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Showing posts with label wigeons. Show all posts
Showing posts with label wigeons. Show all posts

Sunday, 16 March 2025

Spring on the horizon

The snow is melting and the temperature was above zero for a few days this past week. Even though the wind has been high, it feels like spring and we have a spring in our steps. My husband and I hope to have our first picnic later this month. 


The ice in the Northumberland Strait has broken up and in places blue water is a welcome sight after a winter of white.




The ice in Bedeque Bay is breaking up slowly. We need a strong northerly wind to take the ice out into the Strait. 





The ice conditions prompted public warnings to stay off the ice surrounding the island. However, this fat bike rider had everyone who saw him nervous and prepared to call 911 if he broke through the ice yesterday.





A male Downey Woodpecker caught my attention over several days last week. The splash of red adds to the beauty of the industrious little bird.





One day last week, we walked the boardwalk after a visit to the head of the bay and the mouth of the Wilmot River. There, pans of ice came into the river with the tide as the ice broke up in the head of the bay. 





Canada Geese which flew south last fall have returned although some stay around the island all year now. The honkers are a welcome sight and sound overhead again. They herald the start of spring every year.





Also at the head of the bay, American Wigeons, not usual residents of the area, float through the open water, enjoying the sun.





Black Ducks, which may be some of the part time residents of the salt marsh further along the coastline, look at home here near the river too.





Nature continues to provide solace and joy in these troubled times.


Saturday, 9 November 2024

A week in November

The weather this past week has been an interesting combination of clear skies, wind, rain and minuscule snowballs from above. My husband and I walked through it all, enjoying whatever nature offered us, revelling in our ability to do it. Every experience in nature has something new to offer and we continue to look for it and enjoy it as long as we can.  


This view of North Rustico was on a windy day at low tide. The high wind made it difficult to hold the camera steady though the scene was peaceful.





The Millman Heritage Road is a place we visit seasonally. The road is cut deep into the red soil in an area where homesteads once thrived. The road is lined now with deciduous trees, providing a natural border for the fields which continue to be farmed. In more protected areas, leaves still cling to the trees for another few days. 





This year, silage grew in those fields and was recently harvested.  





From the Millman Road we visited the New London Lighthouse, where the path to the beach always draws us onward. 





Since lobster season is long over, most of those boats have been pulled out of the water by now. However mussel boats still can be seen pursuing their trade for another few weeks before the sea freezes for this winter. Here at New London lighthouse, the boats steer into a channel close to the shoreline where the channel is deep.





There, on an overcast day, the light breaking through the clouds gave the impression that the sun is drawing water as is the common saying. It was difficult to photograph however.





Another windy day, we stopped at the mouth of the Wilmot River where it empties into Bedeque Bay. This is a favourite area of birds, especially at low tide this time of year. Thousands of Canada Geese and various species of ducks were enjoying the protected area. 





American Wigeons were a new species for me.





Later that day, we stopped at the Malpeque basin on our way to Malpeque and watched gulls and ducks in the bay. On the opposite shore, what looked like an observation deck had two people watching a flock of ducks as they took flight. 





At the wharf at Malpeque, several mussel boats were tied up. 





We walked to Cabot beach and watched another boat make its way through the sandy channel into the harbour.





The colours of the sand and the autumn Marram grass make a beautiful backdrop for driftwood on the beach. 




On our way home, we stopped at a field where a donkey grazed near the road. It was curious and watched me as I photographed it. 





My last photo today is of the salt marsh along the boardwalk where we walk most days. It is snowing in this photo which shows as faint lines over the water areas especially.





Island news:


In a troubled world which causes so much worry these days, there are times we are reminded in our own lives how fortunate we are. This message popped up on social media on the island this past week. “Notice! Two cows running east on Kilkenny.” It can be quite dangerous suddenly to come upon a cow on the road. This is what we have to be on the lookout for on PEI, roaming farm animals. We smile and appreciate our island home.


On a personal note:


My husband’s Aunt Marie died this past week. Marie was more like a sister to my husband as the youngest of his father’s siblings. The two had some great childhood memories together and we were close through most of the years since.


Marie was a single mother who worked hard and raised a wonderful son. She had a super daughter-in-law and two handsome talented grandsons. Marie died after a short battle with cancer.


We miss her already!




Tuesday, 17 November 2020

The east end

Temperatures went from freezing to 20 C and continued for a few days which allowed my husband and I to continue cycling. We headed to the east side of the Gulf Shore Parkway in the National Park in the centre of Prince Edward Island and rode with the southerly breeze at our backs. We had looked forward to riding in this area and thought we’d have to wait until next year but the weather co-operated.


We parked near Brackley Beach and rode along the first section of the parkway which lies behind the sand dunes. Stairs over the dunes were covered in sand 





and the beach was almost empty but for a small group enjoying the sun. 





A bench by the stairs is a perfect location to sit and watch the riders. 





A surprising number of people were enjoying the warm day on their bikes.


Further along the parkway, the fishing port of Covehead, 





with its small lighthouse, sits quietly this time of year as the fishing season is long over.





Further along the parkway, two ponds on the seaward side were full of ducks such as Mallards, and American Black Ducks which we see often. However, American Wigeons, 





Green-winged Teals 





and a female Northern Pintail were unfamiliar ducks I was thrilled to see.





At the Dalvay end of the parkway, we stopped to look over the beach before we turned around. It felt like an early September day.





On the way back, riding into the wind was more of an effort but the parkway is a beautiful ride and we used peddle assist. 


We stopped at the Covehead lighthouse again 





for another view of the coastline.





A sign near the lighthouse made me smile. 





While we couldn’t see or feel any sand blowing around, when we arrived home, our hair and faces were gritty. Such is this November on the island.