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Monday, 1 December 2025

November light

We had a sprinkle of snow overnight late last week which made me curious about previous years. I found this photo from November 24, 2018, showing snow on the ground and ice in the harbour. We have a cold, snowy week in the forecast so I expect we will see more of scenes like this…

                                                                      November 24, 2018

The November light was the highlight this past week, as cloud cover, which sometimes teased us with sun trying to break through, made for interesting skies. From Bedeque Bay looking out into the Northumberland Strait, sea and sky made a painting which was a testament to the skill of the artist. From the sparkle of the water to the texture of the cloud cover amid the shades of blue, the beauty of the setting caused one to pause to take it in.

Meanwhile, in the salt marsh by the bay, an American Black Duck puffed its feathers against the cold air.

Another day, my husband and I visited the National Park at Cavendish where we parked in Cavendish Grove and walked to the beach and back.

It was another cold day and overcast but without wind. The November light resembled twilight but in the late morning.   


The Lake of Shining Waters, as described so beautifully by author, L. M. Montgomery over a hundred years ago, sits behind the dunes in the soft light, framed by the conifers, grasses and rose hips.



On the way home that day, we passed several flocks of birds resting in the plowed autumn fields. Gulls in two fields and Canada Geese in two others, were in no rush to do anything that day.


We walked in the Rotary Friendship Park last week where it was interesting to see green deciduous leaves framing the entrance to one of the woodland trails. These are the only such leaves we’ve seen in our area recently.


Along the boardwalk later last week, the resident Bald Eagle landed in the area it often frequents. It was a wet windy day and I didn’t bring my camera though R took two good photos on his cell phone. 



I really like the detail visible on the wing feathers in this photo.


In the salt marsh yesterday, two Mallard pairs made interesting patterns on the surface of the water.



Finally this week, yesterday, a male Woodpecker found its way into our daughter’s house through a briefly opened door. She and the children worked to
 capture the bird safely and release it successfully. It was an exciting time for everyone involved.



Happy December, everyone!


33 comments:

eileeninmd said...

Hello,
Happy December Marie! Your photos of the beach and water are gorgeous. Beautiful seascapes! Great captures of the Ducks, Geese, the Eagle. I am glad your daughter was able to safely capture the woodpecker and release it.

Anvilcloud said...

I found it so pleasant to recall the Lake of Shining Waters and the Meghan Follows Anne or Green Gables series of another time. How great was that particular Anne.

Bird in the house: what an adventure!

Anonymous said...

Glad that Woody was successfully set free!

Barbara said...

Trying to get that woodpecker out must have been a crazy time. You know I love all your duck pictures especially the Mallards. The Canadian Geese remind me of my father who, unfortunately, was a hunter on occasion. Hahaha. It's 44 degrees in Houston and I feel like I'm living in the top picture. Love that picture too.

Debra She Who Seeks said...

The Lake of Shining Waters! I adored the book "Anne of Green Gables" as a child and loved this evocative name!

gluten Free A_Z Blog said...

Wonderful photos. I always wonder what the weather conditions were in previous winters.Love the flocks of geese and of course always in awe of seeing bald eagles.

Amypie71 said...

I'm loving your beach, reminds me of some of the beaches in New Zealand's north island with plenty of golden sand. Seems so strange to be having Winter right now since we have the opposite.

aurora said...

November light is beautiful! So many special photos of lovely muted colors.

Trying to catching and help a wild animal that found it's way indoors is definitely a group effort.

margi said...

Hello, your pictures are gorgeous. I wish we could have a bit of snow this winter… even if only for a few hours.

Helen said...

Happy December, Marie. You have shared so much incredible winter beauty from your outings of the past week. Such a contrast to here. The green welcome at the RFP with the snow beneath is my favourite along with your 2018 image.

Helen said...
This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.
Stanisław Kucharzyk said...

I was intrigued by this evergreen tree. The shape and appearance of the leaves suggest it might be our European species, invasive on PEI – the Common Buckthorn (Rhamnus cathartica). It loses its leaves in the fall, but it remains on the tree for quite a while. https://treecanada.ca/resources/tree-killers/common-buckthorn/

MARY G said...

I remember that beach with joy - my parents rented a cottage and treated my girls (age 7 and 8) to a Green Gables week. Yes, lovely cloud and sky. And the beautiful detail on the duck wings and the outline of the eagle wings.

Linda's Relaxing Lair said...

Dear Marie, Happy December to you, dear friend! Your photos are absolutely stunning!!!

Martha said...

Gorgeous photos, and how crazy to have a little woodpecker get in the house. I'm glad they were able to get him out safely. I had one that got up into my attic while I had roof damage from one of the hurricanes last year. It was like someone using a jackhammer in the house, lol! Thankfully, he didn't hang around up there for long.

Maebeme said...

The photos of the sea are so incredible. I love the play of the light on the water.
Silly ducks and geese, don't they know it is time to head south?
I bet that was an exciting time for your daughter and family. Maybe the woodpecker has learned a lesson. :)

Leslie's Garden said...

This was such a beautiful post, with so many interesing tidbits! That first photo is so gorgeous. I loved the photos of the ducks resting in the water, making the cute ripples.

Billie Jo said...

Happy December! Your photos are so very beautiful, my friend. You capture winter's beauty perfectly!

Debbie said...

oooooh marie...have i ever told you how mach i enjoy your writing skills?? i know i have but the way you tell a story, the words are so colorful and interesting, the way you see things. your images are gorgeous today...we are expecting snow tomorrow, i hope we get some. a few years ago, i had a wreath on my front door...2 robins built a nest and one ended up in the house. i forgot and opened the front door, at night, from inside. in it flew!!! it was dark out so we turned out all the lights in the house and lit up the front yard and out it went!! fun times!!

acorn hollow said...

A beautiful walk. A wood duck in the house would be exciting!
Cold week ahead and snow coming in tomorrow.
Cathy

contempladoraocidental.blogspot.com said...

December started in a very pleasant way for you. I'm just going along. : )

The Padre said...

Happy December And Think Snow - Another Delightful Round Of Photos Once Again

Stay Safe ,
Cheers

photowannabe said...

Wow, what a great capture of that woodpecker in the house. Glad it was able to be safely released. We saw our first tiny Woodpecker on the tree in our back yard. I couldn't get pictures of it. It constantly went on the other side of the tree. I was excited because I've only seen them 4 or 5 times in all the time we have lived in this house.
That sure is a gaggle of geese too. Love how they are all facing into the wind.
I'm happy to see the sun today. 5 days of gloom was enough for me.
Sue

Granny Sue said...

Such lovely muted colors. The eagle one is quite stunning.
I loved Ms. Montgomery's books. I was entranced by the descriptions of your island.

Liz Hinds said...

So many geese! The first two photos especially are wonderful.

The Happy Whisk said...

Did Woody make his way back out? We have those here but none ever came into the house. What a neat thing!

Thank you for you comment. That's a little elephant. She's called Misfit Elephant and she's from Misfit Island. She's a cutie!

Lorrie said...

Such beautiful light over the water and marshes. I'm glad you showed the Lake of Shining Waters for I have wondered where it was. Next time I go to PEI I'll look it up!
I'm glad the woodpecker made it safely outdoors.

Glenda Beall said...

Those first pictures create a mood in me. Calm and serious, almost haunting. I love your work.

Coastal Ripples said...

Lovely to see all those geese. I bet there was plenty of honking noises in that field. Beautiful November scenes. B x

Beatrice P. Boyd said...

Welcome to December, indeed, as we had out first snowfall in Nashua, NH, on Dec 2, about 5 inches. Thankfully, we had returned home from our Thanksgiving travels the day before and were indoors watching the winter scene. Thanks for sharing your outdoor scenes, Marie.

Breathtaking said...

Hello Marie :)
The seascapes are beautiful, and so are the nature shots. I'm glad the Woodpecker got released. Kudos to your daughter for capturing it, I know it's a tense and scary procedure.

Bill said...

Happy December, Marie. Love the last photo, the woodpecker looks like it is wearing a shawl. :)

Sherry's Pickings said...

beautiful photos and beautiful birds!