Exploring the southwest shore

My husband and I have thoroughly enjoyed our exploration of the southwest shore of Prince Edward Island this autumn. One of our recent excursions took us to Howard’s Cove, a natural cove which is now a boat basin. In the many areas of exposed shoreline on the island, boat basins have been built to offer protection to fishers, their boats and gear. At Howard’s Cove, the natural protection afforded by the little cove was developed into a boat basin for the area.

There is a tiny light, not quite a house,

which overlooks the cove where three feathered sentinels were on watch that day. 

Nearby, weathering of the red sandstone cliffs along the shoreline have resulted in a sea stack which is a sentinel of the earthy kind, albeit a slowly disappearing one.

A trail runs across the western edge of the shoreline from the lighthouse and we followed as far as muddy conditions would allow. Lobster pots look to have found a winter home along the trail. We will return! Such a shoreline trek is among my favourites.

We drove further along the shore until near Miminegash, we heard a pond full of Canada Geese above the radio in the car with closed windows. They called us to stop for a look and listen.

In Miminegash, another boat basin is positioned along the shoreline, this one has a damaged run into the basin. 

It was busy in the basin so we proceeded further along the coast, looking for access to the beach. We drove down Shore Rd and weren’t disappointed as the road ended at the shoreline and our little table once again came in handy.

Our lunch of beef stew as we sat by the stream that crossed the beach was delicious! As we ate, five shorebirds entertained us with their antics as they fed along the water’s edge. 

The three Semipalmated Plovers were easy to identify but the other two, not so much. Surely those five have headed south by now!

My husband and I headed in opposite directions to explore the beach after lunch. The erosion on this beach is dramatic, as two layers of red earth erode at different rates. It may have something to do with the amount of water which flows over the embankment. 

And don’t those bird houses stand out?

Waterfalls are a rarity on the island and a trickle down a bank is an unusual sight especially with faces shaped by the water.

Off-shore, I saw a black bird I thought was a cormorant bobbing around in the water. Looking at the photos later, it was obviously a non breeding Common Loon, a first for me.

While we were walking, a crab boat came from the west and we watched with interest as the fishermen checked their pots. In the photo below, you can see one of the men measuring the crab to ensure they don’t take undersize animals.

The final photo is my favourite of the day. Every now and then, moments of beauty align and, if you are really fortunate, there will be a bird in the frame.

  

Along the coast to West Point

It looks wild and untamed, an area of beach on Prince Edward Island left to nature. We’d headed to the southwest coast of the island to Brae Harbour and driven along the coastline from the small community over a dirt road. We passed a few off-grid cottages and eventually arrived at a place where we’d need an off-road vehicle to go further.

This is an exposed area of coastline along the Northumberland Strait. A sand bar off shore breaks the waves and the water looks like it is boiling. 

Sandy red sea rushes to shore. However, there aren’t any sand dunes along this shoreline. Trees, shrubs and other vegetation border the beach while driftwood in abundance shows how many trees have been claimed by the onslaught.

This area of coastline is without a village or even a cottage. It is a part of the island coastline we have rarely seen, without cliffs or dunes either. A cottage here would be risky, without a border between it and the sea.

During a walk along this beach, we crossed one familiar island feature, a brook crossing the beach, a small one we could easily jump over. Walking east, one could see homes or cottages kilometres away along the shoreline. One cannot imagine the same in this area.

We returned to the main road and continued on to West Point. This area has been settled and like so many areas of the island, has a boat basin along the shoreline to offer protection to fishers, their boats and gear. 

There wasn’t much activity in the basin this time of year as fishing season was winding down. The ubiquitous sentinels of the sea, the cormorants, had one lone bird on duty that day, 

while along the breakwater side of the basin, others of the species commune with gulls and enjoy the autumn sun. 

Damage in the basin walls allows one to look west towards the West Point Lighthouse, one that stands out among lighthouses on the island for its black and white striping. This area has received much damage over the last number of years and revetments along the shoreline and lighthouse are strategically placed so as to reduce the same in the future.

We had our favourite lunch of the autumn thus far, sheltered from the on-shore breeze at a picnic table at the park there. While we ate our delicious chicken stew, we watched the robins nearby 

and listened to the chickadees, our most vocal woodland bird of autumn, as they flitted among the trees around us. We watched with interest at what we thought initially to be a crow but later identified as a Turkey Vulture, an unusual bird for the island. It was a thrill to watch it circle the area for its food, animals which are already dead, such a road kill.

We walked through the park and along the shoreline after lunch before we headed home. Another great day exploring the island! 

For the love of picnics

We have thoroughly enjoyed our picnics this autumn but it looks like they will soon come to an end. The temperatures have dropped and the wind has been relentless, making for a cold which is uncomfortable for picnics. 

On one of our picnics before the cold set in, my husband asked why I enjoy them so much. I have thought about this for a while now and the answer is simple but not. We’re outdoors.

Some of my favourite memories of childhood were outdoors playing with my friends. Those days were idyllic, playing in the woods, on the beach or by the river. The days weren’t long enough for us. Time outdoors now speaks to that part of my spirit which was so happy in those childhood times.

It is more than that though. My love of a picnic is about the sounds of nature as we eat, such as the call of a gull along the shoreline, the lap of a wave on the shore or chickadees calling among the trees. For a few minutes during lunch, water trickling along a stream can fill the senses.

It is not only the sounds however that make a picnic, but the sights that go with them, such as the sea and its moods. The cloud formations for the day always have our attention as do the curiosities along a beach of red sand such as shells or driftwood. 

In the woods, the shape of the trees, how they sway with the wind of the day, the glow of the green beneath the canopy on a sun filled day, or the autumn colour of trees or grasses all make the experience of a picnic! There’s no need to bring flowers for the table because the wildflowers are prettier than any human-made bouquet. In the autumn, the wildflowers gone to seed catch the eye as well. And who can forget the feeling of the sun on one’s face or watching ducks or geese and goslings on a pond?

Then there is the company, time with friends to relax in such a setting and chat or time alone with your partner, to chat or sit in a comfortable silence, taking it all in. The food, hot or cold is a great bonus, eaten slowly so as to allow digestion of the nutrients and the surroundings. Hot tea, especially on an autumn or spring day, makes everything easier to consume. 

A picnic speaks to my spirit as it feeds mind and body. Who wouldn’t enjoy that?

The power of a peanut

The animals along the boardwalk in Summerside are a source of interest and enjoyment for many walkers. If you walk in the morning, birds and rodents are foraging and will take food from your hand if you are patient. However, there is a protocol for each species. 

Chickadees, the smallest of the lot, cannot take peanuts in the shell. 

Consequently, we crack the shells, 

remove the peanuts and break them in two. Then the tiny birds can fly off with half a peanut.

They are careful at first when you offer up peanuts but if one of the birds thinks he can trust you, soon several are in line to take the tasty morsels.

Then there are the blue jays. They will take peanuts however they are offered up, in the shell or not. They are reluctant to take peanuts from your hand, preferring them on the ground or railing. But if you are patient, they too will approach your hand to take them. 

The jays watch the area near the bridge carefully. At least one of them is always around and if a walker offers food, 

notice goes out and before long, you can have up to a dozen birds there. 

When you walk on after feeding them, some of the birds will fly from tree to tree along the way with you. They don’t want to miss out on anything.

The rodent population is represented by chipmunks and squirrels. We haven’t seen chipmunks around the boardwalk for a few weeks now but they disappear every winter into their burrows. 

However, the squirrels are still busy gathering food and will come around any walker.

They don’t hesitate to take peanuts from anyone. They usually inspect peanuts theyare given and eat any with cracked shells. Shells which are in perfect condition are taken away possibly for winter storage.

People in the area are photo worthy too. When we arrived on the boardwalk Monday morning, we could see through the trees that people on the bridge were feeding the animals. 

Later, as we continued our walk, people were busy feeding the animals further along the boardwalk, a lot of them in one area. 

The sun that day made for a poor photo however.

Animals and people are conditioned in a mutually beneficial relationship. It is enjoyed by all.

Autumn on the trail

It It was a cooler day, with a slight breeze and a mixture of sun and cloud. However the sun was shining as my husband and I headed out on our e-bikes. He rides more often than I do but this day we headed out together, hoping to have a picnic in Wellington, west of Summerside.

  

There are a few sections of this area of the Confederation Trail where it is leaf covered. The crunch of leaves as we rode was music to our ears as leaves were in short supply this year, many having been shredded by Fiona and stuck to windows, houses etc.

Just past Miscouche, the marsh area is flooded. 

Sometimes this area is almost dry, not so this day. Nearby, junipers or tamarack are the last trees to change colour 

and a huge wasp nest is easy to see among the bare branches of other deciduous trees. 

How that nest stayed in the tree through the violent wind of Fiona is a natural wonder.

We saw several Ruffed Grouse along the trail that day too. They were on the side of the trail and flew into the trees when we came near them. 

They are mottled browns and greys and disappear into the underbrush easily. 

This tree stump was an interesting find when we stopped on one occasion. 

It has two huge eyes looking out, a head of mossy hair and a shrub growing up through the moss. Nature always amazes us with how she reclaims her own.

The Confederation Trail has picnic areas every few kilometres. This one by the Ellis River in Wellington was a great spot for our picnic. 

Our new wide-mouth thermoses were just right for the chicken casserole we had for lunch, piping hot accompanied by a mug of hot tea. My husband and I like to have our main meal at lunch time and the thermoses allow us to vary what we bring for our picnic lunches.

While we ate, a local resident dropped by to check us out.

Curiosity is a feline trait after all. We called her Fluff. 

Other area residents were about too. Black-capped Chickadees called from the trees and Red-breasted Nuthatches walked down the trunks as the Chickadees flitted around them. Further down the Ellis River, five ducks swam around creating waves on the water which made it hard to take a good photo. Male and female Mallards, a female Merganser and male and female American Black Ducks made for lovely company while we ate. We hope Fluff will behave herself where our feathered friends are concerned.

After lunch, we rode to the park in Wellington, mere metres away. Herring Gulls 

took advantage of the quiet day on the river as we rode around the park on our bikes.

On the way home we stopped at the marsh again where the sun had broken through the clouds and the sky was reflected in the water. I love this union of water and sky.

I felt chilled that evening and it took me some time to warm up. However, the 30+ kilometres on bike weren’t detrimental to my hips and legs! Yay!

An island story

While we were in Alaska, Prince Edward Island, on a recent excursion, we stopped at a boat launch area on a creek which empties into Percival Bay. The scene was peaceful on a still day, overcast without the glare of the sun. 

Oyster boats were moored in a protected area in the creek and around a bend, Percival Bay and the oyster beds were visible in the distance. 

Nearby a muskrat went about his busy day.

We were just setting up our table and chairs to have a picnic, when a car pulled into the area. It is a common experience in rural PEI when we stop in an area for someone from the area to stop by to check us out. We’ve come to expect it. This man pulled his car in next to ours and greeted us. 

“Hello,” I said. May as well cut to the chase, I thought as I continued. “We’re from Summerside and we like to explore parts of the island we haven’t visited. It’s such a nice day and this is a beautiful area, we’re going to have a picnic here.”

My husband, taking the chairs out of the trunk didn’t hear the next comment. 

The man looked at me and said, “Follow me.” I looked at him questioningly and he repeated the order, “Follow me.”

I went  back and told my husband what the man had said and reluctantly he put the table and chairs back into the car and we followed this stranger.

The man drove up the road a few hundred feet and turned left to a path which led to several properties. Then he turned left again onto a field and stopped at the end of the field about a metre above the creek. The field was lined with trees, the white trunks of birches dominated.

We chatted easily with the man who owned the property on the creek he’d brought us to. There were picnic tables, a swing set, a trailer and shed on the property. The man stays in the trailer in the summer so he can watch his oyster beds since theft can be a problem. He invited us to use the picnic tables, and enjoy our lunch there overlooking the creek.

We shared our family history as he told us about his. He was a kind man, who shared his piece of paradise with us as he spoke of the oyster fishery in Percival Bay and the upcoming halibut fishery in which his son participates. We thanked him for allowing us to picnic on his land and he left us to our lunch.

It was humid that day and the mosquitoes were swarming under the trees. Rather than move a heavy table, we used ours in the open where the slight breeze helped fend off the nippers. Who would think to bring along insect repellent so late in the year?

We had creamed butternut squash soup that day, with cinnamon and ginger and the spices had gone through the soup made the evening before. Delicious. It is one of my favourite cream soups. A chicken sandwich went nicely with the soup and hot tea.

After lunch we explored the area around the creek and enjoyed the setting on a rare weather day in October. The colours of the grasses along the creek and a few remaining autumn leaves made a walk along the creek a real treat. 

The peaceful setting filled the senses! I smiled as I walked.

Recently I spoke with my husband’s aunt who lives in a large Canadian city and I told her about “Follow me.” She laughed at our trusting nature in following a complete stranger to an unknown place. She related how she uses a walker when she goes to the nearby supermarket. One day a young man asked if she needed help in crossing the street and she turned him down. She is always on the alert for danger and doesn’t trust anyone she meets. 

I love island life!