A week by Bedeque Bay

We walked in the rain this past weekend, such a lovely change after a week of blistering heat. Everything needed rain, including us. It cooled off yesterday and was much more comfortable.

The heat keeps my husband and me close to home but the boardwalk has been our refuge in the cooler early mornings. Sometimes the salt marsh looks deserted when we arrive at the gazebo but if you watch quietly, the marsh comes to life. 

One morning a few Black Ducks were feeding in the marsh but nothing else was obvious. 

Camera ready, I watched as a Great Blue Heron came out of the bulrushes 

and proceeded to fish in the marsh. I always enjoy those birds.

Nearby, a Yellowlegs had dropped by on its way south and bobbed around the marsh, feeding occasionally. 

A juvenile Robin fed in the sand along the perimeter of the marsh. 

A juvenile Starling did the same.

A Mourning Dove, calling from nearby was easy to spot. 

Not so the Sparrow because of its tiny size and colouring.

A Crow waded in the stream looking for morsels

while along the shoreline a young Herring Gull look pleased with itself for the discovery of the shell. 

I watched as the bird took flight and high above the beach, dropped the shell, breaking it.

The plants along the boardwalk are growing well and many are overhead, like this Queen Anne’s Lace which is about three metres high.

In another area of the boardwalk, the city installed three hammocks. 

These swingers are popular with residents and tourists alike, many stopping to relax and catch the view. The same area is a great place to meet friends for a chat too.

While we were there, one of the resident Great Blue Herons took flight from its fishing spot in Bedeque Bay. 

Another day, a Heron entertained some Gulls on a nearby sandbar.

I couldn’t check on the Sapsuckers this past week until Saturday. A day care program was using the area where the nest was located. By Saturday, when I could check, a young bird was calling and looking out of the nest. 

Finally this week, my husband and I have been free cycling some items through a local Facebook page. Canning jars, a bread-maker, a coffee pot and pods and a new cannister set all found new homes. They were picked up within minutes of posting about them. The gardening corner of the garage is next.

Synchronicity

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.

For now

The grip of winter kept us closer to home this past week. We walked the boardwalk a few days but walking the neighbourhood meant we could escape to home easily if we needed too. One day, with windchill of -23 C, cold stung our faces making an escape necessary.

Not only is Bedeque Bay ice covered now, with all the the snow we had last week, it is snow covered too. In places now, one can’t discern the shoreline from the snowy, ice-covered water below. 

We attended two gymnastics competitions which our youngest granddaughter participated in last week. Her enjoyment of the sport and determination to do her best are wonderful to see. There is another competition next weekend which we will attend if weather permits.

Also recently, one of my friends from book club passed away. Another ‘bookie’ and I attended her funeral last week. Katie was an avid reader and a kind, generous, loving person. I find it hard to believe she is gone. She will be missed.

Many in Canada watched the news on Saturday about the 25% tariffs the U.S. will impose on Canadian goods entering that country. In response, Canada will impose retaliatory tariffs on goods entering Canada from the U.S. 

Our daughter sent us this photo of the golden grand-dog, Daisy, early Saturday evening.

I wrote, “Daisy looks worried.”

Our daughter responded, “She’s scared the tariffs are going to affect her number of treats.”

It is good we can chuckle about it. For now…

P.S. Monday evening we learned the tariff threat from the U.S. has been delayed a month.  Daisy can relax for a few weeks.

About last week

At some point this month I had to do some Christmas shopping so I started this past week, though reluctantly. Time is running out however. I don’t enjoy shopping. My husband and I find it difficult to shop for the grandchildren these days as their taste and preferences are evolving as they grow. Our daughter accompanied me one day which was a huge help. It was nice to have that time with her too. Her father joined us for lunch which was lovely.

We didn’t get to the boardwalk as often this week as a result but the scene there certainly changed in that time. Early last week, a seaweed dam at the mouth of the salt marsh had resulted in flooding of the marsh which had then frozen.

On Sunday last week, as we walked away from the parking lot, ducks were flying overhead to the north. With no open water in the salt marsh, the ducks had headed out to look for some.

That day, I captured a photo of a Dark-Eyed Junco which was feeding along the boardwalk.

The Bluejays are always entertaining of course. A flock of the pretty avians will appear quickly along the bridge if one offers peanuts, one of their favourite snacks. 

The Chickadees require the shells removed from the nuts and wait patiently for them.

The vessel, Federal Ohio, came into port when Blacky left the previous week. 

From the photo of what looked like a Coast Guard boat further in the bay, you can see how much ice was in the harbour.

Gulls were a highlight another day. 

They played in the bay opposite the stream. 

We heard honking overhead and I found the Canada Geese quickly enough to take a photo.

The mild temperatures later in the week melted much of the snow and ice in the area. The dam of seaweed at the mouth of the marsh gave way and the ducks returned. 

When it turned cold again, they ice skated in the marsh to get to areas where the water was still flowing.

A Downy Woodpecker drilled into trees near the marsh 

and a Mourning Dove perched high above the scene watched everything with interest.

On a more serious note:

In conclusion this week, I have news of a scam which targeted seniors on Prince Edward Island. Two people visiting the island phoned various islanders, addressing those who answered the phone with “Hey, grandma,” or “Hey, grandpa.”

I answered the phone one day. It looked like a local number so I said, “Hello.” When a male voice said, “Hey, Grandma,” I hung up without saying anything further.

Apparently the caller scammed several islanders out of money, saying he was the person’s grandson and needed money for bail. One senior however, arranged a meeting to pass over money, called the police and the scammer was arrested at the appointed place.

There are so many similar and worse scams going on these days that one has to be alert and suspicious of everything, especially unsolicited phone calls, emails and the rest. 

Nature is an important reprieve from the worries of the world.

I wish you a scam-free week.