Out and about in August

Last week was beautiful on Prince Edward Island in spite of the tremendous heat during the early part of the week. We had the hottest day ever recorded here, at 39.5 C or 103 F. The humidity made it feel warmer. However, the island breeze was blowing  and made the heat bearable. It was lovely in the house with windows open and the breeze blowing through. By Thursday, the air had cooled and with the breeze, it was comfortable. My husband and I walked early every day though to avoid the hottest hours.

One day, at low tide, Gulls were spread around the extended area of shoreline as if they owned the bay. The colours, texture of the sand and the water created an unusual sight which may never present itself in the same way again. We lingered over the scene.

As always, each day nature provided entertainment. We wished we had seen the reason this female Mallard was taking such a deed bow on her own stage. 

At the end of the show, Starlings left the marsh noisily as they usually do.

The bay was busy. Lobster season is well underway on the south coast of the island now and fishing boats crash through the rough seas to check their traps for the valuable crustaceans. The haze of the wildfires throughout Canada was present some days.

Another day, at low tide, a man and his dog enjoyed playing fetch in the bay. The dog’s enjoyment of retrieving the toy was obvious and fun to watch from the boardwalk. 

When I turned around to walk further on the trail, there was a Bald Eagle, atop the same snag as last week. Sometimes two of the birds land in the same place. 

I wondered if this bird was the same one as I had seen and photographed the previous week. I took copious photos to compare the two lots of pictures and discovered it probably is the same bird. 

There is a common mark in the same location in the left iris in the two birds photographed.

This time I captured the bird blinking, as its nictitating membrane closed over its eye. The largely transparent membrane protects the eye and keeps it clean.

The presence of the Bald Eagles on a fairly regular basis, makes me wonder if they are making meals of the ducks which frequent the salt marsh near where the Eagles hang out. 

There were a number of small young Green-winged Teals one days in the marsh. 

These are small ducks anyway but there were several young ones among the assembled birds. The next time we visited the area, lots of feathers covered the marsh and few Teals. 

We can’t help but think the Eagles dined there.

Mid week, we were entertained by a flock of Black-bellied Plovers. There were birds at various stages of development in the flock, such as this adult,

and these two younger birds. 

I was fortunate to be able to capture their markings in flight as well.

We also picked high bush blueberries this past Saturday with our daughter and grandchildren. The berries are juicy and delicious and so easy to pick. The kids love a Newfoundland recipe called blueberry grunt. 

The recipe makes a tasty blueberry jam into which you drop spoonfuls of dumplings. They cook in the jam. Our grandson loves them for breakfast.

Finally this week, our daughter, her husband and two of the children fished for mackerel which they use as a bait fish for bass. They fish for the mackerel near the Confederation Bridge. This was the scene last week one evening as the sun set. 

They caught a lot of fish that evening. My husband and I had some for a meal…so fresh and tasty.

May your week be a tasty one too!