Vacation in Atlantic Canada - Part 2

     Before parting company with Rick and Marie, Marie marked up a map for us with suggested places to visit. Chief among these was Prince Edward Island National Park at Greenwich about which she rhapsodized more than a little. Initially our mind was made up to go there, but later Miriam said, "You know, it's about an hour and a half each way. Do we really want to spend three hours of a day on PEI in a car?" We mulled it over and little by little reoriented our thoughts towards the north shore around Cavendish, a mere half hour or so from Baker Shore.

     That was our plan until Lynne came to chat with us at breakfast. We told her of our plans. She set us straight in a hurry! "You must go to Greenwich," she said, "It's fabulous there." She went into all the reasons we should go, including the fact that it was a lovely drive, and in short order we were convinced.

     Greenwich it would be.

09 September 2021

Baker Shore - Greenwich National Park - St. Peter's Harbour - Savage Harbour - Baker Shore

     Following another of Darrell's incredible breakfasts, our drive up to the park was uneventful, a little slow at times around Charlottetown, but there were no serious delays.

     We arrived in great spirits buoyed by Lynne's description of all that we would see.

     The walk to the dunes and the beach was a modest 4.6 km round trip, and we set off. The Mi'kmaq First Nation has a long history with this area, and a reconstruction of a typical encampment has been established, the tepee having been constructed in the traditional manner.

     One is invited to explore the rich heritage of these original custodians of the land.

     Initially we traversed a forested area and were soon at a large marsh that is crossed by means of a floating boardwalk.

     I had visions of the bird life during the breeding season and could only salivate at the number of interesting species that could be found there with the investment of a few hours.

     There was both wet, boggy habitat and an expanse of open water.

     Lynne had been very enthusiastic about the range of ecosystems we would encounter and now we understood why. Miriam and I were already ecstatic about this wonderful place.

     The dunes were in sight.

     Every so often we would look back to see where we had come from.

     A path led to the top of the dunes.....

     ..... and this is what greeted us on the other side.

     It was utterly wonderful and sparsely occupied by people. Perhaps some, unaccustomed to walking, elected not to do the whole route.

     One of our most exciting bird sightings of our entire trip took place as a single Northern Gannet (Sula bassanus) cruised along the inshore waters, close to the beach. I am sure that most gannets have already departed for the open ocean and this was a straggler on its way to join them. It's a spectacular bird to see.

     We walked along the beach, entranced, by everything - the dunes, the coastal vegetation, the sand, the ebb and flow of the water - and shorebirds!

     By my best estimate there were about twenty Sanderlings (Calidris alba).

     In fact there may have been more because they scurried along, took brief flights, the flock split, some landed close by, others farther up the beach, and they were hard to count.

     There seemed to be about half as many Semipalmated Plovers (Charadrius semipalmatus) as Sanderlings.

     Sometimes it's good to take a nap.

     These birds really did entertain us. It was a happy experience to share their beach.

     Eventually, however, it was time to leave.

     Thank you, Marie, for suggesting this magical place, and thank you, Lynne, for making sure that we made the visit. 

     We hope to do it again one day.

     Marie had also mentioned St. Peter's Harbour and Savage Harbour as attractive destinations, and we checked in at both locations.

     The following pictures were taken during that period, but I confess to being unsure exactly where.

Fishers' huts

American Herring Gull (Larus smithsonianus)

Great

Great Black-backed Gull (Larus marinus)

Great Blue Heron (Ardea herodias)

     We stopped for dinner at a restaurant in Summerside called either Two Brothers, or Brothers Two, I was never quite sure from their logo. Miriam had a sweet chili stir fry while I had a cup of seafood chowder and a Buddha Salad. All was very tasty.

     We returned to our room at Baker Shore, well satisfied with another great day on Prince Edward Island.   

     

 

A Snowy Owl (Harfang des neiges) and Other Birds

29 November 2020

     Miriam and I were deciding where we would go for a walk on an uncharacteristically sunny November day, when a telephone call from Jim and Francine announced that they had located their first Snowy Owl (Bubo scandiacus) of the season. They gave us precise directions to its location, and since Miriam finds this species enigmatic above all others, our die was cast. We got in the car and headed for Wellington County.

     The bird, a handsome female, was exactly where Jim and Francine had found it.

     The temperature hovered around seven degrees, and without a speck of snow to act as camouflage, the bird was not difficult to see.

     It was constantly surveying its surroundings, no doubt looking and listening for rodent prey. Owls are able to swivel their heads 270 degrees, and it would go from appearing to look right at us, to showing the back of its head.

     It preened a little, paying attention to all its feathers, including those down on its feet.

     Birds are known to be able to sleep with one eye open, as this owl seemed to do so from both the right and the left, while still being alert to any sign of danger.

     We watched the bird for about a half hour; finally Miriam reluctantly agreed that we should move on. 

     I don't think she can ever get enough of a good thing!

     This sighting was actually on the rural road where Miriam lived on a farm during her early childhood, not far from the Conestogo Dam to where we headed next.

     Before getting to the dam proper we pulled off on a wide shoulder to scan the reservoir.

     The dominant species on the water was Common Merganser (Mergus merganser) and the number was simply staggering.

Common Merganser ♂

Common Merganser ♀

     Males clearly outnumbered females, by a substantial margin, and we estimated that a thousand or more individuals was a conservative count. The following pictures will convey an impression of the density of mergansers present, and there were other species alongside them too.

     It was a grand spectacle that we enjoyed immensely.

    We saw only one Common Goldeneye (Bucephala clangula), but it is more than likely that we missed a few others, intermingled in the ever-moving mass of mergansers.

     Ring-billed Gulls (Larus delawarensis) were abundant.....

     ..... as were Canada Geese (Branta canadensis).

     And they seemed to enjoy the same stretch of shoreline together.

     A Mennonite buggy passed by us, bespattered and in need of a good clean. That chore will doubtless be added to someone's list of tasks once the sabbath is over.

     Downstream from the spillway there were groups of ducks and gulls.

     Mallard (Anas platyrynchos) was the commonest duck, although some mergansers sought their company, away from the mass of their congeners on the other side of the dam, and a small group of American Black Duck (Anas rubipres) remained aloof, too far out for a photograph.

     Ring-billed Gull was far and away the most common larid, but small groups of American Herring Gulls (Larus smithsonianus) made their presence known too.

     Sub-adult gulls of various ages and of different species seemed to favour each other's company.

     In years past I have seen both Iceland Gull (Larus glaucoides) and Glaucous Gull (Larus hyperboreus) at the Conestogo Dam, but try as I might today, I was unable to detect either of these species of any age. Perhaps it is a little early and as winter advances they may show up.

     Bald Eagles (Haliaeetus leucocephalus) verge on predictable here and no sooner had Miriam and I expressed surprise that that we had not seen one, this individual came into view.

     The plumage gives every indication that this is a bird fledged this year.

     There is no shortage of prey at the Conestogo Dam and Reservoir, both fish and ducks being in great supply, with ample conifers for roosting, so this bird has the potential to grown strong and healthy as it perfects its hunting skills. 

     May it live long and prosper.