Beauties of an August week

The last month of summer is shaping up to be a bit cooler and less humid than the previous month. We have stayed close to home, walking on the boardwalk and the Confederation Trail. We did one 40 km round trip on our bikes to the neighbouring community of Wellington however, where we had a picnic.

The highlight of this past week was the wildflowers. I cannot pass a flower-lined trail to the beach without following it to the water.  

There, just off-shore in Bedeque Bay, Bonaparte’s Gulls looked at home. They are common visitors this time of year. 

A Great Blue Heron visited the area near the salt marsh as well.

Down another such trail, someone took the time to make and install the Boardwalk Inn for squirrels and birds alike. The Inn is in a prime location.

Along the boardwalk, the wildflowers are so tall they tower over our heads. 

This Joe Pye weed approaches three metres high at least!

This ball of fluff was at the end of a lead held by a woman walking a fast pace.

It was everything the little dog could do to keep up with the owner. As the dog passed, she looked over at my husband and me, panting as she went. The little dog was giving it her all! Adorable!

A horse was in a farmyard along the Confederation Trail. This one had a visitor.

At Wellington, during our bike ride, we had lunch at the park by the Grand River.

The area was quiet with a few children at the playground and workers doing some repairs on one of the buildings. Sitting there having lunch in the sun, it was peaceful, far from the worries of the world.

Finally today, my husband’s cousin visited this past week. He is a bike enthusiast and came by on his Harley. 

It is a beauty, though a bit too big for my husband who couldn’t hold it up. If he ever gets a motorcycle, which is his dream, it will have to be a three wheeler. 

I wish you peace this week! 

Enjoying nature

We have stayed close to home for the last month partly because of the humidity and heat. This last week, while it hasn’t been humid, we’ve had high winds and rain just about every day. We walk the boardwalk every day however, between the raindrops, usually in the morning.

Recently, children in the Wild Child Program spent days along the boardwalk, under the trees in one area and along the shoreline, on the grass or on the sand dunes at low tide. 

It looks like a great experience for the kids, exploring the environment and playing as kids do. 

My early experiences on the beaches and in the woods of Newfoundland make me smile when I see children today enjoying nature as they did in this camp. However, I continue to enjoy time in nature to this day as I hope those children will continue throughout their lives.

Meanwhile, the shorebirds continue their visits to our shoreline as they journey south for another year. We spend time every day watching them, birds of various sizes as they feed along the shoreline. 

Recently, a flock of twenty plus Ruddy Turnstones fed among the seaweed piled along the beach. 

These pretty birds breed on the Arctic tundra and stop here to fatten up as they journey south. They poke around the seaweed, exposing food, and appear to enjoy the waves breaking on the shoreline around them.

The herons have been absent for some weeks but this past week they were back again. One hid among the bulrushes in the salt marsh one morning and startled us when it took flight. In the photo below, one fed along the distant sandbar at low tide and was lucky enough to catch a flounder for its breakfast.

A young Great Black-backed Gull was crabbing along the shoreline at low tide with some success as well. Bonaparte Gulls are wading behind it.

I have tried all season to take a good photo of the Common Grackles which spend several months every year along the boardwalk. This Grackle, after it procured a peanut, hopped along the bridge before it took flight. 

The chipmunks are gathering peanuts from visitors too. This perfect specimen was watching in case we offered one. 

It was hard to see but we heard this Grizzly Locust as it landed nearby. This insect makes a sound like a burning sparkler as it flies. Landed on this hard surface, it almost disappears.  

Many of the wildflowers are past their prime now but the scenes along the shoreline as pretty though more autumn-like now. 

Finally today, the neighbourhood crows have introduced us to the new additions to their murder. Below, one is waiting around for a chance to play a bit of basketball with the neighbourhood kids.

 

Along the shoreline

The boardwalk at Summerside is undergoing repair work and the popular section of the trail where many of the birds, squirrels and chipmunks hang out has been closed to walkers. 

With replacement of the bridge over the stream, workers have drained the area to facilitate construction and the setting has changed a great deal. 

Ducks who frequented the salt marsh have moved on but the usual late summer shorebirds still frequent the shoreline. We walk near the section under construction and enjoy the gazebo and shoreline. We have seen a few birds new to the area this month and enjoy our time observing them.

Greater and Lesser Yellowlegs are walking and feeding along the shoreline these days. The two species are so similar but beak size is a distinguishing feature. They appear to live in harmony together.

One day, watching from the gazebo, I noticed what looked like a small flock of sparrows land on the beach which would be an unusual sight. I watched the birds, obviously not sparrows but Least Sandpipers, the smallest of the sandpipers. They stayed long enough for me to take a photo.

Another day, Black-bellied Plovers stopped for a visit. Eventually I managed a good photo.

One of my favourite days brought the Double-crested Cormorants from the breakwater

to a sandbar near the old Rifle Range. A few Great Black-backed Gulls sat among them. One could imagine the birds chatting, moving around to speak to friends they spot nearby, waiting for fish to enter the channel. Poor fish, though I would have liked to see that fishery.

                                                                           The Stand

Great Blue Herons were vigilant nearby as well, watching everything with those eagle…rather, heron eyes.

The next day, the cormorants were back at The Stand again, this time, a flock of Bonaparte’s Gulls rested on a sand bar in front of them. There is quite a contrast in size between the cormorants and these tiny gulls.

As often as I can, I sit for a time on a rock or a bench, enjoying the breeze with the sun shining and the wonder of birds spread before me. It is a time when the troubles of the world disappear and all is well for a few precious minutes. Perfect!

Along the shoreline

Gulls are a common sight in Summerside along the shoreline and in the harbour in the spring, summer and fall. Some stay year round. When the harbour freezes in December, those birds head for open water around the island. Having lived all my life on eastern Canadian islands, gulls are as much a part of life as the tides. Their calls are synonymous with the sea. 

They stand into the wind along the beach like sentinels of the marine environment. 

They glide on the wind as if at play and are the cleaners of the environment as tremendous scavengers. 

There is so much to appreciate about gulls.

This past summer, my husband and I were interested to see some of the smallest and biggest gull species. Great Black-backed Gulls are the largest gulls in the world. When we have seen them with other species of gulls, they can be aggressive, taking food from the others. 

On one occasion though, a Great Black-back with its mouth full of crab, landed in the middle of a group of smaller gulls.

The others wanted the crab but with one lift of its wings, the large bird sloughed off the other birds with a loud cry. They quickly moved away.

Late July every year, Bonaparte’s Gulls return to Prince Edward Island from their breeding grounds in the northwest. They are among the smallest gulls and are unique among gulls in that they nest in trees. We always see them in a flock, adults as well as immature ones spend time along the shoreline, in preparation for their trip south. They feed along our shoreline for a month or so.

The adults have black heads when we see them in the summer. 

The juveniles have white heads with a black dot behind each eye. 

One of the last times we saw these little gulls this year, they were facing south. I imagine they were pondering the long journey ahead.

Herring Gulls are common around the island too. They are larger birds and their call is the sound of the seaside I grew up with in Newfoundland.

The juvenile Herring Gulls look different from the adults and with their dark grey brown feathers you would not connect them to the adults of the species.

Herring Gulls are some of the birds who drop seafood in shells from a height to break the shell on the rocks below. 

We have watched the Herring Gulls prepare their lunch this way and other gulls last winter did the same as we watched them fly along the Grand River.

While gulls also live in inland parts of Canada, as an east coast Canadian island woman, gulls are as much a part of my life as the sea itself. I cannot imagine life without either.