Just beachy

One of our last picnic outings for this fall was to the beach at Brander’s Pond on the central north shore of Prince Edward Island. It was a rare day, not a breeze in the autumn air though the sky was overcast. The area is home to cottages which are mostly empty this time of year, closed after more than two seasons of beach living for those lucky enough to have a cottage there.

Brander’s Pond flows into the Gulf of St Lawrence 

but part of its attraction for me is the sea stack on the eastern side of the beach. 

This beach, maintained by the cottagers, is pristine. As usual, various species of gulls hang out at the mouth of the stream. As my husband and I approached the stream, the gulls took flight briefly and moved farther away,

though not without expressing their displeasure.

We walked the beach slowly, taking in as much of the day and the setting as possible. The rhythm of the sea is comforting and as I walked I wondered how many other such days were left this season. However, those thoughts soon disappeared to the joy of this present.

In the water, Red-throated Loons enjoyed a day on the water.

Nearby, a flock of Red-breasted Mergansers dived for brunch. 

 By the turn-around, I watched a young Herring Gull catch and slowly eat a crab.

At this point, the sun broke through after previous attempts had failed.

On the way back, I watched a small flock on Sanderlings which are among the last shorebirds to stop by the island on their migration south. The little birds fed along the shoreline and stopped to stand on one leg periodically. 

By the time we were back down the beach, the moody sky was replaced by blue and the late October sun provided some warmth. It was a perfect beach day!

West to the Shores

After our picnic at Kildare Capes, as mentioned in my last post, my husband and I continued along the northwest coast to Tignish Shores. This beach is one we like to visit to watch Northern Gannets in the spring diving for food off-shore. It is a great place for a walk and we always meet locals as they enjoy their daily walk on this iron-rich sand. 

The beach is just east of a boat basin and part of the wind farm on the northwest coast is visible in the distance. The decorative lighthouse in the nearby park is visible from the beach as well.

The sand dunes in this area were devastated by Fiona 

and the marsh behind the dunes shows how far the storm surge moved inland. 

On that beautiful autumn day, the breeze was enough to provide some fun for the gulls as they sailed above us over the length of beach. Some Buonaparte’s Gulls haven’t migrated south yet. As is usually the case, gulls landed at the mouth of the stream which crosses the beach and empties into the Gulf of St. Lawrence. 

Today they have company as a tractor moves sand around the area of the stream.

While we don’t know for sure, we can speculate that a shift of sand as a result of Fiona necessitated human intervention. A tractor moving sand on a beach is an unusual sight on the island.

A nice surprise was the presence of some migratory birds which stop by the island on their way south for the winter. Most are gone by mid September. However, this day a Sanderling fed along the beach 

as did a White-rumped Sandpiper. 

I watched the birds as I walked both ways on the beach, wondering how they would manage to fly south alone and wished they’d join forces for what lies ahead. 

Meanwhile in the water just off shore, three Red-throated Loons floated around 

as a seal swam nearby. 

                          Can you see the seal’s head?

There was something else in the water but I couldn’t manage a photo. 

Island beaches are a source of wonder!