Island reverie

This past week, we had some beautiful weather and my husband and I headed to Cavendish one day and Cabot Beach/Malpeque another. In between, we walked the boardwalk, some days between the raindrops. These minutes during a day when we immerse ourselves in nature are precious. 

On the way to Cabot Beach and Malpeque we pass a wetland area where we usually stop to look for ducks. 

There were a number of Green-winged Teals in the area that day. 

At Cabot Beach, work by a dredger on the channel to the harbour at Malpeque allows fishing boats to travel safely to port, mere metres from the beach. 

Further from the water, the sand and Marram grass make a beautiful backdrop for driftwood.

Early morning at Cavendish we encountered numerous hares, feeding and frolicking in the early morning sun. 

In addition, the Osprey were newly returned to the area and their nesting platform had been damaged in their absence. The pair perched in nearby trees and eventually one landed on the old platform. I wonder where they will nest this year?

Along the boardwalk, on two consecutive days we saw the same Red Fox as it hunted. This time of year hungry kits must be fed. Before long they will be out with their mothers playing in the sun and we hope to see them one day.

Meanwhile, Black Ducks enjoy the salt marsh most days. This pair always hangs out together. 

When the wind is on-shore, gulls stand along the shoreline, looking along the bay. These two Herring Gulls kept a silent vigil.

It was a wonderful nature-filled week.

Blue on blue

On a blue sky day, if the wind is calm and the surface of a pond is like a mirror, there is a blue on blue reflection. The blue sky is reflected in the water and it highlights anything on the surface of the water.

We recently left from home on such a day and cycled on the Confederation Trail past the nearby community of Miscouche, a route we take regularly. When we arrived at the turn around, Variegated Pond-lilies were on the verge of blooming in the wetland. 

A perfect reflection of vegetation on the water 

and a simple bud reflected in the blue caused us pause. 

Perfect conditions occurred another day at the Cow River Wetlands between St. Peter’s and Selkirk on the Confederation Trail. Without a cloud in the sky and barely a breeze, we stopped to observe the wetlands which had the bluest water, a mirror of the sky and a reflection of the vegetation.

Then among the reeds we spotted a goose family which decided we were too close so they took to the water, one parent leading, followed by the five goslings and the second parent. The little family in the blue was picture perfect.

Two blue on blue days in a month were a special treat. 

 

Songs for the ages

On our travels around our island home, I never tire of seeing these tiny birds, the Song Sparrows. While not on the beaches, they are in the woods nearby, the trees lining the trails and the boardwalk in Summerside, even among the hedges at home. You see them as you ride or walk along and everywhere, they sing their hearts out.

Their russet and grey back is not distinctive among sparrows. However the markings down the breast and the black mark in the centre make the breast of the Song Sparrow distinctive. 

For years Song Sparrows have nested among the hedges at the front of our house. Every morning, one stands on the balcony outside the bedroom and greets the rising sun with song. That brief interlude is my morning wake-up call. 

Earlier this spring, we had a feeder hung above our patio and our resident Song Sparrows visited regularly. The feeder is down now, so we don’t see the birds as often. However, if we work in the garden, they land on the house next door or the wires into our house and sing to distract us from the nest area.

The sight of such a sparrow in song is heart warming. The little birds often sing looking skyward, as if praising the heavens with all their might. They sing as if with emotion, loud and clear, recognizable songs from a repertoire only other Song Sparrows are party too, but people recognize. They inspire us with their performance and entertain us with their vocals. Our world would be a sadder place without these beautiful little birds.

In response:

Several people wondered about the reed grasses I featured on a recent post. I responded in that post but I am including the information here in case people didn’t see it.

The reed grasses were at the Cavendish Farms Wetland area. It is in an estuary which is under study to see the effect of farming on the waters in the area. I suspect the grasses are a native species, though an invasive species is on the island as well. The Wetland area is protected and it looks as if the grasses have been planted there as part of the on-going conservation project.