Respite

This past week was a busy one. With appointments over several days and helping a friend another day, we weren’t able to manage a walk on two days and picnics were out. Maybe next week for a picnic. It was a good week though, with many animal friends keeping us entertained in spite of some miserable weather.

The week started out with the return of two Osprey to the second nesting area near the boardwalk. We saw the two migrants sat in a tree near their nest which obviously needed repairs. One wasn’t facing our direction but the second, a male, we could easily see on a lower branch.

No wonder these amazing birds can snatch a fish right out of the water with those claws.

Chipmunks are out of torpor now and are a welcome addition to the rodents living along the boardwalk.

In Bedeque Bay, it isn’t surprising to see some Red-breasted Mergansers diving for food. The ducks always look like they need their head feathers trimmed but they are easy to identify this way.

My husband and I heard Northern Flickers over several days along the boardwalk but hadn’t seen them. Finally, after lots of time looking, I spotted this beauty high above the boardwalk. 

That same day, in the salt marsh, I watched a pair of Mourning Doves, one chasing the other all around the seaweed. It is mating season after all.

Another day, we decided to walk in the rain which meant I left my camera at home. The iPhone would have to suffice if we saw anything interesting. Wouldn’t you know it, a Bald Eagle was perched in a tree above the boardwalk, in full view of all the walkers.

It was a mature eagle, scanning for movement out on the water and the area around the boardwalk. Of course, the sun tried to break through as we watched the majestic creature. And me without my camera!

The next day it was raining again, and again I left the camera home. Unbelievably, two mature Bald Eagles were in the same tree this time. 

We saw them for more than an hour in the same place and they were still there when we left. People were thrilled!

My husband and I each had an encounter this week which has given us pause.

There is a new homeless shelter is Summerside which is doing great work. However, there are some people who do not use the shelter though it is well attended. Some of the homeless live deep in the woods at the end of the boardwalk. We see them sometimes walking or riding bikes  when we are there.

My husband met a man with a bike, carrying a bag. He looked to be in distress so husband asked if he was okay, did he need help. My husband suggested an ambulance, which the man refused, saying he had broken a rib and couldn’t ride his bike. He would walk instead. My husband and another man who happened along, both felt helpless, not knowing how to do better for the man. The poor man was obviously drugged and two men from his community wanted to do something but felt helpless.

My encounter was with an elderly Asian woman, an immigrant whose English was poor. Her card wouldn’t work in the bank machine at the check-out. The cashier and I, behind her in line, offered help.

I expect this woman is a more recent immigrant to this island. I wonder what circumstances led this senior to leave her previous home and some family behind to come to a foreign land and start anew in another language. All I could think is how I would feel in the same circumstances? How would I want to be treated? I offered help.

The world can be a hard place and we often feel helpless to do much about it. However, we can offer a kind word and give of ourselves to those we meet in our daily lives. Nature will be our respite.

Out and About, Spring ‘25

Picnic day, first of the season. It was sunny and the temperature was going up to 7 degrees Celsius without any wind, great conditions for us to pack up the lunch box and head west to North Cape.

As my husband and I drove towards the Cape, the white water was obvious along the coastline. Lower tide meant waves entered shallow water farther off shore and the tumbling lengths of bubbling water were impressive amid the blue of sea and sky. 

When we arrived at North Cape, we hurriedly left the car! Although my husband and I have lived on Prince Edward Island almost fifteen years, we had never seen the ocean like this. While we have lived though tropical storms, we did so from the safety of our home, never seeing the surf conditions. These surf conditions in this setting were spectacular.

A stretch of reef visible at the North Cape was formed where the waters of the Gulf of St. Lawrence, north of Prince Edward Island, meet the waters of the Northumberland Strait to the island’s south. The waves from both bodies of water collide at the reef.

But the sound…the sound was like a roaring dragon which didn’t take a breath, rather a huge exhale which surrounded you. One could only stand and take it all in.

After the initial experience with the sea, we began to notice the animals which were enjoying the environment that day too. Common Eider ducks bobbed over the waves as they advanced to shore.

Black Scoters were is a row, as one elevated itself ahead and above the others, possibly trying to attract the female farther back. 

Various species of Gulls, played on the breeze and along the shoreline. And typical of this time of year, along the shoreline, a Song Sparrow sang from its heart although its song was drowned out by the roar of the dragon.

Eventually we walked along the shoreline toward the location of a sea arch which looked fragile last year. Sure enough, as Newfoundlanders say, “There it was…gone.” All that remains is a sandy looking sea stack with some holes, making its survival questionable. 

Looking along the shoreline, waves crashed into the cliffs although snow still clung to the coastline in places.

Reluctantly we left North Cape and drove to Kildare Capes to the south. Along the way, we stopped at Sea Cow Pond where fisherman are preparing for the start of the lobster fishery at the end of the month.

Across from the Pond is a horse ranch which always catches my attention. The horses were enjoying lunch at the far end of the pasture.

We had lunch at Kildare Capes, in the yard of Christ Church, built in 1867. It is surrounded by huge trees so even on the windiest of days, the area is peaceful. One can easily imagine the peace people have found in the church for more than a century. After lunch, we walked back to the Capes where the waves crashed into the sandstone cliffs.

My husband and I also walked the boardwalk last week and the beach at Mont Carmel. One evening, I did an Owl Prowl with my friend Lucy and her family. I am determined to see an owl this year on the island. Our prowl at dusk was unsuccessful thus far, but we have just started! 

Here’s hooting for the best!

Music to our ears

We returned to Cavendish Grove this past week. The area is often our first choice; a favourite place on the island for both of us.

My husband and I always enjoy a picnic at the Grove from spring to late fall before it closes. One year in mid November, we wiped snow off the picnic table before we had lunch. No snow last Saturday but too cold for a picnic.

As we walked to Cavendish Beach, the grey of early spring surrounded us, newly exposed after the snow melted. The weeks ahead provide rapid change as nature shifts into overdrive. 

The sun is a big part of these changes as the lengthening days trigger the processes which awaken nature.

On New Year’s Eve this year I photographed Cavendish Beach before noon. 

Below is a similar shot from Saturday past before noon. The long shadows are gone.

Many birds have migrated back to the island already. Song Sparrows, which you often hear before you see them, are among the smallest birds we enjoy over the coming months. They sing their hearts out, lifting their voices into the heavens with every fibre of their beings. I always pause to listen.

The Canada Geese are in v-formation overhead every day now, sending their honking calls long before one can pin point their location. Soon nesting will keep the occupied.

In the bay at Summerside and elsewhere in the waters around the island the Black Scoters, diving ducks which have a distinct call, are fishing off shore this spring. That haunting call is a part of the sounds of spring too.

As usual, we walked the boardwalk other days and enjoyed the animals we have come to love there. As I photographed these Mourning Doves, Blue Jay and Red Squirrel partially hidden in the grass, two Black-capped Chickadees fluttered around my head. 

The feeder nearby offered peanuts that day, much to the delight of the birds 

and squirrels.

Birders on the island are watching for the return of the Osprey between April 12-15. Sure enough, yesterday, the 13th, we saw a single Osprey in the nest by the boardwalk. I bet she wonders what happened to the nest in her absence.

I want to finish today by thanking all music teachers out there. You who teach music appreciation, instrument and band, train voices and teach choir, direct musicals and the myriad things you do every day…thank you.

Generations have come to know and love music and performing as you work hard to pass on the joy of music to new generations.

Our eldest granddaughter had the pleasure to perform in the musical SpongeBob put on by her school last week. It is something she will remember for a lifetime. Thank you especially to her school’s great music teacher. Your hard work and dedication shows and is appreciated. 

Not again!

Winter has been checking in with us this past week. Snow was gone then returned three times. Enough of that persistence! A week without snow isn’t too much to ask, is it? I much prefer a walk outside rather than the treadmill, but that wasn’t always possible last week.

One day, when we could walk the boardwalk, I watched an area where various species of birds like to gather. During a 15 minute period I saw a Grackle, Blue Jays, Crows, a Gull, Mourning Doves, 

Tree Sparrows, 

Black-eyed Juncos, 

and Black-capped Chickadees

Meanwhile, in the stream nearby Black Ducks and Mallards 

fed in the stream. Robins looked for food nearby as well.

On the way home another day, Canada Geese fed in a field near our house. The look of this vegetation is typical of our area this time of year. The snow must go for more than a day before everything starts to turn green.

On Saturday, we attended our granddaughter’s last gymnastics competition for this season. Over the last year, Granddaughter 2 has gained confidence and improved her skills tremendously. It is always a pleasure to watch her perform.

At the competition, I sat next to a man I believe to be a Ukrainian immigrant. His daughter was competing and performed well too. When Russia invaded Ukraine, almost 300,000 Ukrainians came to Canada and a number settled on Prince Edward Island. They left when an aggressor invaded their homeland, in an effort to acquire their land and all its resources. 

I can’t help but wonder how these new islanders feel about the prospect of the same thing happening to this country at the hands of a different aggressor. Do they take the rhetoric seriously? Many people do.

We live in sad times!

The cheeky one

This past week was a typical week in March in some ways. We started the week without snow on the ground or ice in the bay. Snow soon made an appearance again though and by Monday morning, everything was snow covered. Since then, the snow has disappeared and reappeared again, though not lasting long. 

Ice has not returned to the bay in the absence of a strong on-shore wind. We did have fog most days although it is not so common here in spite of our maritime location. March, the cheeky one,  plays with our desire for an early spring.

My husband and I had an interesting experience last week regarding our car keys. It started out as many days do. We headed to the store then he dropped me back home before he made another stop. On his return, we planned a walk on the boardwalk.

As I went in the house, the car started some kind of alarm. There are so many alarms on the vehicle, we find it hard to keep them straight. My husband ignored the alarm and went on his way. Mistake!

I was inside putting items away when the phone rang. My husband was stuck at the business without a key to start the car. I’d had my keys on me when he started the car at home but had taken them in the house. He was in the car which was still running, without keys, hence the alarm which he ignored. Then later, when he turned the car off before exiting, he couldn’t start it again.

I left home and walked in his direction with his keys and he walked towards me from his position. We met in the middle. Thankfully he was only about four kilometres away. We missed our usual walk that day. Lesson learned.

Oh for the simpler days when a key had to go in the ignition to start a vehicle!

That vehicle, a plug-in hybrid, was bought new in January 2024. We have used one full tank of gas and part of another on ten thousand kilometres of driving. Our hydro bill has increased but less than the cost of the gas we would have used. Now if we could only get all the alarms figured out!

Meanwhile, one day last week, someone left cracked corn along the bridge railing on the boardwalk. The Blue Jays 

and Red Squirrels enjoyed it immensely.

No alarms involved.

 

Perfect!