Summer distractions

Last week was busy but lovely with many distractions. We walked the boardwalk, the Confederation Trail and enjoyed two provincial parks. Daisy was with us at Belmont Park and enjoyed playing in the water at high tide.

Most days were sunny with the wind blowing which made it perfect for picnics last week. The mosquitoes can’t compete with the wind which is always a bonus. 

Even when we don’t leave home for a picnic, we eat on our patio at every opportunity. We will have to move indoors soon enough when the temperature drops, the wind howls and the snow falls. Such is life in eastern Canada. For now though, meals are outside, under an umbrella or in a park under a tree. It is a beautiful time of year!

It was a great week in nature. Nearby a piece of land is for sale and the lot is covered in Queen Anne’s Lace. Walking past, with the breeze blowing the blooms, one is mesmerized by the white sea.

Along the boardwalk, in the salt marsh, Great Blue Herons drop by occasionally. This one looked to be laughing.

In Malpeque Bay later last week, this Great Blue had its mouth open too. Seeing two of these birds with open mouths was unusual, the second one looking as if it is in conversation.

Near the boardwalk is an Osprey nest which a pair of birds call home every summer. Early next month the birds will head south again, but for now they are raising their young which we expect to see any day. Meanwhile, the birds take turns watching the young ones and the mother had her eyes on something nearby as I took her photo from across the street. 

Twice last week we saw the same young fox on a lot between two houses across from the boardwalk. We wonder if people are feeding it.

The second time we saw it, two teeth were visible due to the way it was seated. We call it Boots because of its black legs.

One day, as I was stopped to talk to someone along the boardwalk, we watched as this adult Bald Eagle flew into an old snag it frequents. It flew off after a few minutes but not before I captured a photo.

One can see a tiny Black-capped Chickadee within minutes of seeing the huge Eagle. Birds are so varied, they make a wonderful study!

The island is alive with shorebirds now as numerous birds of various sizes stop on the island to feed in preparation for their journeys south. 

Yellowlegs are a common sight in the salt marsh and along the beach. They were joined this past week by Semipalmated Plovers, 

Black Bellied Plovers 

and Semipalmated Sandpipers. 

We will visit various beaches to see some of the avian visitors over the next month or more.

The scene at the wharf in Malpeque last week shows some boats still in the water although the lobster season is over in that area. Mussel boats are still active in the area.

We had a picnic at Cabot Beach and walked the shoreline as the tide went out. It is sad to see how much damage is done to the shoreline as the sand is washed away, leaving the vegetation to fall onto the beach. The rate of erosion is alarming.

I am happy to share some good news from the island too. Our daughter was Bass fishing last week and sent beautiful photos of the area on the north shore. She and her husband waited for low tide to walk to the sand bars. 

There were lots of migrating shorebirds there, including Piping Plovers. They are a threatened and endangered species which is increasing in numbers nesting on Prince Edward Island every year. 

I wish you a great week, filled with your favourite distractions.

A week with birds

Last week was a great week for photos. It started with the sighting of our first Great Blue Heron in the salt marsh. 

Such a welcome sight! I didn’t walk much that day, watching the bird instead as it stealthily captured tiny fish in the stream. 

Later, from the bridge nearby, the bird added lots of interest to a familiar scene.

As I proceeded along the boardwalk, I looked back to the stream and the same bird was along the shoreline of Bedeque Bay. 

Welcome back, Great Blues!

Another fascinating experience this past week involved Yellow-bellied Sapsuckers. Early last week, I heard tapping as I passed an area of woods along the boardwalk which I had never explored. I followed a path towards the tapping and discovered this male Yellow-bellied Sapsucker drilling a huge hole in a tree. 

The next day, a female Sapsucker worked on the same hole. 

I suspected they were drilling a cavity for a nest.

On the third day, the male was back and worked diligently, often its top half disappeared into the tree as below.

Since then, I haven’t seen the birds though I check every day. 

The stream through the salt marsh has male Mallards these days, as the females tend nests this time of year. This Mallard looks pleased with himself as he called out to someone.

One fine day last week, the sky was full of jets, many looking to have followed great circles across the Atlantic. I cannot determine if this is an Air Canada jet or one from another carrier.

Magnolia began to bloom last week in Summerside. One place we like to visit is the local homemade ice cream shop which has a lovely garden with Magnolia trees. One was in bloom and we enjoyed their ice cream and the tree while we sat in the garden.

There is another tree about to bloom there this week…

Saturday we packed a picnic and headed to Cavendish to see if the Bald Eagles were feeding on the fish migrating upstream to spawn. Clarkes Pond is one place in the National Park where one can see the Eagles resting among the trees after they’ve had their fill of fish from the pond.

We weren’t disappointed as this adult Eagle was resting in an old snag

and nearby, a younger Eagle with immature feathering, sat with its head on a swivel looking backwards as I photographed it. 

Great Blue Herons and Osprey flew overhead as well while along the sand on the far side of the pond, Double-crested Cormorants looked like they were satiated too.  

I also saw a Gray Catbird in Cavendish that day.  This is not a common bird on Prince Edward Island and it was the first time I saw one. It entertained me for several minutes with its beautiful song.

Our last stop on Saturday was at an Osprey nest we chanced upon another day we were out and about last week. This one is in the countryside, on a pole along a red dirt road, surrounded by fields. 

This nest is huge and well maintained compared to the smaller Osprey nest at Cavendish.

Finally on Sunday, we smiled at the sight of this Elbows Up sign placed on this birdhouse along the boardwalk. 

Birds, including migrants, are urged to be watchful during these uncertain times! 

Have a great week!

Respite

This past week was a busy one. With appointments over several days and helping a friend another day, we weren’t able to manage a walk on two days and picnics were out. Maybe next week for a picnic. It was a good week though, with many animal friends keeping us entertained in spite of some miserable weather.

The week started out with the return of two Osprey to the second nesting area near the boardwalk. We saw the two migrants sat in a tree near their nest which obviously needed repairs. One wasn’t facing our direction but the second, a male, we could easily see on a lower branch.

No wonder these amazing birds can snatch a fish right out of the water with those claws.

Chipmunks are out of torpor now and are a welcome addition to the rodents living along the boardwalk.

In Bedeque Bay, it isn’t surprising to see some Red-breasted Mergansers diving for food. The ducks always look like they need their head feathers trimmed but they are easy to identify this way.

My husband and I heard Northern Flickers over several days along the boardwalk but hadn’t seen them. Finally, after lots of time looking, I spotted this beauty high above the boardwalk. 

That same day, in the salt marsh, I watched a pair of Mourning Doves, one chasing the other all around the seaweed. It is mating season after all.

Another day, we decided to walk in the rain which meant I left my camera at home. The iPhone would have to suffice if we saw anything interesting. Wouldn’t you know it, a Bald Eagle was perched in a tree above the boardwalk, in full view of all the walkers.

It was a mature eagle, scanning for movement out on the water and the area around the boardwalk. Of course, the sun tried to break through as we watched the majestic creature. And me without my camera!

The next day it was raining again, and again I left the camera home. Unbelievably, two mature Bald Eagles were in the same tree this time. 

We saw them for more than an hour in the same place and they were still there when we left. People were thrilled!

My husband and I each had an encounter this week which has given us pause.

There is a new homeless shelter is Summerside which is doing great work. However, there are some people who do not use the shelter though it is well attended. Some of the homeless live deep in the woods at the end of the boardwalk. We see them sometimes walking or riding bikes  when we are there.

My husband met a man with a bike, carrying a bag. He looked to be in distress so husband asked if he was okay, did he need help. My husband suggested an ambulance, which the man refused, saying he had broken a rib and couldn’t ride his bike. He would walk instead. My husband and another man who happened along, both felt helpless, not knowing how to do better for the man. The poor man was obviously drugged and two men from his community wanted to do something but felt helpless.

My encounter was with an elderly Asian woman, an immigrant whose English was poor. Her card wouldn’t work in the bank machine at the check-out. The cashier and I, behind her in line, offered help.

I expect this woman is a more recent immigrant to this island. I wonder what circumstances led this senior to leave her previous home and some family behind to come to a foreign land and start anew in another language. All I could think is how I would feel in the same circumstances? How would I want to be treated? I offered help.

The world can be a hard place and we often feel helpless to do much about it. However, we can offer a kind word and give of ourselves to those we meet in our daily lives. Nature will be our respite.

Early autumn

It was a wet morning as we headed to Covehead and nearby Tracadie Beach on the north coast of the island, east of home. We were meeting our Australian friends, Frank and Helen* there. We were lucky the rain stopped but the sky was spectacular, overcast with shades of blue. It was a picture perfect day!

At Tracadie, the remains of a 19th century fishing wharf spread across the sand, 

the pylons weathered but still surprisingly strong despite their age.

The dunes in the distance protect the area against the ravages of a stormy sea.

Like last year when we visited, a Bald Eagle was atop the tallest dune, surveying his domain. We suspect eagles nest nearby. 

Later, at our favourite picnic area near Bubbling Springs, we had a leisurely lunch before we stopped by the lighthouse at Covehead. There we walked past the lighthouse onto the beach and under the nearby overpass. 

Across the inlet, a flock of Double-crested Cormorants congregated. It always amazes me how tattered the birds can be, yet they manage to fly so well. I wonder how the most tattered ones do during their migration south which will begin soon?

Our walks this week included the Confederation Trail with Daisy, the golden grand-dog, before she went home. We spotted this old building, nestled into the countryside. 

It may collapse from the snow this coming winter. What stories can the old place tell?

I was lucky to photograph this White-throated Sparrow along the boardwalk. The Sparrows are in abundance there this time of year.

The birds, as tiny as they are, are just as interesting as the Great Blue Herons, but much harder to spot and photograph.

On our recent visit to the national park at Covehead, driving along the parkway, I counted at least 30 Great Blue Herons in Covehead Bay. It is impossible to stop there so I couldn’t photograph the beauties. However, the Heron which frequents the salt marsh along the boardwalk in Summerside was present this past week and I managed some photos again.

My favourite was taken from the bridge looking towards the marsh where the bird stealthily fished.

Another day, the Heron waved from a tree top which is a rare photo in this area.

Along the boardwalk, the trees have the look of early autumn. We will head to some of our favourite trails to see the autumn colour over the next month.

We are fortunate to be able to enjoy the beauty and variety on our island home.

*You can see Helen’s blog at http://outandabout3.blogspot.com/.