Out and About, Spring ‘25

Picnic day, first of the season. It was sunny and the temperature was going up to 7 degrees Celsius without any wind, great conditions for us to pack up the lunch box and head west to North Cape.

As my husband and I drove towards the Cape, the white water was obvious along the coastline. Lower tide meant waves entered shallow water farther off shore and the tumbling lengths of bubbling water were impressive amid the blue of sea and sky. 

When we arrived at North Cape, we hurriedly left the car! Although my husband and I have lived on Prince Edward Island almost fifteen years, we had never seen the ocean like this. While we have lived though tropical storms, we did so from the safety of our home, never seeing the surf conditions. These surf conditions in this setting were spectacular.

A stretch of reef visible at the North Cape was formed where the waters of the Gulf of St. Lawrence, north of Prince Edward Island, meet the waters of the Northumberland Strait to the island’s south. The waves from both bodies of water collide at the reef.

But the sound…the sound was like a roaring dragon which didn’t take a breath, rather a huge exhale which surrounded you. One could only stand and take it all in.

After the initial experience with the sea, we began to notice the animals which were enjoying the environment that day too. Common Eider ducks bobbed over the waves as they advanced to shore.

Black Scoters were is a row, as one elevated itself ahead and above the others, possibly trying to attract the female farther back. 

Various species of Gulls, played on the breeze and along the shoreline. And typical of this time of year, along the shoreline, a Song Sparrow sang from its heart although its song was drowned out by the roar of the dragon.

Eventually we walked along the shoreline toward the location of a sea arch which looked fragile last year. Sure enough, as Newfoundlanders say, “There it was…gone.” All that remains is a sandy looking sea stack with some holes, making its survival questionable. 

Looking along the shoreline, waves crashed into the cliffs although snow still clung to the coastline in places.

Reluctantly we left North Cape and drove to Kildare Capes to the south. Along the way, we stopped at Sea Cow Pond where fisherman are preparing for the start of the lobster fishery at the end of the month.

Across from the Pond is a horse ranch which always catches my attention. The horses were enjoying lunch at the far end of the pasture.

We had lunch at Kildare Capes, in the yard of Christ Church, built in 1867. It is surrounded by huge trees so even on the windiest of days, the area is peaceful. One can easily imagine the peace people have found in the church for more than a century. After lunch, we walked back to the Capes where the waves crashed into the sandstone cliffs.

My husband and I also walked the boardwalk last week and the beach at Mont Carmel. One evening, I did an Owl Prowl with my friend Lucy and her family. I am determined to see an owl this year on the island. Our prowl at dusk was unsuccessful thus far, but we have just started! 

Here’s hooting for the best!

About last week

At some point this month I had to do some Christmas shopping so I started this past week, though reluctantly. Time is running out however. I don’t enjoy shopping. My husband and I find it difficult to shop for the grandchildren these days as their taste and preferences are evolving as they grow. Our daughter accompanied me one day which was a huge help. It was nice to have that time with her too. Her father joined us for lunch which was lovely.

We didn’t get to the boardwalk as often this week as a result but the scene there certainly changed in that time. Early last week, a seaweed dam at the mouth of the salt marsh had resulted in flooding of the marsh which had then frozen.

On Sunday last week, as we walked away from the parking lot, ducks were flying overhead to the north. With no open water in the salt marsh, the ducks had headed out to look for some.

That day, I captured a photo of a Dark-Eyed Junco which was feeding along the boardwalk.

The Bluejays are always entertaining of course. A flock of the pretty avians will appear quickly along the bridge if one offers peanuts, one of their favourite snacks. 

The Chickadees require the shells removed from the nuts and wait patiently for them.

The vessel, Federal Ohio, came into port when Blacky left the previous week. 

From the photo of what looked like a Coast Guard boat further in the bay, you can see how much ice was in the harbour.

Gulls were a highlight another day. 

They played in the bay opposite the stream. 

We heard honking overhead and I found the Canada Geese quickly enough to take a photo.

The mild temperatures later in the week melted much of the snow and ice in the area. The dam of seaweed at the mouth of the marsh gave way and the ducks returned. 

When it turned cold again, they ice skated in the marsh to get to areas where the water was still flowing.

A Downy Woodpecker drilled into trees near the marsh 

and a Mourning Dove perched high above the scene watched everything with interest.

On a more serious note:

In conclusion this week, I have news of a scam which targeted seniors on Prince Edward Island. Two people visiting the island phoned various islanders, addressing those who answered the phone with “Hey, grandma,” or “Hey, grandpa.”

I answered the phone one day. It looked like a local number so I said, “Hello.” When a male voice said, “Hey, Grandma,” I hung up without saying anything further.

Apparently the caller scammed several islanders out of money, saying he was the person’s grandson and needed money for bail. One senior however, arranged a meeting to pass over money, called the police and the scammer was arrested at the appointed place.

There are so many similar and worse scams going on these days that one has to be alert and suspicious of everything, especially unsolicited phone calls, emails and the rest. 

Nature is an important reprieve from the worries of the world.

I wish you a scam-free week.

Through the leaves

This past week started at the Dunk River Trail in central Prince Edward Island. The trail is one of the most beautiful on the island and draws us for a walk there with the changing seasons. Our autumn visit is our favourite for obvious reasons. We always park near where the Dunk flows out of Scales Pond, which looked particularly serene last week.

The entrance to the trail is deceptive. The trees at the entrance were green still, which is hugely different from what one encounters after passing under these green sentinels. The trail was leaf covered with promises of more to come. 

Overhead, the blue sky was a perfect backdrop for the reds, yellows and oranges clinging to their mother branches. 

The river moved to the rhythm of the earth as it rippled through the shadows, 

the remaining leaves casting a red glow here, yellow there. We stood in awe at the scene. AI did not generate this wonder.

We also visited the Cavendish area again last week for a picnic in the Grove on a sunny autumn day. Although the wind was blowing a gale, the Grove is sheltered and peaceful. The photo shows the view from our picnic table.

Later we drove along the coast to North Rustico where several huge flocks of Canada Geese greeted us in several locations, this one in the harbour at North Rustico. 

We had an abbreviated walk along the boardwalk there but the wind made walking difficult. You can see from the grasses and bushes in the photo the strength of the wind.

Along the boardwalk in Summerside this past week, one day was particularly calm and we watched the gulls and crows argue over food the gulls drop from heights to break the shells for the morsels inside. I fully expect the crows to start gathering and dropping the shells like the gulls though their beaks may not be able to do it. Crows are intelligent enough to know what to do however.

A Solitary Sandpiper is still feeding in the salt marsh and a male Red-winged Blackbird gathered seeds left along the bridge by walkers. This is late for both species to be here on the island especially since temperatures have plummeted the last few days.

One common winter species here, Black-capped Chickadees, are busy in the trees these days and it is common to see groups of them gathering seeds, like the one below.

Autumn is a great time for fungi too. We have seen numerous mushrooms which we sometimes can’t identify. This Tinder Polypore on a tree trunk is easy to identify though since it resembles a horse’s hoof.

I’ll close this week with a photo of a pumpkin left at the entrance to the Dunk River Trail. The sunlight filtered through the leaves and cast on the tree make an ethereal body for the pumpkin.

Have a wonderful week everyone!

Autumn colours

We walked every day this past week, despite the rain or threats of rain. The colours of the autumn leaves kept us going but the week finished with some gorgeous sunny days. My husband and I visited the boardwalk, Cavendish Grove, the Rotary Trail and the Confederation Trail. Each was more lovely than the last.

Along the boardwalk this birdhouse is framed quite beautifully by Red Maples.

One morning a Great Blue Heron waved as it waded in the water on its perennial search for fish.

It was particularly windy another day and the sea resembled chocolate milk as the red sand was stirred up by the rough water. A Solitary Sandpiper fed along the shoreline. It is late leaving the island this year.

The Rotary Park was particularly beautiful and over two days, we walked different trails to see the whole area. 

The Red Maples present some interesting colouration as seen in this photo of fallen leaves.

At the far end of an open field by one of the trails, we could see Canada Geese and as always, I focussed on them with my camera. I discovered decoys, not geese and four hunters in what appeared to be a pit in the field. 

We saw them both days we were on those trails last week. I hope they were successful in the hunt but I can’t help but root for the geese too. 

Cavendish Grove this time of year is as lovely as always even though not all of the leaves have changed colour yet. As you can see, it was a peaceful and quiet place for a picnic. We were the only people there.

I ventured into the glade which was devastated by hurricane Fiona. Nature moves on though and where there is a tree standing, there is beauty against the autumn sky.

On the way to the beach, the seed heads of goldenrod stand out against the red leaf background.

The beach at Cavendish has the windswept look of autumn. May it come through the winter without much loss of the sand dunes. They are not recovered from Fiona yet as you can see.

I stopped one day to take photos of a field of over 20,000 pumpkins being harvested in our area. The orange gourds will be sold around eastern Canada over the next week for Jack-o-lanterns.

My favourite photo of the week is from a walk on the Confederation Trail on Saturday with our daughter, the three grandchildren and the golden grand-dog, Daisy. My husband and I let them get ahead of us for a bit so we could take a photo of them that day. Oh how time flies!

I hope you have a wonderful week!