June in bloom

Our morning routine has changed recently to accommodate the weather. It has been humid in the afternoons, so our walks are earlier in the morning when it is cooler. Life has moved to the patio for the summer too, many meals cooked on the barbecue and eaten on the deck. I love this time of year.

It is lupin time now. 

We have seen some along our usual pathways but lupins require a special visit to large patches we know in the area. We will visit the lupins soon. Daisies are present too with their beautiful faces smiling in the sun.

We usually arrive at the trail or boardwalk after eight a.m. and the early morning has attracted some of our favourite animals too. A Great Blue Heron likes fishing at that time 

and a female Mallard likes that hour as well.

Away from the marsh, young foxes enjoy the early morning, playing near the boardwalk.

It is green and shaded along the Rotary Trail though light makes it to the trail in places. 

The wind, usually present here, rustles the leaves, creating its own sound track. However, the birds add their voices too, Warblers I can’t identify and Blue Jays or Robins which I recognize.

A nice addition to nature this past week was the presence of tadpoles near the surface of a pond along the Rotary Trail. 

Hundreds of the larvae were visible just below the surface of the water.

We’ve checked in on the Bald Eagle pair recently too. One adult was in a nearby tree while a young one was visible in the nest.

On-line, we keep a watch on the pair of Osprey at Blackbush, Prince Edward Island, where two of the four eggs have hatched and the parents are busy feeding the two hungry chicks. The photo taken from the feed is blurred but worth a look.

On the home front, the tomatoes, peppers and cucumber plants are all transplanted and doing well but beans have yet to break ground. We look forward to the produce from our strip of earth.

It is a glorious time in nature!

A warm sunny day and an eagle update

We had a few windy and rainy days this past week which kept us inside but our weather has been lovely the last few days. On Saturday, we decided to go to the head of the bay to see if the Bald Eagles were in residence. 

Along the way, we stopped at a section of the boardwalk near the marina to walk by the bay. This  area still has ice as does the protected water of the marina. 

By April, boats will start to fill the marina for another season.

Along the way, the Indian Point Lighthouse is visible in the distance and at first glance, looks like an addition to the wharf.

There are piles of snow yet to melt in this area but people were out enjoying the setting on the beautiful blue sky day, oblivious to the snow nearby.

In this section of boardwalk, you pass the shed of the sailing school and a boat is part of the Package Deal.

Meanwhile, the Bald Eagles at the head of the bay were in the top of the tree where I had seen one perched previously. 

Both were alert, in close proximity to their nest. I wonder how long before we see eaglets over the top of the nest?

On the bay, a small flock of Canada Geese stayed together near the shoreline. The geese looked to be enjoying the day as much as we were.

We may head further from home if the weather stays mild next week.

Picture perfect

It was a picture perfect day, with the blue-grey overcast winter sky and calm winds which made it possible to hold the zoom lens without shaking. We were past due for a visit to the head of the bay this winter. We’d spent hours there last winter watching a convocation of Bald Eagles make lunch of geese who were unfortunate enough to fall prey to the gathered raptors. 

Along the bay, we paused at a couple of areas where I’ve been meaning to stop all winter. One wharf has a fishing boat tied up for the winter, encased by the ice which has frozen it in place. 

Owners of the Iron Horse are not concerned about her being crushed by the ice. This time next month, she will probably be free of the icy grip on her hull. A fishing vessel left in the winter ice is a rare sight here.

We also stopped at the new swing the city installed last summer which is popular with tourists and residents alike. No one was swinging that day as I aimed for the lighthouse through the swings. 

The expanse of ice which stretches atop the bay looks vast and barren, dwarfing the lighthouse at the entrance to the bay.

A smelt shack sits on the ice near the shoreline, offering shelter and a heat source by the look of the propane tank at the back. Fishers will sit in comfort as they catch smelts in the bay.

It is the only shack in this part of the bay this year, probably due to the unpredictable nature of the weather, going from mild to freezing so quickly. The little shack should be secure for the next week.

Island birding sites are abuzz with news of Bald Eagles nesting already this year. At the head of the bay, we can see that area’s nest across the bay on the opposite shore. 

Sure enough, a pair of mature eagles are in residence atop the nest, scanning the area.

I missed the shot of one taking off but later discovered it having a rest in a nearby tree. 

It didn’t stray far from its mate.

At the mouth of the Wilmot River nearby, a pair of Barrow’s Goldeneyes dived for fish as they enjoyed their island holiday. They are fun to watch among the geese and black ducks as they quickly dive into the depths.

We will return to the area soon!

Return to Clark’s Pond

We vowed to return to Clark’s Pond to see the Bald Eagles again during the Gaspereau run. The birds know where and when to gather for a Gaspereau buffet. This time we met with Helen and Frank, Australians visiting family on the island. Helen is a fellow blogger I had met on-line two years previously.

We started in Cavendish Grove, our favourite place on the island and made our way towards Clark’s Pond. Along the way now, wildflowers line the trail, the most appropriately named, Forget-Me-Nots, always catch my eye. 

The centres of the tiny blooms are white or yellow and tiny pink flowers are the last to open. 

It was a beautiful sunny day but the wind was high which usually means fewer birds. While there were some of the large raptors in the area,

they weren’t in the numbers we had seen the previous week. The younger birds have yet to achieve the unique feather pattern of the mature Bald Eagle.

We walked to the beach through the campgrounds down to where the stream enters the Gulf. 

Here the Gaspereau make their way from the Gulf of St. Lawrence into the pond, a short journey through the sand dunes. 

The sea was rough and the sound of the rolling waves filled the senses. The air was fresh and cool. We could see birds on the far side of the stream as they floated just above the beach.

Several juvenile birds rested atop the trees around the pond, including one which exhibited spiky feathers in the breeze. 

It stayed there the entire time we lingered.

The remains of a tree, against the sea and sky, shows how such beauty can be devastating.

Back at the Grove, the leaves have burst forth for those few warm sun-lit weeks again and the apple trees are in bloom. 

We had a picnic with our friends and enjoyed every minute in nature’s garden. 

Perfect.

Eagles of Clark’s Pond

Bald Eagles of Prince Edward Island are putting on a world class show in locations such as Clark’s Pond.

The reason is the fish run. It started with smelt  

and now, the Gaspereau, a type of herring, have begun their journey from the sea through inland waterways to ponds where they spawn. The eagles gather, gorge when they are hungry and hang out afterwards as they digest their food.

The trees destroyed by the hurricane several years ago make great perches for the birds as they survey the area.

My husband and I visited the area recently to see the spectacle. The birds didn’t disappoint. The eagles had fed earlier and were lining the banks of the pond 

and filled the trees. 

We lost count at 30 eagles in just our proximity.

There were older birds 

but lots of juveniles of various ages.

It was interesting to see them flying over the pond 

or taking flight 

from a perch in the trees. 

And as you can see above, sometimes juveniles congregated together. 

Of course we are going back to the eagles of Clark’s Pond again this week.

A day with friends

A blogging friend and his wife are visiting Prince Edward Island this spring and my husband and I met with them this week at Cavendish. Of course we had a picnic and Cavendish Grove was our meet and lunch location. David and Miriam brought good weather with them from Ontario and without any wind, it was a perfect day for birding.

David has been an avid birder since childhood and Miriam is a skilled birder who takes excellent photos. It was especially nice to spend time in nature with such birding enthusiasts.

The only way the Grove could have been better is if there had been goslings. The Canada Geese were swimming or flying around 

and arguing with each other in usual Geese fashion. 

Ducks such as Mallards, Gadwalls 

and Green-winged Teals dropped in while we watched. The Muskrat swam around the bulrushes and dived for tender shoots.

The National Park is a prime location for Bald Eagles on the island and we often see them when we visit the park. That day was no different and in honour of our visitors, the birds were in fine form. We saw one perched on a stump near the dunes 

and two adults and an immature eagle floated overhead on the breeze.

Elsewhere in the park, as per usual, an Osprey flew by.

We saw Golden-crowned Kinglets in a tree, tiny birds which I had never seen before. I didn’t manage a good photo, just a blur of flapping wings as one flew away.

It was a wonderful day with people who enjoy nature as much or more than we do. 

P.S.

I am leaving comments on blogs as I have always done and many aren’t posting. What is up with Blogger these days? Is there a fix for this?