Summer distractions

Last week was busy but lovely with many distractions. We walked the boardwalk, the Confederation Trail and enjoyed two provincial parks. Daisy was with us at Belmont Park and enjoyed playing in the water at high tide.

Most days were sunny with the wind blowing which made it perfect for picnics last week. The mosquitoes can’t compete with the wind which is always a bonus. 

Even when we don’t leave home for a picnic, we eat on our patio at every opportunity. We will have to move indoors soon enough when the temperature drops, the wind howls and the snow falls. Such is life in eastern Canada. For now though, meals are outside, under an umbrella or in a park under a tree. It is a beautiful time of year!

It was a great week in nature. Nearby a piece of land is for sale and the lot is covered in Queen Anne’s Lace. Walking past, with the breeze blowing the blooms, one is mesmerized by the white sea.

Along the boardwalk, in the salt marsh, Great Blue Herons drop by occasionally. This one looked to be laughing.

In Malpeque Bay later last week, this Great Blue had its mouth open too. Seeing two of these birds with open mouths was unusual, the second one looking as if it is in conversation.

Near the boardwalk is an Osprey nest which a pair of birds call home every summer. Early next month the birds will head south again, but for now they are raising their young which we expect to see any day. Meanwhile, the birds take turns watching the young ones and the mother had her eyes on something nearby as I took her photo from across the street. 

Twice last week we saw the same young fox on a lot between two houses across from the boardwalk. We wonder if people are feeding it.

The second time we saw it, two teeth were visible due to the way it was seated. We call it Boots because of its black legs.

One day, as I was stopped to talk to someone along the boardwalk, we watched as this adult Bald Eagle flew into an old snag it frequents. It flew off after a few minutes but not before I captured a photo.

One can see a tiny Black-capped Chickadee within minutes of seeing the huge Eagle. Birds are so varied, they make a wonderful study!

The island is alive with shorebirds now as numerous birds of various sizes stop on the island to feed in preparation for their journeys south. 

Yellowlegs are a common sight in the salt marsh and along the beach. They were joined this past week by Semipalmated Plovers, 

Black Bellied Plovers 

and Semipalmated Sandpipers. 

We will visit various beaches to see some of the avian visitors over the next month or more.

The scene at the wharf in Malpeque last week shows some boats still in the water although the lobster season is over in that area. Mussel boats are still active in the area.

We had a picnic at Cabot Beach and walked the shoreline as the tide went out. It is sad to see how much damage is done to the shoreline as the sand is washed away, leaving the vegetation to fall onto the beach. The rate of erosion is alarming.

I am happy to share some good news from the island too. Our daughter was Bass fishing last week and sent beautiful photos of the area on the north shore. She and her husband waited for low tide to walk to the sand bars. 

There were lots of migrating shorebirds there, including Piping Plovers. They are a threatened and endangered species which is increasing in numbers nesting on Prince Edward Island every year. 

I wish you a great week, filled with your favourite distractions.

Burgeoning spring

While all the leaves aren’t quite open yet on many trees, 

the forest floor in a Prince Edward Island is alive again with green. 

Last autumn’s leaves have fertilized new growth and wildflowers are in bud

or bloom, such as these Woolly Blue Violets. 

Ferns are unfurled and quite prolific in places.

Shrubs are in bloom, bursting forth into the grey of late spring,

changing it into a wonderland of beauty. 

Even the trees do their part with the early blooms. 

Meanwhile, the animals are busy tending nests or raising young. At Cavendish, this Osprey searched for food, 

periodically calling to its mate sat on the nest nearby. 

Spring is when the tiny fish, such as smelt or larger trout swim upstream to spawn. This draws large birds, such as Bald Eagles to ponds to feed in the early morning. Having gorged on fish, they sit in the trees nearby, as they digest it.

On our recent visit to Clarkes Pond at Cavendish, my husband and I saw five Eagles perched in old snags in the distance.

Meanwhile this young Eagle sat near the trail, digesting its meal and watching the walkers. 

Later that morning, a Goldfinch in Cavendish Grove, a fraction of the size of the Eagle, is a beauty in its own right.

We walked this past week during cold, windy, sometimes wet weather. Spring clothes were put aside one day for winter's warmest again. On a day when we walked half of our usual distance due to the cold, wind and rain, we met few of the regular walkers, except two. She will be ninety this year. He uses a tall walking stick and she has a cane. They have missed very few days on the boardwalk and walked in a sheltered area that day to complete their walk in spite of conditions.

They inspire my husband and me to keep moving. I hope you find your motivation to keep moving too!

April to May

Lobster season began recently and it draws us to the sea every spring. 

My husband and I went to the New London Lighthouse this year, 

one of our favourite places where boats are so close to land in the channel. 

One will always find Cormorants and Gulls in that area. One Cormorant flew off in front of a mussel boat which was headed to port.

We picnicked at Cavendish Grove that day, 

enjoying the beef stew I made for the occasion. Later we walked towards the coast, passing an Osprey nest which was occupied as its partner ate nearby.

Last week I saw my first Merlin, which was a thrill! However I have seen it since along the boardwalk and fear for the Song Sparrows in the area. Merlin’s can grab their prey right out of the sky.

One evening, my friend and I did another Owl Prowl without any luck. We did see lots of woodpeckers that evening near the Dunk River though. 

My friend and I will go another evening soon. The old dirt roads are waiting.

One morning, as my husband and I prepared for our walk, we saw a fox across the street. We don’t usually see them in the day, but this time of year, when foxes are feeding their young, we often see them hunting in the area in daylight. It was a foggy morning which affected the clarity of the photo but this fox has something in its mouth, probably food for its young.

Another day, when we arrived at the end of the boardwalk, two large hares were eating in the grass there. They were both brown except for their feet and lower legs which looked like white boots. Another walker with a dog scared them off before we could get better photos. 

It was a rainy day which required use of an iPhone for photos. Such circumstances almost guarantee we will see some interesting creature and struggle to take photos.

Finally today, I am struck with how adaptable seniors have to be to continue to have any quality of life. With diminishing senses and bodily functions, declining mental acuity and physical ability, life requires we adapt.

A friend told me recently she didn’t want to adapt. We talked about what she wanted for her life at this point in time. If she didn’t adapt, her life would get much smaller, confined to the house. By the next week, she had come to terms with the conditions she faces. She has adapted.

In some respects, we become invisible as we get older, an afterthought in society which bustles around us. However, we are here, adapting to life as it is for us at this stage. Just give us a few minutes!

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.