Westmoreland River Nature Park

Our most recent visit to the Westmoreland River Nature Park in central Prince Edward Island was on a mild, calm day last week. The day before we’d had torrential rain and it may have been the reason the water was so muddy. However, though the area was settled into autumn, some of the flowers and animals, like us, were holding on to the last bit of warmth autumn has to offer.

There wasn’t much colour there until one looked more closely. A walk around the area revealed tiny splashes of colour from the hardiest of the wildflowers still blooming. Strangely enough, two lupin plants, 

which are finished blooming in June, had flowers. Clover, asters and Queen Anne’s lace

lined the path as well.

Red berries were plentiful and will provide a luscious treat for the birds in the coming days.

Goldenrod 

and bulrushes 

were gone to seed for another year and the ducks came out from among them and swam up stream. Mallards 

and American black ducks are plentiful in this area.

One of the most tranquil features is the running water. 

Its sound soothes and relaxes the spirit as we sit on the dock to watch the ducks and listen to the water.

Nearby a farmer weeds his strawberry patch after what I imagine was a productive season.

Bees, wasps, dragonflies 

and butterflies are plentiful this day, along with an occasional mosquito. It is late in the season for these insects.

We have never visited this area during the winter. Maybe this year...

Nature Park

We have visited the Westmoreland River Nature Park several times since it opened in August of last year. A group of volunteers has worked to restore the Westmoreland Watershed and the park on Stordy’s Pond is part of their plan. 

Around the pond, there are two docks for fishing 

and bird boxes for tree swallows. 

There is also a Monarch Waystation, with milkweed plants and shelter for the butterflies. 

A ladder helps fish swim to the pond rather than navigate the river.

This year, the group built stands overlooking the ladder and the river. 

During our lastest visit, there were many butterflies, mainly sulphurs and whites, in the vegetation along the path around the head of the pond. I also saw this Viceroy, which I mistook for a Monarch.

Vegetation planted along the waterways and the pond provide rest areas for the fish. The Spotted jewelweed on both sides of the ladder was a great addition.

We met a fly fisherman who caught huge rainbow trout in the pond last spring. He enjoys the park and marvels at the work of the watershed group.

Last year, I took a photo of other fishers of this pond, the Double-crested cormorants.

This year, cormorants swam and dived in the water. They like the changes to the area as well.

Thank you volunteers! 

Out of water

A beautiful sunny day drew us out of the house last week. We drove to Stanley Bridge on the north shore where a number of objects which are usually in the sea were prominent on shore. 

The marina at the Bridge has many floating docks where the boats tie up during the warmer seasons of the year. 

This day it was different.

Many of the floating docks were high and dry, stacked on top of each other in the parking lot. 

It is unusual to see what lies beneath a dock, but seaweed and mussels were visible on the pontoons.

On the opposite side of the parking lot, closer to the water, buoys of different sizes were ashore as well. They were brightly coloured and the largest ones dwarf the small shed nearby.

Next to the largest buoys, others of various sizes were piled together. All had mussels and seaweed below their water marks.

There isn’t much room for boat storage in this area but one boat was tucked in below the road. 

And as is often the case, lobster traps, some of the tools of the trade, were stored beside a shack. 

There was activity, as a few people worked in the fishing shacks. An open door gave a glimpse into the domain of the island fishers who are out of water too. However, spring is on the horizon!