The nave

Their reaction was the same as mine. Our granddaughters were with us at Cavendish Grove and had their bikes. I mentioned the path through a stand of trees and the girls were eager to ride there. When we entered the path, they both uttered, “Whoa.” 

Whoa indeed. The trees are over 30 meters tall and the leaves rustle in the breeze. The trunks draw the eyes up, up, to those leaves where rays of sunlight peak through intermittent gaps in the branches.

This is a natural nave behind Cavendish Grove, in a stand of huge red, sugar 

and striped maples, birch and beech trees. A path through the trees resembles the center aisle in a church but that is only the beginning.

The trunks of the trees are the columns, the green leaf in the canopy is the ceiling

and the gaps in the leaves make the clerestory. 

The architect is a master of her craft with a design which defies time. Thousands of generations will recognize all of the materials in foundation to roof and the lines and colours which define this nave. One can sense the consideration and craftsmanship which went into every aspect of this masterpiece. 

Like the early Christian churches, there is no seating here. One walks through, breathing slowly to absorb the essence of creation , as the avian choir sings from an unseen loft. The sound carries beautifully in this hallowed space.

It, like the planet where it resides is a sacred place, to be revered and cherished.

A gaggle revisited

A return visit to Cavendish Grove to visit a gaggle of geese did not disappoint though we didn’t see them until we were ready to leave. When we arrived, we checked the basin and the pond where a goose had nested, then the upper pond where we had seen the geese during our last visit. No geese. 

My husband’s mother was visiting from Newfoundland and we brought a picnic lunch with us which we enjoyed in the burgeoning green of the grove. 

Afterwards, we walked to Cavendish Beach. It was a lovely sunny day with a bit of a cool breeze, perfect for a walk.

On our return to the car, the four geese and eight goslings were in the pond where the nesting island is located. 

We were delighted to see them and quietly stood at a distance to take some photos. The geese were wary of our presence nonetheless. They left that pond and crossed the path to the basin. 

The goslings are growing wings now and their colour is darker with each day. They ate the reeds they pulled up from the water and swam around with the adults.

We will return to look for them again.

Update:

We visited twice since then. The first time there was a gaggle of geese, two adults and nine geese, not the group we had seen before.

The second time, there weren’t any geese.

The Lake of Shining Waters is within walking distance of these small ponds. Could the adults, who would be molting now, have led the goslings to the large gaggle which always congregates there?

We plan to visit the lake to look for goslings.

Gone fishing

On a rare sunny weekend, we took advantage of the weather and accompanied our daughter, the grandkids and my husband’s mother for a day outdoors, to include a picnic. Georgie, the golden grand-dog accompanied us too.

We visited Cavendish Grove because we have been following a geese family since the goslings hatched there. The area is perfect for a picnic as tables are readily available. The kids enjoy a picnic lunch as much as the adults do. While we ate, we watched the geese floating in the basin.

After lunch the adults and the two year old, walked around the Grove while the girls rode their bikes.

Later we went fishing. That is to say, our daughter and the girls went fishing, the rest of us tagged along.

Owen is not a fisherman yet, if ever. We wonder if he will enjoy the sport as much as his mother who is quickly becoming a fly fishing enthusiast. On this day, she baits the hooks with worms as Sylvie and Caitlin look on and Owen plays with the rest of us.

I took Owen for a walk and since he was wearing his rubber boots, he could walk through the red mud puddles. He had such fun, up and down the road several times while his siblings had a few flicks of the fishing rods.

Kevin’s Pond, as it is known, has two fish ladders on the river which empties the pond. 

The ladders are the prettiest ones we’ve ever seen, with  plants on either side of the gaps in the steps. 

The sound of the water over the falls fills the quiet as do the voices of excited children. 

A pair of geese and their two goslings swam up the pond and tipped bottom up for food. The goslings did the same. 

We could hear other geese as well, and before long they appeared but without any goslings. 

These may have been immature geese which didn’t mate this year.

We finished the afternoon with ice cream at one of our favourite dairy bars.  Owen had the first ice cream cone on his own and thoroughly enjoyed it by the look of him. While his sisters practised doing cart wheels and the splits, Owen joined in, doing his version of the splits too. 

It was a fun day!

New London Lighthouse

Every spring we visit the New London Lighthouse. It is one of my favourite lighthouses and my husband and I enjoy watching the fishing boats pass by close to shore. We always take visitors to this area to see the lighthouse, beach and boats.

We were late in spring and late in the day for our first visit this year so the fishing boats were already in port for the day. 

The red sand beach was almost deserted. 

A senior was flying a kite 

and another couple walked up the beach towards us.

It was low tide and the expanse of red sand beach invited us to walk its length. Since we’d had a walk already and it was late in the afternoon, we didn’t go far, but examined the driftwood 

and discovered a fish in the sand.

Off shore, cormorants and seagulls stood on the remains of an old structure in the channel. The old wood, bleached by sun and salt and assaulted by high seas and ice, still stands in spite of all nature throws at it.

The old lighthouse survived another winter too. It stands between the dunes and a stand of bulrushes. The Red-winged blackbirds, male and female, were busy, making their presence known with their melodies. The old sentinel is ready for summer visitors.

We’ll go back another time to see the boats as they return home to French River.

A gaggle

On a recent outing, we drove to see the geese family we’ve been following. When the family wasn’t in the basin at Cavendish Grove, we relaxed and had lunch. After lunch, on the way back to the car, we noticed goose feces on the path to the upper of three ponds in the area. My husband and I followed the path and climbed the embankment to the upper pond. Geese and goslings swam there.

These geese may not have been the family we were following however. We’d need to see the feet of the gander to know if it was the same bird since the male of our family had a partial foot amputation. We couldn’t see the feet of these geese.

Two of the geese in this pond had seven goslings. 

Our family had six.

In addition, there were four geese and eight goslings in another group. 

Had our family joined two other adults with two goslings? This group of four adults and the eight goslings did everything together, a little gaggle. 

Could our geese family be here?

I discovered subsequently that adult geese lose their large flying feathers, or molt, some weeks after the goslings are hatched. It takes them four to six weeks to grow back the feathers. During this time, they and the goslings are vulnerable to predators such as foxes and ravens. Geese adapt by congregating in groups for more security while they molt. Could the gaggle be evidence of such an occurrence?

We watched both groups of birds for several minutes and decided to return next week to see them again. 

A perfect lunch spot

We went to see the geese family again but the birds weren’t in the basin where they had been the previous week. Both my husband and I had sore muscles so we decided not to walk that day. Instead, we enjoyed the location and had a picnic.

As we ate lunch on the bench, a pair of Mallards swam in the pond. We watched as they dabbled their way around, unconcerned by the spectators on the bench nearby.

In front of us, a Yellow warbler landed on some floating straw, appearing to rest before it went on its way.

On the islands in the basin, the leafless trees made it easy to see the tiny Yellow-rumped warblers which landed among the branches.

A larger bird, a male Bobolink, entertained us with its song for the longest time. 

These birds nest in hay fields but cultivation practices and pesticide use has affected the population making it a threatened species. I hope this male found a mate and a safe place to nest.

The noisy male Red-winged blackbirds were everywhere but we don’t often see the females. However, a female stayed on the bulrushes long enough for some photos. She has a touch of colour around her beak.

In the trees behind us, a Northern parula sat and entertained us with his trilling song. It is the first time we’ve seen this bird which looks almost grumpy.

A male Gadwall flew into the basin and spent his time among the bulrushes.

It was a great lunch spot,

the ambiance was perfect and the food was just the way we like it. And the entertainment was world class.

Orby Head

Orby Head is in the National Park on the north shore of Prince Edward Island. From the sandstone cliffs overlooking the Gulf of St Lawrence, one can see east and west along the north coast. 

The view of the cliffs at Orby Head is one of my favourites on the island.

The sandstone cliffs erode at an alarming rate. We notice a difference each spring after the winter storms and the freeze and thaw cycles which were common this past year.

For my husband and I, the added attraction of Orby Head is the colony of Double-crested cormorants which nest in the cliffs and hang out on the Head. They fish just off shore as the lobster boats pass nearby.

This bird looks like a pre-historic creature, not pretty like shorebirds and song birds. Yet, there is something beautiful about these strange looking birds. They have blue eyes and long beaks. Behind the beaks, a bright orange colour makes them easily identifiable. 

The black feathers on their backs and wings are each distinguishable. The fine feathers of the belly, neck and head are streamlined and perfect for diving and swimming.

Double crests are the feathers above the eyes which are only there in mating season. The best photo I have of these crests was taken of a bird at another location.

Their wings aren’t water proof and cormorants spread them when they land after a swim. It was a lovely day for drying wings as you can see.

The colony at Orby Head has its nests on ledges in the cliffs. 

They like to hang out together on a ledge over the rocks.

The birds make a croaking sound which is not a traditional bird call but we enjoy watching them any chance we get.