We are escapees, broken out of the house after the winter. My husband and I have had that first glass of wine on the patio and the first barbecue is on the horizon. The first picnic has already happened. The beach, heritage road and trail walks have begun. Meanwhile, our fascination with birds is on-going. They are everywhere we go these days.
From our patio, we watch a starling check out this bird house in the neighbour’s yard.
Gulls float around in Richmond Bay, having gorged on the fish which stir up the water around them.
Puddle ducks, including male and female mallards, swim around water accumulated beside a field. They waddle away as we leave the car. I bet they complain to each other about our interruption of their morning routine.
Canada geese take to the air as the car door closes.
Blue herons are back. Five of them have taken up residence in a pond near Malpeque. They wade in the water and dip their beaks in to grab food. Stately creatures, their movements are slow and deliberate.
Black ducks fit in anywhere, among the geese, the mallards or the blue herons.
The male blackbirds are among the bulrushes again, their coloured wings obvious even at rest.
This song sparrow sings its happy notes along the trail to Cavendish Beach.
Wouldn’t it be a sad world without birds?