Early July on PEI

We had a quiet week, confining our activity to home and the boardwalk. It was hot and humid enough to keep us home one day. Several other days, we walked in the wind and rain. On those days, the camera was absent. However the area of the boardwalk always provides photo opportunities even if one gets there but one day a week.

Near the gazebo one day, multiple birdhouses decorated a tree. One can imagine children enjoyed this project and their efforts make the area a place of interest as people walk along.

One day, my husband and I watched as a Great Blue Heron came in for a landing near the salt marsh. 

We observed four Herons in that area as we walked the boardwalk later.

Meanwhile, the rodents are not to be outdone. Chipmunks are busy these days and a new generation is out and about, approaching walkers cautiously.

Red Squirrels are present year round. This one let me know it wasn’t pleased I didn’t provide any peanuts. 

When it turned sideways, I noticed its ear was malformed, the first time we had seen such a defect. The feisty little creature appears to be doing well.

On Saturday past, we saw a Snowshoe Hare again in the area we had seen several this past spring. 

With the number of Bald Eagles which have been in the area recently, we suspected the hares hadn’t survived. At least one did and it’s a beauty.

I suspected the Yellow Bellied Sapsuckers were finished with the nest. 

However, we walked earlier in the morning this past week and I discovered the nest is still busy with the birds, 

back and forth with food for chicks.

One day, a Starling waited around, 

watching the proceedings as adults occasionally poked their heads out but stayed in place at the sight of the other bird.

This Yellow Warbler added its song to that of the Song Sparrows another day. The Warblers are beautiful against the clear sky.

I couldn’t finish the week without sharing a photo of the Black Ducks, the reliables of the salt marsh. I hope everyone has their ducks in a row this coming week. 

We do…ahh…did.

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.

Waning days of summer

It is that time of year again when many of the tourists have left the island for another year. A few remain but cruise ships will bring thousands of voyagers for daily excursions over the next two months. Autumn is knocking on the door and we are enjoying these waning days of summer at some of our favourite places and one place which was new to us.

We’ve watched the fishing boats in the bay this past week as the lobster season in this part of the province continues. One day, gulls stayed close to a boat, expecting offal to be cast away which they could eat. 

Another day, we saw a trap coming out of the water. 

Fresh lobsters are a common meal in homes and restaurants this time of year.

Meanwhile, along the shoreline, a Great Blue Heron was fishing too.

On a visit to Cavendish for a walk and a picnic, we watched a squirrel chasing a chipmunk which disappeared into a tree. The chipmunk poked its head out as we watched, hoping it had escaped the squirrel.

Nearby, a fallow field has become a mass of Queen Anne’s Lace and Red Clover. It is mesmerizing, in a good way.

At the Oceanview Lookout, 

newly built since Hurricane Fiona destroyed the previous one, one can see the length of Cavendish Beach nearby.

We visited the Borden wetlands last week as well. This area is new to us, but is an area popular with birders on the island, especially at low tide. We saw Semipalmated Plovers and Sandpipers. I was happy to see this juvenile Caspian Tern. 

The Canada Geese coming in for a landing were a beautiful sight too.

The wetlands and beach are in the shadow of the Confederation Bridge, which connects the island to the mainland of Canada. The curved line of the bridge is a massive structural wave high above those of nature.

On the way home, sunflowers were the highlight. They can grow tall, as you can see by these specimens growing beside this old Volkswagen van.

Also along the way, the sunflowers in this patch were facing the morning sun. We find ourselves doing the same as we enjoy the last few weeks of the summer spectacle.

Have a great week!

A week around here

Family commitments kept us close to home this past week, so we kept our walking to the boardwalk. I finally finished spring cleaning and we bought the mulch we needed for the garden. My husband and I hope to get the work done outside this week. In between, there may be a picnic or two.

One day, the sun poked through the clouds to illuminate the far side of the lighthouse in Bedeque Bay. Cormorants were visible along the rocks and platform there.

The warblers have returned to Prince Edward Island and we saw a few this past week. Yellow Warblers serenaded walkers 

while this Yellow-rumped Warbler collected material for its nest.

The Black Duck grabbed our attention as it noisily made its way to the salt marsh. The other soon followed.

Great Blue Herons frequent the salt marsh. It looks like they can twist their long necks in a knot.

This male Mallard is without his mate now. She is probably on a nest these days while mister argues with the Black Ducks in the salt marsh. The fine pattern on the white feathers and the fluorescent colours on his head are evidence of nature’s artistry.

Muskrats, which were absent from the marsh last summer, have returned this spring. They are welcome additions!

In the woodland along the trail, Blue Jays find peanuts left by walkers 

before the chipmunks can get to the nutty treasures. 

In the field by the trail, this American Robin draws our attention due to the feathers on the front of its upper breast. 

Could this be the start of molting?

This Red Fox, photographed from a distance, proved it has beautiful teeth.

Finally, closer to home, these two male Northern Flickers landed on a backyard fence. 

The bird on the right mimicked the movement of the bird on the left. They stayed in the area for several minutes bobbing their heads and other movements, initiated by one and repeated by the other. 

The animals make any day more interesting.