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Showing posts with label gaggle. Show all posts
Showing posts with label gaggle. Show all posts

Saturday, 9 November 2024

A week in November

The weather this past week has been an interesting combination of clear skies, wind, rain and minuscule snowballs from above. My husband and I walked through it all, enjoying whatever nature offered us, revelling in our ability to do it. Every experience in nature has something new to offer and we continue to look for it and enjoy it as long as we can.  


This view of North Rustico was on a windy day at low tide. The high wind made it difficult to hold the camera steady though the scene was peaceful.





The Millman Heritage Road is a place we visit seasonally. The road is cut deep into the red soil in an area where homesteads once thrived. The road is lined now with deciduous trees, providing a natural border for the fields which continue to be farmed. In more protected areas, leaves still cling to the trees for another few days. 





This year, silage grew in those fields and was recently harvested.  





From the Millman Road we visited the New London Lighthouse, where the path to the beach always draws us onward. 





Since lobster season is long over, most of those boats have been pulled out of the water by now. However mussel boats still can be seen pursuing their trade for another few weeks before the sea freezes for this winter. Here at New London lighthouse, the boats steer into a channel close to the shoreline where the channel is deep.





There, on an overcast day, the light breaking through the clouds gave the impression that the sun is drawing water as is the common saying. It was difficult to photograph however.





Another windy day, we stopped at the mouth of the Wilmot River where it empties into Bedeque Bay. This is a favourite area of birds, especially at low tide this time of year. Thousands of Canada Geese and various species of ducks were enjoying the protected area. 





American Wigeons were a new species for me.





Later that day, we stopped at the Malpeque basin on our way to Malpeque and watched gulls and ducks in the bay. On the opposite shore, what looked like an observation deck had two people watching a flock of ducks as they took flight. 





At the wharf at Malpeque, several mussel boats were tied up. 





We walked to Cabot beach and watched another boat make its way through the sandy channel into the harbour.





The colours of the sand and the autumn Marram grass make a beautiful backdrop for driftwood on the beach. 




On our way home, we stopped at a field where a donkey grazed near the road. It was curious and watched me as I photographed it. 





My last photo today is of the salt marsh along the boardwalk where we walk most days. It is snowing in this photo which shows as faint lines over the water areas especially.





Island news:


In a troubled world which causes so much worry these days, there are times we are reminded in our own lives how fortunate we are. This message popped up on social media on the island this past week. “Notice! Two cows running east on Kilkenny.” It can be quite dangerous suddenly to come upon a cow on the road. This is what we have to be on the lookout for on PEI, roaming farm animals. We smile and appreciate our island home.


On a personal note:


My husband’s Aunt Marie died this past week. Marie was more like a sister to my husband as the youngest of his father’s siblings. The two had some great childhood memories together and we were close through most of the years since.


Marie was a single mother who worked hard and raised a wonderful son. She had a super daughter-in-law and two handsome talented grandsons. Marie died after a short battle with cancer.


We miss her already!




Monday, 3 January 2022

The party

It was the afternoon of New Year’s Eve. My husband and I were headed to our daughter’s home to spend the evening with family. I decided to walk the boardwalk before the rich food and champagne.


I saw the party as I drove towards the parking lot. In the bay, now partially covered with sloppy ice and snow after the melting temperatures this past week, a huge gaggle of geese floated in the open water. It’s a strange sight for this time of year. The geese are usually gone by now because the bay is frozen by the start of a new year. Exiting the car, it sounded like the party had started hours ago, the imbibing well underway. Some geese were tipsy, that’s for sure. You can see the partiers here.


The geese had a beautiful setting for their revelry, with the rafts of ice from the ice melt along the shoreline having been taken to sea by the receding tide.





The hint of fog in the air, put the old lighthouse on call in case the fog crept into the bay.


Nearby, two American black ducks stood a silent vigil by the melted section of stream. Later, I saw them with seven friends, ready to join the party.





In the distance, the city looked on expectantly as the minutes to the New Year ticked by. No fire works this Year. Maybe for Canada Day in July? 





I am hopeful.

Wednesday, 17 June 2020

A gaggle, a paparazza and a visitor

During our recent visit to Cavendish Grove, my husband and I were delighted to see the geese swimming with their goslings. We hadn’t been able to visit prior to June 1 because the national park was closed due to Covid 19 precautions. By the time we visited this year, the colour of the goslings had changed from the soft yellow and they were big. It was great to see them nonetheless.


They first appeared while we ate lunch and we were far enough away so as not to affect the birds. 





We wanted to keep it that way so I decided to hide behind the huge tree trunks in the Grove to take photos, like a paparazza, while my husband walked away with the golden grand-dog.


The young birds pulled on the grasses just as the adults did. 





They ate happily for ten minutes or so as I hid behind the trees with hardly more than the camera lens visible. 





I lost my balance and I stepped out briefly from behind the tree and back again, but it was too late. I was spotted.





I didn’t hear that goose make a sound but when it quietly turned to swim away, the other adults turned as well and the goslings followed. 





I had a short career as a paparazza. 





P. S.


In keeping with the theme of creatures of flight, we recently discovered a bat clung to our daughter’s vehicle as it was parked in our garage. The animal flew to the floor and exposed its fangs to us. I managed a photo before we removed it. The tiny creature had leather-like wings and a furry body.





My husband carefully scooped it onto a shovel and placed it under the patio at the back of the house. It walked away from us, using its legs and wings. Its walk is peculiar and I wish I had recorded it. The animal made a barely audible noise as well.


Here on Prince Edward Island, the bat population was devastated by White-nose Syndrome over the last several years. The province is tracking bat sightings on the island now and has set up a hotline for people to call with info on sightings. I reported our sighting. The hope is the population is recovering.


We believe it landed on our daughter’s vehicle while she worked the night shift. It was down in the windshield area where the wipers were attached and had a safe drive to our house where she dropped off the kids and the bat attached to the vehicle. The next day, there was no sign of it near the patio where we had placed it. We are hopeful it is living its best bat life.