Is it spring?

The weather has been milder this past week and our usual walking area shows it. This was the scene of the stream through the salt marsh on February 23rd.

This was the area yesterday. 

The ducks, gone since the stream froze, are back and the water is visible again.

The avians walk the salt marsh and swim in the water as the ice melts. Ducks and crows leave footprints in the snow. What do you suppose created the long impression center left in this photo?

At the mouth of the stream, the ice on the bay is beginning to melt. The ice doesn’t look solid any more. Soon it will break up and wind will take it into the Northumberland Strait.

A Downy Woodpecker had its feathers fluffed against the cold one day last week as it drilled into trees along the walkway.

A Mourning Dove was nestled into a cozy position one day, also with its feathers fluffed against the high winds.

We were fortunate to see a Ruffed Grouse again, which eats at the base of a feeder near the end of the boardwalk. It approached us as we stood quietly watching it.

Recently I read of a study at the University of Utah which found that people who spent time in nature showed improvement in their ability to focus on a task. I believe time in nature helps me deal with everyday life in a troubled world.

Meanwhile, in response to the tariffs proposed by the American president on Canadian goods entering the U.S., my husband and I avoided buying U.S. products last week. When we shop in the morning, most shoppers are seniors like us. We had numerous conversations with other seniors about our shared desire to buy Canadian. We also avoided U.S. stores/businesses this past Friday.

Store employees here are seeing the result too. At one store I checked the spinach to see if any was not a U.S. product. A clerk who was stocking the cooler told me all the spinach and lettuce are from the U.S. but people aren’t buying it. Neither did I.

At another store, the cauliflower and broccoli were U.S. products but they were going bad and needed to be removed from the cooler. I hate to see food wasted but sometimes greater principles take precedence.

Finally this week, I am thinking of Ukraine which has endured three years of war at the hands of Putin’s Russia. Ukraine’s leader, Zelenskyy, is a man of great courage and leadership. He is an inspiration to his people. 

May Ukraine prevail!

 

The winter light

It was a lovely holiday season here on the east coast of Canada. The weather was variable, from cold and windy to mild and calm. We walked most days, even if it meant walking on the track at Credit Union Place here in Summerside. The holiday treats make exercise even more important than usual. Time with family and friends was the best.

Time in nature has been lovely too. As I’ve mentioned already, walking in the elements here this time of year, one may experience anything. The sun…always such a welcome sight, is often a stranger in the winter months though. Not so recently however, when on the last day of the year, a mild winter day of 9 degrees C brought us to Cavendish for a walk on the beach. Such a calm day would have been perfect for a picnic had we prepared for it.

The angle of the sun that day near noon, cast long shadows on the sand. 

Six months will make a huge difference to this beach in the noon day sun which draws thousands of sun revellers every year.

Similarly, the noon day shadow on the sea stack at MacKenzie’s Brook just down the road will disappear as the sun returns over the next six months.

Meanwhile along the boardwalk, each day brings enjoyment as we chat with other walkers and appreciate nature as we go. One of our fellow walkers is turning 90 this year. She and her husband can be seen in most weather, confining their walking to sheltered areas on particularly windy days. Another man, a former ferry captain, uses his walker every day, regardless of the weather. A stroke hasn’t stopped him! 

On New Years Eve, ducks were enjoying the last few minutes of daylight as the sun set, highlighting the bits of ice along the shoreline in Bedeque Bay.

On overcast days, even at noon, our winter day resembles twilight as it did on New Year’s Day below.

And always, the birds provide hours of enjoyment. The bluejays, ducks, sparrows, chickadees, woodpeckers, doves, pigeons, eagles, geese and gulls all catch our attention and the camera when possible. The latest species was captured by my husband on his cell phone however. This Ruffed Grouse has impressive plumage, a real beauty.

At home, we are enjoying the company of our Corvid friends, the crows. When the weather turned cold, we began to feed them again. There are numerous crows in our neighbourhood, but six of them frequent our lawn. Occasionally, extras start to gather but are driven away by the regulars. Below you can see some gather on our deck rail, waiting for the treat of the day.

We believe the six to be a combination of older crows and last year’s young. The younger ones wait for the food but will not touch it until the older ones have eaten. The biggest of the six always gets the food first. There is definitely a pecking order among this murder. We always put out extra food for the smaller crows after the older ones have finished. Birds provide hours of enjoyment every winter!

Have a great week everyone!

Autumn on the trail

It It was a cooler day, with a slight breeze and a mixture of sun and cloud. However the sun was shining as my husband and I headed out on our e-bikes. He rides more often than I do but this day we headed out together, hoping to have a picnic in Wellington, west of Summerside.

  

There are a few sections of this area of the Confederation Trail where it is leaf covered. The crunch of leaves as we rode was music to our ears as leaves were in short supply this year, many having been shredded by Fiona and stuck to windows, houses etc.

Just past Miscouche, the marsh area is flooded. 

Sometimes this area is almost dry, not so this day. Nearby, junipers or tamarack are the last trees to change colour 

and a huge wasp nest is easy to see among the bare branches of other deciduous trees. 

How that nest stayed in the tree through the violent wind of Fiona is a natural wonder.

We saw several Ruffed Grouse along the trail that day too. They were on the side of the trail and flew into the trees when we came near them. 

They are mottled browns and greys and disappear into the underbrush easily. 

This tree stump was an interesting find when we stopped on one occasion. 

It has two huge eyes looking out, a head of mossy hair and a shrub growing up through the moss. Nature always amazes us with how she reclaims her own.

The Confederation Trail has picnic areas every few kilometres. This one by the Ellis River in Wellington was a great spot for our picnic. 

Our new wide-mouth thermoses were just right for the chicken casserole we had for lunch, piping hot accompanied by a mug of hot tea. My husband and I like to have our main meal at lunch time and the thermoses allow us to vary what we bring for our picnic lunches.

While we ate, a local resident dropped by to check us out.

Curiosity is a feline trait after all. We called her Fluff. 

Other area residents were about too. Black-capped Chickadees called from the trees and Red-breasted Nuthatches walked down the trunks as the Chickadees flitted around them. Further down the Ellis River, five ducks swam around creating waves on the water which made it hard to take a good photo. Male and female Mallards, a female Merganser and male and female American Black Ducks made for lovely company while we ate. We hope Fluff will behave herself where our feathered friends are concerned.

After lunch, we rode to the park in Wellington, mere metres away. Herring Gulls 

took advantage of the quiet day on the river as we rode around the park on our bikes.

On the way home we stopped at the marsh again where the sun had broken through the clouds and the sky was reflected in the water. I love this union of water and sky.

I felt chilled that evening and it took me some time to warm up. However, the 30+ kilometres on bike weren’t detrimental to my hips and legs! Yay!

To the west

We were prepared to put our bikes away but a rare November 12 C day enticed us to go cycling again. My husband and I continued westward on Prince Edward Island, beginning at Portage. No need for warm clothing this day. The slight southerly breeze was warm and fall clothes were sufficient. The sun never exposed itself for the day, merely hinted at an appearance.

This section of trail has many flat straight stretches through areas of bog and farmland. The bogs are rimmed by juniper/larch trees which are pretty as their needles respond to the darker days and cooler temperatures. 

The deciduous trees are naked, spent leaves covering the woodland. Grey branches and trunks predominate and contrast with the browns of tall grasses and bulrushes.

White birches stand out in this setting.

The bare branches expose wasp and bird nests, curiosities now that their former residents have moved on. 

A cat stops to watch the two seniors approach on bikes. 

Further along the trail, a Ruffed Grouse follows a companion across the trail. I stopped for the first one, and while I waited for my husband, the second one sauntered across as well.

It was well camouflaged in the vegetation along the trail.

An old house on Jack-a-Point Road has seen better days. The roof could provide a roller coaster ride. The house doesn’t look that old which poses the question as to what caused its current curvaceous shape. 

One also has to wonder about the name of the road. 

On the way back to the car, we stopped for a breather. We had cycled thirty kilometres and were tired as we looked around. The light was typical of November but the stillness of the day was not. It was perfect!