice covered bay and fog greeted the morning light.
In the salt marsh ducks paired up,
male and female partners enjoying each other’s company with spring in the air. They make handsome couples.
As I walked along the boardwalk, I was taken with the beauty of the deciduous trees. As the juices start flowing again with imminent spring, long winter sleep is over. Buds will start to grow as the days lengthen and by late May, leaves will appear. There is promise in this scene!
As the week progresses, the ice in the bay disappears significantly.
By the equinox, the cloud cover is mirrored in a thin layer of ice. Summerside is open for spring.
By Sunday, the bay is free of ice after wind, rain and warmer temperatures. Sea and sky are one.
Song Sparrows are singing along the boardwalk once again
and the two which nest in our hedge are serenading us in the mornings now. Robins watch everything as they tip their heads to see food and/or predators.
The calendar and the nature are synchronized. Spring has arrived!
This was the scene at the end of March in 2019. Our granddaughters were riding along the boardwalk by Bedeque Bay which was ice and snow covered. Ice is disappearing earlier in more recent years. It is concerning since ice prevents erosion in the winter months.
Will there be an island for the girls to call home when they are older? It is a worry among the many of this time in history.
39 comments:
No robins here yet.
Bellissime foto,grazie.
Wonderful pictures, as always. I really enjoy seeing spring emerging from the cold dark days of winter.
Did my comment disappear!
Great winter-into-spring musing and pictures.
Hi Marie! What a lovely description of the changing season! I could almost feel the crisp air softening, hear the Song Sparrows, and see the fog rolling in on “little cat feet.” Your words capture the quiet beauty and hope that comes with early spring—such a gentle awakening after winter’s rest. Thank you for sharing this moment so poetically. John
Marie bet it does your heart good to see the robins arrive. We have many that stay through out our winter but more arrive in March and cover the fields in flocks. They are such a lovely sight. Looks like spring has began to show signs in your part of the world. Take care and have a delightful week.
Oh my, that first photo is sooo wonderfully moody!! An eloquent post, accompanied by your tack sharp photos and flowing words. So much beauty unfolds in the Spring. I share your concern for the future of our planet.
I always enjoy the transition from winter to spring when everything comes alive again. Great photos and narrative, have a wonderful new week, Marie.
I really enjoyed looking and reading all about the coming of your spring, especially the blending of the ice and sky..so lovely.
When we lived in the San Francisco bay area we had many days of the fog coming in on little cats feet.
The birds were singing their hearts out when I went out to snap a few pictures. I could never get a good closeup of them. They were the little "flitters" as I call them. I think they were happy that in pulling the weeds I had dispersed a lot of tiny seeds..Always glad to help... (:0)
Sue
We saw several robins today on our daily hobble.
Seasonal change seems to come slowly but in the end it always arrives. Watching the ice go out of the bay is certainly different from watching the piles of snow melt on our lawn!
Beautiful views of the bay! I love the ducks, sparrow and the robin.
It is nice to get outdoors with the grandchildren. Have a great day and happy week ahead.
Marie, reading your wonderful post and everyone's comments, I really do miss not experiencing the wonder and joy of spring's arrival. On the other hand, I haven't been waiting longingly for it.
Nice to see the signs of spring, even though the icy sea is awesome.
Spring is such a hopeful time of the year. I really, really hope that you, your family and future generations can continue to enjoy the island for many years to come.
Great account of spring coming and going on the island.
Yay spring. Keep it coming.
great capture of a song sparrow - not an easy bird to find and photograph.
Hey, we had an ice storm this morning. Half my yard is out of the snow, half still under. But the deer can move again as what is left is slush on top.
this has been a late spring here. But, I hear you about losing the ice. Check the glacier photos. Yikes.
The joy of Spring shines in this post, Marie. And yes, concern for the future too.
An elegant,poetic and heartfelt story of the leaving winter and arriving spring 🥹
Each line touches the soul and spreads the echo of this message awesomely dear Marie 🥰
I wish I could read books written by you as even reading these lines makes my eyes teary with deepest sense of serenity 🥹🤗
You have a gift undoubtedly my friend♥️
My heart melts with happiness that your island is opening eyes to engage the fresh spirit of the spring season 😍
Imagining you walking among the glory and lush meadows under sunshine makes me feel so happy 🥰
Story of life is weird yet beautiful,ever changing patterns took away the breath leaving us in shock,yet lead us to somewhere more beautiful surprises. Nothing can stop nature evolving. But I feel your granddaughters will see the island when grown up 🙏♥️
Hugs and heartfelt best wishes to you and yours!
a nice tour and update of the weather there. it's nice to see the grands out on their bikes!!
Me imagino que al haber menos nieve, se habrá ido ese frío intenso del riguroso invierno.
Muy buen reportaje fotográfico has hecho.
You took some beautiful photos. I especially like the first one and the robin, and of course the one of your grandchildren on their bikes. All the best to you all.
Best wishes from Viola
We are definitely not seeing spring here yet. I can recall as a youngster seeing pussy willows blooming at this time of year, but it wouldn't be happening this year.
It's hard to know what will happen, but the lack of ice is definitely a concern in your area. I'd be quite happy to send some of the snow and cold we've been getting, if I could!
Those trees look mighty big.
Gosh, how quickly the ice scene changed in days. Weather/climate does seem to be changing too. We've had a very dry and quite pleasant March. It will probably snow in April!
The robins are in my back yard, so nice to see them. The crows are making a big noisy fuss, chasing each other.... spring is in the air. Weather is typical for March.... today it was bright sunshine and big horizontal snowflakes at the same time.
What a beautiful post, you have described the appearance of spring with such feeling. When I go back home I expect to see a lot of spring buds in the garden, and the birds flitting around looking for nesting material. Global warming is very worrying, I hope there will be an island for your girls when they are older.
Love how you captured the quiet beauty of the changing seasons! The fog, the ducks, the sparrows—it all feels so alive. But the thought of ice disappearing earlier each year is worrying. Hopefully, future generations will still have this place to call home.
I suspect there will be an island for your grandchildren, Marie, but it is likely to be quite a bit smaller. Erosion is a powerful force.
nice crisp walk along the shore. LOL...I have filled my bird feeders and hummingbird feeders are ready to go. Lots of quakers around you esp with new ones being born. NIce.
I really enjoy see and hearing about your changing seasons. Beautiful photos. The rising sea levels are a grave concern.
It's interesting to see how nature’s rhythms are changing over the years, like the ice disappearing earlier than before. It makes me think about how interconnected everything is, from the birds to the seasons. Thanks for sharing this lovely reflection!
Thank you for reading my new blog post, and have a nice Friday.
https://www.melodyjacob.com/2025/03/follow-on-instagram-melodyjacob1.html
Mallards always make for a striking couple whenever we see them here on the river as well. It's good to see evidence of winter retreating and spring ever so slowly coming in. Hopefully, we may see some evidence here soon, but not so far 😲
I wonder if we will continue to experience higher temperatures in the winter and advanced spring in the future.
It was a pleasure to pass by... as usual! : )
Tis the time of year when the birds start pairing up. Pretty soon the little ducklings will start to appear. Cannot wait to see your pictures!
I hope the island is there when they grow up. I love, love, love that first image. That's wicked cool.
HW, sometimes we take home soup or a stew of chicken or beef for out picnics. Other times we take sandwiches or salads of rice, quinoa and roasted veg. We enjoy whatever is on the menu that day.
Marie
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