At the park

We ventured to the national park on Prince Edward Island twice in the last few weeks, both times urged on by the above zero temperatures and lack of wind. These were exploratory visits, to see if our favourite areas of the park were open and if a walk and a picnic were feasible to begin our outings for another year.

Two weeks ago, we visited the western section of the Park at Cavendish. Cavendish Grove wasn’t open but we parked along the road and I took a photo through the gate of our favourite area. It is there we spend a few hours every spring entertained by the spring peepers and several pairs of geese who return there to breed. All was quiet in the Grove that day.

At the Lookout over Cavendish Beach, snow was still visible along the shoreline. The days of snow on the beach are numbered.

Several weeks ago, the Song Sparrows returned to our garden, singing with the advancing daylight outside the bedroom window as they will do for the next four months. Everywhere we go, these melodious little birds are singing their hearts out, as they were that day by the Lookout. They are fast becoming my favourite birds.

We stopped at MacKenzies Brook again where I took some photos of the ever expanding sea arch. When I took this photo, 

I was oblivious to the Bald Eagle stood in the upper right of the photo. On the way back to the car, the eagle flew overhead but this was the best photo I could capture.

Finally we visited Orby Head and the Great Cormorants were back, some standing vigil at the Head already this year.

                            Can you see the five Cormorants in this photo?

We decided that if the weather was at all co-operative, we’d have a picnic at the park in the next week. Yay!

Notes from the island

Spring is beginning to take hold on Prince Edward Island but its progress feels slow when I compare it to other areas of the Northern Hemisphere and the majority of Canada. However here spring evolves on island time so we may as well relax and enjoy it. Comparison is too discouraging.

The Covid numbers on Prince Edward Island are high with thirty hospitalizations and there have been nineteen deaths thus far. The vaccination rate is 90+ percent and the vaccine is helping those infected to have mild cases. We will have the fourth doses of vaccine when we are eligible again due to our ages and health issues. We are two months past the third shot. Last week the mask mandate was extended for several weeks while other restrictions were lifted. I will continue to wear a mask into the foreseeable future when shopping regardless of the provincial guidelines. The issue now is staffing in schools and health care facilities because people are away from work with Covid even though most have mild cases. We can’t win with this virus.

I am thoroughly enjoying reading again. I am back to my favourite mystery writers thanks to the local library, reading the books written since I was last able to enjoy them. Cataract surgery has brought some old friends back into my life. In addition to mysteries I have especially enjoyed novels by Rachel Cusk, a writer whose descriptions and insights are like photographs of life, beautifully composed. She is well worth a read.

Currently the island has the highest rate of inflation in Canada. Prices have skyrocketed as they have everywhere and we decided to be smarter about what we buy. Our diet consists mainly of vegetables anyway and we have enough protein in the deep freeze to last for some time. We limit ourselves to the vegetables and fruit, either frozen or fresh which are on sale for the week and we shop selectively at the four grocery stores. Some weeks we don’t have certain items because they are so expensive, eg. avocados. We rarely have fresh tomatoes now but use the tomatoes I canned over the last few years in recipes. It’s the only way we can see to keep the grocery bill reasonable.

This past week, my husband and I changed over our snow tires for summer tires. Because we have rims on both sets of tires, we can change from winter to summer tires and the reverse by ourselves. I am the assistant during this operation and within an hour, the job is done. 

My husband is working on our bikes in preparation for biking season again. My bike is in need of a major tune-up after the accident I had last October. I am nervous to ride again but plan to take it easy and try it when the trails are clear of snow. We need warmer days to melt the snow in shaded areas along the trails.

The barbecue and clothesline have been positioned for another season. So far it is too cold to use either but we live in hope. Soon…

                                                                       For Ukraine

The melt

When we left the car, we heard the plaintive call of a lone gull. As we looked out from the gazebo, 

we saw the Ring-billed Gull just off-shore in open water. 

Nearby Common Mergansers appeared to revel in the calm day as well. 

It was a blue overcast day when at first glance, one could mistake the blue sky for a clear day. 

The birds were busy around the boardwalk. Several Song Sparrows gathered seed at the base of the bridge. 

A female Hairy Woodpecker looked for seeds left by the onlookers 

or watched from a nearby branch if people came too close.

Three days later, with wind on the water and a clear blue sky, the bay had opened more. 

There was enough open water for the return of the Black Scoters we could hear whistling in the distance.  

Soon the ice will be gone for another year. We are as joyful as the Song Sparrows at the prospect.

Update:  What a difference a day makes.

Visitors

We anticipate our first hike and picnic for this year but the wait continues. While it doesn’t have to be warm, the wind has been the ever present deterrent in the last few weeks. On our only pleasant day in recent weeks we had appointments. Meanwhile, Georgie, the golden grand-dog is visiting while her family is out of town. 

We enjoy taking Georgie to the boardwalk, a place she loves and where we see some visitors to the island.

The arrival of our warm weather feathered friends has begun. The Red-winged Blackbirds came back this past week and announced their arrival with their calls from the trees overlooking the stream. 

We suspect the males are calling their lady friends.

Along the water’s edge at the mouth of the stream, another visitor, a lone Kildeer fed along the icy shoreline. 

It was puffed up against the cold. Its arrival is a bit premature according to conditions along the shoreline.

While the squirrels have been out and about all winter, now the chipmunks are emerging from their nests and burrows having weathered another winter. This one is enjoying the spotlight.

Georgie enjoys the area immensely. There is never a shortage of other dogs walking with their owners and she sniffs every one and the scent along the trail of those who have gone before. Georgie watches over my husband and I as we walk. She doesn’t want to be out of sight of either of us. Usually he is in the lead with her, while I lag behind taking photos. Georgie stops every so often to see where I am. If I am what she judges to be too far behind, she plants her feet and refuses to move until I catch up. She does the same if my husband is the one following. 

We seniors stick together as we enjoy what nature has to offer.

Spring around here

It is warming up with day time temperatures slightly above zero, longer daylight hours and the sun feeling warmer. We have kept our walks to the boardwalk where the signs of spring are more feeling than reality yet. Still that time in nature is precious and treasured amid the reality playing out in the world.

The bay is ice covered still though the ice looks more like sloppy snow now with a few areas of open water. Birds have found these openings on the bay with the American Black Ducks dividing their time between the freely flowing stream through the salt marsh and the bay.

One morning recently, fog shrouded the Confederation Bridge which is usually like a mirage in the distance.

Rafted ice in the Northumberland Strait looks ready to drop to icy depths.

The snow, plentiful along the edges of the pathway after storms, is retreating from the walkway, exposing the path we haven’t seen since last autumn.

Red Squirrels chase each other and chatter as mating season approaches.

Small birds such a Black-capped Chickadees, 

Tree Sparrows, 

Dark-Eyed Juncos 

and Song Sparrows 

join the ubiquitous Blue Jays foraging as they are wont to do. 

Around them the snow melts a bit more every day, a hopeful sign that spring will be more than a day on the calendar. For a few minutes everything is right with the world.

 

Against the elements

These images speak to me. Snow drifted over the earth far enough from the beach where a few winter-darkened evergreens are rooted. Dried grasses, flowers and shrubs poked their heads through the snow into the biting wind. All are determined to survive.

The same evergreens in summer are tree green, a colour which disappears with the warmer temperatures and diminished light. Yet, the trees brighten up again as spring takes hold. Their determined vigil in the worst of weather and shortened daylight is inspiring.

The ground vegetation is inspiring too. It provides definition to the snow drifts which follows the contour of the land not far from the beach. The “heads up” attitude of the vegetation stands against all extremes of weather. Individual strands of dried grass stand against the skyline. Determination is on the horizon.

Against the tree line of the park, a few trees look desolate. However, they too have aspirations similar to their compatriots and dream of days when they will stand with others in their own forest.

Sometimes the affairs of nature parallel those of people.

Winter at Thunder Cove

Our friend Phyllis Buchanan DesRoches has a beautiful cottage at Thunder Cove on the north shore of Prince Edward Island. The beach at Thunder Cove is one of the most beautiful on PEI. 

The sea stacks at the western end of the beach, especially the famous Tea Cup, add to the beauty of the area. However, my husband and I have never seen Thunder Cove in winter. Phyllis shared her photos of the area with us and gave me permission to share them with you. These photos were taken on her cell phone.

Last week the ice was on-shore due to the northeasterly wind. When we were last on the north shore, a southerly wind kept the ice off-shore. That beautiful beach looks a bit different when ice fills the shoreline.

Three sea stacks in the area look different too as they stand amid the ice and snow. The one in the foreground resembles a vase. 

Behind it in the photo is a block-like stack, while the Tea Cup takes centre stage. 

Before long Phyllis will be back at the cottage for the warmer months when the snow and ice are but memories of the past winter. Meanwhile, one can appreciate the beauty of nature in any season.

P.S.

Yesterday I did the dance run as usual. I picked up my ten year old granddaughter from her dance class and dropped her home. During the fifteen minute drive we catch up on school and family news. She has my full attention and we love those precious minutes together.

She talked about war, the Russian leader and Canada taking in Ukrainian refugees. She will welcome any newcomers to our area and looks forward to meeting them. The tragedy of their situation wasn’t lost on the child and she struggled with the reason for such a tragedy.

She is not alone.